Mark dropped his leather briefcase to the floor without a second thought, the heavy leather slamming against the oak planking as his instincts took over. In a fraction of a second, he calculated the speed and angle of the falling body. He threw himself forward across the smooth, polished floor, bending his legs and diving into a hard knee slide across the hardwood floor with both arms extended wide into the empty air.
Mark: I’ve got you!
The impact was sudden and heavy. Mark caught Elena mid-air just a foot above the hard ground, gathering her body against his chest and shoulders to absorb the downward momentum of her fall. The heavy impact knocked the air straight out of his lungs, sending them both sliding several feet across the slick oak floor before coming to a complete stop against the base of the central display table.
Elena: Oh God... Oh my God...
Mark: Easy, easy, don't move just yet. I’ve got you. Are you hurt?
Elena lay tucked securely inside Mark's strong arms, her chest heaving as she gasped for breath in stunned relief. She looked up into his stern, protective face, her hands clutching tightly at the lapels of his suit jacket as if she were still convinced she was falling. The silence in the high-ceilinged foyer was deafening, broken only by the sound of their ragged breathing and the faint, distant crying of the boy upstairs.
Elena: I... I think I'm okay... My back... You caught me.
Mark: I caught you. Take a slow breath. You're safe now, Elena.
Mark lifted his head and looked straight up toward the second-floor balcony. Standing behind the wrought-iron railing, leaning over the edge with pale, trembling hands, was Victoria. Her mouth was open in total shock, her eyes wide with terror as she realized that her husband had returned early and witnessed the horrific event with his own eyes. High above her, the framed USA flag hung silent on the wall, framing the scene of her undone cruelty.
Mark: What did you just do, Victoria?
Victoria: Mark! It... it was an accident! She tripped over her own feet! She was being careless near the railing!
Billy: She pushed her, Daddy! She slapped Elena and pushed her over the railing!
Billy ran down the stairs as fast as his small legs could carry him, tears streaming down his freckled cheeks as he threw his tiny arms around his father's neck and Elena's waist, clinging to both of them for dear life on the cold floor.
Billy: Don't let Mommy hurt her again! She hit her face real hard!
Mark: Is this true, Victoria?
Mark gently helped Elena sit up against the base of the table, his eyes never leaving his wife's pale face as she slowly stepped back from the balcony edge, trying desperately to come up with a story to save herself from the consequences of her reckless rage.