Chapter 5 - The Missing Keys
That night, Noah became restless.
He refused part of his feeding and cried whenever Elena laid him down. His skin felt warmer than usual, but the first thermometer reading was only slightly elevated.
Elena called the pediatric nurse line using the damaged phone. The screen flickered, but the call connected.
The nurse asked several questions and advised Elena to monitor him carefully. Because Noah was only six weeks old, any significant fever required immediate medical evaluation.
“Do not wait until morning if the reading reaches the threshold I gave you,” the nurse said.
“I won’t.”
Elena placed her car keys beside the bassinet.
She no longer trusted Diane.
At two in the morning, Noah’s temperature had risen.
Elena sat on the edge of the bed, listening to his breathing and counting every second. She called the nurse again.
This time, the phone shut down halfway through the conversation.
She connected it to the charger, but the battery symbol did not appear.
The damaged charging port had stopped working.
Elena opened the bedroom door.
The hallway was dark.
She carried Noah downstairs and found Diane awake in the kitchen, drinking tea.
“I need your phone.”
Diane looked at the clock.
“It’s two in the morning.”
“Noah has a fever.”
Diane touched his forehead.
“He feels fine.”
“The thermometer says otherwise.”
“Those digital things are unreliable.”
“He’s six weeks old. The nurse said I need to take him in if it rises.”
Diane poured more tea.
“Babies get warm when they cry.”
“Give me your phone.”
“You’re not calling an ambulance because a baby feels warm.”
“I’m calling the hospital.”
“You already called them twice tonight.”
Elena stared at her.
“How do you know that?”
Diane did not answer.
Elena hurried to the counter where she had left her keys.
They were gone.
“Where are my keys?”
“You shouldn’t drive when you’re this tired.”
“Where are they?”
“You’re becoming hysterical.”
Elena kept her voice low.
“Give me my keys.”
Martin entered from the guest room.
“What’s happening?”
“Noah has a fever,” Elena said. “I’m taking him to the hospital.”
Diane looked at her brother.
“She hasn’t slept. She could cause an accident.”
“I’ll drive,” Martin offered.
Relief nearly weakened Elena’s knees.
“Fine. Get the car.”
Martin looked at Diane.
That glance told Elena everything.
He was not offering help.
He was delaying her.
Diane held up the keys.
“You can go in the morning after you’ve rested.”
Elena reached for them.
Diane stepped back.
“I am his mother.”
“And Ethan is his father.”
“Ethan isn’t here.”
The words came out sharper than Diane intended.
Elena felt something cold settle inside her.
“That is exactly why you waited until he left.”
Martin moved closer.
“Let’s all calm down.”
“Open the front door,” Elena said.
“No one is holding you here,” Diane replied.
“Then give me the keys.”
“You can walk out whenever you want.”
“With a sick newborn in the middle of the night?”
“That is your decision.”
Diane was constructing another story. In that story, Elena was free to leave, but no reasonable option had been taken from her. The hidden keys, disabled internet, broken phone, and blocked transportation were all separate accidents.
Elena looked toward the camera above the cabinets.
She needed Diane to say it clearly.
“The nurse told me Noah needs medical care,” Elena said. “Are you refusing to return my car keys?”
Diane followed her gaze and smiled.
“The cameras are off.”
“Answer me.”
“I’m preventing you from making a dangerous decision.”
Martin took Elena’s damaged phone from her hand.
“Let me see if I can fix this.”
“Give it back.”
He examined the charging port.
“It’s completely broken.”
“I know.”
“It might be better to replace it.”
He placed it on the counter, but when Elena reached for it, he moved it farther away.
Noah whimpered.
Elena turned her attention back to him.
That was what Diane had expected.
While Elena adjusted the blanket, Diane handed the keys to Martin.
He carried them into the study and locked the door.
Elena saw everything.
She also saw the tiny green light on the camera above the refrigerator.
The local monitors might be dark, but the camera was still transmitting.
Hope arrived so quietly that Diane did not notice it.
Elena stopped pleading.
She sat at the kitchen table and held Noah against her chest.
“What are you doing?” Diane asked.
“Waiting.”
May you like
“For what?”
“For Ethan to come home.”
