Chapter 6 - The Nurse Who Remembered
Elena transferred her care to Westbridge Medical Center the next morning.
At least, she tried to.
The receptionist examined her records and shook her head.
“We cannot accept the transfer without authorization from your current maternal-care provider.”
“My current provider is Dr. Sienna Patel.”
The receptionist looked confused.
“Your file lists Dr. Marcus Bell.”
“I never approved that.”
“There is a signed authorization.”
Elena leaned toward the screen.
“Show me.”
The receptionist printed the document.
Elena’s signature appeared at the bottom.
It was a convincing forgery.
Beside it was a witness signature belonging to Vivian.
Ethan photographed the page.
“Who submitted this?”
“It was uploaded through Saint Matthew’s administrative office.”
“Can you identify the account?”
The receptionist hesitated.
A nurse standing nearby turned toward them.
She was in her late fifties, with dark hair threaded by gray.
Her badge read Miriam Cole.
“Come with me,” Miriam said.
She led them into an empty consultation room and closed the door.
“I knew Arthur Vale,” she said.
Ethan stiffened.
“How?”
“I cared for him during his final hospital admission.”
“The records say he died at home.”
“He was moved home less than three hours before his death.”
“Why?”
“Your mother demanded it.”
Ethan’s face tightened.
“What happened in the hospital?”
Miriam sat down.
“Arthur arrived complaining of chest pain and dizziness. His condition stabilized after treatment. He was frightened, but he was awake and speaking clearly.”
“Did he mention Saint Orla?”
“He kept asking for a woman named Mara.”
Elena and Ethan exchanged a glance.
“Was Mara his relative?” Elena asked.
“I don’t know. He said she had been silenced once and that he would not allow it to happen again.”
“Who was his doctor?”
“Marcus Bell.”
The room seemed to become colder.
“Did Dr. Bell discharge him?” Ethan asked.
“No. Arthur refused to leave. Vivian arrived with Malcolm Cross and private security. She presented a medical directive giving her authority over his care.”
“Was it valid?”
“I questioned it. The signature looked wrong.”
“Whose signature?”
“Arthur’s.”
Miriam opened a drawer and removed an old notebook.
“I wrote down the medication numbers because something felt wrong.”
She showed them a page containing dates, times, and pharmaceutical codes.
“One drug was recorded as a routine sedative,” she said. “But the quantity was high enough to cause severe complications in a heart patient.”
“Who administered it?”
“The electronic record named me.”
“Did you?”
“No.”
“Did you report it?”
“I tried. The record disappeared the next day, and I was suspended for mishandling patient data.”
Ethan’s voice was unsteady.
“Are you saying my father was poisoned?”
“I am saying the official medical file does not match what I witnessed.”
“Why didn’t you come forward?”
“I had no proof. Vivian’s lawyers threatened to destroy my career.”
“Why are you speaking now?”
Miriam looked at Elena’s stomach.
“Because your file arrived yesterday.”
“What do you mean?”
“Saint Matthew’s sent Westbridge a request to reserve an emergency neonatal transport unit for the day of your scheduled delivery.”
Elena felt her pulse quicken.
“Why would they do that?”
“The request says your baby may need immediate transfer after birth.”
“Transfer where?”
“The destination was removed.”
Ethan stood.
“We’re leaving the country.”
Elena looked at him.
“We can’t run every time they change a record.”
“This isn’t a record. They prepared transportation for our child.”
Miriam raised a hand.
“There may be a way to identify the destination. Every neonatal transfer requires an insurance guarantee. Those codes are stored separately.”
“Can you access them?”
“Not without triggering an audit.”
“Do it,” Ethan said.
Miriam studied him.
“If I open that file, Dr. Bell will know.”
“Then let him know.”
Elena shook her head.
“We need to know where the baby was supposed to go before they realize we’re aware.”
Miriam agreed to investigate quietly.
Before they left, she gave Elena a small card.
“Call this number if you are taken to Saint Matthew’s against your wishes.”
Elena read the name.
Nora Grant, Director of Hospital Security.
“Can we trust her?”
“She investigated Arthur’s discharge. The board ordered her to stop.”
Outside the consultation room, Ethan received a message from his executive assistant.
Emergency board meeting at 4:00 p.m.
Attendance mandatory.
A second message arrived.
The board has received evidence that Elena attempted to manipulate the Legacy Trust.
Ethan showed Elena.
“They’re making you the criminal.”
Elena stared at the accusation.
“Then we need to find out what they plan to gain before they remove you from the company.”
Miriam opened the consultation-room door again.
Her face had changed.
“I found the insurance code,” she said.
“Where was the baby being transferred?” Elena asked.
Miriam held up a printed page.
“The destination is not a hospital.”
May you like
At the bottom of the document was the name of a private residence.
Saint Orla House.
