Chapter 12 - Whichever Child Survived)
Claire recoiled.
“What does that mean?”
Patricia wiped her eyes.
“Richard believed one of the babies would die.”
Daniel stood.
“Why?”
“Because Samuel Keene told him.”
Dr. Keene had discovered a serious issue during the blackout.
One infant had been given medication intended for another.
The dosage could have been dangerous for a premature newborn.
The problem was that during the system failure, nobody knew which infant received it.
Emma.
Anna.
Or Grace, later known as Lily.
Keene panicked.
Richard saw opportunity.
“He told Samuel to move the bracelets,” Patricia said.
Daniel stared.
“To hide the medication error?”
“Yes.”
“Not to switch babies?”
“Not at first.”
Richard promised to protect Keene if he altered the records.
Then he realized the identification confusion could be used for something else.
Control.
He wanted a granddaughter tied to him.
He wanted leverage over Daniel.
He wanted Claire terrified and dependent.
And he wanted Margaret silent.
The result became chaos.
Three infants.
Three identification bands.
One medication error.
One temporary guardian document.
And one man manipulating everyone.
“So which baby received the medication?” Claire asked.
Patricia looked at her.
“We never found out.”
Daniel felt sick.
“They all survived.”
“Yes.”
“Then what did Keene mean when he wrote that he switched the wrong child?”
Patricia swallowed.
“He wasn’t talking about identity bracelets.”
“What was he talking about?”
“Blood samples.”
Silence.
Keene had collected blood from all three infants while trying to determine who received the medication.
Richard later ordered him to replace one sample.
The purpose was to manipulate future paternity testing.
Margaret had lied that Michael fathered her baby.
Richard discovered the lie.
But after learning Daniel had unknowingly slept with Margaret months earlier, Richard suspected Margaret’s daughter might actually be Daniel’s.
Daniel looked as though he had been punched.
Patricia continued.
“Richard wanted certainty before he acted.”
“So Keene changed the blood sample?”
“Yes.”
“Whose?”
“That’s the problem. He believed he changed Anna’s sample.”
“But he didn’t.”
Patricia shook her head.
“He changed Grace’s.”
Lily.
That explained the confession.
I switched the wrong child.
The falsified genetic sample had hidden Lily’s identity for years.
Margaret took Anna home believing Anna was her biological child.
Claire and Daniel took Emma home correctly.
Grace entered foster care.
But Richard eventually discovered that Margaret’s biological baby had vanished into the foster system.
Daniel whispered, “Lily.”
Patricia nodded.
“And once he learned Lily was yours, he started watching her.”
Claire looked toward Daniel.
“So Richard knew for eight years.”
“Yes.”
“Why didn’t he tell anyone?”
Patricia’s answer was quiet.
“Because he wanted to decide which daughter Daniel deserved.”
The room went still.
Then Bennett’s phone rang.
She answered.
Her expression changed immediately.
“What location?”
She stood.
“We’re coming.”
Daniel rose.
“What?”
May you like
Bennett grabbed her coat.
“They found Lily.”
