Chapter 8 - You Brought Him Just in Time
Emily lifted Noah from the crib.
At first, he only seemed sleepy.
Then his head rested too heavily against her shoulder.
“Noah?”
His eyelids moved, but he did not fully open them.
Emily wiped the moisture from around his mouth with her sleeve. The residue had a bitter medicinal smell.
“Claire!”
Claire hurried into the nursery.
“What happened?”
“What did you give him?”
“Nothing.”
“He has something around his mouth.”
Claire reached toward Noah.
Emily stepped back.
“Don’t touch him.”
“I didn’t give him anything.”
Emily called Daniel, but he was assisting at the highway collision and did not answer.
She called emergency services.
Claire followed her downstairs.
“You are overreacting.”
“My baby won’t wake properly.”
“He was asleep.”
“He was alert four minutes ago.”
Emily placed Noah in his car seat, secured him, and grabbed the diaper bag.
Claire blocked the door.
“Wait for the ambulance.”
“It will take too long.”
“You shouldn’t drive while you’re panicking.”
Emily shoved past her.
“Move.”
Claire’s expression changed.
The frightened sister disappeared. In her place stood the cold woman who managed millions of dollars and expected everyone to obey.
“You need to calm down,” Claire said. “This is exactly the kind of behavior the court will examine.”
Emily stopped.
“What court?”
Claire’s face tightened.
She had said too much.
Emily opened the door and ran to the car.
The drive to St. Catherine’s Hospital took eleven minutes.
Emily remembered every traffic light.
Every breath Noah took.
Every second his eyes remained closed.
She carried him through the emergency doors and shouted for help.
Dr. Patel met them before she reached the desk.
Within moments, Noah was connected to a monitor. Nurses moved quickly but calmly. One asked Emily what medication was stored in the home.
“Only pain relievers locked in the bathroom cabinet. Nothing for him.”
“Who was with him?”
“Daniel’s sister.”
“Did you see her give him anything?”
“No.”
Dr. Patel checked Noah’s mouth.
“There is visible residue. We’re going to run tests.”
“Is he going to be all right?”
“You brought him in quickly.”
The words did not feel like an answer.
A nurse searched the diaper bag for Noah’s medical information.
She removed diapers, spare clothes, wipes, and formula.
Then her hand stopped inside the inner lining.
“This pocket is torn.”
Emily looked over.
“I didn’t know there was a pocket.”
The nurse reached deeper and removed a sealed amber bottle.
Emily had never seen it before.
The pharmacy label was partially covered by a white sticker.
Noah’s name was printed beneath it.
Dr. Patel placed the bottle inside an evidence bag.
“This medication was not prescribed by our pediatric department.”
Emily’s phone rang again.
Vivian.
Emily rejected the call.
A message appeared immediately.
Claire told me what happened. Do not speak to the police until I arrive.
Emily stared at the words.
Claire had called Vivian before calling Daniel.
She called Daniel again.
This time, he answered.
She heard sirens and shouting in the background.
“Emily?”
“It’s Noah.”
Her voice broke.
“What happened?”
“I found something around his mouth. We’re at St. Catherine’s.”
“Is he breathing?”
“Yes.”
“I’m coming.”
“Daniel, there was a bottle in his bag.”
“What bottle?”
“Medication. Someone hid it.”
The line went silent except for the noise of the accident scene.
“Who was with him?” Daniel asked.
Emily looked through the glass wall of the treatment room.
Claire stood outside the emergency department entrance, speaking to someone on the phone.
“Your sister.”
Before Daniel could respond, the call ended.
Claire entered the corridor but stopped when she saw a police officer approaching the treatment room.
She turned and walked away.
Twenty minutes later, Daniel burst through the emergency doors.
The nurse raised the bottle.
“The pickup record includes identification belonging to Vivian Hart.”
Vivian entered the hospital moments later.
Then Daniel received the unknown message accusing Emily of removing something from the nursery.
The corridor lights flickered.
A scream came from behind the emergency doors.
Everyone turned.
Claire stumbled into view, gripping her arm.
“There’s someone in the parking garage,” she gasped. “He took my phone.”
The police officer ran toward her.
During the confusion, Vivian stepped closer to Emily.
Her voice was barely audible.
“Whatever they ask you, do not tell them about the photograph.”
Emily looked down at Noah.
Then she looked directly into Vivian’s eyes.
May you like
“You knew this was going to happen.”
Vivian did not deny it.
