Chapter 2 - The Voice in the Hallway
Friday’s genetic panel took six hours.
Daniel did not come.
Sarah sat beside Ethan while technicians collected blood, checked his heart rhythm, and performed a new bone marrow scan. Ethan tried to joke with the nurses, but Sarah saw the fear behind his smile.
Dr. Priya Patel entered near noon.
She was a precise, thoughtful woman in her early forties who had treated Ethan since his diagnosis. Usually, she explained every procedure carefully.
That day, she seemed distracted.
“We need to repeat two of the compatibility tests,” she said.
“Why?” Sarah asked.
“There was an inconsistency.”
“What kind of inconsistency?”
Dr. Patel looked at Ethan, then at the nurse standing near the door.
“Nothing conclusive.”
Sarah recognized the careful language doctors used when they did not want to frighten a patient.
“Does this change his treatment?”
“Not yet.”
“Could it?”
Dr. Patel hesitated.
“I would like to speak to you privately later.”
Ethan rolled his eyes.
“You know I can still hear when adults whisper.”
Dr. Patel smiled, but it did not reach her eyes.
“This is administrative, Ethan.”
He did not believe her.
Neither did Sarah.
That afternoon, while Ethan slept after the procedure, Sarah walked to the vending machines.
She heard voices around the corner.
One belonged to Dr. Patel.
The other belonged to a man.
“You were instructed not to repeat the test,” the man said.
“I answer to the patient, not Mercer Biotech.”
“You signed a confidentiality agreement.”
“I signed an agreement regarding trial data. I did not agree to falsify a child’s medical record.”
Sarah stopped walking.
The man lowered his voice.
“You should think carefully about the accusation you are making.”
“I checked it three times.”
“And I’m telling you the original sample was contaminated.”
“It wasn’t.”
“Doctor.”
“Ethan Carter’s genetic profile does not match the profile in his birth records.”
Sarah’s hand tightened around a coin.
The vending machine hummed beside her.
The man spoke again.
“This conversation never happened.”
Footsteps approached.
Sarah stepped into an empty consultation room before they rounded the corner.
Through the narrow opening in the door, she saw Dr. Patel walk past first.
The man followed.
He was tall, silver-haired, and dressed in a charcoal suit. Sarah had seen him before at Daniel’s company events.
Victor Mercer.
Founder and chairman of Mercer Biotech.
Daniel’s employer.
Sarah waited until the corridor was silent.
When she returned to Ethan’s room, Dr. Patel was gone.
A different physician stood at the foot of the bed.
He introduced himself as Dr. Nolan Reeves.
“I’ll be overseeing Ethan’s case from now on.”
Sarah stared at him.
“Where is Dr. Patel?”
“She has taken an unexpected leave of absence.”
“She was here ten minutes ago.”
Dr. Reeves smiled.
“These decisions can happen quickly.”
Sarah took out her phone and called Dr. Patel.
The call went directly to voicemail.
She called again.
The number was no longer in service.
That evening, Sarah told Daniel what she had overheard.
For one second, his face revealed something.
Not surprise.
Recognition.
Then he laughed.
“You misunderstood.”
“I heard Ethan’s name.”
“Hospitals discuss dozens of patients.”
“She said his genetic profile didn’t match his birth records.”
Daniel loosened his tie.
“Medical language sounds dramatic when you don’t understand it.”
“I understand what matching means.”
“Apparently not.”
Sarah felt heat rise into her face.
“Why was Victor Mercer there?”
Daniel stopped.
“Victor supports the hospital.”
“He was threatening Ethan’s doctor.”
“That is a serious accusation.”
“It’s what I heard.”
Daniel walked closer.
“Listen to me carefully. Ethan needs access to a treatment Mercer Biotech is developing. Victor is helping us. Do not create trouble because you overheard part of a conversation.”
“I want to know what Dr. Patel found.”
Daniel’s hand closed around her wrist.
His grip was not yet painful.
It was a warning.
“Let the doctors do their jobs.”
Sarah looked down at his fingers.
Daniel released her.
Later that night, she found a message on the home answering machine.
There was no caller identification.
A woman whispered through static.
“Mrs. Carter, your son’s blood is telling the truth. Ask your husband where he was on the night Ethan was born.”
The message ended.
May you like
Sarah played it three times.
Then she heard Daniel standing behind her.
