Chapter 13: The Third Baby
For a moment, nobody spoke.
I held the photograph in one hand and the original hospital records in the other.
Three babies.
Not two.
Three.
"Dr. Simmons," I said, "I want the original delivery records. Every page.
Every signature. Every document connected to that night.""
She nodded.
"We'll coordinate with the hospital archive and the authorities.""
Harris examined the photograph.
"The doctor who signed this note is Dr. Thomas Voss. He delivered the children, correct?""
Claire nodded weakly.
"Yes. He was the attending obstetrician.""
"Do you know where he is now?""
"He's retired.""
Harris made a note.
"Then we'll need to speak with him.""
I looked at the photograph again.
"Who was the third baby?""
Claire shook her head.
"I don't know.""
I stared at her.
"How can you not know?""
"Because Daniel told me I had twins. He told me the third baby on the paperwork was a clerical error.""
I felt my jaw tighten.
"And you believed him?""
"Marcus, I was recovering from surgery. I had two newborns, and one of them had serious medical problems. Daniel kept telling me there was nothing else I needed to know.""
I looked at Lily.
She was sitting on a chair, holding the yellow rabbit.
"Does this mean I have another sister?"" she asked.
Nobody answered immediately.
I crouched beside her.
"We're trying to find out, sweetheart.""
She looked at the photograph.
"Would she look like Maya and me?""
I smiled sadly.
"Maybe.""
"Then I hope she likes yellow rabbits.""
I kissed her forehead.
Harris received a call and stepped into the hallway.
When he returned, his expression was serious.
"We've located the archive locker associated with the key.""
"Where?""
"Northside Women's Hospital. Locker seventeen.""
Rebecca looked at me.
"That's where Mom said the original files were.""
I nodded.
"Let's go.""
We arranged for Lily to remain under the supervision of the clinic's safeguarding team while the necessary authorities reviewed her circumstances.
Claire came with us.
For most of the drive, she stared out the window.
I didn't speak to her.
I couldn't.
My mind kept returning to a question.
How many times had my mother looked at me and decided that I wasn't ready to know the truth?
How many times had Claire kissed Maya goodnight while knowing another child might be waiting somewhere for her family?
The archive department was in an older section of the hospital.
A gray-haired administrator named Mr. Lawson met us at the entrance.
After checking the key and the authorization documents, he led us down a narrow hallway.
"This storage area hasn't been accessed in several years," he explained.
He opened locker seventeen.
Inside were several sealed folders, a small metal box, and a thick envelope marked:
*BENNETT DELIVERY — CONFIDENTIAL.*
Harris photographed everything before allowing us to examine the documents.
I opened the envelope.
The first page was a delivery report.
Claire's name.
The date Maya and Lily were born.
And beneath it:
*NUMBER OF INFANTS DELIVERED: THREE.*
I stopped breathing.
The second page listed three identification numbers.
Baby A.
Baby B.
Baby C.
Then I found the neonatal assessment.
Baby A had required immediate assistance.
Baby B had been transferred for specialist evaluation.
Baby C had been marked as deceased.
My hands began shaking.
"Claire.""
She moved closer.
Her eyes landed on the page.
"No.""
I pointed to the entry.
"Baby C. What does this mean?""
She shook her head.
"They told me there were only two.""
I turned another page.
It contained a handwritten note.
Infant C showed spontaneous respiratory activity following initial assessment. Transfer authorized. Biological mother not informed pending review.
I read the sentence twice.
"She was alive.""
Harris leaned closer.
"Apparently.""
I turned to the next page.
There was a transfer form.
The receiving facility was listed as a private neonatal center in Tennessee.
And the receiving physician was Daniel Reed.
My stomach twisted.
"Why was Daniel involved?""
Claire looked as though she might collapse.
"Because he knew about the pregnancy.""
I turned toward her.
"What pregnancy? You knew you were having twins?""
She shook her head.
"No. I knew there were two babies during the pregnancy. They never told me about a third.""
Harris examined the documents.
"The original ultrasound records may help establish what happened.""
I opened another folder.
Inside was a photograph of an ultrasound report.
The handwritten note at the bottom read:
Possible third fetus. Patient advised of uncertain viability. Repeat imaging recommended.
The repeat imaging report was missing.
Claire sat down.
"Oh my God.""
I looked at her.
"You never saw this?""
She shook her head.
"No.""
Then I found something else.
A letter from my mother, dated six months after the delivery.
Daniel,
You promised me the third baby would be returned to her mother once her condition stabilized. Claire believes she died. Marcus believes there were only two. I cannot keep lying to my family.
You told me there was no alternative.
There must be another way.
The letter ended abruptly.
My mother had signed her full name.
Evelyn Carter.
I leaned against the locker.
She hadn't merely known about the separation.
She had discovered it afterward and had tried to reverse it.
But somebody had stopped her.
Harris took the letter.
"We're going to need to establish the identity of this third child.""
He examined the transfer documents.
Then he picked up his phone.
After several minutes, he returned.
"Mr. Bennett, we've located a file connected to that transfer.""
My heart began racing.
"Where is she?""
Harris looked down at his notes.
"After leaving the neonatal center, the child was placed under a different identity. She eventually entered foster care.""
"Is she alive?""
He nodded.
"Yes.""
I gripped the edge of the locker.
"What's her name?""
Harris hesitated.
"Her current legal name is Nora Wilson.""
Claire began crying.
I looked at the date of birth.
The same date as Maya and Lily.
The same hospital.
The same delivery.
Then I noticed a handwritten note beside Nora's photograph.
Child has repeatedly asked why her biological parents never came back.
I closed my eyes.
Eight years.
Three daughters.
One family.
And an entire childhood stolen from a little girl who believed she'd been abandoned.
My phone vibrated.
It was Dr. Simmons.
I answered immediately.
"What's happened?""
Her voice was unsteady.
"Marcus, we've received additional information from Lily's medical file.""
"What information?""
"Dr. Reed wasn't simply monitoring the girls. He was trying to locate the third child for a reason.""
"What reason?""
She paused.
Then she said:
"Because Nora's original medical results are the only ones that can expose what he did to all three babies.""
I looked at the transfer report.
And suddenly, I understood.
May you like
Daniel hadn't been hiding one daughter.
He had been hiding the evidence.
