Chapter 11: The Doctor Who Remembered Everything
I couldn't stop staring at the medication record.
My mother's name was written beside a request for a drug my father had never been prescribed.
I remembered those final days.
The nurses changing his IV bags.
The doctor explaining that his condition was deteriorating.
Mom telling us to be strong.
Emily crying in the hallway.
And me, sitting beside Dad's bed, believing every word the medical staff said.
“Are you certain this is genuine?”” I asked.
Michael nodded.
“I obtained it from an employee who worked in the hospital pharmacy.””
Richard picked up the document.
“This is a serious allegation.””
“I know.””
“Then why didn't you report it twelve years ago?””
Michael looked at him.
“Because I was running from the same people who controlled the company accounts. I had a child to protect.””
I looked at him.
“Did you ever see my father before he died?””
Michael's expression softened.
“Yes.””
“When?””
“The night before he passed.””
My heart began pounding.
“What did he say?””
Michael sat down.
“He told me to find you when it was safe. He said you were the only person he trusted to uncover the truth.””
I closed my eyes.
Dad had known.
Somehow, he'd known that everything would become a mess after he was gone.
“Why didn't you come sooner?””
“Because your mother had people watching the house. And because Edward Lawson had convinced everyone that I was responsible for the missing money.””
Richard's phone rang.
He answered immediately.
“Yes?””
A familiar voice came through.
“Richard, this is Dr. Carter.””
Richard put the call on speaker.
“Doctor, we need to speak with you about Robert Mitchell.””
There was a long silence.
Then the doctor spoke.
“I was wondering when someone would ask.””
My stomach tightened.
“You remember my father?””
“Of course, Sarah. I'm sorry. I should have spoken to you years ago.””
“About what?””
The doctor sighed.
“I reviewed his medical records last month after receiving a request from an independent investigator. I found inconsistencies in the medication administration log.””
I gripped the edge of the table.
“What inconsistencies?””
“Your father received a medication that wasn't included in his treatment plan. It was administered shortly before his final cardiac event.””
My eyes filled with tears.
“Are you saying someone gave him the wrong medicine?””
“I'm saying the record suggests that possibility. I cannot determine intent from the medical chart alone.””
Richard leaned closer to the phone.
“Who authorized it?””
Another pause.
“An emergency medication order was entered under my credentials.””
“Did you enter it?””
“No.””
I looked at Michael.
He slowly nodded.
The doctor continued.
“Someone used my electronic authorization. At the time, I assumed it was a documentation error. I was told the matter had been reviewed internally.””
“By whom?”” I asked.
The doctor hesitated.
“Your father's estate attorney contacted the hospital administrator.””
Edward Lawson.
Again.
I felt sick.
“Can you prove that?””
“I kept a copy of the internal review. I've also retained the original medication log.””
Richard looked at me.
“We need to meet him.””
The doctor agreed to meet us at his office the following morning.
Before ending the call, however, he added something.
“Sarah, there is one more thing. Your father asked me to give you something if you ever came looking for answers.””
I leaned toward the phone.
“What?””
“A small package. He left it with me shortly before he died.””
My breath caught.
“What was inside?””
“I never opened it. He instructed me to deliver it personally.””
The next morning, we arrived at Dr. Carter's office.
He was a thin man in his late sixties, with silver-rimmed glasses and a tired expression.
He greeted us quietly.
“Sarah, I'm sorry for what your family has been through.””
I nodded.
“Thank you for seeing us.””
He unlocked a cabinet and removed a small brown box.
“This is what your father left.””
I opened it carefully.
Inside was a gold wristwatch.
My father's watch.
I recognized the tiny scratch near the clasp.
He'd received it from my grandfather on his fiftieth birthday.
Beneath the watch was a folded piece of paper.
I opened it.
Sarah,
If this reaches you, then someone has finally asked the right questions.
The blue ledger is only part of the story. The money can be recovered, but the truth is more important.
Find the original recording.
I looked up.
“What recording?””
Dr. Carter cleared his throat.
“Your father mentioned something about a voice recorder.””
“Where?””
“I don't know.””
I turned the paper over.
There was another line.
The person who knows where it is will be the one who signed the final hospital authorization.
I stared at the words.
“Who signed it?””
Dr. Carter pulled out a folder.
“The record lists two authorized individuals.””
He placed it on the desk.
One was Dr. Carter.
The other was Patricia Mitchell.
My mother.
I felt my hands go cold.
“Why would she have hospital authorization?””
“Your father designated her as his medical representative.””
I looked at the date.
It was the same day he received the suspicious medication.
Richard stood.
“Doctor, can you provide certified copies of these records?””
“Of course.””
He opened another file.
“There's also something else. The hospital's internal investigation identified a nurse who witnessed the medication being administered.””
“What happened to her?”” I asked.
“She resigned shortly afterward.””
“Do you know where she is?””
Dr. Carter looked uncomfortable.
“She died five years ago.””
I lowered my eyes.
Another dead end.
Then he added:
“But before she left, she submitted a written statement.””
He removed a photocopy.
I read the first paragraph.
Mrs. Mitchell entered the patient's room shortly before the medication was administered. She instructed me to leave because she wanted to speak privately with her husband.
My breathing became shallow.
I continued.
When I returned, Mrs. Mitchell was holding an empty medication vial. She told me the doctor had authorized an additional dose.
I stopped reading.
Richard quietly took the document.
The final paragraph was underlined.
The patient appeared frightened and attempted to speak, but Mrs. Mitchell told him to rest. He asked me to contact his daughter Sarah.
I covered my mouth.
My father had asked for me.
And I hadn't been there.
I remembered Mom telling me that Dad was sleeping and that the doctors didn't want visitors.
I'd gone home that night.
I had never forgiven myself for not staying.
Now I understood that someone might have deliberately kept me away.
I looked at Dr. Carter.
“Did you ever see the original statement?””
He nodded.
“It was stored with the hospital's legal department.””
“Can we get it?””
“Your attorney will need to request it.””
Richard checked his phone.
“I'll have our legal team handle that.””
Then my phone rang.
Emily.
I answered immediately.
“Emily?””
Her voice was shaking.
“Sarah, I need you to come home.””
“What's happened?””
“Mom found out about the hospital records.””
I stood.
“How?””
“She called Edward Lawson. I heard everything.””
“What did she say?””
Emily began crying.
“She said the recording still exists.””
My heart stopped.
“What recording?””
“The one Dad made before he died.””
“Where is it?””
Emily whispered:
“Mom said it's hidden inside the engagement ring box.””
I looked at the photograph of Emily's diamond ring.
May you like
Then she said something even worse.
“Sarah, she also said the recording contains Dad's final confession.””
