Chapter 8: The Doctor Who Remembered
By the time we left the storage unit, I had stopped trusting anyone who told me they were trying to protect my family.
Thomas wanted us to go somewhere safe.
Linda wanted me to forgive her.
Bennett wanted the flash drive back in exchange for information.
And my daughter, the person everyone claimed to be protecting, was the only one who seemed to understand how dangerous our situation had become.
“We need to find Dr. Shaw,” Maya said from the back seat of my car.
Thomas sat beside her, keeping his hands folded in his lap.
“Your mother is right,” he said.
“But we shouldn't go straight to the hospital.””
I glanced at him in the rearview mirror.
“Why not?””
“Because if Bennett's claims are true, someone may still have access to the records.””
Maya looked out the window.
“Then where do we go?””
Thomas hesitated.
“I know where Dr. Shaw lives.””
I tightened my grip on the steering wheel.
“How?””
“She treated my father for years. Before everything happened, she helped me understand how the trust was structured.””
I didn't like it.
Every new detail revealed another secret Thomas had kept from me.
But we had no better lead.
We drove to a small colonial house on the outskirts of town. Bare branches scraped against the windows, and a row of unlit lanterns lined the front walk.
Thomas knocked.
No answer.
He knocked again.
A light came on upstairs.
A woman's voice called through the door.
“Who's there?””
“Dr. Shaw? My name is Thomas Reed. I need to speak with you about Eleanor Collins.””
Silence.
Then the lock clicked.
Dr. Evelyn Shaw stood in the doorway wearing a dark cardigan and reading glasses. She looked older than the photograph, with silver streaks in her hair and deep lines around her mouth.
The moment she saw Thomas, she went pale.
“You shouldn't be here.””
“Neither should you have altered a patient's medical records.””
Her eyes shifted toward me.
“Renee?””
I nodded.
“I'm Eleanor's daughter.””
She looked at Maya.
“And this must be Maya.””
My daughter stepped closer.
“You came to my school.””
Dr. Shaw closed her eyes.
“Yes.””
“Why?””
The doctor opened the door wider.
“Come inside. All of you.””
Her living room smelled of tea and old books. A stack of medical journals sat on the coffee table, and a framed photograph of a young woman stood beside the fireplace.
Dr. Shaw poured water into four glasses.
Nobody touched theirs.
I placed the red notebook on the table.
“My mother wrote your name beside a note about her hospital records. She believed you knew who changed something before she died.””
Dr. Shaw stared at the notebook.
Then she sat down.
“Your mother was one of the bravest women I ever knew.””
“Please don't give me a speech about how wonderful she was,” I said.
“Tell me what happened.””
The doctor folded her hands.
“Eleanor's condition deteriorated unexpectedly during her final hospitalization. Her medication chart showed that she had received a higher dose of a sedative than prescribed.””
My chest tightened.
“Was it an accident?””
“We initially believed so.””
“And later?””
Dr. Shaw looked at Thomas.
“Later, I discovered that the electronic record had been altered. The original order had been replaced, and the person who authorized the change had used another employee's credentials.””
“Who?””
She swallowed.
“I couldn't prove who did it.””
“But you suspected someone.””
“Yes.””
“Who?””
Dr. Shaw looked at Maya.
“Your aunt Linda.””
My daughter made a small, wounded sound.
I reached for her hand.
Dr. Shaw continued.
“Linda had visited your mother several times. She knew the medication schedule, and she had access to the ward because she was listed as an emergency contact.””
“That's not proof,” I said.
“No. It's not.””
“Then why did you let her come near my daughter?””
The doctor lowered her eyes.
“Because I made a terrible mistake.””
She went to a cabinet and retrieved a thick envelope.
Inside were photocopies of medication orders, handwritten notes, and an incident report that had never been finalized.
“One of the nurses reported seeing Linda near the medication station shortly before Eleanor's condition changed,” she said.
“But the nurse later withdrew her statement.””
“Why?””
“She said she had been mistaken.””
Thomas leaned forward.
“Was she threatened?””
“I don't know.””
Dr. Shaw pulled out another document.
“But three days after Eleanor died, I received a phone call from someone claiming to represent the family. They asked me to close the internal review and stop requesting the original medication logs.””
“Who called?””
The doctor looked at me.
“Daniel Bennett.””
I felt sick.
“He was involved thirteen years ago?””
“Yes. He was working as a private family-services consultant at the time. He said the family wanted privacy.””
“And you agreed?””
“I was afraid of losing my position. I told myself that without proof, I couldn't accuse anyone.””
I stood.
“So my mother died under suspicious circumstances, and you buried the investigation because you were afraid of losing your job?””
Dr. Shaw flinched.
“Yes.””
The admission hung between us.
Maya stared at the doctor.
“Did my grandma know she was going to die?””
Dr. Shaw's eyes filled with tears.
“I don't know, sweetheart.””
“Did she leave a message for me?””
The doctor hesitated.
Then she reached into the envelope and pulled out a small cassette tape.
“Your grandmother recorded this the day before she died. She asked me to keep it safe until I could give it to her family.””
I stared at the tape.
“Why didn't you give it to me?””
“Because Linda told me you had moved away and didn't want contact with anyone connected to Thomas.””
I closed my eyes.
Another lie.
Another year stolen from us.
Dr. Shaw placed the tape on the table.
“I should have questioned her. I should have found you.””
Thomas picked up the cassette.
“Do you still have a player?””
The doctor nodded toward a shelf.
They sat beside the old stereo while I held Maya close.
The tape crackled.
Then my mother's voice filled the room.
“Renee, if you're hearing this, something has happened, and I haven't been able to tell you the truth.””
I pressed my hand over my mouth.
Her voice sounded tired, but unmistakably hers.
“I know Linda has been taking money from the trust. I know Thomas has tried to warn me. And I know someone is using my illness to frighten me into silence.””
A pause.
Then she continued.
“If I don't survive this hospitalization, I need you to understand one thing. The money was never the real danger.””
Thomas went rigid.
My mother's voice trembled.
“Linda is afraid that the truth about Maya's birth will destroy her. She believes that if the original records are found, she'll lose everything.””
Maya looked at me.
The tape clicked.
Then my mother whispered the sentence that made Thomas stand so abruptly that his chair fell backward.
“Maya wasn't the only child born that night.””
The recording stopped.
Nobody moved.
I turned toward Thomas.
“What did she mean?””
He stared at the cassette player.
“I don't know.””
But his expression told me he was lying.
I stepped toward him.
“Thomas, look at me.””
He wouldn't.
“Was there another baby?””
His jaw tightened.
“Renee—”
“Was there another baby born the night Maya was born?””
He finally met my eyes.
“Yes.””
Maya stood slowly.
“Where is that baby now?””
Thomas opened his mouth.
Before he could answer, Dr. Shaw's landline rang.
She picked it up cautiously.
“Hello?””
Her face changed.
“What?””
She listened for several seconds.
Then she looked at me.
“It's the hospital.””
My heart pounded.
“What about it?””
Dr. Shaw lowered the receiver.
“Someone has accessed Eleanor Collins's archived medical records.””
“Who?””
She listened again.
Then she whispered, “The request was submitted under Maya's name.””
Maya shook her head.
“I didn't do that.””
Dr. Shaw looked at the computer screen beside her desk.
“No,” she said.
“You didn't.””
She turned the monitor toward us.
The request contained an electronic signature.
*Renee Collins.*
My name.
My date of birth.
My old address.
May you like
And a final line that made my blood run cold.
*Requested records: newborn delivery file, twin infant identification, and original custody declaration.*
