Chapter 13: The Little Girl Listed as Deceased
"You're telling me someone tried to make my daughter disappear too?""
My father's voice echoed through the living room.
Daniel stood beside the dining table, holding the hospital documents.
On the sofa, my mother had gone completely pale.
"Marcus," Sarah whispered.
"I remember something.""
Dad immediately turned toward her.
"What?""
Sarah held her head.
"That night, Lily was sick. She had a fever, and I took her to the hospital earlier in the evening. Vanessa offered to stay with her while I spoke to the doctor.""
Dad frowned.
"You never told me Lily was hospitalized.""
"Because I didn't know what happened afterward. I remember being in the emergency department. Then everything became confusing.""
Daniel examined the records again.
"There's a second patient file under Lily's name. It shows that she was admitted at 8:42 p.m. on October 14.""
Dad looked at me.
I was sitting beside Brianna, hugging Bunny.
"Was I sick, Daddy?""
He knelt.
"You had a fever, sweetheart. That's all we know right now.""
Sarah began crying.
"I remember Vanessa telling me Lily was fine. She said the doctors had sent her home.""
Daniel shook his head.
"According to this record, Lily was never officially discharged.""
Dad stood.
"Then where was she?""
Daniel turned another page.
"That's what we're trying to establish.""
The detective arrived forty minutes later.
He carried a sealed folder and asked to speak with Dad and Sarah.
"Mr. Marcus, we received the original hospital archive from the medical records department.""
He placed three documents on the table.
"The first confirms that Sarah was transferred to a private facility. The second shows that Lily was moved to a different department.""
Dad leaned forward.
"Why?""
The detective hesitated.
"According to the notes, someone requested that Lily be placed under temporary protective custody.""
Sarah covered her mouth.
"Who requested that?""
The detective pointed to the signature.
"Thomas Marcus.""
Dad stared at the paper.
"Why would my brother take my daughter?""
"We believe he was attempting to use the hospital's internal procedures to separate the two of you from Sarah.""
Daniel examined the document.
"There's a problem. Thomas wasn't Lily's legal guardian.""
"Correct. But the form contains a false authorization supposedly signed by Marcus.""
Dad shook his head.
"I never signed this.""
The detective nodded.
"We know. The signature appears to be forged.""
He opened the third document.
It was a transfer record.
Lily Marcus had supposedly been transferred to a temporary care facility under a different name.
The new name was Emily Carter.
Sarah began shaking.
"That's the name I used after I disappeared.""
Dad looked at the detective.
"You're saying someone used my daughter's identity to hide her?""
"Possibly. But there's another discrepancy.""
He placed a small photograph on the table.
It showed a hospital nurse holding a little girl.
The girl was wearing a yellow dress with white flowers.
My yellow dress.
I recognized it immediately.
"That's me!""
Dad picked up the photograph.
The nurse was Patricia Evans.
"Why does Patricia have my daughter?"" he asked.
The detective explained that Patricia had been assigned to monitor my condition during the emergency.
She had later reported that Lily had been discharged to her father.
But Dad had never collected me.
He had been on a business flight.
"Then who took her?"" Sarah whispered.
The detective turned the photograph over.
A handwritten note appeared.
*Lily released to maternal family contact.*
Below it was a signature.
Rebecca Bennett.
Dad stared.
"Sarah's twin?""
Sarah shook her head.
"Rebecca never had permission to take Lily.""
The detective nodded.
"We've located Rebecca. She's agreed to cooperate.""
He placed another photograph on the table.
It showed Rebecca standing outside a small house with a child.
The child looked exactly like me.
Dad stared at the image.
"Where was this taken?""
"North Carolina. Three days after Sarah's disappearance.""
Sarah began crying.
"She had Lily?""
The detective nodded.
"We believe Rebecca took Lily from the hospital under the false assumption that Sarah had died. She was instructed to keep the child hidden until the financial investigation was resolved.""
Dad looked devastated.
"Why didn't she tell me?""
"We're arranging an interview.""
Sarah held his hand.
"Marcus, I need to tell you something.""
He turned.
"What?""
"I remember Rebecca telling me that she was protecting Lily. She said Thomas wanted to take her away permanently.""
Dad's jaw tightened.
"Then why didn't she return her?""
Sarah looked down.
"Because she discovered something about the birth records.""
Daniel looked confused.
"What birth records?""
Sarah hesitated.
Then she spoke.
"Before Lily was born, I had a difficult pregnancy. The hospital told me there might be complications. Rebecca helped me through everything.""
Dad nodded.
"I remember.""
Sarah looked at me.
"Sweetheart, I need to ask you something.""
I hugged Bunny tighter.
"Yes, Mommy?""
"Do you remember when Vanessa told you that your mother wasn't really your mother?""
I nodded slowly.
"She said you weren't my real mommy.""
Sarah closed her eyes.
"She lied.""
Then she looked at Dad.
"Marcus, there's something about Lily's birth that Thomas knew. Something he threatened to expose.""
Dad's expression hardened.
"What?""
Sarah took his hand.
"Lily was born with a different surname on her original hospital record.""
Daniel immediately reached for the folder.
"Whose surname?""
Sarah whispered:
"Evans.""
Nobody moved.
Dad looked at me.
Then he looked at Sarah.
"What are you saying?""
Sarah began crying.
"Thomas changed the original birth record before we left the hospital. I found out later, but by then he had already used it to create legal documents.""
Dad stared at the paperwork.
"Why would he do that?""
Sarah looked toward the detective.
"Because Thomas needed a child whose identity he could control.""
The detective's expression changed.
He slowly removed another document from his folder.
It was an original DNA test request.
And the name of the person who had ordered it was not Thomas.
It was Vanessa.
"Mr. Marcus," the detective said quietly, "we believe Vanessa knew something about Lily's biological father that she has been hiding.""
Dad looked at Sarah.
Sarah closed her eyes.
May you like
And then she whispered:
"Marcus, I was never able to tell you the whole truth about the night Lily was conceived.""
