Chapter 8 - The Baby Who Had Two Names
I had given birth to one child.
So why did hospital records suggest my son had two identities?
Detective Mitchell examined the bracelet photograph.
"Norah, do you recognize the number?"
I shook my head.
"No."
"What hospital delivered Sam?"
"St. Catherine's."
She looked toward Ethan.
His expression changed.
"What?" I asked.
Ethan swallowed.
"St. Catherine's was one of Hawthorne Medical's major clients."
I felt sick.
"You're telling me the people who threatened Daniel were connected to the hospital where Sam was born?"
"Possibly."
I looked at Evelyn.
"Please. Tell me what you know."
She wiped her eyes.
"Daniel suspected that Hawthorne was billing insurance companies for medical supplies that were never delivered. He also discovered that patient information was being copied into fraudulent accounts."
I stared.
"Even babies?"
Evelyn nodded.
"Newborn records were especially valuable because they were often connected to multiple insurance claims."
My chest tightened.
"Did someone use Sam's identity?"
"Daniel believed they had."
I looked toward Ethan.
"That's why he disappeared?"
Evelyn hesitated.
"Partly."
"Partly?"
She lowered her voice.
"Daniel found out Gregory was using Sam's records. He confronted him. After that, someone threatened Norah."
My eyes filled.
"He never told me."
"He was trying to protect you."
I shook my head.
"By leaving me alone?"
Evelyn's face crumpled.
"He intended to come back."
The words hurt.
Because I wanted to believe them.
And because eight months of loneliness couldn't be erased by a promise someone never kept.
Detective Mitchell interrupted gently.
"We're going to investigate the duplicate records and contact the hospital's compliance office."
I nodded.
Then something occurred to me.
"Wait."
Everyone looked at me.
"When Sam was six weeks old, I received an insurance denial for a medical procedure he never had."
The detective leaned forward.
"What procedure?"
"I don't remember exactly. Something involving respiratory equipment."
Ethan's jaw tightened.
"Do you still have the letter?"
I nodded.
"At my apartment. In the kitchen drawer."
Mitchell arranged for the document to be collected.
An hour later, she returned.
Her expression was grim.
"Norah, the claim was submitted by a Hawthorne-affiliated supplier."
I stared.
"For a procedure Sam never received?"
"That's what the available records indicate."
My stomach twisted.
"How many other children?"
"We don't know yet."
Then the detective added something worse.
"The second identity may have been used to create a false medical history."
I hugged Sam closer.
"Can it affect his actual care?"
"We'll make sure his records are corrected and verified."
I nodded, trying to breathe.
That evening, Ethan drove us back to the safe house.
He hadn't spoken much since the hospital discovery.
At the front door, I stopped him.
"Ethan?"
He turned.
"Yes?"
"Did Daniel ever tell you he was going to be a father?"
Ethan looked down.
"No."
My chest tightened.
"He was so excited when I told him."
Ethan smiled sadly.
"I wish I'd known."
I studied him.
"Why did you and Daniel stop trusting each other?"
For a long moment, he said nothing.
Then he whispered, "Because I accused him of betraying the family."
I felt cold.
"What did you do?"
Ethan's expression filled with regret.
"I ordered him removed from our family businesses."
"And?"
"He lost access to his accounts. His apartment. Almost everything."
I stared.
"Then how did he support himself?"
"He worked at the bookstore. I thought he was trying to embarrass me."
Tears filled my eyes.
"He told me he liked the quiet."
Ethan looked away.
"I didn't understand him."
Before I could respond, Marco hurried toward us.
"Boss, Detective Mitchell called."
Ethan turned.
"What happened?"
"They identified the person who created Sam's duplicate hospital record."
My heart hammered.
"Who?"
Marco looked at Ethan.
Then at me.
"The authorization came from someone using Daniel Hayes's credentials."
May you like
I froze.
And for the first time, I wondered whether the man I loved had been hiding something far worse than his family's name.
