Chapter 8 - THE MEDICAL SECRET THEY NEVER TOLD ME
Sebastian Blackwood had been tracking Elijah's health for years.
Long before Kieran discovered my hospital bills.
Long before I understood why someone was watching us.
I sat across from Detective Brooks while she explained the recovered records.
Some were copies of legitimate hospital documents.
Others appeared to come from unauthorized access.
There were emails.
Payment authorizations.
And notes about Elijah's congenital heart condition.
The oldest entry was dated shortly after his birth.
I stared.
"Sebastian knew about Elijah from the beginning?"
Brooks nodded.
"That's what the records suggest."
My stomach twisted.
"Then he lied to Gabriel."
"We're investigating the communications."
I looked down.
For six years, Gabriel believed our son might not be his.
For six years, I believed Gabriel was dead.
And someone had apparently known the truth all along.
Then Brooks showed me another document.
A payment record.
It showed a large transfer to Meridian Patient Services.
The memo read:
PATIENT MONITORING — TORRES CHILD.
My hands shook.
"Monitoring?"
"We're determining what services, if any, were actually provided."
I swallowed.
The thought of strangers treating my child's illness as a business project made me sick.
Then another record surfaced.
A request for genetic testing.
It had been submitted without my authorization.
I stared.
"Did they test Elijah?"
Brooks answered carefully.
"We're examining whether any sample was obtained or whether the request remained incomplete."
I nodded.
I didn't want to imagine someone taking medical samples from my child without my knowledge.
But the possibility frightened me.
That afternoon, I met with Elijah's medical team.
Dr. Emily Parker, his pediatric cardiologist, reviewed his current condition.
She explained the recommended treatment plan.
The potential risks.
The expected follow-up.
And the support available through the hospital's financial assistance department.
For once, I felt as though someone was speaking to me instead of around me.
I asked every question I'd been afraid to ask before.
Then Dr. Parker smiled gently.
"Saraphina, you're allowed to ask questions."
My eyes filled.
"I know."
But I hadn't always felt that way.
Afterward, Elijah looked up from his hospital bed.
"Mommy?"
"Yes, sweetheart?"
"Am I going to get better?"
My heart tightened.
I sat beside him.
"Your doctors are working very hard to help your heart."
He nodded.
"Will it hurt?"
"Some parts might be uncomfortable, but we'll make sure you have help."
He considered that.
Then whispered, "Will you stay?"
Tears filled my eyes.
"Every step of the way."
He smiled.
Then held up Captain Pickles.
"He'll stay too."
I laughed softly.
"Of course."
For a moment, the hospital room felt peaceful.
Then Maya entered carrying a sealed envelope.
"Saraphina, someone left this at the nurses' station."
My stomach tightened.
"Who?"
"An older man. He said it was for you."
I opened the envelope.
Inside was a photograph of Gabriel.
Taken six years earlier.
Standing beside Sebastian Blackwood.
And another man.
Alexander Blackwood.
Kieran's father.
On the back was a handwritten sentence.
GABRIEL WAS SUPPOSED TO DIE IN THE FIRE.
My blood turned cold.
Then I found a second photograph.
It showed Gabriel leaving the warehouse before the flames began.
May you like
And behind him stood the person who'd apparently helped him escape.
Kieran Blackwood.
