Chapter 2: The Name on the Medical Record
For several seconds, I couldn't hear anything except the steady beeping of the monitor beside Vanessa's bed.
I stared at the name.
*ETHAN COLE.*
I knew that name.
I wished I didn't.
Ethan had been Vanessa's first husband.
He had died six years earlier in a car accident.
At least, that was what Vanessa had told me.
I slowly lowered the paperwork.
“Why is Ethan's name on my daughter's medical record?””
Vanessa covered her face.
“Daniel…”
“No. Don't say my name like that. Explain this.””
Nurse Melissa stepped forward.
“Mr. Carter, I think we should give you and your wife some privacy.””
“No,” I said.
“I think I'd like you to stay.””
Vanessa shook her head.
“You don't need to hear this from her.””
“Then tell me yourself.””
She looked at the sleeping baby.
Her lower lip trembled.
“Ethan froze his sperm before he died.””
I stared at her.
“What?””
“He was sick. Before the accident, he was diagnosed with a condition that could have affected his fertility. We were trying to have a child.””
I slowly looked back at the document.
“You used his sperm?””
Vanessa nodded.
“Without telling me?””
She didn't answer.
I felt something cold spreading through my chest.
“Vanessa, you told me this pregnancy was ours.””
“It is ours.””
“Don't.””
“Daniel, please listen.””
“You let me paint a nursery. You let me choose a name. You watched me talk to your stomach every night. You let me tell everyone I was becoming a father again.””
“You are her father!””
“Then why is another man's name on the paperwork?””
Vanessa began crying harder.
Lily was sitting in the corner, clutching the stuffed rabbit.
She didn't understand all the medical language.
But she understood enough to know that her parents were fighting.
“Daddy?”” she whispered.
I turned immediately.
“It's okay, sweetheart.””
Vanessa pointed toward the door.
“Take her out.””
I didn't move.
“She's heard enough.””
“She is my daughter too.””
Vanessa closed her eyes.
“That's exactly what I was afraid of.””
The sentence landed harder than a slap.
I looked at her.
“What does that mean?””
She swallowed.
“Nothing.””
“No. You don't get to say things like that and then pretend they mean nothing.””
Melissa gently interrupted.
“Mr. Carter, perhaps we should discuss the medical information in a private consultation room. There are some details that may be difficult to understand without the complete record.””
I nodded slowly.
“Fine. But I'm not leaving until I know everything.””
Vanessa grabbed my sleeve.
“Daniel, please. Don't make me do this.””
I pulled my arm free.
“You already made me do this when you decided to keep me in the dark.””
I followed Melissa into the hallway.
Behind me, I heard Vanessa call my name.
But I didn't turn around.
The consultation room smelled of disinfectant and stale coffee.
A small table stood in the center, surrounded by four chairs. Melissa placed a folder in front of me.
Another woman entered a moment later.
She introduced herself as Dr. Rebecca Morgan, the attending obstetrician.
“Mr. Carter, I understand this is an upsetting situation.””
“That's an understatement.””
She nodded.
“I want to be careful about what I tell you. Some information involves medical privacy and reproductive consent. Your wife will need to participate in certain parts of this discussion.””
“I don't need her permission to know why a man who died six years ago is listed as my newborn's biological father.””
Dr. Morgan opened the folder.
“The embryo used in your wife's pregnancy came from a fertility clinic. According to the records transferred to our hospital, it was created several years before your wife's current marriage.””
“Was it created with Ethan Cole's genetic material?””
“Yes.””
“And the egg?””
The doctor hesitated.
“According to the initial records, it belonged to Vanessa.””
I rubbed my forehead.
“So this is some kind of frozen embryo from her previous marriage?””
“That appears to be the case.””
I leaned back.
For years, Vanessa had told me she and Ethan had never been able to have children.
She had spoken about him occasionally, usually with sadness. She told me he had been a good man, that their marriage had ended too soon, and that losing him had changed her life.
I had never been jealous of a dead man.
I had even helped her preserve some of his belongings when we moved into our first house.
But this?
This was something else.
“Why didn't she tell me?””
Dr. Morgan folded her hands.
“I can't answer that.””
“Was the baby healthy?””
“Yes. The newborn's initial examination was stable.””
“Then why is my wife acting like the baby is something terrible?””
The doctor glanced at Melissa.
“There's an additional issue in the records.””
My heart started beating faster.
“What issue?””
She turned another page.
“The embryo transfer was not documented as part of a standard fertility treatment during this pregnancy.””
I frowned.
“What does that mean?””
“It means the original embryo was created and stored years ago. However, the paperwork indicates that Vanessa recently requested its release.””
I stared at her.
“Recently?””
“Yes.””
“When?””
Dr. Morgan checked the date.
“Approximately eleven months ago.””
I did the calculation in my head.
Eleven months ago, Vanessa and I had been happily married for almost three years.
We had been discussing whether we wanted another child.
She had told me she was worried about getting pregnant again after complications during Lily's birth.
She had said she wanted to wait.
And then, apparently, she had gone behind my back to arrange an embryo transfer using her deceased former husband's genetic material.
“Did she tell the clinic she was married?””
The doctor looked uncomfortable.
“Yes.””
“Did she list me as her husband?””
“Yes.””
“Did she tell them I knew about this?””
The room went quiet.
I understood the silence.
“No,” I whispered.
Dr. Morgan didn't answer.
I stood up.
“Where is the fertility clinic?””
“Mr. Carter—”
“Where?””
She gave me the name.
I wrote it down.
Then I noticed another document in the folder.
It was a copy of a consent form.
The bottom contained a signature.
Vanessa Carter.
I read the paragraph above it.
Then I read it again.
The form stated that the patient had acknowledged the use of previously cryopreserved embryos and confirmed that all required legal permissions had been obtained.
There was also a section regarding the intended parental arrangements.
My eyes moved down.
*The patient has requested that the biological father's identity remain confidential from the current spouse until after delivery.*
I felt my knees weaken.
“Why would she request that?””
Dr. Morgan looked at me with a sympathy that somehow made everything worse.
“I don't know, Mr. Carter.””
I turned the paper toward her.
“Did the clinic approve this?””
“The hospital did not authorize the original procedure. We received the transferred records.””
“So someone at that clinic knew she was hiding this from me?””
“I'm afraid I can't speculate.””
I sat down again.
A memory surfaced.
Eight months earlier, Vanessa had returned from what she called a routine prenatal appointment.
She had been unusually cheerful.
She had bought me a watch and cooked my favorite dinner.
When I asked why she was celebrating, she said she was grateful that we were having another child.
I had kissed her forehead.
I had told her I loved her.
Now that memory felt like something stolen from me.
“There's something else,” I said.
Dr. Morgan looked up.
“Go ahead.””
“Why was my daughter crying when I came in? Vanessa wouldn't let her near the baby. She told Lily that someone was coming to take the baby away.””
The doctor exchanged a glance with Melissa.
Then she opened another section of the file.
“I think you should know that a social worker has been requested to visit your wife's room.””
My stomach tightened.
“Why?””
“Your wife has expressed concerns about the family's ability to accept the baby's biological background.””
I stared at her.
“What?””
“She also requested that hospital staff restrict certain visitors from approaching the newborn.””
“Lily?””
The doctor didn't answer immediately.
I stood up.
“She asked you to keep her own nine-year-old daughter away from her baby sister?””
Dr. Morgan's expression became serious.
“Mr. Carter, we are assessing the situation. We want to make sure everyone is safe and that the newborn receives appropriate care.””
I felt a wave of anger.
“Lily is nine. She's not a threat.””
“I understand.””
“Then why is my wife treating her like one?””
Before the doctor could respond, Melissa's phone rang.
She checked the screen.
“It's the maternity ward.””
She answered.
Listened.
Then her face changed.
“What do you mean she's gone?””
I stepped forward.
“Who?””
Melissa covered the phone.
“Mrs. Carter.””
My blood ran cold.
“What?””
“She left the room.””
“Where did she go?””
Melissa listened again.
Then she looked at me.
“She took the baby.””
I ran back down the hallway.
Lily was still sitting in the consultation room, holding her stuffed rabbit.
“Daddy?””
“Come with me, sweetheart.””
“Where's Mommy?””
“I don't know yet.””
We reached the maternity ward.
Vanessa's bed was empty.
The blanket lay crumpled near the foot of the mattress. Her hospital gown was hanging over the chair.
A nurse was standing near the door, looking distressed.
“Mr. Carter, I'm sorry.””
“Where is my wife?””
“We're checking the security footage.””
“Why would she leave?””
The nurse looked toward the bassinet.
It was empty.
The sight made my chest tighten.
I approached it.
There was a tiny hospital blanket folded inside.
Beside it lay a pink newborn cap.
And beneath the cap was a small piece of paper.
I picked it up.
It contained a handwritten message.
*If Daniel finds out the truth, he will never let me keep her.*
I read it twice.
Then I looked at the nurse.
“Where would she go?””
“We don't know.””
My phone began vibrating.
An unknown number appeared on the screen.
I answered immediately.
“Hello?””
A woman's voice spoke.
“Mr. Carter? My name is Elaine Brooks. I'm calling from the fertility clinic that handled your wife's embryo transfer.””
I gripped the phone.
“How did you get my number?””
“Your wife listed you as her emergency contact.””
“What exactly did she do?””
There was a pause.
Then the woman said something that made my entire body go numb.
“Mr. Carter, I believe your wife has misunderstood something very important about the embryo she used.””
I stared at the empty bassinet.
“What do you mean?””
“Your wife's former husband's sample was not the only genetic material involved.””
I couldn't speak.
Elaine continued.
“And there's another reason you need to find your wife immediately.””
“What reason?””
“Because according to the original records, the embryo transfer she requested was never supposed to result in a pregnancy.””
I felt the phone slipping in my hand.
“Then whose baby did she have?””
May you like
The woman took a breath.
“That's exactly what we need to establish.””
