Chapter 10: The Nurse Who Disappeared
The name on my phone wouldn't leave my mind.
Patricia Holloway.
I remembered her.
Not clearly, but enough.
She had been one of the nurses working in the maternity ward when Leo was born. She had brought him to Sarah during the night, helped us with his first feeding, and taken photographs of us holding him.
I remembered her silver hair, her gentle voice, and the little silver cross she wore around her neck.
But I also remembered something else.
She had disappeared fourteen months ago.
Three weeks after Leo vanished.
At the time, nobody connected the two events.
Now I wondered whether that had been deliberate.
Officer Ramirez stood beside the barn door, speaking into her radio.
“Send the address to the medical crimes unit. I want the facility secured before we approach.””
I walked toward her.
“Do you think Patricia is connected to this?””
“Mr. Carter, at this point, we have evidence of financial fraud, unlawful confinement, possible identity manipulation, and multiple missing children. We need to establish what happened before drawing conclusions.””
“She's the only person who can tell us whether Leo was switched at birth.””
Ramirez studied my face.
“Then we'll find her.””
Sarah was sitting on an old wooden crate.
She had barely spoken since the call with her mother.
I crouched in front of her.
“Look at me.””
She lifted her eyes.
“Leo is our son.””
“What if he's not biologically ours?””
“He's our son.””
“What if someone took another woman's baby and gave him to us?””
I held her hands.
“Then someone stole fourteen months of his childhood. Someone kept him away from us. But nobody can change the fact that we've loved him every day of his life.””
Sarah began crying.
“I remember his first word.””
“Me too.””
“I remember the first time he called me Mommy.””
“I remember.””
She pressed her forehead against mine.
“I can't lose him twice.””
“You won't.””
My phone rang.
It was the hospital.
A nurse informed us that Leo had awakened and was asking for us.
We left the property with Ramirez's team and drove straight back.
When we entered the hospital room, Leo was sitting up.
Maya was beside him, showing him a drawing she had made.
It showed four stick figures holding hands beneath a giant yellow sun.
“Look,” Maya said.
“That's us.””
Leo smiled faintly.
“You made my hair too short.””
“You have long hair now.””
“Because I was in a cave.””
Maya frowned.
“It wasn't a cave.””
Leo looked at her.
“You know what I mean.””
I sat beside the bed.
“Hey, buddy.””
He leaned against me.
“Did you find Caleb?””
“Yes.””
“Is he okay?””
“He's safe.””
Leo relaxed.
Then his eyes moved toward Sarah.
“Mom?””
“Yes, sweetheart?””
“Are you mad at me?””
Sarah's face crumpled.
She kissed his forehead.
“Never.””
“But I didn't tell you everything.””
“You don't have to tell us anything until you're ready.””
Leo looked down at his blanket.
Then he whispered, “Aunt Elena told me I wasn't really yours.””
Sarah froze.
I felt the room grow cold.
“What did she say, buddy?””
Leo rubbed his thumb against the edge of the blanket.
“She said I was a baby someone left behind. She said you and Mommy only kept me because you didn't know.””
Sarah covered her mouth.
I took Leo's hand.
“Listen carefully. Nobody gets to decide whether you're our son except the people who love you and care for you.””
“But what if it's true?””
I swallowed.
“Then we'll find out the truth together.””
He studied my face.
“Will you still love me?””
I leaned forward.
“More than you can imagine.””
He nodded.
Then he said something that made my heart stop.
“Aunt Elena showed me a picture of another baby.””
I looked at Sarah.
“What baby?””
“He had a little red birthmark on his shoulder.””
Sarah slowly stood.
“Leo, where did she show you this picture?””
“On her phone.””
“Did she tell you who he was?””
Leo shook his head.
“She said he was the baby who belonged to me.””
I couldn't breathe.
A nurse appeared at the doorway.
“Mr. Carter? There's someone here asking for you.””
“Who?””
“Patricia Holloway.””
Sarah grabbed my arm.
A moment later, the nurse entered.
She looked older than I remembered.
Her silver hair was shorter, and she wore a dark coat over her clothes.
But the little silver cross still hung around her neck.
She looked at Leo.
Then she began crying.
“Oh, my goodness.””
I stood.
“Patricia?””
She nodded.
“I know I should have come sooner.””
Sarah moved toward her.
“Did you switch our baby?””
Patricia closed her eyes.
“I didn't know what had happened until much later.””
“Then tell us.””
She looked toward the door.
“Not here.””
“Why?””
“Because the person who arranged it has been watching this hospital.””
I stepped between her and the exit.
“Who?””
Patricia's hands trembled.
“Your mother-in-law.””
Sarah shook her head.
“My mother?””
Patricia nodded.
“She came to me the night Leo was born. She said there had been a terrible mistake. She told me one of the babies had died.””
Sarah's face went white.
“That's impossible. We held him.””
“You held a baby,” Patricia whispered.
“But the records were changed afterward.””
I felt my knees weaken.
“Which baby did we take home?””
Patricia looked directly at me.
“Your biological son.””
Sarah exhaled sharply.
Then Patricia continued.
“But the other baby was also alive.””
The room fell silent.
“Where is he?”” I demanded.
Patricia reached into her handbag and removed a folded piece of paper.
It contained a hospital identification number.
And beneath it was a name.
*Ethan Holloway.*
Sarah stared.
“Why Holloway?””
Patricia began crying harder.
“Because I adopted him.””
I looked at her.
“You adopted our other son?””
“No,” she whispered.
“I adopted the baby they told me had no family.””
May you like
She looked toward Leo.
“And I have spent fourteen months trying to find out who took him.””
