Chapter 4 - The Doctor Who Never Examined Me
The note was six paragraphs long.
Every paragraph described a woman I had never been.
It said I had accused staff of conspiring against me.
It said I had refused medication.
It said I had become agitated when asked about my marriage.
It said I had expressed irrational fears that someone intended to take my babies.
That final line nearly made me laugh.
It was only irrational if nobody actually intended to take them.
"He fabricated all of this," I said.
Mara was already photographing each page from the patient portal.
"Do not edit anything."
"I wasn't planning to."
"Do not even click the correction request yet."
"Why?"
"Because I want compliance to preserve the original metadata before anyone realizes we saw it."
Everett moved toward the door.
"I am calling the chief medical officer."
"No."
Both of them looked at me.
"Not yet."
Everett's expression hardened.
"A physician falsified your medical record."
"Maybe."
"His name is on it."
"So is mine on a bank authorization."
Mara gave me a small nod.
Everett did not like the point, but he understood it.
"We preserve first," Mara said.
"Then confront."
"Exactly."
I read the note again.
At the bottom was a timestamp.
3:42 p.m.
Yesterday.
"Where was I at 3:42?"
Mara looked at me.
"According to the ICU log we have so far, still intubated."
"Then I want the medication administration record."
"We'll get it."
"And the ventilator log."
"Yes."
"And every badge entry to my floor."
Mara's eyebrows lifted.
"You really are Everett's granddaughter."
"That is not a compliment today."
Everett sighed.
A knock sounded at the door.
Dr. Selena Hart entered.
She was in her early forties with tired eyes and dark hair twisted into a loose knot.
She introduced herself as the attending neonatologist for Liam and Chloe.
I thanked her for refusing to transfer them.
Her expression became guarded.
"Nora told you."
"She did."
"I was going to discuss it once you were medically stronger."
"Everyone seems to have decided that information is more dangerous to me than what my husband was doing."
She accepted the rebuke without defending herself.
"You're right."
That surprised me.
"I am sorry."
I nodded once.
"Tell me exactly what Dominic asked for."
Dr. Hart pulled a chair closer.
"First, he asked whether the twins could be transferred to a lower-cost facility."
"Did he name one?"
"Later he mentioned Fairmont Regional."
Everett frowned.
"Fairmont does not have an equivalent level neonatal unit."
"Correct."
"Did Dominic know that?"
"I told him."
"And he continued asking?"
"Yes."
My hands went cold.
"Why?"
"He said your insurance coverage might lapse."
I stared at her.
"Our insurance was through his company."
"That is what he told me."
"Could he cancel it while I was unconscious?"
Mara answered.
"Not without creating several legal problems."
I looked at Dr. Hart.
"What else?"
"He asked whether a parent could restrict the other parent's access if there were psychiatric concerns."
"Before the fake consultation appeared."
Dr. Hart's eyes narrowed.
"What fake consultation?"
Mara glanced at me.
I nodded.
She handed over the printed page.
Dr. Hart read the first paragraph.
Her face changed.
"This did not come through psychiatry."
"How can you tell?"
"The formatting is wrong."
She pointed to the header.
"Behavioral health consultations have a service code and supervising department listed here."
"This one doesn't."
"No."
She kept reading.
"Peter Lang is not a psychiatrist."
"What is he?"
"Internal medicine."
Everett's jaw tightened.
"Why would the system allow him to enter a mental health consultation?"
"It shouldn't."
That answer made the room colder.
Dr. Hart looked closer at the note.
"This template isn't even current."
Mara leaned forward.
"How old?"
"At least two years."
"Could someone copy an old template?"
"Possibly."
"Could someone with physician credentials insert it into the chart?"
Dr. Hart hesitated.
"Yes."
"Could they backdate it?"
"The visible date, yes."
"But the system would retain the actual creation time?"
"Usually."
Mara stood.
"That is what we need."
Dr. Hart handed the paper back.
"I am going to notify compliance."
"Please preserve it before anyone contacts Dr. Lang," Mara said.
"Agreed."
I watched them speak and felt suddenly detached.
There is a point where betrayal becomes too large to feel personal.
It begins to feel architectural.
Dominic had not only slept with Natalie.
He had built rooms around the affair.
Bank transfers.
Medical lies.
Custody allegations.
A house closing.
A divorce agreement.
Every piece had been placed before I woke up.
"Dr. Hart."
She turned back.
"Did Dominic visit the twins alone?"
"Yes."
My throat tightened.
"Was he ever alone with them?"
"No parent is physically alone in the NICU for long."
She saw my fear.
"Nothing happened to them."
"You can guarantee that?"
"I can tell you there is continuous monitoring, badge access, and camera coverage in the hallways."
"That is not a guarantee."
"No."
Her voice softened.
"But there is nothing in either baby's chart that suggests interference."
I breathed slowly.
"Thank you."
After she left, Mara received a call.
She listened for less than a minute before turning on speaker.
A man's voice identified himself as Daniel Cho from hospital compliance.
"We have preserved the medical note and access logs," he said.
Mara asked the question I was afraid to ask.
"Who created it?"
"The credential used belongs to Dr. Peter Lang."
I closed my eyes.
"When?"
"The entry was created at 2:07 this morning."
I opened them again.
The visible note claimed the consultation occurred yesterday at 3:42 p.m.
The actual entry had been created hours later.
"Where was Dr. Lang at 2:07?" Mara asked.
"We do not know yet."
"Was he logged in remotely?"
A pause.
"No."
Mara looked at Everett.
"Then from where?"
"A workstation on the administrative floor."
Everett's face hardened.
"Which workstation?"
"Procurement conference room three."
I stared at him.
Dominic had been trying to reach procurement that morning.
Mara heard the connection too.
"Preserve the hallway cameras."
"Already done."
"Do not contact Lang yet."
"Understood."
The call ended.
Everett looked toward the window.
"Procurement."
"Dominic's company supplies this hospital," I said.
"Yes."
"So Peter Lang could have access because of Dominic."
"Possibly."
I looked at Mara.
"We need the contracts."
"Already requested."
My phone buzzed again.
This time the number was unknown.
I almost ignored it.
Then a text appeared.
DO NOT TRUST NORA KIM.
I stared at the screen.
A second message arrived.
SHE WAS NOT THE ONLY NURSE WHO HEARD YOUR HUSBAND THAT NIGHT.
Mara took the phone from my hand.
"Do not respond."
A third message appeared.
CHECK CAMERA 4B AT 2:11 A.M.
Everett called compliance again.
Within twelve minutes, Daniel Cho arrived with a secure tablet.
He did not hand it to us.
He held it where we could all see.
"This is hallway camera 4B," he said.
The footage showed the corridor outside procurement conference room three.
The timestamp read 2:10 a.m.
The hallway was empty.
At 2:11, a man entered the frame.
Dr. Peter Lang.
He used his badge and went inside.
Thirty seconds later, another person appeared.
Natalie.
She wore my ivory coat.
My stomach twisted.
She looked over both shoulders before entering the same room.
May you like
Then, less than a minute later, Dominic stepped into view.
He carried my laptop under his arm.
