Chapter 8 - The Hearing He Thought He Controlled
At two forty-five that afternoon, my obstetrician cleared me to leave the floor for ninety minutes.
I was not cleared to walk.
I was not cleared to stand for long.
I was barely cleared to be angry.
So I sat in a wheelchair wearing a clean hospital robe beneath my grandmother's ivory coat.
Natalie's perfume still clung faintly to the collar.
I considered refusing to wear it.
Then I decided I wanted Dominic to see it back where it belonged.
Mara pushed me into a private conference room on the administrative floor.
The judge would appear by secure video.
Everett waited outside because Mara did not want Dominic's argument about billionaire interference to become visually convenient.
Dr. Hart sat to my right.
A hospital compliance attorney sat behind us.
On the screen, Dominic appeared in a law office beside a man named Victor Sloane.
Victor had represented Sterling Axis Medical through two contract disputes.
I had met him at Christmas parties.
He had once toasted our marriage.
Today he did not look at me.
Dominic did.
His eyes went straight to the coat.
For half a second, rage cracked through his professional expression.
Then he saw the judge enter the video hearing.
His face changed instantly.
Concerned husband.
Worried father.
Victim of a wealthy family.
It was almost impressive.
The judge introduced herself as Judge Elena Marquez.
She explained that the hearing was limited to immediate medical decision-making and temporary access regarding the newborn twins.
She reminded everyone that no final custody determination would be made that day.
Victor began first.
He spoke calmly.
That made him more dangerous than Dominic.
"Your Honor, my client is deeply concerned that his wife is experiencing a severe postpartum psychiatric crisis."
I stared at the screen.
"She recently underwent a traumatic premature delivery, lost consciousness for an extended period, and is now being influenced by a previously undisclosed billionaire relative with direct financial hostility toward my client's company."
Hostility.
A useful word when you wanted theft to sound like a business disagreement.
Victor continued.
"Mr. Dominic is not asking to separate the children from their mother."
That was exactly what the proposed order would allow.
"He is asking for temporary authority to make urgent medical decisions without obstruction while Ms. Audrey receives appropriate evaluation."
Judge Marquez looked toward our side of the screen.
"Ms. Ellison?"
Mara did not rush.
"Your Honor, the petition is built on fabricated medical evidence."
Victor objected immediately.
"That is an inflammatory accusation."
"It is an accurate description."
Judge Marquez raised one hand.
"I will hear the basis."
Mara held up the hospital record.
"The consultation attached to Mr. Dominic's petition claims Ms. Audrey was examined yesterday at three forty-two p.m."
She placed another record beside it.
"At that exact time, Ms. Audrey was intubated, sedated, and documented as unresponsive in intensive care."
Victor's face tightened.
Dominic looked at him.
Mara continued.
"The hospital's audit log also shows the note was not created at three forty-two yesterday afternoon."
Judge Marquez leaned forward.
"When was it created?"
"Two zero seven this morning."
"By whom?"
"Credentials assigned to Dr. Peter Lang."
Victor spoke quickly.
"Your Honor, we have not had an opportunity to examine the hospital's internal records."
"You attached Dr. Lang's declaration," Mara said.
"You were comfortable relying on him three hours ago."
"Counsel," the judge warned.
Mara stopped.
Judge Marquez looked at Victor.
"Was Dr. Lang Ms. Audrey's treating psychiatrist?"
Victor hesitated.
"He is a physician familiar with the family."
"That was not my question."
"No."
"Was he a treating physician for her delivery?"
"Not to my knowledge."
The judge's expression changed.
"Then why is his document labeled a mental health consultation?"
Victor glanced at Dominic.
That single glance mattered.
It told me Victor had not known the full story.
Dominic leaned toward him and whispered something.
Mara waited.
Then she placed the next document into the electronic exhibit system.
"Your Honor, there is a second urgent issue."
"Go ahead."
"Mr. Dominic's proposed order would allow him to transfer the infants to another medical facility without their mother's consent."
Victor spoke.
"Only if medically appropriate."
"His client has already attempted to arrange such a transfer."
Dominic's head snapped up.
Mara continued before Victor could object.
"A pediatric transport request was submitted last night under Dr. Lang's credentials."
"That proves nothing about my client," Victor said.
"Perhaps not."
Mara's voice stayed level.
"So we also have this."
The flight itinerary appeared on screen.
Dominic went completely still.
Victor looked at it.
Then looked again.
The judge read the passenger names.
"Dominic."
"Natalie Price."
"Liam."
"Chloe."
She looked toward Victor.
"What is this?"
Victor muted his microphone.
On our screen, we could see him turn toward Dominic sharply.
Dominic spoke fast.
Victor's face changed with each sentence.
Mara leaned toward me.
"He did not know."
I whispered back.
"Good."
Judge Marquez waited.
Victor unmuted.
"Your Honor, my client says the itinerary was exploratory and created in anticipation of a possible transfer if the children were medically cleared."
Dr. Hart finally spoke.
"They were not."
The judge looked at her.
Mara introduced her.
Dr. Hart explained the infants' condition.
She explained that neither child was medically stable for elective international travel.
She explained that she had personally refused Dominic's earlier request to move them to a lower-level hospital.
Then she explained that the transfer request submitted under Peter Lang's credentials falsely described both infants as stable.
Judge Marquez removed her glasses.
"Mr. Dominic, did you authorize that request?"
Victor started to speak.
The judge stopped him.
"I asked your client."
Dominic swallowed.
"I discussed options."
"Did you authorize the request?"
"I did not submit it personally."
"That is also not my question."
He looked at Victor.
Victor did not rescue him.
"I told Peter to explore alternatives."
There it was.
Mara wrote something on her legal pad.
Judge Marquez's voice became colder.
"Did you tell Dr. Lang to describe the infants as stable?"
"No."
"Did you discuss Grand Cayman?"
"Natalie has family connections there."
I had never heard that before.
Mara's pen stopped.
Judge Marquez looked at the itinerary again.
"And why was Ms. Price traveling with your premature children?"
Dominic said nothing.
Victor closed his eyes briefly.
The judge repeated the question.
"She is a close family friend."
I almost laughed.
Natalie was pregnant with his child and had worn my maternity coat into the NICU.
Close family friend was technically creative.
Mara spoke.
"Your Honor, Ms. Price is Mr. Dominic's romantic partner."
Judge Marquez stared at the screen.
Dominic looked furious.
"That is irrelevant."
"Not when she is listed on an international flight with the children you are asking authority to relocate."
Victor muted again.
This time his argument with Dominic was visible even without audio.
Judge Marquez let it continue for five seconds.
Then she said one word.
"Counsel."
Victor stopped.
When he unmuted, he looked different.
Less like Dominic's advocate.
More like a man discovering what his client had failed to tell him.
The judge denied Dominic's emergency request for sole medical decision-making authority.
Then she went further.
Any nonemergency transfer would require written agreement from both parents or court approval.
Neither parent could remove the children from the state without further order once they were medically discharged.
All disputed medical records were to be preserved.
And Dominic was ordered not to interfere with hospital records or personnel.
I should have felt relief.
Instead, I felt the first true fear of the day.
Because people like Dominic did not become safer when they lost control.
They became reckless.
The hearing was nearly over when Victor asked to withdraw one exhibit.
Judge Marquez looked at him.
"Which one?"
"The declaration from Dr. Peter Lang."
Dominic turned toward him.
"What are you doing?"
His microphone was still on.
Everyone heard it.
Victor kept his eyes forward.
"Your Honor, information presented today raises questions regarding the reliability of that declaration."
Dominic leaned closer.
"You work for me."
Victor finally looked at him.
"I represent you."
His voice was quiet.
"That does not require me to submit evidence I believe may be false."
The hearing ended one minute later.
Mara closed her laptop.
I exhaled.
"We won."
"We survived the first hearing," she corrected.
Dr. Hart returned to the NICU.
Everett entered the room once the connection ended.
"Well?"
"Transfer blocked."
His shoulders lowered slightly.
"Good."
Mara's phone rang.
She answered.
Her face changed almost immediately.
"When?"
She looked at me.
"How long ago?"
Another pause.
"Call security and local police."
She ended the call.
"What happened?"
Mara looked at Everett first.
Then at me.
"Peter Lang disappeared."
My stomach dropped.
"Disappeared from where?"
"His house."
"Maybe he left."
"His wife says he packed a bag twenty minutes after his hospital credentials were suspended."
"Where did he go?"
"She does not know."
Mara's expression tightened.
"But he took his passport."
I looked at the flight itinerary still displayed on the screen.
Four seats to Grand Cayman.
Then I noticed something I had missed before.
The charter reservation was not for four passengers.
At the bottom of the second page was an addendum.
May you like
One additional seat had been booked under a different name.
P. LANG.
