Chapter 7 - THE HOSPITAL RECORDS
The hospital was nearly empty when Emma arrived.
Lily stayed with a trusted officer in a private waiting room.
Emma stood at the records department with Daniel beside her.
She didn't speak to him.
Not yet.
An administrator placed an old file on the desk.
"The original record was sealed."
"Why?"
"Because there was a legal request shortly after the birth."
Emma looked at Daniel.
"Who made it?"
The administrator checked the paperwork.
"Your husband."
Emma closed her eyes.
Daniel whispered.
"I was twenty-nine."
"That doesn't excuse it."
"I know."
The administrator opened the file.
Inside was Lily's original birth documentation.
Emma read the first page.
Her name was there.
Daniel's name was there.
Then she saw something unfamiliar.
A handwritten note.
The administrator frowned.
"This wasn't supposed to be here."
Emma leaned closer.
The note contained a date.
A time.
And another child's name.
Emma's heart raced.
"What's that?"
The administrator looked uncomfortable.
"An internal identification number."
Daniel suddenly stepped forward.
"Close the file."
Emma turned.
"No."
Daniel grabbed the edge of the desk.
"You don't understand."
"I understand enough."
The administrator called security.
Daniel backed away.
Emma continued reading.
The identification number matched Lily's hospital bracelet.
But the name attached to it wasn't Lily.
It belonged to another newborn.
Emma felt sick.
"What happened?"
The administrator finally explained.
There had been a temporary identification error involving two newborns.
The records had been corrected.
But someone later requested that the original documentation be permanently sealed.
Emma stared at Daniel.
"Why would you hide this?"
Daniel looked broken.
"Because your daughter wasn't the only child involved."
Emma's eyes widened.
"Where is the other child?"
Nobody answered.
May you like
Then the hospital administrator quietly said:
"That's what Victor has been searching for."
