Dr. Jenkins asked everyone except Jessica to leave the ultrasound room.<\/p>\n
Richard objected first.<\/p>\n
\u201cThis concerns my grandson.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cIt concerns my patient,\u201d the doctor replied.<\/p>\n
That ended the argument.<\/p>\n
Margaret folded the blue blanket with stiff, deliberate movements. Carter remained beside Jessica until a nurse touched his arm and told him he needed to wait outside too.<\/p>\n
According to what I later learned, he leaned close to Jessica before leaving.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat did they find?\u201d<\/p>\n
Jessica whispered, \u201cI don't know.\u201d<\/p>\n
Carter stared at her.<\/p>\n
Neither believed the other.<\/p>\n
That was the first crack.<\/p>\n
Outside, Richard demanded an explanation.<\/p>\n
Carter told him it was probably an administrative mistake.<\/p>\n
Margaret wasn't convinced.<\/p>\n
\u201cShe said another woman's genetic material.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cClinics make errors.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cDoes Jessica have fertility problems?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI don't know.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYou're having a child with her and you don't know?\u201d<\/p>\n
Richard cut in.<\/p>\n
\u201cEnough.\u201d<\/p>\n
He looked at Carter.<\/p>\n
\u201cIs that baby yours?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cHow certain are you?\u201d<\/p>\n
Carter didn't answer quickly enough.<\/p>\n
Richard's expression hardened.<\/p>\n
\u201cCarter.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cHe's mine.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThen why do you look terrified?\u201d<\/p>\n
Meanwhile, Jessica sat inside with Dr. Jenkins and a nurse.<\/p>\n
The doctor explained that an imported fertility record appeared connected to her medical history. Certain fields had been incomplete, which was why the issue had not surfaced earlier.<\/p>\n
Jessica insisted there had been a misunderstanding.<\/p>\n
Dr. Jenkins asked where the embryo transfer had occurred.<\/p>\n
Jessica named Oakfield Fertility Institute.<\/p>\n
That changed everything.<\/p>\n
The doctor knew Oakfield.<\/p>\n
More importantly, the electronic record contained an identifier.<\/p>\n
Dr. Jenkins explained that she would need authorization to verify certain details because the pregnancy involved donor or third-party genetic material.<\/p>\n
Jessica resisted.<\/p>\n
She asked whether verification was medically necessary.<\/p>\n
The doctor said it might be.<\/p>\n
Eventually, Jessica signed a limited release.<\/p>\n
She apparently believed the old record would support the story she intended to tell.<\/p>\n
It didn't.<\/p>\n
My flight landed in Seattle at 5:58 local time.<\/p>\n
Rain streaked across the windows.<\/p>\n
Emma woke confused and asked whether we were still flying.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe landed, sweetheart.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cAre we in Seattle?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cDoes Aunt Rachel know?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cShe knows.\u201d<\/p>\n
Chloe had already turned on my phone.<\/p>\n
\u201cMom.\u201d<\/p>\n
Something in her voice made me look.<\/p>\n
My screen filled with notifications.<\/p>\n
Missed calls.<\/p>\n
Texts.<\/p>\n
Voicemails.<\/p>\n
Almost all from Carter.<\/p>\n
I counted.<\/p>\n
Thirty-one calls.<\/p>\n
Chloe frowned.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhy is Dad calling so much?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI don't know yet.\u201d<\/p>\n
That was technically true.<\/p>\n
The last message had arrived three minutes earlier.<\/p>\n
CALL ME NOW.<\/p>\n
Another followed while I was looking.<\/p>\n
LAUREN THIS IS SERIOUS.<\/p>\n
I slipped the phone into my coat.<\/p>\n
\u201cSo am I,\u201d I murmured.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cNothing.\u201d<\/p>\n
Rachel met us near baggage claim.<\/p>\n
The girls ran toward her.<\/p>\n
She wrapped both arms around them and looked over their heads at me.<\/p>\n
My sister knew me too well.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat happened?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cNot here.\u201d<\/p>\n
Her smile disappeared.<\/p>\n
We collected the luggage.<\/p>\n
Outside, Seattle smelled like wet pavement and cold air. Rachel's car was parked in the garage, and she kept conversation light while the girls told her about the flight.<\/p>\n
Halfway to her house, Dana called.<\/p>\n
I answered immediately.<\/p>\n
\u201cI'm in Seattle.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cGood. Are the girls okay?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cCan you talk?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cRachel's driving.\u201d<\/p>\n
My sister glanced at me.<\/p>\n
\u201cShe knows everything about the divorce.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cAll right.\u201d<\/p>\n
Dana inhaled.<\/p>\n
\u201cOakfield's compliance director contacted me.\u201d<\/p>\n
I straightened.<\/p>\n
\u201cAnd?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThey've found documents associated with the embryo release.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhose signatures?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYours and Carter's.\u201d<\/p>\n
My heart began pounding.<\/p>\n
\u201cI didn't sign them.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI know.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cIs Carter's signature real?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThey can't formally authenticate it yet.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cDana.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cIt appears consistent with his verified signatures.\u201d<\/p>\n
I looked out at the rain.<\/p>\n
My daughters were in the back seat.<\/p>\n
Emma was describing airplane pretzels to Rachel as if they had been the culinary event of the year.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat about mine?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThere are multiple inconsistencies.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cSo it's forged.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThat is the working assumption.\u201d<\/p>\n
I closed my eyes.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhere did the embryo go?\u201d<\/p>\n
Dana was silent.<\/p>\n
Rachel looked at me again.<\/p>\n
\u201cTell me.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cOakfield's records show it was transferred to a patient.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWho?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThey can't disclose the name to us without additional legal process.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWas the transfer successful?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWe don't have that confirmation from Oakfield.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cBut?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cLauren, there's something else.\u201d<\/p>\n
Of course there was.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThe employee who processed the release bypassed standard identity verification.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhy?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThey're investigating.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWas Carter there?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cUnknown.\u201d<\/p>\n
I pressed my fingers against my forehead.<\/p>\n
Dana continued.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe compliance director believes the transaction may involve an employee or former employee who understood their older record system.\u201d<\/p>\n
I opened my eyes.<\/p>\n
\u201cJessica.\u201d<\/p>\n
Rachel glanced sharply toward me.<\/p>\n
Dana paused.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat about her?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cShe worked in healthcare administration.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhere?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI don't remember.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cFind out.\u201d<\/p>\n
I opened my messages.<\/p>\n
Carter had called again.<\/p>\n
Then another number appeared.<\/p>\n
Margaret.<\/p>\n
I ignored both.<\/p>\n
When we reached Rachel's house, the girls rushed inside.<\/p>\n
My sister took their bags upstairs.<\/p>\n
I remained in the kitchen with the gray folder spread across the table.<\/p>\n
The room smelled like coffee and the tomato soup Rachel had left simmering.<\/p>\n
My hands were cold.<\/p>\n
I arranged the documents by date.<\/p>\n
Embryo storage.<\/p>\n
Corporate payments.<\/p>\n
The forged destruction letter.<\/p>\n
The release date.<\/p>\n
Jessica's pregnancy timeline.<\/p>\n
Then I found something I'd overlooked.<\/p>\n
One payment was not simply labeled as storage.<\/p>\n
It included an internal Sterling Corporation cost center.<\/p>\n
RHS-17.<\/p>\n
Richard Henry Sterling.<\/p>\n
Carter's father.<\/p>\n
Richard had been financing the embryo.<\/p>\n
Secretly.<\/p>\n
For years.<\/p>\n
I photographed the line and sent it to Dana.<\/p>\n
Her response came almost immediately.<\/p>\n
Good catch.<\/p>\n
I stared at those two words.<\/p>\n
Richard had wanted a grandson badly enough to keep an embryo frozen without telling the woman whose genetic material it contained.<\/p>\n
Did he know about the transfer?<\/p>\n
I didn't know.<\/p>\n
Not yet.<\/p>\n
My phone rang.<\/p>\n
Carter.<\/p>\n
This time, I answered.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cLauren.\u201d<\/p>\n
His voice sounded different.<\/p>\n
The polished certainty was gone.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhere are you?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cSeattle.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWith the girls?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n
He exhaled.<\/p>\n
\u201cYou need to come back.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cNo.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThis isn't about us.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThat's the first true thing you've said today.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cSomething happened at Jessica's appointment.\u201d<\/p>\n
I waited.<\/p>\n
He seemed to expect me to ask.<\/p>\n
I didn't.<\/p>\n
Finally he said, \u201cThere was an issue with her medical record.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat kind of issue?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cA fertility record.\u201d<\/p>\n
I let the silence stretch.<\/p>\n
\u201cLauren?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYes?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cDo you still have paperwork from Oakfield?\u201d<\/p>\n
There it was.<\/p>\n
Not: Are the girls safe?<\/p>\n
Not: Did they travel well?<\/p>\n
Not even: Why Seattle?<\/p>\n
Oakfield.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat paperwork?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cFrom our IVF.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhy?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cJust answer me.\u201d<\/p>\n
I looked at the gray folder.<\/p>\n
\u201cCarter, you told me our remaining embryos were destroyed.\u201d<\/p>\n
Silence.<\/p>\n
\u201cDo you remember telling me that?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cLauren\u2014\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYes or no?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cAnd was it true?\u201d<\/p>\n
He breathed into the phone.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt's complicated.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cNo. Frozen embryos are either destroyed or they aren't.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cListen to me.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWas the male embryo destroyed?\u201d<\/p>\n
Another silence.<\/p>\n
Longer.<\/p>\n
I felt my last uncertainty disappear.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhere is it, Carter?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI need you to come back.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhere is our embryo?\u201d<\/p>\n
He whispered my name.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhere?\u201d<\/p>\n
His voice dropped.<\/p>\n
\u201cI can explain.\u201d<\/p>\n
That was not an answer.<\/p>\n
It was worse.<\/p>\n
Because innocent people usually deny accusations.<\/p>\n
Carter was trying to negotiate with one.<\/p>\n
I looked toward the doorway.<\/p>\n
Chloe stood there.<\/p>\n
She had heard enough to know something was wrong.<\/p>\n
I lowered my voice.<\/p>\n
\u201cYou have until tomorrow morning to tell my attorney everything.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cDon't involve lawyers.\u201d<\/p>\n
I almost laughed.<\/p>\n
\u201cYou forged my consent.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI didn't forge anything.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cBut you knew.\u201d<\/p>\n
Silence.<\/p>\n
\u201cCarter.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI knew the embryo wasn't destroyed.\u201d<\/p>\n
That confession entered the room quietly.<\/p>\n
Nothing shattered.<\/p>\n
No thunder sounded.<\/p>\n
My former husband simply admitted that a foundational truth of our marriage had been a lie.<\/p>\n
\u201cDid you authorize its release?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI need to explain in person.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cDid you?\u201d<\/p>\n
He didn't answer.<\/p>\n
I ended the call.<\/p>\n
Chloe stood in the doorway.<\/p>\n
\u201cMom?\u201d<\/p>\n
I looked at my daughter.<\/p>\n
Her father's daughter.<\/p>\n
My daughter.<\/p>\n
A child created in the same laboratory as the embryo everyone was now fighting over.<\/p>\n
\u201cEverything's okay,\u201d I said.<\/p>\n
She frowned.<\/p>\n
\u201cYou always say that when everything isn't okay.\u201d<\/p>\n
I had no response.<\/p>\n
My phone buzzed.<\/p>\n
Dana.<\/p>\n
She had sent one sentence.<\/p>\n
Lauren, I found Jessica's employment history.<\/p>\n
Then another.<\/p>\n
She worked at Oakfield.<\/p>\n
Dr. Jenkins asked everyone except Jessica to leave the ultrasound room. Richard objected first. \u201cThis concerns my grandson.\u201d \u201cIt concerns my patient,\u201d the doctor replied. That ended the argument. Margaret … <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":27718,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-27721","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-insightdrama"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/insightdrama.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/27721","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/insightdrama.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/insightdrama.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/insightdrama.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/insightdrama.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=27721"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/insightdrama.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/27721\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":27756,"href":"https:\/\/insightdrama.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/27721\/revisions\/27756"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/insightdrama.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/27718"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/insightdrama.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=27721"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/insightdrama.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=27721"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/insightdrama.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=27721"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}