Chapter 3
I waited until Lila and Jake were passed out on the couch after breakfast, their heads lolled together like they didn’t have a care in the world.
Then I snuck out the back door, teddy tucked in my bag, and drove to the hospital.
The front desk clerk recognized me.
Her face softened when she saw me.
“Mrs. Carter,” she said.
“I’m so sorry about your little girl.”
I forced a smile that felt like it was cutting my face.
“Thank you,” I said.
“I need a copy of Mia’s medical records. All of them.”
She nodded, typing into her computer.
Then she frowned.
“Someone already requested them,” she said.
“Two days ago. Marked as next of kin.”
My stomach dropped.
“Who?” I asked.
“Your sister,” she said.
“Lila Mae. She said you were too distraught to handle paperwork.”
I leaned against the desk, my knees weak.
“I’m her mother,” I said.
“I’m the only next of kin that matters.”
The clerk’s eyes went wide.
“I’m so sorry,” she said.
“She had a copy of your ID and a forged power of attorney. I didn’t know.”
I asked for the nurse who’d been on duty the night Mia died.
Her name was Maria.
She met me in the hallway, her hands twisting in her scrubs.
I told her I needed the truth.
She hesitated, looking over her shoulder like someone was watching.
Then she pulled me into an empty supply closet, closing the door behind us.
“Your sister was in Mia’s room alone for 10 minutes right before she crashed,” she said, quiet.
“I got paged to a code blue down the hall. But when I got there, it was a mistake. No one had called.”
My breath caught.
“Who paged you?” I asked.
She shook her head.
“The number was blocked. But when I got back to Mia’s room, Lila was standing by her IV. She said Mia had just fallen asleep. Then 10 minutes later, her heart stopped.”
Tears spilled down Maria’s face.
“I should’ve checked the IV. I should’ve stayed. I’ve been kicking myself every second since.”
I put my hand on her arm.
“It’s not your fault,” I said.
“They planned this. They would’ve found a way no matter what.”
But as I walked back to my car, I knew it was true.
May you like
Lila and Jake had planned every single second.
And they almost got away with it.
