Chapter 17 - The Woman Who Called Herself His MotherWe chased the nurse.
She ran through the hospital corridor.
Mara caught her near the service elevator.
The nurse fought.
Hard.
Then she screamed:
“Don't you understand? He's not yours!”
Emily collapsed against the wall.
I grabbed the nurse.
“Who are you?”
She laughed.
“My name doesn't matter.”
“Who is Ethan's mother?”
“You know her.”
“No.”
She looked at Linda.
Linda's face became white.
The nurse said:
“Look at your mother.”
I did.
She couldn't meet my eyes.
“Mom?”
Linda whispered:
“Daniel…”
“What did you do?”
“I had no choice.”
“You always say that.”
She began crying.
Then she said the words that shattered everything.
“Emily didn't give birth to Ethan.”
Silence.
Emily stopped breathing.
I looked at her.
“No.”
The nurse smiled.
“That's what they told you.”
Emily whispered:
“I remember giving birth.”
“Do you?”
The nurse tilted her head.
“Remember the pain?”
“Yes.”
“The operating room?”
“Yes.”
“The doctor?”
Emily hesitated.
“I remember…”
The nurse interrupted.
“You remember what they wanted you to remember.”
Mara looked at Linda.
“Memory conditioning.”
Linda nodded.
“They used it on her.”
Emily began shaking.
I stepped toward her.
“Emily.”
She backed away.
“No.”
“What?”
“I remember.”
“What?”
“A hallway.”
She pressed her hands against her head.
“Someone injected me.”
“Emily.”
“A woman was holding a baby.”
“Who?”
She stared at Linda.
“You.”
Linda cried.
“I’m sorry.”
The nurse laughed.
“Ask her what happened to the real child.”
I looked at my mother.
“What child?”
She whispered:
“The baby Emily gave birth to…”
She stopped.
Then:
“Wasn't Ethan.”
I couldn't speak.
Emily looked at Linda.
“What happened to my baby?”
Linda closed her eyes.
“I tried to save him.”
“Where is he?”
“I don't know.”
The nurse smiled.
Then the hospital lights went out.
When they came back on, the nurse was gone.
So was Ethan.
Emily screamed.
I spun around.
The blanket she had been holding was empty.
Mara ran toward the elevator.
Linda collapsed.
I heard my wife scream one sentence that I will never forget.
“They took our son.”
But then, from inside the elevator, the doors opened.
A baby cried.
May you like
And a voice whispered:
“That's not your son.”
