Chương 3
She heard what he was not saying.
There were situations where they might have no choice.
Emily looked again at Porter.
“Who is the other mother?”
Porter did not answer immediately.
Emily saw Nathan look at her.
That was answer enough.
“You know.”
“We have another neonatal transfer in the system.”
“Name.”
“I cannot disclose another patient’s information.”
Emily almost smiled.
It was not amusement.
“My child may be with her.”
“We do not know that.”
“And her child may be in my arms.”
“We do not know that either.”
“Then tell her what you do know.”
Porter’s expression changed.
Not much.
Emily saw it anyway.
“You haven’t told her.”
“We are confirming the scope.”
“How long have you known?”
“We arrived thirty seconds ago.”
“No. About the scanner.”
Porter looked at Nathan.
Nathan said nothing.
Emily’s voice lowered.
“How long?”
Porter folded her hands.
“The first discrepancy was reported as a technical error.”
“That isn’t what I asked.”
“Approximately fifty minutes.”
The baby stirred.
Emily could hear her own pulse.
Fifty minutes.
Fifty minutes ago, she had been sitting in this same room while a nurse brought the newborn to her and joked that somebody had stolen all the decent pillows.
Emily had smiled.
She had asked whether the baby’s nose looked like hers.
The nurse had said newborn noses all looked like they had lost arguments.
Emily had laughed.
Fifty minutes ago, someone already knew a scanner had rejected something.
“Tell the other mother.”
Porter’s tone softened.
“We need to be certain before we alarm another postpartum patient unnecessarily.”
Emily looked straight at her.
“You already alarmed one.”
Silence.
Then Marcus cleared his throat.
“I can open an incident channel.”
Porter turned toward him.
“That is a medical decision.”
“It’s also a security identification event.”
“I am aware of your scope, Marcus.”
“So am I.”
For the first time since he had grabbed Nathan, Emily felt something like gratitude toward him.
Porter stared at him for another second, then nodded once.
“Open the channel.”
Marcus stepped into the corridor.
Porter gestured to one of the nurses.
“Bring a portable bassinet.”
Emily said, “The baby stays with me.”
“We need vitals.”
“You can take them here.”
“Emily—”
“Here.”
Nathan spoke quietly.
“She’s stable enough for bedside checks.”
Porter’s head turned.
“I did not ask you.”
“No.”
Nathan seemed to accept that.
Porter studied Emily, then gave the nurse a short nod.
The nurse approached with a pulse-oximeter lead.
Emily watched every movement.
Her name was Jenna. Emily remembered because Jenna had brought her apple juice earlier and had apologized when the straw wrapper tore badly.
Jenna’s hands were shaking.
That frightened Emily.
“Have you seen her before?” Emily asked.
Jenna froze.
Porter said, “Emily, please let her work.”
Emily did not look away from Jenna.
“Have you?”
“Yes.”
“When?”
“At St. Gabriel’s transfer bay.”
“Was she wearing this band?”
Jenna glanced toward Porter.
Emily’s voice hardened.
“Don’t look at her.”
Jenna swallowed.
“I don’t know.”
“Think.”
“I scanned a band.”
“This band?”
“I don’t know.”
Emily looked at Nathan.
Nathan was staring at Jenna too.
“When did you scan?” he asked.
Porter cut in.
“Nathan.”
Jenna answered anyway.
“Before transport staging.”
“What happened?”
“The reader gave me an error.”
The room became still again.
Porter said, “You told dispatch the network was slow.”
“I thought it was.”
Nathan stepped closer.
Marcus had returned and noticed immediately.
“Doctor.”
Nathan stopped.
Jenna rubbed her thumb against the sensor cable.
“The system had gone down twice. Everything was lagging.”
Nathan’s voice stayed level.
“What did you do after the error?”
“I rescanned.”
“And?”
“Same thing.”
“And then?”
Jenna looked at Porter.
Porter said nothing.
Jenna’s eyes filled, but she did not cry.
“I got Nina.”
Nathan’s face changed.
“Nina Rusk?”
Jenna nodded.
Emily had heard the name.
The transfer coordinator with the red glasses.
A woman had come through the lounge earlier carrying two clipboards and talking into a headset. She had asked Emily whether anyone had explained the weather delay. Emily had said no. The woman had told her, “Tonight is mostly weather delays and people pretending they aren’t weather delays.”
Emily had liked her.
That memory now felt stupid.
“What did Nina do?” Emily asked.
Jenna took a breath.
“She checked the printed manifest.”
The folded sheet in Marcus’s hand seemed suddenly louder than the rain.
“And?”
“She said the patient number on the transport chart matched the printed label set.”
Nathan said, “Which number?”
“I don’t remember.”
“Yes, you do.”
Porter looked at him sharply.
Jenna closed her eyes.
“1814.”
Emily looked at the baby’s ankle.
1814.
Nathan’s face had gone pale.
“Emily’s number is 1842.”
Jenna whispered, “I know that now.”
Emily stared at her.
“When did you know?”
“Ten minutes ago.”
“And you didn’t come tell me.”
Porter stepped in.
“She reported it.”
“To you.”
“Yes.”
“And then?”
“We initiated review.”
“You reviewed it while my baby left.”
Nobody corrected her use of my baby.
That was worse.
Jenna attached the sensor to the newborn’s foot.
A red light glowed through the tiny skin.
The baby squirmed.
Emily bent her head close.
“It’s okay.”
She did not know to whom she was speaking.
Marcus’s radio clicked.
“Reed.”
He listened.
The helicopter had landed.
Everyone in the room exhaled at a different time.
Emily did not.
Marcus looked at her.
“Mercy Children’s has the infant in a secure receiving bay. No transfer beyond the neonatal unit. They’re placing an identity hold.”
“Alive?”
“Yes.”
The word left Emily weak.
She shifted against the recliner and pain tore through her abdomen.
Jenna noticed.
“You need to lie back.”
“I’m fine.”
“You are six hours post-op.”
“I said I’m fine.”
The lie was childish.
Emily hated herself for saying it.
Jenna lowered the recliner without asking.
Emily almost objected, then let her.
The room tilted slightly.
Nathan watched from across the lounge.
His cheek was still red.
May you like
She noticed that again and became irritated with herself again.
“Why were you removed?” she asked him.
