Chapter 2 - THREE BRACELETSSecurity arrived first.
Two officers.
Then another nurse.
Then the charge nurse.
Everybody talked at once until Rachel raised her voice.
“Stop.”
The room obeyed her.
She pointed toward Richard.
“He struck the patient after removing a newborn from the bassinet against her direction.”
My father said:
“That is not what happened.”
Linda started:
“We’re family—”
Rachel cut her off.
“I’m describing what I personally witnessed.”
That sentence mattered.
Not:
Hannah says.
Not:
There was an argument.
Witnessed.
One security officer asked Richard to step into the hallway.
He refused.
“I’m not leaving my daughter.”
I looked at him.
“Yes, you are.”
He stared at me.
The officer said:
“Sir.”
Richard finally walked out.
Linda followed.
Mason stood motionless.
Claire had begun crying.
I looked at both of them.
“Go.”
Mason opened his mouth.
“Hannah, I never asked him to hit you.”
That was an impressive attempt to answer a question I had not asked.
“Go.”
Claire whispered:
“I didn’t know he would do that.”
“Go.”
They went.
Rachel closed the door.
The sudden quiet hurt.
Mae whimpered.
Eli had settled.
Jonah still cried.
A nurse brought him to me.
For one ridiculous moment I tried to hold all three.
Rachel stopped me.
“You are not an octopus.”
I started crying.
She took Jonah and placed him in the crook of my supported arm while another nurse adjusted pillows.
Three babies.
Three hospital bracelets.
Three names.
Rachel touched each ID band against mine to verify.
“Hannah?”
“Yes?”
“No one removes any of these children from this room without your consent or medical necessity. Understood?”
I nodded.
Then:
“Can my parents authorize anything?”
“No.”
“Mason?”
“No.”
“Claire?”
“No.”
“Daniel?”
“As the legal father, he has parental rights, but that does not mean he can casually remove medically admitted newborns either. And you are both listed as parents in the hospital record.”
My breathing slowed.
“What about adoption?”
Rachel’s expression changed.
“What about it?”
“I don’t know.”
I looked toward the door.
“My father came in talking like this had already been discussed.”
That was the first time I realized how strange his confidence had been.
Not:
Would you ever consider?
Not:
Claire and Mason could help.
Give one to your brother.
As though a decision existed before my refusal.
Rachel said:
“I’m asking our social worker to come speak with you.”
I almost said no.
May you like
Then remembered the emergency button.
“Okay.”
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