Chapter 9 - The Truth in the Medical Records|
The ambulance reached the hospital shortly before nine.
By then, Walter had been wrapped in blankets, and a paramedic had checked his breathing and blood pressure.
He was shaken and chilled, but he was conscious.
I was taken directly to the maternity assessment unit.
The tightening in my abdomen had frightened me more than anything I'd ever experienced.
I lay on a hospital bed listening to the steady rhythm of Charlotte's heartbeat.
A nurse adjusted the monitor.
“Her heartbeat looks reassuring.”
I burst into tears.
“Are you sure?”
The nurse squeezed my hand.
“Your doctor will examine you, but right now, she's doing well.”
I nodded.
For several minutes, I couldn't speak.
All I could think about was how close I'd come to losing the only person in the world I hadn't even met yet.
The doctor examined me and explained that stress and dehydration appeared to have triggered painful contractions.
Fortunately, there was no evidence that I was in active labor.
They wanted to observe me and make sure everything settled.
I closed my eyes in relief.
“Thank God.”
A little later, Elena came into the room carrying my dry clothes.
Her eyes were red.
“Oh, sweetheart.”
She hugged me carefully.
“Don't ever scare me like that again.”
I managed a weak smile.
“I'll try.”
She sat beside me.
“Adrian is with Walter.”
“Is he okay?”
“Dr. Lewis is examining him.”
I looked toward the door.
“Someone tried to take him.”
Elena's expression became serious.
“I know.”
“Did they find Julian?”
She shook her head.
“Not yet.”
I stared at the ceiling.
The entire situation felt impossible.
A few days earlier, I had been worried about dirty dishes and overdue rent.
Now I was lying in a hospital because someone had apparently tried to remove an elderly man from his own home.
Elena took my hand.
“Rachel, there's something you need to understand about the Santoro family.”
I looked at her.
“Adrian grew up surrounded by men who believed every problem could be solved with power.”
She glanced toward the hallway.
“His father was different.”
I remembered Walter's gentle voice.
His cardigan.
The way he apologized even when someone else hurt him.
“Mr. Walt doesn't seem like someone who enjoys power.”
Elena smiled sadly.
“He never did.”
She told me that Walter had spent most of his life working with his hands.
He'd been a carpenter before the family became wealthy.
When Adrian's businesses expanded, Walter refused to move into the main mansion until Ruth convinced him that they could use the property to help others.
“He always said a big house was pointless if nobody felt welcome inside it,” Elena explained.
I thought about the little room where Walter had been hidden.
The irony made my throat ache.
Later that night, Adrian came to see me.
His black shirt was damp from the rain.
There were dark circles beneath his eyes.
But his voice was gentle.
“How are you feeling?”
“Better.”
“And Charlotte?”
I touched my belly.
“Still keeping everyone nervous.”
He smiled faintly.
“She's already very important to my father.”
I glanced toward the doorway.
“Is Mr. Walt all right?”
Adrian nodded.
“He's resting.”
Then his expression changed.
“Dr. Lewis reviewed his medical records.”
I waited.
“She found several changes that need investigating.”
“What kind of changes?”
“Some of his regular medications were altered after Evelyn began controlling his appointments.”
I stared at him.
“Without his doctor knowing?”
“Dr. Lewis says she wasn't consulted about those changes.”
Adrian sat in the chair beside my bed.
“She also found records describing my father as severely disoriented.”
He paused.
“But those descriptions don't match what she's observed.”
I thought about Walter remembering Ruth's favorite song.
The circles on his calendar.
The way he worried about Charlotte.
“He forgets things,” I said quietly.
“Yes.”
“But he understands so much.”
Adrian nodded.
“He does.”
He leaned forward.
“And I allowed someone to convince me otherwise.”
I looked at him.
“You were away working.”
He shook his head.
“That explains my absence.”
His voice became rough.
“It doesn't excuse it.”
For a while, neither of us spoke.
Then he looked at me.
“Rachel, you should never have been put in danger tonight.”
I lowered my eyes.
“I chose to help him.”
“I know.”
“And I'd do it again.”
He shook his head gently.
“I don't want you to prove your kindness by risking your life.”
The words stayed with me.
I'd spent years believing that being a good person meant sacrificing everything.
My marriage.
My comfort.
My dignity.
Sometimes even my safety.
Adrian continued.
“My father needs people who care about him.”
“But your daughter needs you healthy.”
I looked down at my belly.
He was right.
And I promised myself that Charlotte would never grow up believing love required her to destroy herself.
The next morning, Lillian visited both Walter and me at the hospital.
She explained that the alleged attempt to move Walter, the conflicting medical records, and the questionable financial documents had been reported to the proper authorities.
An independent physician would evaluate Walter's ability to make his own decisions.
The police had also begun examining the greenhouse incident.
Then Lillian opened her briefcase.
“We've received the first findings from the financial review.”
Adrian stood beside the window.
“What did they find?”
Lillian looked grim.
“More than half a million dollars in unexplained payments from your mother's community fund.”
My mouth fell open.
Adrian's expression darkened.
“To whom?”
Lillian handed him a document.
“The payments were directed to a consulting company connected to Julian Price.”
Adrian stared at the page.
Then Lillian added something worse.
“Evelyn has filed an emergency guardianship petition claiming your father is incapable of protecting himself.”
Walter had been sitting quietly in his wheelchair near the doorway.
When he heard those words, his face crumpled.
“Does that mean she can make me leave?”
Lillian approached him.
“No, Mr. Santoro.”
She knelt so he could look directly at her.
“It means we need to make sure the court hears your side.”
Walter gripped the arms of his wheelchair.
Then he looked at Adrian.
“Son, I don't want to be locked away.”
Adrian knelt before him.
“You won't face this alone.”
Walter took his hand.
May you like
For the first time since I'd met him, there was no apology in his voice.
“Then help me tell the truth.”
