Chapter 3 - The Pediatrician's Eye
That was when another woman stepped forward from the edge of the crowd.
Dr. Hannah Patel.
Lily’s pediatrician. She happened to live two houses down from Judith and had stopped by after finishing her Saturday clinic. At first, she said nothing. She simply stared at Lily, her professional gaze sharpening as she observed the infant’s skin tone and limp posture.
Then Dr. Patel’s expression hardened entirely.
“Mrs. Caldwell,” she said, her voice cutting through the party noise like a knife. “Please give her back to her mother.”
Judith laughed, though it sounded a bit forced. “Oh, Hannah! You’re off duty. You know how nervous first-time mothers can be, always imagining emergencies—”
Dr. Patel didn't smile. She didn't blink.
“Give the baby to her mother. Right now.”
The entire room went silent. The string quartet music playing from the speakers suddenly felt deafening. Judith, caught off guard by the sheer authority in the doctor’s voice, finally handed Lily back into my arms.
Dr. Patel immediately stepped close, gently loosening the tightly wrapped blanket around Lily’s chest and checking her tiny fingernails and lips.
May you like
My stomach dropped into a bottomless pit. “What is it?” I whispered.
Dr. Patel looked toward the cluster of guests near the front door. “Someone call 911. Now.”
