Chapter 9 · Your Son Isn't Yours

Chapter 9

Claire immediately stood up. "He's rambling."David said again, "Sis, don't cry. They got the babies mixed up."I looked at Claire.Claire's face was pale as a sheet. "Stella, you can't take what a patient says seriously.""Then what are you so scared of?" I asked."I'm not scared," Claire said, grabbing her bag. "I pity you, Stella. You can't let go of a delirious man's nonsense."The door to the hospital room swung open, and Richard walked in.He saw me and Claire facing off, and his face darkened."Are you giving her a hard time again?" he asked.I straightened up. "This is my brother's room."Richard walked over to Claire. "She's here to see the patient. Why are you being so suspicious?"I asked him, "Where was Claire twenty-four years ago, when Ryan was born?"Richard frowned. "Why do you want to know?""Answer me," I pressed.Claire grabbed his arm. "Richard, don't say anything."But Richard said, "She was at the hospital. She wasn't feeling well."I stared at him. "Which hospital?"Richard looked impatient. "It's been over twenty years. How am I supposed to remember?"David, lying in bed, suddenly reached out and grabbed my sleeve."Sis, the red blanket, the little hospital ID tag on the baby's ankle," he said, his voice weak and urgent.Claire rushed over and slammed the call button. "Nurse! Something's wrong with the patient!"She was so panicked that even Richard shot her a look.The nurse hurried in and wheeled David into the exam room.In the hallway, Claire leaned against the wall, her hands nervously rummaging through her bag, pulling out a pillbox and then stuffing it back in.Richard asked, "What's wrong with you?"She shook her head. "Nothing."I stood in front of her. "Claire, you'd better hope my brother's talking nonsense this time."She looked up, and for the first time, there was no pretense of weakness in her eyes."Stella, people who aren't in their right mind can do the most harm," she said.Richard snapped, "Claire!"She lowered her head. "I didn't mean it like that."I looked at Richard. "Did you hear that?"Richard paused for a moment. "Stella, stop digging. This won't help anyone."I pressed him, "Who exactly won't it help?"He avoided my gaze. "It won't do Ryan any good."Richard started acting differently.He began blowing up my phone with messages, never brought up Claire, never said sorry. Just wanted to know where I was, who I met, and if I needed anything.I ignored every single message.On the third day, I went to Women's and Children's Hospital, where Ryan was born.The hospital had gotten a facelift, but the old wing still stood at the back, walls flaking, corridors thick with the smell of disinfectant and damp, all mixed together.The old records keeper, Lillian, had gray hair and wore reading glasses.She checked my ID and then the application form. "Birth records from twenty-four years ago are a pain to dig up.""I can wait," I said.She spent a while poking around on her computer, then went to the back and hauled out a box of old records."What's your son's name?" she asked."Ryan Quinn. Born on October 27th," I replied.Lillian flipped to a page, her brow slowly furrowing."Why is there a corner missing from this page?" she murmured, frowning.I stepped closer.On that record, half of the baby's hospital ID tag number had been torn off, but the mother's name, Stella, was still intact.I asked, "Can you check if there were any other mothers who gave birth that same day?"Lillian glanced at the door. "I can't, that's against the rules."I set a photo down on the table.It was taken more than twenty years ago, me holding newborn Ryan, with a young nurse standing next to us. On the back of the photo, it said, "Lillian, thank you for your help."Lillian picked up the photo and stared at it for a long time."You're the one who had that bad hemorrhage?" she asked.I nodded.She sighed. "I remember you. Your husband was frantically moving about with the baby, and there was a young woman nearby, crying and complaining that she felt dizzy.""Claire," I said."Yeah, Claire," Lillian whispered. "That day, the delivery room was chaotic. The power went out upstairs, and even the backup lights kept flickering. Your brother was out in the hallway, arguing with someone, saying the baby's hospital ID tag didn't match."I pressed my palm against the table, trying to steady myself against the chill that crept over me."What happened after that?" I asked."Then someone dragged him away. Your mother-in-law said he was out of it, talking nonsense," Lillian said, flipping to the next record."There was another baby boy born that same day. The mother's name was originally listed as Nina White, but later it was crossed out and changed to Claire.""And the baby, what happened to him?" I asked.

Chapter 9