Chapter 1 - The Falsified Record
Nurse Maya stared down at the paper, her brows furrowing into a tight line as her eyes scanned the handwritten ink. She looked up at me, then down at Nora, before stepping toward the doorway to glance into the hallway.
"Mr. Vance," Maya said quietly, her professional demeanor shifting into sharp alert. "Did you fill out this medical history section?"
"No," I replied, my voice dangerously calm. "My wife, Claire, filled it out at her clinic before we left."
Maya held up the paper so I could see it. Under the pre-existing conditions and consent section, Claire had checked boxes indicating that Nora was diagnosed with chronic physical clumsiness, behavioral motor delays, and frequent self-inflicted injuries. Below that, in fine print, Claire had listed herself as Nora's primary legal guardian for medical decisions, falsely stating that I was frequently out of state and unreachable.
"She wasn't just trying to cover up the accident," I whispered, the sickening realization crashing over me. "She was laying the groundwork to document Nora as a problem child... to make it look like any future injury was Nora's own fault."
Nora hugged my waist with her good arm, trembling. "She said if I told the truth, the doctors would take me away from you because I was too broken to be looked after."
May you like
My chest heaved with a mixture of burning rage and profound guilt. I knelt beside my daughter, kissing her forehead. "No one is taking you away, sweet girl. Never."
Maya took out her phone and dialled a number. "I'm calling our attending physician and our child protection liaison. We need to document these forged medical forms immediately."
