“Mrs. Reyes… I was on shift the night you came in.”
The nurse’s voice is soft.
Nervous.
Like she’s not sure she should be calling.
Adrian’s head turns sharply toward me.
He doesn’t interrupt.
Doesn’t take the phone.
Just listens.
“What is this about?” I ask carefully.
“There’s something that’s been bothering me,” she continues. “Since the article.”
My pulse quickens.
“Go on.”
She hesitates.
Then—
“Someone asked about your pregnancy two weeks before the emergency.”
The room goes very still.
“Asked how?” I whisper.
“They requested confirmation of gestational status.”
My heart pounds.
“That’s normal for insurance.”
“Yes. But this wasn’t insurance.”
The air shifts.
“Who was it?”
“We weren’t told. It was routed through administration.”
“Administration approved it?”
“Yes
