Against the Odds (Fighting to Survive #2)(14)
“Hi, Leah,” she smiles and takes Leah’s other hand in hers. “Close your eyes and take some deep breaths.”
I watch as Leah does what is asked of her. I should have remembered that from when Jamie was born. I kick myself for not remembering. Leah seems to calm as she continues to take deep cleansing breaths.
“Good, you are doing great,” Chelsea says in a calming voice. Although I just met her, she seems to be the total opposite of her irate husband. “How far along are you?”
“She’s just at 27 weeks,” I say. Chelsea nods. I hear the commotion and I know the medical staff is here. Thank, God.
I kiss Leah and whisper to her that I love her before I stand and make room for the gurney. I try to focus on Leah, but the conversation going on at the table now has my full attention.
“I would hope that if Leah delivers in this hospital that the same mistakes won’t happen again,” Bruce says sternly.
Shit, I don’t think I could live through another baby swap. I see a marker and some pens laying in the middle of the table and I remember my plan to mark my baby with a permanent marker. I want it to be nearly impossible to mix him or her up with another baby. I lean forward and take the black permanent marker from the table. I plan on explaining my actions but then I realize no one is watching me.
“We have terminated the person responsible for the baby mix up and have recently defined our hiring process.”
“You mean to tell me this MIX-UP wasn’t just a mistake, it was intentional?” Drake yells. I swear he took the words right out of my mouth, although his tone is a little harsher than I would use, at least I think so.
Leah lets out a cry and I am reminded of what is more important. I would love to stay and have this conversation with them, but I have a wife and child who needs me. I hold Leah’s hand as they place her on the gurney. I can see the blood and water on the seat of the chair and on her clothing.
“Stay here and finish this conversation while I go with Leah,” I whisper to Bruce, who seems to be into a heated discussion.
He nods as he continues his conversation with them. I walk out beside the gurney as I hold Leah’s hand. The only thing I hear before leaving the room is someone saying, “A psychotic nurse,” before the door closes behind us. I hold tighter to the permanent magic marker in my hands.
Bruce Myles
I stay behind while Bobby tends to Leah. A nurse suffering from a psychiatric episode is responsible for the baby swap. This is all news to me and to my clients. “If Leah delivers here, in this hospital, and this happens again, I will sue this hospital and each of you, personally. Do you understand?”
“Yes, we do. I assure you this hospital had taken every safety measure possible to assure that this never happens again,” Mr. Morrow says as he stands to look me in my eyes. I am reminded that I am still standing. I sit back down and notice the chair Leah was sitting in has been removed from the table. “Should we reschedule this meeting?” he asks me.
“No. We wish to continue.”
“Very well. As I was saying, once we learned of the two babies being switched at birth, we interviewed all of the medical staff on duty. After we spoke with Melissa Simms, who was the only R.N. and charge nurse on that day, she broke down and started to cry. She admitted to hearing voices that told her to switch the babies. After extensive interviews and testing, none of her co-workers admitted to knowing or suspecting that anything was wrong or different about her. Miss Simms said she knew it was wrong, but the voices were persistent and even threatened her if she didn’t switch the girls.”
“And no one suspected that she was behaving strangely?” I ask.
“No, no one,” Mr. Morrow says.
I look to each of the men sitting at the table who are representing the hospital and ask, “Had she been diagnosed with mental health issues prior to this?”
“No, she was never diagnosed with anything until after this,” Mr. Blake confirms.
“How many other infants did she swap?” Drake asks a little too loudly. “Surely, someone suffering from undiagnosed and untreated psychiatric issues for who knows how long…”
“This is the only case that we can find. We have done DNA on more children and parents than I care to mention. This is the only case,” Mr. Crawford says honestly.
“I hope so,” Chelsea says, softly and sadly. “I hope that no other family has to go through this.” I look over at her and she is twirling Madison’s hair around her fingers. I never saw what Jamie looked like, but Madison looks like Leah, except she has long hair. She also looks like Bobby. “Is she getting help?” Chelsea asks.
“She was committed to the Florida State Hospital where she was receiving treatment for schizophrenia.”
Drake asks, “How do you plan on fixing this?”
Mr. Crawford clear his throat and says, “The hospital is prepared to offer each family a lump sum of money…”
“Jesus, you do realize it’s not about the money. Don’t you?” Drake asks.
Before anyone can say anything, Chelsea says, “My husband is correct. This has nothing to do with the money. How do you plan on fixing this… mess?”
Mr. Blake adjusts his tie nervously and says, “We were hoping each family would agree on…”
“Some mutual bullshit terms? Where we all share the children and live happily ever after? This isn’t a damn book with unicorns and fairy godmothers. Real life isn’t like that. You can’t mix up children and think it will fix itself, or believe that we’ll swap them back and everyone is happy,” Drake interrupts and I have to agree. It looks like he is trying to maintain his anger and he’s losing the battle. I watch as he stands and his wife and daughter stand with him. He adds, “Sadly, one child is dead. Madison is ours, and she will always be ours. I don’t give a f*ck what your DNA says.” He turns to leave and his family follows. Before he walks out the door, he says, “Reed, if they don’t agree on our terms, then terminate this meeting.” He follows his wife and daughter out the door and slams it behind him.