Chapter 6 - The Empty Nursery|
By midnight, Zion was resting in a monitored hospital room.
His breathing had stabilized, but Dr. Hayes wanted him observed overnight.
I sat beside his bed, watching the small rise and fall of his chest.
Emily had gone home after giving her statement.
I had offered to arrange transportation, but she refused to accept anything beyond the ride.
"Please don't give me money," she had said. "Just make sure Zion is safe."
That sentence stayed with me.
At 1:15 a.m., my attorney called.
"The police are at your house."
"Why?"
"They're securing the nursery. They found several items that need to be examined."
"What items?"
"A bottle of an unidentified liquid, a measuring dropper, and a small notebook."
I stood.
"What notebook?"
"Your household manager says it belonged to Margaret."
"What's inside?"
"He hasn't read it. The police are handling it."
I looked at Zion.
"Tell me when they know more."
An hour later, Detective Bennett called.
"Mr. Whitaker, we found records suggesting Margaret may have been administering an unapproved product to your son."
"What kind of product?"
"We're waiting for laboratory confirmation. I don't want to speculate."
"Was it the bottle Emily photographed?"
"Possibly. We found a second container hidden behind the nursery changing table."
My stomach tightened.
"Why would she hide it?"
"That's something we're investigating."
I paced the corridor.
"Has Margaret been arrested?"
"Not yet. We are interviewing her and checking the records. We also need to establish whether anyone else was involved."
"She told me Emily was trying to take her job."
"That's one of the claims she made."
I looked through the glass at my son.
"Detective, I need you to understand something. My son is all I have left of my wife."
"I understand that you're frightened, Mr. Whitaker. But we need to follow the evidence."
After the call, I returned to Zion's bedside.
A nurse was checking his monitor.
"How is he?"
"Stable. The doctor will update you when the latest tests are available."
I sat down.
For months, I had told myself that I was doing everything possible for Zion.
I had hired staff.
Paid specialists.
Purchased equipment.
But I hadn't learned how to hold him without checking my phone.
I hadn't noticed that his favorite blanket had a small blue elephant embroidered in the corner.
I hadn't known which lullaby made him smile.
Emily had known.
She had noticed when he was uncomfortable. She had noticed when he struggled to breathe.
And I had fired her for using a kitchen sink.
At 3:40 a.m., Dr. Hayes entered.
"Mr. Whitaker, we have some preliminary findings."
I stood immediately.
"Tell me."
"Zion's results suggest exposure to a sedating medication that was not part of his prescribed treatment."
My knees weakened.
"Was it dangerous?"
"Depending on the amount and the child's size, it can cause serious effects. We're still determining the details."
"Was he given too much?"
"We cannot answer that yet."
She paused.
"However, we found evidence suggesting this may not have been a single exposure."
I stared at her.
"What does that mean?"
"It means we need to review his previous medical records and determine whether similar symptoms occurred before today."
I remembered the countless evenings when Margaret had told me Zion was simply tired.
The days he had slept through visitors.
The mornings when he seemed too weak to play.
"Doctor, how long could this have been happening?"
She looked at me carefully.
"Possibly longer than you realize."
Then she asked:
"Mr. Whitaker, has your son ever been unusually difficult to wake after spending time with someone outside your immediate family?"
I thought about the answer.
May you like
And one memory suddenly stood out.
Three weeks earlier, Margaret had taken Zion to visit someone without telling me.
