Chapter 4 - The Wrong Medicine.
Adrian wanted to leave for Vale House immediately.
Detective Ortiz refused to let him turn suspicion into a private war.
"If you go there furious, your brother will destroy whatever you want before you reach the driveway."
Adrian paced beside the window.
"Then get a warrant."
"For a locked room in your mother's house based on something a six-year-old remembered?"
"Based on attempted murder, altered security footage, stolen evidence, and missing charity money."
"I'm building that case."
Adrian hated the phrase because building took time.
Emma's bruised hand in his made every second feel like surrender.
Ortiz made a call from the hallway.
Rafael moved closer to the bed.
Noah sat beside Emma and drew a crooked family portrait on hospital stationery.
In the picture, Emma stood in the middle wearing a red dress and a crown.
Adrian was drawn beside her with arms that reached all the way across the paper.
"Why are my arms so long?" Adrian asked.
"So you can protect everybody."
Adrian swallowed hard.
"Good reason."
A nurse entered carrying a stainless medication tray.
She was young, composed, and wore an identification badge that read Chelsea Ward.
Rafael checked her badge against the patient list.
She smiled politely.
"Dr. Shah ordered a medication adjustment."
Adrian barely looked away from Emma.
Noah did.
Children noticed different things.
He noticed the nurse had purple polish on one thumbnail.
He noticed she smelled like oranges.
He noticed that she kept glancing toward the guards.
Chelsea placed a small syringe beside the IV port.
"What is that?" Adrian asked.
"A low-dose anti-inflammatory."
"Name?"
The nurse looked at him.
"Dexamethasone."
Rafael relaxed slightly.
The drug sounded familiar from the doctor's earlier explanation.
Chelsea swabbed the IV port.
Noah frowned at the syringe.
"Mom's medicine was yellow before."
Chelsea gave him a patient smile.
"This one is different."
"Why?"
"Because grown-up medicine changes."
Noah looked at Adrian.
"Mom says people lie when they answer a question you didn't ask."
Chelsea's smile disappeared.
Adrian stepped between her and the IV.
"Don't touch that line."
"Sir, I have an order."
"Show me."
Chelsea reached toward the tablet clipped to the end of the bed.
Her hand moved instead toward the syringe.
Rafael caught her wrist.
The syringe hit the floor and rolled beneath the chair.
Chelsea screamed.
Mason rushed in from the hallway.
"What happened?"
"Lock the door," Adrian ordered.
Chelsea struggled.
"You're hurting me."
"Then stop moving," Rafael said.
Detective Ortiz returned just as Mason blocked the doorway.
She took in the scene and immediately called hospital security.
Dr. Shah arrived two minutes later.
She looked at the syringe on the floor and went pale.
"I didn't order anything."
Chelsea stopped struggling.
Ortiz read the nurse's badge again.
"Chelsea Ward?"
Dr. Shah shook her head.
"There is no Chelsea Ward on this unit."
Adrian's anger became terrifyingly calm.
The woman had made it within inches of Emma's IV.
Ortiz pulled off the fake badge.
"Who sent you?"
Chelsea stared at the floor.
"I want a lawyer."
"You're going to need one."
Hospital security escorted her away.
Noah climbed into Adrian's arms and buried his face against his father's shoulder.
Adrian held him tightly.
"You did good, buddy."
"She was lying."
"Yes."
"Was she going to hurt Mom?"
Adrian looked at the syringe beneath the chair.
He could not lie to his son anymore.
"I think she might have tried."
Noah began to cry silently.
Adrian carried him to the window and let him press his face into his neck.
Behind them, Ortiz photographed the syringe.
Dr. Shah examined Emma and ordered all medications locked behind a two-person verification protocol.
Rafael called the hospital command center and demanded new access credentials.
Mason stood near the door with his face pale.
Adrian noticed.
"What's wrong?"
Mason did not answer immediately.
"I know her."
Everyone stopped moving.
Ortiz turned.
"The woman?"
Mason nodded slowly.
"Her real name is Claire Mercer."
"How do you know her?"
Mason looked at Adrian with shame in his eyes.
"She worked for Vale corporate security three years ago."
Adrian's voice dropped.
"Who hired her?"
Mason swallowed.
"Victor."
Ortiz stepped closer.
"Why did she leave?"
Mason stared at the closed door.
"She didn't leave."
"Then what happened?"
"She was fired after she was caught copying restricted personnel files."
Adrian felt something worse coming.
"Whose files?"
Mason looked toward Noah.
"Yours."
Adrian's jaw tightened.
Mason continued.
"Emma's."
May you like
Then he took a breath.
"And Noah's."
