CHAPTER 4 — The Missing Birth Records
CHAPTER 4 — The Missing Birth Records
For several seconds, nobody spoke.
The only sound in the consultation room was the sharp beeping of a monitor from somewhere down the hall.
Dr. Carter stared at the security officer.
"Are you certain?"
The officer nodded.
"We reviewed the surveillance footage. Mr. Hayes used an old employee access card to enter the records department."
"He knew exactly where he was going."
"What did he take?" I asked, barely able to find my voice.
"Only one file."
He looked down at his notes.
"Emily Hayes. Birth records. Neonatal records. Every paper related to her delivery."
A wave of dizziness washed over me.
"That's impossible."
"I was there when Emily was born."
"Weren't you?"
The question escaped before I even realized I had spoken it.
Dr. Carter exchanged a glance with Dr. Reynolds.
"When exactly was Emily born?"
"Fifteen years ago," I answered. "At Riverside Medical Center."
"What happened during the delivery?"
I searched my memory.
"I was in labor for nearly twenty hours."
"I remember being exhausted."
"They gave me medication..."
"After that..."
Everything became blurry.
"I don't remember much."
I frowned.
"I always assumed that was normal."
Dr. Reynolds folded her hands.
"Do you remember holding Emily immediately after she was born?"
I opened my mouth.
Then closed it again.
No.
I couldn't remember.
Not clearly.
There were flashes.
Bright lights.
Voices shouting.
Richard standing beside my bed.
Then darkness.
"When did you first hold her?" Dr. Reynolds asked gently.
"I..."
My heart pounded.
"I don't know."
For the first time in fifteen years...
I realized there was a gap in my memory.
A gap of nearly two days.
"I was told Emily needed observation in the neonatal unit," I whispered.
"They said she had trouble breathing."
Dr. Carter looked uneasy.
"We've searched the hospital archives."
"There are no neonatal records."
"What?"
"They're gone."
My knees weakened.
"The only documents that remained were the ones your husband just stole."
Hospital security immediately contacted the police.
Within an hour, detectives arrived to take my statement.
Detective Laura Bennett listened carefully as I explained everything.
Richard's refusal to seek treatment.
His disappearance.
The stolen records.
Angela's phone call.
When I repeated the words she had heard—
"She wasn't supposed to survive this long."
The detective's expression changed.
"Mrs. Hayes..."
"Has your husband ever worked in medical research?"
"No."
"Military?"
"No."
"Government?"
"No."
"He owns a biomedical manufacturing company."
The detective looked up sharply.
"What kind of biomedical products?"
"I honestly don't know."
"Richard never talked much about work."
She made a note.
"We'll be looking into that."
Before leaving, she handed me her card.
"If your husband contacts you..."
"Call me immediately."
Late that evening, Emily finally regained consciousness.
She looked exhausted.
But alert.
"Mom?"
"I'm here."
She smiled faintly.
"You've been crying."
I laughed through my tears.
"A little."
She reached for my hand.
"I'm sorry."
"No."
I brushed her hair away from her face.
"You have nothing to apologize for."
She hesitated.
"Did Dad come?"
I couldn't lie.
"He was here."
"For a minute."
Emily looked away.
"I knew he wouldn't believe me."
My heart broke all over again.
Then she whispered something so quietly I almost missed it.
"He came into my room last month."
I froze.
"What?"
"Late at night."
"He thought I was asleep."
Every instinct inside me screamed.
"What did he do?"
Emily frowned.
"He put something cold against my stomach."
"I remember waking up."
"But I couldn't move."
My blood ran cold.
"He whispered..."
She closed her eyes.
"'Not yet.'"
A loud knock interrupted us.
Detective Bennett stepped into the room.
"We found your husband."
Hope surged through me.
"Where is he?"
She looked grim.
"He abandoned his car thirty miles outside the city."
"There was no sign of him."
"But..."
She placed a sealed evidence bag on the table.
"We found this inside the vehicle."
Inside the bag was a silver key.
Attached to it was a faded paper tag.
May you like
On it, in Richard's handwriting, were three words.
Project Genesis Vault.
