Chapter 8: St. Agnes Never Closed
The drive to St. Agnes took forty-seven minutes.
I counted every one.
Two police vehicles followed us along a narrow highway bordered by bare trees and abandoned farmhouses. Daniel sat beside me, holding the old photograph.
Neither of us spoke much.
Finally, I broke the silence.
“Do you think Andrew knew about us?””
Daniel stared out the window.
“I think he knew about you.””
“What makes you say that?””
“Because the nurse who remembered the twins told me something strange. She said one baby cried whenever the other cried.””
I frowned.
“That's normal for newborns.””
“Maybe. But she also said someone kept asking whether the babies could be separated permanently.””
“Who?””
Daniel looked at me.
“Margaret.””
I stared at the road.
My mother had separated three brothers.
She had hidden Daniel.
She had imprisoned Emily.
And somehow, she had kept Andrew alive in a hospital nobody knew existed.
“What did Dad do?”” I asked.
Daniel rubbed his forehead.
“I think he tried to undo it.””
“Then why didn't he take us all away?””
“Because he died before he could.””
We turned onto an overgrown road.
A rusted sign stood beside the entrance.
ST. AGNES MEDICAL CENTER.
The letters were faded, and weeds had swallowed most of the driveway.
But the building behind the trees didn't look abandoned.
Several windows were illuminated.
A security camera rotated above the entrance.
I looked at the officer.
“You see that?””
He nodded.
“Stay behind us.””
We stepped out of the vehicle.
The air smelled of wet leaves and disinfectant.
A woman in a white coat appeared behind the glass entrance doors.
She was in her late fifties, with short gray hair and a small gold cross around her neck.
She looked directly at me.
Then she unlocked the door.
“Ethan Wilson?””
“Yes.””
“My name is Dr. Helen Brooks.””
She glanced at the officers.
“I was expecting you.””
The officer immediately stepped forward.
“Then you can explain why this facility is operating without being listed as an active medical center.””
Helen looked uncomfortable.
“It's a private rehabilitation facility.””
“For whom?””
She didn't answer.
I stepped closer.
“Where's my brother?””
Helen's expression softened.
“Andrew is upstairs.””
“Is he conscious?””
“Yes.””
“Does he know I'm coming?””
She nodded.
“He's been asking for you.””
I followed her down a bright corridor.
The building smelled exactly like a hospital, but there were no nurses rushing between rooms and no patients in the hallways.
Every door was locked.
Every window had security bars.
I stopped outside a room marked 214.
The same number.
The same number on the photograph.
Helen placed her hand on the handle.
“Before you go in, there's something you should understand.””
I stared at her.
“What?””
“Andrew believes your mother saved his life.””
I frowned.
“What?””
Helen opened the door.
A man sat beside the window in a wheelchair.
He was wearing a pale blue hospital shirt. His hair was dark, unlike the gray-haired figure in the photograph, but his face was unmistakably mine.
He turned.
For several seconds, neither of us spoke.
Then he smiled.
“Ethan.””
My throat tightened.
“Andrew?””
He nodded.
“It's good to finally meet you.””
I approached slowly.
He studied my face as if he were looking into a mirror that had suddenly come alive.
“You look exactly like me.””
“So do you.””
He laughed softly.
“Daniel was right. You have the same terrible haircut.””
I almost smiled.
Then I remembered everything.
“Why are you here?””
Andrew's smile faded.
“Because this is the only place I've ever known.””
“Were you kept here against your will?””
He looked at Helen.
She immediately lowered her eyes.
“Andrew, you can tell him.””
He turned back toward me.
“Your mother brought me here when I was an infant. She said I was sick. She told everyone I needed special care.””
“What kind of care?””
“None.””
He looked down at his hands.
“I spent most of my childhood in hospitals. Doctors gave me medication I didn't need. They told me I had behavioral problems. When I asked about my family, they said my parents were dead.””
I felt anger building.
“Who told you that?””
“Margaret.””
I stared at him.
“Did she visit?””
“Sometimes.””
“How often?””
“Once or twice a year. Usually on my birthday.””
I felt sick.
“She knew you were alive.””
Andrew nodded.
“She told me I was the only child she had left.””
I sat down.
“Why?””
He shrugged.
“Because she said my brothers were dangerous.””
Daniel stepped into the room.
Andrew turned.
For the first time, his composure broke.
“Daniel?””
My older brother approached him.
“Hello, little brother.””
Andrew stared at him.
Then tears filled his eyes.
“You're real.””
Daniel nodded.
“I'm real.””
Andrew reached for him.
Daniel took his hand.
I watched the two of them, unable to speak.
Three brothers.
Three men who had grown up believing different versions of the same lie.
Finally, I turned toward Helen.
“Why are you helping my mother?””
Helen flinched.
“I was young when I started working here.””
“That's not an answer.””
She lowered her voice.
“Margaret funded this facility through a private trust. I was told Andrew had a rare neurological condition and needed permanent supervision.””
“Did you believe that?””
“At first.””
“And later?””
Helen looked toward Andrew.
“I realized the medical records were false.””
“Then why didn't you report it?””
“Because I was threatened.””
“By my mother?””
She nodded.
“She had connections. She told me that if I went to the authorities, she'd accuse me of falsifying medical records. She said she would destroy my career.””
Daniel stepped closer.
“And you allowed a man to spend thirty years here?””
Helen began crying.
“I know.””
Andrew looked at her.
“You told me I wasn't allowed to leave because I was sick.””
“I thought I was protecting you.””
“You told me my mother loved me.””
Helen covered her face.
Andrew turned toward me.
“Ethan, there's something I need to show you.””
He pointed toward the bedside cabinet.
Inside was a small wooden box.
I opened it.
There were photographs, hospital bracelets, and several handwritten notes.
At the bottom was a folded piece of paper.
I recognized the handwriting immediately.
My father's.
Andrew, if you ever meet your brothers, tell them I never stopped looking for you.
I sat down heavily.
There was another paragraph.
Margaret believes she has won. She doesn't know that I kept copies of every document. The truth is hidden where the boys first came into the world.
I read it twice.
“The hospital where we were born?””
Andrew nodded.
“That's what I think.””
I looked toward Helen.
“Where are the original records?””
She hesitated.
“Your mother collected them years ago.””
“Where?””
Helen looked toward the corridor.
“There's a locked archive beneath the building.””
Daniel immediately stood.
“Then we're going down there.””
Helen shook her head.
“You can't.””
“Why?””
“Because the archive is controlled by someone else.””
I felt my stomach tighten.
“Who?””
Before she could answer, the lights flickered.
A door slammed somewhere down the corridor.
Then a man's voice came through the intercom.
“Dr. Brooks, bring the Wilson brothers to the main entrance.””
Helen went pale.
I looked at her.
“Who is that?””
She whispered:
“Your mother's attorney.””
Daniel stood.
“Then call the police.””
Helen shook her head.
“He isn't alone.””
A second voice came through the speaker.
It was Claire.
“Ethan?””
I rushed toward the door.
“Claire!””
Her voice trembled.
“Don't come downstairs.””
“Where are you?””
“Ethan, listen to me. Your mother was right about one thing.””
“What?””
“Andrew isn't the brother you need to worry about.””
I froze.
Claire began crying.
“Your twin has been keeping a secret from you.””
I turned toward Andrew.
He was staring at the floor.
May you like
And when I asked him what Claire was talking about, he finally looked up.
“Because,” he whispered, “I'm not the one who was supposed to survive.””
