Chapter 5: My Name on the Chart
The hospital records department was three floors below us.
We reached it in under two minutes.
The corridor was empty.
Too empty.
The overhead lights flickered above us as Roy pushed open the security door.
Mason followed.
Tessa stayed close behind me.
"Where's security?"" I asked.
Roy looked at his phone.
"Half the system is offline.""
"Convenient.""
"Very.""
We entered the records room.
Rows of locked cabinets stretched into the darkness.
Computers blinked on abandoned desks.
A printer was still running.
Paper spilled onto the floor.
Mason picked up the top page.
His face went blank.
"What?""
He handed it to me.
It was my medical file.
My name appeared across the top.
*VANESSA CALLAHAN, M.D.*
I scanned the page.
Blood type.
Past surgeries.
Medications.
Family history.
Then I stopped.
"That's wrong.""
Roy stepped closer.
"What?""
"My blood type.""
The file said *O positive*.
"I'm A negative.""
Mason looked at me.
"You're sure?""
"I'm a physician, Mason.""
He turned pale.
"Then they've completely replaced your file.""
I kept reading.
There was another problem.
Under reproductive history, it said:
*Previous pregnancy: one.*
I had never been pregnant.
Never.
I looked at Roy.
He was staring at the page.
"Vanessa...""
"Don't.""
"I didn't know.""
"You didn't know because you never asked.""
His eyes filled with guilt.
Then I noticed something else.
At the bottom of the page was a signature.
Mine.
Except it wasn't mine.
It looked like my handwriting.
But the date was from three years earlier.
I had been out of the country on that date.
I remembered exactly where I'd been.
London.
A medical conference.
Roy had been with me.
Someone had forged my signature too.
Tessa whispered, "Why would they fake your medical history?""
I didn't answer.
Because a thought had just entered my mind.
A terrible one.
"Because my medical file can make me look like a patient.""
Mason stared at me.
"What?""
"If they alter enough records, they can make it appear that I was involved in something.""
Roy's expression changed.
"Or that you were treated here.""
"Exactly.""
"For what?""
I looked down.
There was a final page.
A fertility treatment authorization.
My name.
My date of birth.
My signature.
And beside it:
*DONOR: ROY CALLAHAN*
I couldn't breathe.
Tessa stepped forward.
"That's what they did to me.""
I looked at her.
"What?""
"They created a medical history that never happened.""
Mason whispered, "They're manufacturing patients.""
Roy looked around the room.
"Not patients.""
He pointed to the printer.
"Identities.""
The printer suddenly stopped.
A final sheet dropped onto the tray.
Roy walked over.
He picked it up.
And froze.
"What is it?"" I asked.
He didn't answer.
I took it from his hand.
It was a surgical schedule.
Tomorrow's date.
Six patients.
All scheduled for procedures.
Beside each patient's name was a code.
I recognized the first four.
They were real patients.
The fifth name made me stop.
*Tessa Miller.*
Her scheduled procedure was listed as:
*Emergency Cesarean — 8:00 A.M.*
Tessa stared at the page.
"I'm not having a C-section tomorrow.""
I looked at the gestational information.
She was twenty-two weeks.
There was no medical reason for an emergency cesarean.
"Who scheduled this?""
Mason checked the system.
"There's no physician attached.""
Roy looked at the other entries.
"These patients aren't random.""
"What do you mean?""
"They're all connected.""
"How?""
"Every one of them was treated through the fertility clinic.""
Tessa backed away.
"No.""
I looked at her.
"What's wrong?""
"I know the other names.""
"How?""
"They were in the waiting room when I started treatment.""
Mason looked at Roy.
"Then we have a pattern.""
Roy nodded.
"Yes.""
"What pattern?""
He hesitated.
"They're all pregnant.""
The room went silent.
I looked again at the schedule.
Six names.
Six pregnancies.
Six unauthorized procedures.
Then my eyes caught something at the bottom.
A seventh entry had been added in red.
*VANESSA CALLAHAN — 9:00 A.M.*
Procedure:
*EMBRYO RETRIEVAL.*
I stared at it.
"That's impossible.""
Roy took the page from me.
His hands began shaking.
"What?"" Tessa asked.
I pointed.
"Someone scheduled me for a fertility procedure.""
Roy looked at me.
"Vanessa, you can't be a candidate.""
"I know.""
"Then why would they schedule it?""
Mason suddenly walked toward the nearest computer.
"Because they don't need you to actually undergo the procedure.""
He typed rapidly.
A patient portal appeared.
My name.
My photograph.
My identity.
Then a medical record opened.
I leaned toward the screen.
The record showed that I had been undergoing fertility treatment for eight months.
I hadn't.
It showed multiple hormone injections.
I hadn't taken any.
It showed three failed embryo transfers.
They had never happened.
Then one line appeared.
*CURRENT PREGNANCY: 21 WEEKS, 4 DAYS.*
My blood ran cold.
Tessa whispered, "They're saying you're pregnant.""
I couldn't speak.
Roy looked at me.
"They're building a fake pregnancy under your name.""
"But why?""
Mason stared at the screen.
Then he opened another file.
His expression changed.
"What?""
He turned the monitor toward us.
There was a list of genetic profiles.
The first belonged to Tessa.
The second belonged to Roy.
The third—
Mine.
Beside my name was a note:
*MATCH CONFIRMED.*
I felt dizzy.
"Match confirmed for what?""
Nobody answered.
I grabbed the edge of the desk.
"Tell me.""
Mason swallowed.
"For the baby.""
Tessa stared at the screen.
"But how?""
I looked at Roy.
He looked just as confused.
Then Mason opened the original genetic report.
There were three columns.
*Mother: Tessa Miller.*
*Father: Roy Callahan.*
*Genetic Match: Vanessa Callahan.*
My knees nearly gave out.
"That makes no sense.""
Mason whispered, "Unless Vanessa isn't listed as the mother.""
I stared at him.
"What are you saying?""
He pointed to the final line.
*Embryo source: Vanessa Callahan.*
I couldn't hear anything after that.
My own DNA.
My husband's DNA.
Tessa's pregnancy.
A baby that supposedly belonged to Roy and Tessa.
And somehow, my genetic material was listed as the embryo source.
Roy reached for me.
I stepped away.
"Don't touch me.""
"Vanessa—"
"No.""
I looked at the screen again.
Then at Tessa.
She was crying.
"I swear I didn't know.""
I believed her.
That was the terrifying part.
Because if she was telling the truth, then someone had taken my genetic material without my permission.
Someone had created a pregnancy involving my DNA.
Someone had forged my medical records.
And someone had spent months preparing for this.
My phone vibrated.
Unknown number.
One message.
*Now you understand why Tessa came to you.*
Another message arrived.
*Tomorrow morning, everyone will believe the baby is yours.*
I stared at the screen.
Then a third message appeared.
*Unless Roy tells you what happened twelve years ago.*
I slowly lifted my eyes toward my husband.
"Roy?""
He said nothing.
"What's the secret from twelve years ago?""
May you like
His face went pale.
And before he could answer, the hospital fire alarm began screaming.
