Chapter 2 - BACK TO THE HOSPITAL
The ambulance arrived twelve minutes later.
Luca rode beside Olivia while I followed in the second car with Daniel. Vanessa remained at the mansion under the watch of two guards. Luca had made it clear that nobody was to threaten her or question her without the lawyers present.
At the hospital, a nurse met us at the entrance and hurried Olivia into an examination room.
“I'm sorry,” she said as she checked the chart. “We were told her brother had refused further contact. We should have verified that information.”
Luca's voice was controlled, but I could hear the anger beneath it.
“You should have contacted him anyway when her condition changed.”
The nurse lowered her eyes.
“You're right.”
A doctor arrived and examined Olivia. They placed her on a monitor and checked the baby's heartbeat. The irregular rhythm was still present, but the doctor explained that they needed further observation before making any conclusions.
Luca held his sister's hand.
“Is my niece in danger?”
“We're monitoring both mother and baby. We need to review the original records and understand why she was discharged against medical advice.”
Olivia turned toward me.
“Claire, I tried to tell them I wanted to stay.”
“I know.”
“They said Vanessa had signed for me. They said Luca didn't want to be bothered.”
Luca bent his head.
“I'm sorry you believed that.”
“I didn't know what else to believe.”
He pressed her hand to his forehead.
“You should never have been put in that position.”
A nurse brought in the original chart. The doctor reviewed it, then frowned.
“There's a note here that doesn't match the examination findings.”
“What note?” Luca asked.
“The discharge summary says Olivia was stable and requested to leave. But the monitoring notes recommend continued observation. There's also a family-contact restriction entered under your name.”
“Which I never requested.”
The doctor nodded.
“We'll preserve the original electronic record and report the discrepancy to hospital administration.”
Then Olivia remembered something.
“Vanessa asked me to sign a paper before the examination. She said it was permission for Luca to receive updates.”
“Did you read it?” I asked.
“I was in pain. She told me it was routine.”
The doctor looked at the chart again.
“Do you remember what it looked like?”
Olivia shook her head.
May you like
But Luca did not.
“Find every document she gave my sister,” he told Daniel. “Every page. Every signature.”
