Chapter 7: The Girl Who Was Given Another Name
The darkness swallowed everything.
I heard Daniel shout my name.
Then came the sound of something heavy crashing against the concrete floor.
“Nia! Get down!””
A hand grabbed my shoulder and pulled me behind the metal table.
I hit the ground hard.
Somewhere to my left, glass shattered.
“Daniel?””
“I'm here!””
A flashlight flickered across the warehouse.
For a split second, I saw Richard Cole running toward a side exit.
Then another figure appeared behind him.
“Stop!”” someone shouted.
Two security officers rushed through the entrance, their flashlights sweeping across the walls.
I scrambled to my feet.
Daniel was beside me, breathing heavily. A small cut ran across his forehead.
“Are you hurt?”” I asked.
“I'm fine. Are you?””
I shook my head.
Then I looked toward the table.
The photograph of the two newborn babies was gone.
So was Richard Cole.
The admiral entered moments later with several officers.
“Where is Cole?””
Daniel pointed toward the side exit.
“He escaped.””
The admiral cursed under his breath.
“Secure every entrance. Nobody leaves this property.””
I grabbed his sleeve.
“Forget Cole. I need to know about Lucy.””
William looked at me.
“Not here.””
“I'm tired of hearing that.””
He glanced at Daniel.
Then he made a decision.
“There's a secure vehicle outside. We'll discuss everything there.””
Ten minutes later, I was sitting in the back of an armored vehicle with Daniel beside me and the admiral opposite us.
I still couldn't stop thinking about the photograph.
Two babies.
Two bracelets.
Two lives separated before either child could open her eyes.
“Was I really a twin?”” I asked.
Daniel stared at his hands.
“I don't know.””
“You were there when I was born.””
“I arrived after your delivery. Evelyn was unconscious when I reached the hospital. Nobody told me there had been two babies.””
The admiral opened his briefcase.
“There is a possibility that Cole fabricated the story to manipulate you into revealing the ledger.””
I turned toward him.
“You heard him. He had a photograph.””
“Photographs can be staged.””
Daniel looked up.
“William, stop treating this like an administrative problem.””
The admiral remained silent.
I took out my phone and enlarged the picture I had managed to capture before the lights went out.
The two babies were unmistakable.
“Can we identify the hospital?””
The admiral examined the photograph.
“Possibly. The bassinet has a medical facility code.””
Daniel leaned closer.
“St. Mary's.””
I zoomed in.
A small blue label was attached to the side of the bassinet.
SMC — MATERNITY UNIT 4.
“Then we go there,” I said.
The admiral nodded.
“I'll contact the hospital records department.””
He made a call.
After several minutes, he turned toward us.
“There is something you need to see.””
He showed us a scanned document.
It was a neonatal admission record dated June 17, 2002.
Two entries appeared beneath Evelyn Hayes's name.
*INFANT A: NIA MARIE HAYES.*
*INFANT B: LUCY ANNE HAYES.*
Both girls had been born alive.
Both had been recorded as healthy.
But the next line was different.
Infant A had been discharged to Margaret Carter.
Infant B had been transferred to a private medical facility.
I read the words twice.
“Why?””
The admiral scrolled further.
“The transfer authorization was signed by Dr. Samuel Whitaker.””
Daniel shook his head.
“He told me Evelyn had delivered one child.””
The admiral looked at him.
“Someone concealed the second birth from you.””
I pressed my palms against my eyes.
I had imagined having a sibling many times growing up.
Someone to share childhood memories with.
Someone who might understand what it felt like to have Denise as a mother.
I had never imagined that person might actually exist.
“Where did they send her?””
The admiral searched the document.
“An institution called Harbor Children's Medical Center.””
Daniel frowned.
“I've never heard of it.””
“Neither have I.””
The vehicle stopped outside a secure government building.
The admiral received another call.
He listened, then slowly lowered his phone.
“What?”” I asked.
“The facility closed in 2008.””
“Where are the records?””
“Most were transferred to a private archive.””
“Who owns it?””
He hesitated.
Then answered.
“Cole Medical Holdings.””
Daniel let out a bitter laugh.
“Of course.””
I stared at the admiral.
“Is Richard Cole connected to the company?””
“His brother established it. Richard served as a consultant.””
I looked down at my bracelet.
The initials E.H. were still visible.
All those years, I had believed I was simply an unwanted child.
Now I was beginning to understand that my entire existence had been hidden inside a network of lies.
The admiral's phone rang again.
This time, the caller ID showed an unfamiliar number.
He answered.
“Yes?””
A woman's voice came through.
I couldn't hear the entire conversation, but I saw his expression change.
“Are you certain?””
A pause.
“Send me the address.””
He ended the call.
Daniel stood.
“What is it?””
“The hospital archive has received an anonymous package.””
“What was inside?””
“A photograph, a birth certificate, and a handwritten note.””
The admiral looked at me.
“The note says the missing girl is alive.””
My heart began racing.
“Where?””
He turned his phone toward me.
There was an address beneath the message.
A residential care facility outside Portsmouth.
And a name.
*LUCY BENNETT.*
I read it aloud.
“Lucy Bennett.””
Daniel closed his eyes.
“She's my daughter.””
I looked at him.
“She might be.””
He nodded.
“That's enough for me.””
We arranged to leave immediately.
But before the vehicle could move, my phone rang.
An unknown number.
I answered.
“Hello?””
A young woman's voice spoke.
“Is this Nia Carter?””
“Yes. Who is this?””
“My name is Lucy Bennett.””
My heart stopped.
She continued.
“I think we have the same birthday.””
I gripped the phone.
“June seventeenth?””
Silence.
Then she whispered:
“Twenty-four years ago, someone told me my family had died in a car accident.””
I couldn't speak.
Lucy took a shaky breath.
“But yesterday, I received a photograph of two newborn babies.””
My eyes filled.
“Lucy, where are you?””
She hesitated.
Then she said something that made my blood turn cold.
“I'm at the facility where they kept me as a baby.””
I sat forward.
“What do you mean?””
“I found my original medical file.””
Her voice broke.
“And Nia, there's something written on the last page.””
“What?””
May you like
She whispered:
*INFANT B WAS NOT THE ONLY CHILD REMOVED FROM THE HAYES FAMILY.*
