Chapter 7: The Record Nobody Was Supposed to See
“Ms. Bennett, are you still there?””
Ava tightened her grip on the phone.
“Yes.””
“We would prefer to discuss the record in person. Because this involves protected medical information, we need to verify your identity and explain what our review has uncovered.””
“What exactly was accessed?””
“I can confirm that an emergency-room intake record was viewed without authorization. I cannot disclose the identity of the person responsible until our investigation is complete.””
Ava glanced at Vanessa.
The other woman stood beside the bridal suite door, clutching her purse against her chest. She looked as though she wanted to disappear into the wallpaper.
“Was anything changed?”” Ava asked.
“We haven't found evidence of an alteration, but we're still reviewing the access history.””
“Then tell me what I'm supposed to do.””
“Please bring identification when you visit our patient-relations office. We also recommend preserving any messages or documents related to this incident.””
Ava agreed, ended the call, and lowered her phone.
For several seconds, she simply stared at it.
Simone approached her.
“We're going to that clinic first thing tomorrow.””
Ava shook her head.
“I'm not waiting until tomorrow.””
“It's late, and you've had a stressful day. We can make the appointment, get your doctor involved, and make sure you're okay.””
“I need to know who accessed that record.””
“And you will. But you don't have to solve everything tonight.””
Ava looked toward Vanessa.
“Somebody knew about the hospital before Daniel even saw the ultrasound. Somebody sent that photograph to his girlfriend. And now somebody has been looking at records from the same night.””
Simone followed her gaze.
“Vanessa, I want you to answer one question.””
Vanessa swallowed.
“What?””
“Did the person who contacted you know about Ava's hospital visit?””
Vanessa hesitated.
“Yes.””
“How?””
“I don't know.””
Simone shook her head.
“That's becoming your answer to everything.””
“Because it's the truth.””
Ava stepped forward.
“Then tell us exactly what happened when you received the envelope. Start from the beginning. No leaving things out because you're embarrassed.””
Vanessa lowered herself into the chair again.
“The envelope arrived at my office about three weeks before the divorce became final. There was no return address. Inside was the ultrasound photograph and a note.””
“What did the note say?”” Ava asked.
Vanessa looked at her.
That hesitation told Ava more than the answer itself.
“Read it,” Ava demanded.
Vanessa opened her purse and pulled out her phone.
“I photographed the note before I threw it away.””
She unlocked the screen and turned it toward Ava.
The message was short.
*If Daniel ever discovers what happened before his marriage ended, he will need proof. Keep this photograph. Wait until the right moment.*
Ava read it twice.
“Who wrote this?””
“I don't know.””
“Did you recognize the handwriting?””
“No.””
“Did you tell Daniel about the note?””
Vanessa shook her head.
“Why not?””
“Because I was afraid he'd think I was trying to interfere in your marriage.””
Ava stared at her.
“You were already involved with my husband.””
Vanessa recoiled as if Ava had slapped her.
Simone immediately stepped between them.
“Don't.””
Ava closed her eyes and took a breath.
She wasn't going to waste her energy fighting Vanessa over Daniel. That part of her life was over, and she refused to let another woman's choices pull her back into it.
“What did you do after receiving the envelope?”” Ava asked.
“I kept the photograph.””
“And the person who sent it contacted you again?””
“Yes.””
“When?””
“The day before the wedding.””
Ava's stomach tightened.
“What did they say?””
Vanessa looked down at her phone.
“They told me that if Daniel saw the date, he would understand why the divorce had happened.””
Ava went completely still.
“Why the divorce happened?””
Vanessa nodded.
“That's what the message said.””
Ava's fingers curled around the edge of the table.
“Did it say anything about my baby?””
“No.””
“Did it say the child was Daniel's?””
“No.””
“Then why would you believe that showing him the photograph would explain anything?””
Vanessa looked helpless.
“I thought there was something you hadn't told him. Something that mattered to the divorce.””
Ava let out a slow breath.
“There was something I hadn't told him. I was pregnant. But I wasn't obligated to tell you, and I wasn't obligated to let you decide how he found out.””
“I know.””
“No. You know now.””
Vanessa lowered her head.
Simone took the phone and examined the message.
“Can you show us the contact number?””
Vanessa did.
The number wasn't saved under a name. It had sent several messages over the preceding weeks, all brief and carefully worded.
Simone photographed the screen with her own phone.
“Don't delete anything,” she said.
“We'll let the clinic and the appropriate authorities determine what matters.””
Vanessa nodded.
Ava picked up her purse.
“I'm leaving.””
Simone immediately reached for her coat.
“I'll come with you.””
“No. It's your wedding.””
“My wedding is not more important than you.””
Ava looked at her friend, and the tension in her shoulders finally loosened.
“Thank you.””
Simone smiled gently.
“Besides, my husband has already been informed that I'm abandoning the reception to take care of my pregnant best friend. He has accepted his fate.””
Despite everything, Ava laughed.
Then her expression turned serious again.
She faced Vanessa.
“You're going to preserve every message, every photograph, and every document connected to this. If the clinic contacts you, cooperate. And don't contact me again unless it's through the appropriate channels.””
Vanessa nodded.
“I understand.””
Ava turned toward the door.
Behind her, Vanessa whispered, “Ava?””
She stopped but didn't turn around.
“I'm sorry.””
Ava rested one hand against her belly.
“I hope you mean that.””
Then she left.
The following morning, Ava and Simone sat across from a patient-relations investigator named Ms. Reynolds in a private office at the clinic.
Bright sunlight streamed through the windows. A stack of files rested on the desk, and a computer monitor displayed a timeline of record-access activity.
Ms. Reynolds folded her hands.
“First, I want to apologize. Your medical information should not have been accessed outside authorized purposes.””
Ava nodded.
“What did you find?””
“We identified two separate access events that require further investigation. One involved your prenatal documentation. The other involved your emergency-room intake record.””
“Were they connected?””
“We haven't established that.””
“Then how do you know the person who accessed the second record wasn't the same person?””
“Because the access logs identify different user credentials.””
Ava felt her pulse quicken.
“Different people?””
“Different accounts,” Ms. Reynolds clarified.
“We are still verifying who used them.””
Simone leaned forward.
“Can you tell us what was in the emergency-room record?””
Ms. Reynolds looked at Ava.
“With your permission, I can review the relevant information with you.””
Ava agreed.
The investigator opened the file.
“On the night of your visit, you reported abdominal pain and dizziness. The attending physician documented that you were approximately twelve weeks pregnant.””
Ava's breath caught.
She remembered that night.
She remembered the pain, the fear, and the nurse asking whether she had someone who could take her home.
She remembered Daniel not answering his phone.
But she had never understood why the appointment had become something another person wanted to investigate.
Ms. Reynolds continued.
“Your record also indicates that you listed an emergency contact.””
“Daniel,” Ava whispered.
“Yes. However, the chart notes that the contact was not reached.””
Ava looked down.
Simone reached across the desk and squeezed her hand.
Ms. Reynolds turned the monitor slightly.
“There is another detail. Your intake form includes a note that you requested a copy of the documentation before leaving.””
“I did.””
“Did you receive it?””
Ava frowned.
“I thought I had.””
The investigator examined the file.
“The distribution record indicates that a copy was prepared, but we cannot currently confirm that it was handed to you.””
Ava stared at her.
“Someone took it?””
“We don't know that. We only know the record is incomplete.””
For several seconds, nobody spoke.
Then Ava remembered the appointment receipt, the handwritten note, and Vanessa's frightened expression.
“Could someone have used that document to obtain my ultrasound?””
“Possibly, but we haven't established how the photograph was obtained.””
Ava swallowed.
“Can you tell me who accessed the emergency-room record?””
Ms. Reynolds hesitated.
“We have a name associated with one of the credentials, but we need to verify the identity of the person who actually used it.””
Ava leaned forward.
“What name?””
The investigator turned the monitor toward her.
Ava read the entry.
Her face went cold.
The name was familiar.
Not because she had spoken to the person recently.
Because she remembered seeing it on a visitor badge at the hospital that night.
May you like
And when Simone leaned closer to read the screen, she whispered the same question Ava was already asking herself.
“Why would that person be anywhere near your medical records?””
