Chapter 2 - WHAT THE DOCTORS COULDN’T EXPLAIN
The paramedics separated them.
Rachel rode with Rosie.
Natalie did not.
At Edward Hospital, Rosie was taken directly into a pediatric treatment room while Rachel stood beside the stretcher answering questions she hated because every answer sounded like an accusation against herself.
Age?
Two.
Weight?
Twenty-seven pounds.
Known allergies?
None requiring medication.
Prescription drugs?
None.
What had she been given?
“I don’t know.”
How long had she been difficult to wake?
“I don’t know.”
Who had been supervising her?
Rachel stopped.
“My sister.”
A nurse cleaned a small scrape along Rachel’s temple where the wine bottle had clipped her during the struggle.
Rachel barely felt it.
She watched Rosie’s chest rise under a hospital blanket.
A physician named Dr. Patel explained that Rosie’s vital signs were stable but her level of sedation was concerning.
They would monitor her closely and consult Poison Control.
“We need to know everything she could have had access to.”
Rachel handed over the only detail she had.
“My mother said Benadryl.”
Dr. Patel nodded.
“That could contribute to drowsiness, but we shouldn’t assume that’s the whole explanation.”
Rachel thought of Elaine’s sentence.
It wasn’t only Benadryl.
A Naperville police officer arrived.
Then a hospital social worker.
Then a second officer.
Nobody promised Rachel an arrest.
Nobody told her the case was obvious.
Instead they asked precise questions.
Who lived in the house?
Where had the medication come from?
Had Natalie ever babysat Rosie before?
Had Elaine?
Had Rosie ever become unusually sleepy after being in their care?
Rachel opened her mouth.
Then stopped.
There had been times.
Not like this.
But enough that the question bothered her.
Three months earlier, Elaine had watched Rosie while Rachel worked a Saturday shift at the outpatient rehabilitation clinic where she handled insurance coordination.
When Rachel picked her up, Rosie slept from five that afternoon until nearly seven the next morning.
Elaine said she had skipped her nap.
Another time after a family dinner, Rosie had been so groggy that Rachel carried her from the car without waking her.
Natalie joked that Rachel had finally discovered the secret to parenting.
Rachel had laughed.
Now she hated herself for remembering the laugh.
A detective asked, “Did your mother ever have permission to give Rosie diphenhydramine?”
“No.”
“Any sleep aids?”
“Absolutely not.”
“Prescription medication?”
“No.”
The detective wrote that down.
Rachel’s phone began vibrating.
Natalie.
Then Elaine.
Then Natalie again.
Rachel declined every call.
An hour later her older cousin Melissa texted from the party.
Police were still at the house.
Guests had been asked not to leave until officers collected names.
Chloe’s birthday cake was untouched.
Natalie’s husband, Matt, had taken Chloe into the backyard so she would not hear adults arguing.
Then Melissa sent another message.
Your mom is telling people Natalie only gave Rosie allergy medicine.
Rachel stared at it.
Elaine had said she didn’t know exactly what had happened.
Now she was already supplying an explanation.
Dr. Patel returned shortly after.
“Rosie’s responding more than she was when she arrived.”
Rachel nearly folded with relief.
“But,” the doctor continued, “her presentation still doesn’t fit neatly with the amount of Benadryl your family is describing.”
“What does that mean?”
“It means we keep looking.”
Rachel looked through the glass at Rosie.
For the first time, she remembered something else about the guest room.
The phone had been upstairs beside Rosie.
Rachel had left it charging on Natalie’s kitchen counter.
Someone had moved it.
May you like
Rosie had not merely been put somewhere quiet.
Someone had made sure Rachel would not have her phone when she found her.
