Chapter 3 - THE QUESTION THE DOCTOR HAD TO ASK
Noah was alert by the time they reached the emergency department.
That should have comforted Megan.
It didn't.
A pediatric physician examined him, reviewed what Megan and Eric knew, and asked Diane’s age, prescription information, and whether anyone had observed her placing anything into Noah’s drink.
“No,” Megan said.
Then corrected herself.
“Not directly.”
The doctor nodded.
He did not accuse anyone.
He did not tell Megan what had happened.
He explained that giving a child medication not prescribed or approved for that child could be dangerous and that Noah needed observation.
The questions became specific.
Had Noah experienced unexplained sleepiness before?
Yes.
Vomiting?
Once after Easter dinner.
Difficulty waking?
Megan looked at Eric.
He stared at the floor.
“Yes,” he said.
“When?”
“Fourth of July.”
Megan turned.
“You told me he was exhausted from swimming.”
“I thought he was.”
The doctor continued.
Any other episodes?
Eric said nothing.
Megan remembered three herself.
All followed time with Diane.
The pattern made her nauseated.
Later, while Noah slept naturally against her, a hospital social worker entered.
She asked Megan and Eric separately whether they felt Noah had been intentionally given medication without their consent.
Megan said:
“I don't know exactly what she gave him.”
Then:
“But I believe she gave him something.”
Eric hesitated.
That hesitation hurt more than Megan expected.
The social worker waited.
Finally Eric said, “My mother has always thought Megan is too permissive.”
“That wasn't the question.”
Eric looked at Megan.
“I know.”
He turned back.
“Yes. I think my mother gave him something.”
The hospital followed its reporting obligations.
Nobody arrested Diane in a dramatic hallway.
Nobody announced a verdict.
But an official record now existed.
That alone changed the family.
On the drive home, Megan sat beside Noah in the back seat.
Eric drove silently.
Then he said:
“She told me you were imagining the sleepiness.”
Megan looked up.
“What?”
“Last summer.”
“When I called the pediatrician?”
Eric gripped the wheel.
“She said Noah always got tired after swimming and that you were becoming obsessive.”
Megan felt something heavier than anger.
“You discussed my concerns with your mother.”
“Yes.”
“And then you came home and told me I needed to relax.”
Eric did not defend himself.
That was almost worse.
Megan stared through the windshield.
Scout had noticed one cup.
May you like
But the family had been trained for years not to notice Diane.
And Eric had helped with the training.
