Chapter 8 - THE REPORT ERIC DIDN’T WANT TO MAKE
The hospital report triggered follow-up.
A child-protection investigator contacted Megan and Eric.
The conversation frightened Eric.
Not because they had done something wrong intentionally.
Because official systems felt uncontrollable.
“What if this turns into something huge?”
Megan looked at him.
“It already became huge.”
“I mean for Noah.”
“So do I.”
The investigator interviewed them separately.
Megan answered every question.
Eric did too.
When asked whether he had known Diane sometimes gave Noah unspecified substances, he told the truth.
He admitted she had mentioned doing it before.
He admitted he did not ask enough questions.
He admitted Megan had raised concerns about Noah’s unusual sleepiness.
The admission made him look worse.
He gave it anyway.
That was his irreversible decision.
Afterward he sat in the car for several minutes.
“I could've said I didn't remember.”
Megan looked at him.
“But you did.”
“My lawyer would probably tell me to be more careful.”
“You don't have a lawyer.”
“Exactly.”
She almost smiled.
Then Eric said:
“I spent too long protecting Mom from embarrassment.”
He looked through the windshield.
“I’m not doing it again.”
The investigator did not remove Noah from their care.
There was no basis to.
Instead, the focus remained on restricting Diane’s unsupervised access and understanding what had happened.
Megan and Eric documented the existing boundaries.
Diane was furious.
She called Eric that night.
He put the phone on speaker only after asking Megan.
“You told them I did this before?”
Eric’s face tightened.
“Ryan told us about Ava.”
“That was completely different.”
“How?”
“She was sick.”
“Jessica said she wasn't.”
“Jessica has always hated me.”
Megan almost responded.
Eric shook his head slightly.
He wanted to handle it.
“Mom, stop.”
Diane went silent.
“You don't get to make every mother who disagrees with you the problem.”
Her voice changed.
“You've been talking to Megan too much.”
Eric closed his eyes.
“No.”
He opened them again.
“I've been listening to her too little.”
Diane hung up.
Megan did not congratulate him.
May you like
Some actions deserved recognition.
Others were simply overdue.
