Chapter 2 - Every Emergency Happened at Her House
Evan arrived thirty-five minutes later.
Claire’s husband came through the ER doors still wearing the navy suit he’d had on at a Manhattan client dinner.
Janice met him first.
“She’s doing it again,” Claire heard her say.
Evan slowed.
“Doing what?”
“Turning a normal toddler scare into a catastrophe.”
Claire stared at them from Harper’s bed.
Her own husband looked at his mother before he looked at his daughter.
That hurt more than she wanted to admit.
Dr. Mercer entered before anyone could argue.
Harper’s examination was reassuring.
Her breathing was normal.
Her oxygen level was normal.
The imaging showed no swallowed foreign object.
The second metallic crescent had been caught inside the folded cuff of Harper’s pajamas.
“Then we can go home,” Janice said.
Dr. Mercer didn’t move.
“I’d still like to understand where these came from.”
Janice sighed.
“Children pick things up.”
“She’s one,” Claire said.
“And?”
“And both pieces were inside things you packed.”
Janice turned toward her.
“You’ve spent months looking for someone to blame every time that child makes a sound.”
Evan rubbed his forehead.
“Mom.”
“No, Evan. Someone needs to say it.”
Claire felt the humiliation settle over her.
Janice had done this before.
At Thanksgiving, when Claire called the pediatrician after Harper vomited twice.
At Christmas, when Claire refused to leave Harper overnight after a nursery monitor alarm.
At brunch the previous Sunday, when Janice told two cousins that Claire checked whether Harper was breathing “every seven minutes.”
They had laughed.
Claire had laughed too.
Weakly.
Because that was easier than admitting how small Janice made her feel.
Dr. Mercer asked a question.
“When do these episodes usually happen?”
Claire answered before Janice could.
“At her house.”
Evan looked at her.
“What?”
Claire began counting.
The sudden monitor alarms in October.
Janice’s Halloween sleepover.
The December crying episode.
Christmas night.
Tonight.
All at the Whitmore house in Scarsdale.
Never at Claire and Evan’s apartment.
Never at daycare.
Never at Claire’s sister’s house.
Janice crossed her arms.
“Because she spends more evenings with me than with strangers.”
Claire looked at her husband.
“No. She doesn’t.”
The discrepancy was suddenly impossible to ignore.
Harper spent perhaps one night in five at Janice’s.
Yet nearly every unexplained scare happened there.
Dr. Mercer placed the two crescents in a specimen envelope.
“I think you should keep these.”
Janice immediately said, “That’s unnecessary.”
Claire looked at her.
“Then you won’t mind if I do.”
Janice’s expression changed.
May you like
Only for a second.
But Evan saw it too.
