The room went silent.
Margaret saw Ethan’s shoulders fold inward.
He had always done that when Natalie corrected him in front of other people.
Until that moment, Margaret had seen it as embarrassment.
Now she saw fear.
Dana asked who had been alone with Noah during the previous seventy-two hours.
Ethan named himself, Natalie, and a night nurse named Carla who had helped twice since the premature birth.
Natalie immediately blamed Carla.
“She handles him too roughly,” she said.
“I told Ethan she was careless.”
“When was Carla last in the home?” Dana asked.
“Thursday night.”
Margaret looked at the report.
The first bruise had been documented Friday morning.
The timing was possible.
For the first time since opening Noah’s diaper, doubt entered her mind.
What if the wrong person was being blamed? What if Natalie was cruel and dishonest but had not caused the injury?
Dana must have seen the uncertainty on her face.
“We follow evidence,” she said.
“Not assumptions.”
At the hospital, Noah was taken for imaging while Margaret waited in a family consultation room.
Because an emergency protective hold had been placed on the baby, neither parent was allowed to leave with him.
Ethan sat against one wall.
Natalie sat across from him, tapping her foot with increasing force.
For nearly an hour, no one spoke.
Then a pediatric specialist entered with Dana and the police officer.
The doctor introduced herself as Dr.
Lena Morris.
Her expression was composed, but she held Noah’s chart with both hands.
“The abdominal bruise is consistent with forceful gripping,” she said.
“We also found a healing rib fracture.
Based on its stage of healing, it likely occurred between ten and fourteen days ago.”
Margaret pressed a hand to her mouth.
Ethan stared at the floor.
Natalie shook her head.
“Premature babies have fragile bones.
The hospital could have done that.”
Dr.
Morris did not react to the accusation.
“We reviewed the neonatal records.
There was no fracture on the imaging performed before discharge.”
“Then the night nurse did it.”
“The estimated injury date is before the night nurse was hired,” Dana said.
Natalie’s foot stopped tapping.
Ethan looked at her.
“You told me Carla must have hurt him.”
“Because she was rough.”
“She wasn’t there when his rib was broken.”
Natalie stood.
“You think I did this? After everything I’ve gone through? I nearly died having him.
I haven’t slept.
I haven’t had one minute to myself.
And now your mother gets to stand there looking holy while everyone tears me apart?”
Margaret did not answer.
Dr.
