Misconceptions Read online

  Misconceptions by Colleen Scott

  Published by Castle Gate Press

  Copyright 2016 by Colleen Scott

  Dedication: For David … so thankful to be going through this life with you.

  Chapter One

  Dominique Sherwood had her instructions: get the story, then get out. She stared at the solid oak door. Did she have the guts to open it and start living a lie?

  Her boss’s words still rang fresh in her mind, but Stew hadn’t pulled any punches when he gave her the assignment. This is the opportunity you’ve been waiting for, Dominique. But you only have one chance. Your angle on the story is to find out why southern Ohio has a higher birth rate. Why are these women able to conceive when others around the country can’t? If you can’t handle it, I’ll find someone who can.

  She hated lying, always had. Maybe the life of an undercover TV news reporter wasn’t for her. No. This was the career she chose, and it included undercover work. She had to do this. She would do this. She grasped the brass doorknob, opened the door, and walked into the consultation room of Valley Memorial Hospital.

  A dusty fake plant sat in the corner, and the small room smelled of burnt coffee. Two people sat at a brown Formica table. A bulky woman with a head of thin, dull, brown hair wore an expression that reminded Dominique of a withered grape. The attractive man across from her wore a knee-length, bleached white coat and possessed an incredible smile.

  “You must be Dominique Sherwood,” the caustic woman said.

  “Yes, I am.”

  “You’re late.”

  “Please accept my apology.” No sense arguing with a bitter woman. Dominique settled in a chair and took a deep breath to organize her thoughts. She tucked a stray hair behind her ear. “Well, we all know who I am. Would it be too much trouble if you two introduced yourselves?”

  The harsh woman cleared her throat. “I’m Penelope Nordstrom, Clinical Manager, and your acting supervisor. We spoke briefly on the phone after your interview.”

  “Of course.” The polite smile she offered Penelope was met with a disapproving glare.

  “I’m Dr. Joseph Armstrong. My friends call me Dr. Joe. It’s nice to meet you, Dominique. Welcome to Valley Hospital.” He flashed her a million dollar smile that sent a tingle all the way to her toes.

  Her lips curved in response to Dr. Joe’s gentle tone. From the kind expression radiating from his dark brown eyes to the appealing dimples that appeared on either side of his mouth when he smiled, his presence had a calming effect on her. Her shoulders relaxed, and she settled back into her seat.

  “Thank you, Dr. Armstrong … Dr. Joe." She pulled a thin blue file from her attaché case. "If you don’t mind, I’d like to spend a few minutes reading over this case file.”

  “First you’re late, and now you’re not prepared,” Penelope said. “The administrator was impressed with your credentials, but you weren’t my first choice. I hope the hospital doesn’t come to regret hiring you.”

  Dominique bit down on her tongue. “Rest assured, that won’t happen. I’m more than qualified.”

  “There’s plenty of time for her to get acclimated.” Dr. Joe pushed his chair away from the table and crossed the room to the coffee maker on the countertop. “Can I get anyone a cup of coffee or refill?”

  Dominique sighed. She needed an ally, and Dr. Joe fit the bill. The fact he was attractive and kind only sweetened the deal. She opened the file with the name Emily Sanderson printed at the top of the first page. Scanning the document only added to her confusion. So much had changed in the years since she’d received her degree. Her social work minor combined with her communications major was pivotal in earning this assignment. Plus she had limited on-camera exposure and was less likely to be recognized.

  After studying the file more thoroughly, a few concerns became apparent. First of all, how did a twenty-eight-year-old woman end up in a coma? Secondly, what in the world was EOT?

  As if reading her mind, Dr. Joe leaned in toward her and asked, “Do you have any questions?”

  He smelled so inviting—like warm sunshine after a long week of cloudy, rainy days. His deep voice held an engaging tone. She glanced at his left hand. No ring. But it didn’t matter. Regardless of how attractive the man, it was never a good idea to pursue a relationship while undercover.

  Penelope slammed her hand on the table. “Dr. Armstrong. As per the hospital and healthcare regulations, you’re not permitted to unduly influence any member of the EOT committee.”

  He took in a deep breath and let it out slowly. “We wouldn’t want to break procedure, now, would we?”

  Dominique tore her eyes away from the file, but only for a moment. “Please bear with me. This is my first day on the job.” She searched the file for the patient’s name. “I’m aware of all regulations, and I know I’m permitted to ask questions. Can someone please explain how Emily came to be in a coma? I didn’t see this information mentioned.”

  Dr. Joe turned in his seat, his eyes met Dominique’s. “Emily was attacked when she was eight months pregnant,” he said in a quiet and somber tone. “The perpetrators were only interested in the baby. They performed a barbaric C-section and left her for dead.”

  Dominique gasped.

  Penelope retrieved the pen lodged behind her ear. “That’s not pertinent to our meeting today. The sole purpose of this meeting is to determine what treatment, if any, will be offered.”

  EOT. Their meaning became clear. End of treatment. The purpose of this meeting was to decide Emily’s fate. Dominique hadn’t agreed to this. Her undercover assignment directed her to investigate why this county was not affected by the declining birthrate as much as the vast majority of the country, not make life and death decisions.

  She pushed her chair back and stood. “I need to make a phone call.”

  “Sit down. We’ve delayed this decision far too long.” Penelope removed her glasses and laid them on the table. “While the hospital sympathizes with the family, we cannot justify the expense of keeping the patient on the ventilator.”

  Dr. Joe sat up in his chair and leaned forward. “I acknowledge Emily’s condition hasn’t changed in the past seventy-two hours, but she is stable, and once her body has recovered from the trauma, she has a great chance of making a full recovery.”

  “You have no proof to back up your prediction. In the interim, the hospital and national health care programs are losing money. As the clinical manager, I can’t continue to warrant utilizing the hospital’s funds to sustain a comatose patient. The ventilator should be disconnected immediately.”

  Silence hung in the room.

  The woman had to be kidding! Why had she been included in this meeting? Dominique’s stomach clenched, and she swallowed the lump lodged in her throat. “You’re talking about ending a woman’s life. Shouldn’t we at least discuss the situation first?”

  “It’s in her file. I assumed we would all be familiar with the facts, so all we needed to do was make the decision. I have other work that requires my attention.” Her disapproving gaze drifted from Dominique to Dr. Joe and back.

  “As Emily’s physician, I recommend we continue the current treatment plan.” Dr. Joe picked up his pen and clicked it several times. “All of Emily’s major organs and systems are functioning normally. It’s only been five days since the attack, and while we haven’t seen any drastic improvements, her condition has remained stable for the last seventy-two hours. If we remove her from the ventilator too soon, she’ll die.”

  Dominique’s opinion would make the final decision. That shouldn’t be; she wasn’t a doctor. “What about Emily’s family? Don’t they have a say?”

  Penelope glared at her. “I’m going to pretend you didn’t ask that question. Health care
laws may have changed significantly, but there’s no excuse for any licensed social worker not to be aware of the fact that the doctor in charge is representing the family. I would think you’d be aware of that.”

  Heat rushed to Dominique’s cheeks. She wiped away the perspiration on her upper lip. What should she do? If she agreed that the ventilator should be turned off, Penelope would be off her back. The last thing she needed was someone checking into her credentials. But she couldn’t be involved with terminating a life … not a second time.

  After several long minutes of uncomfortable silence, Dominique made her decision. “I agree with Dr. Joe. Hospital administrators and government officials shouldn’t be making life and death decisions, doctors should. Isn’t this clear in the oath doctors take?”

  Dr. Joe nodded. “First do no harm. It’s the most well-known part of the Hippocratic Oath.”

  Penelope stood and glared at Dominique. “Your rejection of the law does not change it. This meeting is over. Ms. Sherwood, I’ll see you in my office. Immediately.” She grabbed her belongings and stormed out of the room.

  Dominique released a long, slow breath. She had just made her first enemy. Unfortunately, the woman could annihilate her undercover assignment.

  Dr. Joe grabbed his phone from his coat pocket. “I’d love to talk with you further about this case, but I need to check my messages first. I silenced my phone for this meeting. The secretary gets upset if don’t check my messages regularly.” He punched several buttons, then scrolled down. “That’s strange.”

  Dominique leaned forward. “Is everything okay?”

  “I’m not sure. My brother Houston left me three messages. They’re all marked urgent.” He paced while he made the phone call, and soon the color drained from his face. He clicked off his cell and started picking up his things from the table, his eyes dark with worry.

  “What’s happened?”

  He shook his head. “My brother-in-law Travis is at the police station. My nephew’s been kidnapped.”

  Chapter Two

  Travis stared at his reflection in the large two-way mirror that covered one wall of the interrogation room. The smell of stale coffee filtered in through the opened door, and the remaining three walls were in need of a fresh coat of paint. Why had they put him here? Did they think he was somehow involved in his own son’s kidnapping?

  He swallowed the bile in his throat and turned back to the missing person’s form the investigator left on the table. He only made it to the second question before his eyes blurred.

  Age of child?

  Two.

  Two years old. How in the world were they going to find Max? The little guy could tell people his first name, but he couldn’t quite pronounce their last name yet. Instead of Montgomery, it came out as Gomrey

  The door swung open, and a large policewoman trudged into the room. “Do you have a current photo of Max?”

  He pulled out his phone and opened the photo gallery. “You can you use a digital picture, right? The only one I’ve got in my wallet is an old one of me and Cindy with the girls taken six months before the boys were born.” That and four maxed-out credit cards.

  “Absolutely.”

  Travis scrolled through the photos on his phone. “Do you need one of Max by himself? Most of them have Justin in them too. They’re identical twins.” At her frown, he resumed his search.

  He stopped at an image of Max holding up his favorite car and grinning from ear to ear. “Here. Will this work?” His hand shook as he passed his cell phone to the officer.

  “Perfect.” She gave him a half smile. “I’ll email this to the lab. You’re lucky to have such a good shot. Getting a photo out there as soon as possible is crucial.”

  Lucky. That was one word Travis wouldn’t use to describe his life. He picked up Justin from the chair on the other side of the table. “Have you had any word on the security footage from the mall?”

  “Not yet, but from what I understand, Detective Armstrong is working on it.”

  Houston. What would he have done without his brother-in-law? Since this nightmare had begun, Houston was the one who took control and convinced the security people at the mall to cooperate.

  His brother-in-law walked through the door, carrying a laptop and placed it on the wooden table next to Travis. “Are you ready to watch this?” He dropped into the chair by Travis and pecked at a few keys, then loaded the DVD.

  Justin pulled on Travis’s shirt. “Movie … watch movie.” Travis settled him in a chair with a few quiet words. “Is that the security camera recording from the mall?” he asked Houston. “Is there anything on it we can use?”

  “Let’s take a look.”

  Travis distracted Justin with a toy car he had stashed in his pocket. His heart ached as he recalled Max playing with it on the way to the mall. Life without Max would leave a huge hole in their lives that could never be filled.

  But what if the security footage was a dead end? It had to reveal something—anything. “What are the chances the camera caught anything?”

  Houston swiped his hand through his hair. “Let’s see what we have here.” He hit the play button.

  Seven minutes into the recording, Travis shot up, his heart racing. “Stop! Rewind it! I think I saw something.” His abrupt movements caused Justin to start crying. Travis rubbed his back and kissed his head. “Sorry, buddy.”

  “Is this far enough?”

  “Yeah, that’s good.” Travis sank back into his chair and focused on the screen like a half-starved coyote stalking its prey. People passed by, some just strolling, some rushing by, others with shopping bags dangling from their hands.

  Then a man dressed in khaki shorts and a black shirt walk by the camera. He carried a small girl.

  “That’s it!” Travis leaned forward to get a closer look. “Dear God … it’s him.”

  Houston leaned in. “Where?” Skepticism tinged Houston’s tone.

  “Look closely. That’s not a little girl. It’s Max.” He pointed at the stilled image.

  “The woman at the mall said she saw a man in an overcoat carrying off a boy. One who matched Max’s description.”

  “The guy must have taken off the overcoat and changed Max’s clothes.” Travis’s hand slid over his son’s image on the screen. “I know my son. That’s Max.” He tapped his son’s ankles on the screen. “It’s Max’s socks. I would recognize them anywhere. They’re blue with race cars on the side. You know how much Max loves cars.” He stammered the last few words.

  Houston leaned forward and squinted. “He could have easily left the overcoat somewhere. I’ll have the guards look for it.”

  Travis grabbed onto the hope Houston offered. “He could have changed Max’s clothes too. He knew everyone would be looking for a little boy.”

  Houston nodded. “And he dressed Max as a girl so no one would give him a second glance.”

  The truth slapped Travis in the face. Some monster had his little boy. The image on the screen didn't lie. Someone had kidnapped his son.

  He stumbled back. “What are we going to do? He could be miles from here.” God, please protect him. He wiped his sweaty palms on his khaki pants. Why was the room so blasted hot?

  “I’ll get a copy of this to the captain.” Houston released the DVD from the laptop. “We’ll get him back. That was a good catch, Travis.”

  As hope ignited, his wife rushed past the officers huddled just outside the door, talking in low tones, and she made a beeline for Justin. Cindy glared at Travis, and a scowl etched her face as she snatched Justin from the chair and placed a kiss on his temple.

  She glowered at Travis with puffy, red eyes. “I don’t understand, Travis. Are you such a coward you couldn’t even give me the courtesy of a phone call to tell me about Max? Instead, you pawn it off on my brother. You had no right to keep this from me! How could you have let this happen?” She didn’t wait for him to answer but paced the floor in front of the two-way mirror.

  Houston look
ed up from the monitor. “Hold on, sis. We’re all under a lot of stress. I volunteered to call. Travis has taken this pretty hard.”

  Travis stood and held his arms out to her. How he longed for the familiarity of her touch.

  Instead, she backed away. “Walk me through it, Travis. How could our son just disappear?”

  “I-I-I don’t know. Things happened so fast. One minute he was playing on the rocket launch pad, the next minute he was gone.”

  “Weren’t you playing with them?”

  “No. I was … ” His thoughts drifted back. He hadn’t been paying attention. He had been too busy on his cell phone, trying to juggle their overdue bills.

  “You were what?”

  “Justin came over and asked me to play. I told him Max would play with him.” He fought against the urge to start sobbing again as he relived the frantic search, the overwhelming fear, the twist in his gut when he knew Max was gone.

  Cindy shot him a look that sliced to his core. She must have been biting her tongue, keeping inside the accusations she probably longed to hurl at him: Why weren’t you paying more attention? I warned you before you left that the kidnappings had been increasing. This pregnancy crisis has people going crazy. Why didn’t you listen? All questions he’d asked himself a million times since this nightmare began. He was a failure … as a husband and a father. Now Max might be lost to them forever because of his failings. With each minute that ticked by, it became more unlikely Max would be found. Their fragile marriage would shatter.

  Another policewoman entered the room. “Channel WSBC is here. Do you want to give an interview?”

  “No,” Travis and Cindy said in unison.

  Travis cleared his throat. “We’re not prepared for that yet.

  “Tell them to put Max’s picture up and let them know he’s probably dressed as a little girl,” Houston said.

  “What?” Cindy grabbed Travis’s arm.

  He filled her in on the details. As long as he lived, he would never forget her empty stare and pale complexion. He held out his arms to her. This time she didn’t refuse him. He lifted Justin and eased her into the chair. “Can someone get her a glass of water?”