Completely.
“Ma’am…” she finally murmured, her voice barely audible. “Your baby… has stopped growing.”
“What do you mean? Why?” I forced out, even as my throat tightened.
She didn’t answer immediately. She rechecked the screen, measured again, frowned.
Then she looked at me with an unsettling seriousness.
“I need to ask you something. Are you taking any medication? Any supplements?”
“Just prenatal vitamins.”
“Did you buy them yourself… or did someone else give them to you?”
A cold pulse shot through my chest. Something in her tone felt wrong.
“A… friend gave them to me,” I said slowly. “At least… that’s what I thought.”
The doctor’s expression tightened with concern.
“Do you still have the box? I need you to bring it to me today.”
I nodded, unable to speak.
She took my hand. Her grip was steady, but her eyes were tense.
“Listen carefully. We may not be dealing with normal vitamins.”
The ground seemed to tilt beneath me.
“What are you saying?” I whispered.
My pulse quickened. Every odd thing Clara had said or done resurfaced like a nightmare.
Just then, the exam room door opened abruptly.
A young nurse rushed in, looking pale and distressed.
“Doctor, you need to come. It’s urgent.”
“I’m with a patient,” Dr. Serrano said sharply.
The nurse shook her head. “It’s about the preliminary test of the vitamins the lab reviewed. You need to see this.”
My stomach dropped.
“What… what’s wrong with them?” I asked.
The doctor stood up and motioned for the nurse to close the door.
“Look,” she said to me. “A few weeks ago, the hospital alerted staff about suspected cases—pregnant women taking adulterated supplements. I didn’t imagine it could involve you. Not until now.”
My heartbeat thundered in my ears.
“Adulterated? With what?”
“With fetal growth inhibitors,” the nurse answered, eyes wide. “Experimental, illegal substances.”
I felt my breath vanish.
“But… who would do something so awful?”
The doctor looked at me gravely.
“Someone who wanted to harm your pregnancy. Or harm you.”
Clara’s face flashed in my mind—her sugary smile, the box she pressed into my hands, and all her chilling, seemingly “innocent” comments:
“Such a shame a baby might slow your career…”
“With your talent, it would be tragic if this pregnancy set you back…”
“Some pregnancies go perfectly… others don’t.”
The doctor’s voice pulled me back.
“I need the box. Immediately. And I need to know who gave it to you.”
“It was Clara,” I whispered. “She works with me. I… I trusted her.”
The doctor and nurse exchanged a tense look.
“This could be a criminal investigation,” Dr. Serrano said. “We must act quickly.”
Before I could process anything, my phone vibrated.
A message from Clara.
Just one line:
“Don’t open that box in front of anyone.”
My entire body turned to ice.
Dr. Serrano read it over my shoulder. Her face hardened.
“This is no longer just suspicion,” she said. “Hospital security and police need to be informed immediately.”
My hands shook uncontrollably.
“Do you think she might be… watching me?” I whispered.
“We’ll move you to a secure room while we contact administration,” the nurse said.
But I shook my head.
“No. If getting that box can save my baby, I have to get it myself.”
The doctor hesitated, then nodded reluctantly.
“Fine. But you won’t go alone. Security will escort you. We don’t know how dangerous this is.”
The next moments were a blur of hallways, signatures, security badges. A guard followed me to my car, then trailed me in his own vehicle to my apartment building.
Every stair creaked under my feet as I climbed toward my door.
I went straight to the drawer where I kept the vitamins, pulled it open…
The box was gone.
My body went numb.
Continue reading…
