Chapter 2: The Two Babies in the Hospital
Nobody spoke for several seconds.
The string quartet had stopped playing. Guests stood frozen beneath the chandeliers, their champagne glasses untouched.
Nathaniel held the photograph as though it might burn his fingers.
"Mom," he finally said, "what does she mean?""
Eleanor looked at him.
"Sit down, Nathaniel.""
"I'm not sitting down. I want an explanation.""
Victoria rushed forward.
"Darling, your mother is confused. She's been having memory problems. You saw what happened tonight.""
Eleanor's eyes flashed.
"I may be seventy years old, Victoria, but I remember exactly who arranged your first meeting with my son.""
Victoria went pale.
Nathaniel turned.
"What does that mean?""
"Nothing," Victoria snapped.
"She's trying to turn you against me.""
Eleanor pointed toward the photograph.
"Look at the date.""
Nathaniel examined the faded writing.
"October seventeenth, nineteen ninety-seven.""
"That's the night you were born," Eleanor whispered.
I felt my knees weaken.
October seventeenth.
My birthday.
I had celebrated that date every year with a cheap grocery-store cake and a photograph of my mother. She used to tell me I had been born during a thunderstorm.
Now I was standing in front of a billionaire who shared my birthday, holding a photograph of my dead mother.
"What babies?"" I asked.
Eleanor reached for my hand.
"Your mother and I gave birth in the same hospital that night. I delivered Nathaniel. Grace delivered you.""
"Where?""
"St. Catherine's Hospital in Manhattan.""
Nathaniel shook his head.
"Mom, why have I never heard about this woman?""
"Because your father made sure nobody talked about her.""
At the mention of his father, Nathaniel stiffened.
"Grandfather?""
"Your father, Robert. He was alive then. He knew Grace.""
Victoria laughed nervously.
"This is ridiculous. Nathaniel, you're letting a stranger manipulate you.""
I turned toward her.
"You knew my mother's name before tonight.""
Her mouth tightened.
"Lots of people have the name Grace Carter.""
"You said it in the recording.""
"Because your mother was involved in something terrible.""
Eleanor tried to stand, but her injured legs buckled.
Nathaniel caught her.
"Mom, please. Let the doctors examine you.""
"No. Not until Rose hears the truth.""
Marcus stepped forward.
"Sir, the ambulance is downstairs.""
Nathaniel looked at me.
"Will you come with us?""
I glanced at my broken tray and the scattered champagne glasses.
"I don't think I'm supposed to leave my shift.""
Nathaniel stared at me in disbelief.
"My mother nearly died, and you saved her life. You're not going to lose your job over this.""
Victoria gave a bitter laugh.
"How generous. Are you planning to give her a mansion, too?""
Nathaniel ignored her.
"Marcus, make sure nobody deletes that footage. And call the police.""
Victoria's expression changed.
"You're calling the police on your own wife?""
"You aren't my wife yet.""
Her hand flew to her mouth.
For the first time that evening, she looked genuinely afraid.
The ambulance took Eleanor to Mount Sinai. Nathaniel insisted I ride with them.
Inside the hospital, doctors examined Eleanor while a police officer took statements from the wedding guests.
I sat alone near the emergency room entrance, still wearing my borrowed uniform.
My hands wouldn't stop shaking.
A nurse brought me a cup of coffee.
"Are you family?""
I looked toward the treatment room.
"I don't know.""
The nurse gave me a sympathetic smile.
"That sounds complicated.""
She had no idea.
Forty minutes later, Nathaniel came out.
"She's stable," he said.
"Two fractured ribs and a badly bruised shoulder. The doctor says she's lucky.""
I lowered my head.
"Thank God.""
He sat beside me.
"Rose, I owe you an apology.""
"For what?""
"For the way Victoria treated you. For everything that happened tonight.""
"You didn't push her.""
"No. But I should have noticed what was happening.""
He stared at the floor.
"Mother has been afraid of Victoria for months. I thought it was because they never got along.""
"Why didn't you believe her?""
"Because Victoria always had an explanation. She told me my mother was grieving my father's death and becoming suspicious of everyone.""
He rubbed his forehead.
"Now I don't know what to believe.""
I looked at the photograph.
"Can I see it again?""
Nathaniel handed it over.
I studied my mother's face.
She looked younger than I remembered. Her dark hair fell over one shoulder, and she was smiling at the camera.
On her wrist was a small silver bracelet.
I recognized it immediately.
I had seen that bracelet in an old jewelry box my mother kept beneath her bed.
It was the only thing she had taken with her when we moved apartments.
"Where did you get this photograph?"" I asked.
Nathaniel shook his head.
"Mother's handbag.""
I turned it over again.
Underneath the two names was another line of handwriting, almost invisible.
One mother. Two children. One promise.
I showed it to him.
He read it twice.
"What's the promise?""
Before I could answer, Eleanor appeared in a wheelchair, accompanied by a nurse.
She looked exhausted.
"Come closer, both of you.""
Nathaniel knelt beside her.
"Mom, we're listening.""
Eleanor looked at me.
"Grace and I met when we were young. She worked as a nurse in the private maternity wing. I had been admitted for complications, and she was assigned to my room.""
She smiled sadly.
"She was the kindest woman I'd ever met. She used to bring me flowers from the hospital garden.""
I swallowed.
"Why did she never tell me about you?""
"Because she was protecting you.""
Eleanor took a breath.
"Your mother discovered something about Robert. Something that could have destroyed the Callaway family.""
Nathaniel's jaw tightened.
"What did my father do?""
"He arranged for two newborn babies to be switched.""
The room seemed to tilt.
Nathaniel stood abruptly.
"That's impossible.""
Eleanor looked at him.
"Your father believed the Callaway bloodline was more important than anything. When he discovered that I had secretly arranged to leave him, he threatened to take you away from me.""
"Why?""
"Because he wanted an heir he could control. He knew I intended to raise you differently.""
She closed her eyes.
"Grace was unmarried, struggling financially, and had no powerful family behind her. Robert believed nobody would question a medical record that placed you with her and another child with us.""
I stared at the woman in the wheelchair.
"Are you saying my mother raised Nathaniel?""
Eleanor nodded.
"Grace was supposed to take you. I was supposed to take Nathaniel. But Robert changed the identification bracelets before either of us could stop him.""
Nathaniel's face went white.
"Then who am I?""
Eleanor reached for him.
"You are my son. I carried you. I loved you before you ever opened your eyes.""
"That's not what I asked.""
A tear slipped down her cheek.
"Your biological father was not Robert Callaway.""
Nathaniel stepped backward.
I couldn't breathe.
Eleanor continued.
"Grace knew the truth. She discovered the altered records and tried to expose Robert. But before she could, she disappeared.""
I grabbed the edge of the chair.
"Disappeared?""
Eleanor nodded.
"Three days after leaving the hospital, Grace came to my house. She was terrified. She told me someone had been following her.""
"Who?""
"Robert.""
Nathaniel's hands curled into fists.
"My father died fifteen years ago.""
"Yes," Eleanor whispered.
"But Victoria knows what he did.""
At that moment, a police officer entered the room.
"Mrs. Callaway, I'm Detective Harris. We need to ask you a few questions about the incident at the wedding.""
Eleanor nodded.
The detective glanced at the photograph.
"Where did you get that?""
"From my handbag.""
He examined the date.
Then his expression changed.
"That's interesting.""
Nathaniel looked up.
"What?""
Detective Harris pulled a folded document from his jacket.
"During the initial search of Mrs. Sterling's wedding suite, we found a hospital record hidden inside a locked suitcase.""
He placed it on the table.
The document had my mother's name printed across the top.
Beneath it was a line that made my stomach drop.
*Grace Carter — Cause of Death: Unconfirmed.*
I stared at the paper.
"That doesn't make sense. My mother died in a house fire.""
The detective looked at me.
"Who told you that?""
"My grandmother.""
He hesitated.
"Miss Carter, the fire department never recovered a body from that house.""
My coffee slipped from my fingers.
It hit the floor.
Nathaniel stood slowly.
"Then where is Grace?""
May you like
Detective Harris looked toward the door.
"That's exactly what we're trying to find out.""
