Chapter 2: The Doctor Who Never Existed
The ambulance doors slammed shut.
Claire sat beside Ellie, holding her daughter with one arm while staring at the paramedic working over Nathan.
The monitor beeped irregularly.
Every sound made Claire's heart jump.
“Is Daddy going to wake up?”” Ellie asked.
The paramedic, a young woman named Sarah, adjusted the oxygen mask.
“We're doing everything we can, sweetheart.””
“But he held my hand.””
Sarah glanced at Claire.
“That was very important. You helped us know he was still there.””
Ellie nodded seriously.
“I told everyone.””
Claire kissed her daughter's forehead.
“You did, baby. You saved Daddy.””
She didn't know whether those words were medically accurate.
She didn't care.
If Ellie hadn't climbed into that coffin, Nathan might have been buried before anyone discovered his heartbeat.
Claire looked at her husband.
His skin was pale. An oxygen mask covered his face. Electrodes were attached to his chest.
But he was breathing.
He was alive.
And someone had apparently wanted the world to believe otherwise.
At St. Mary's Medical Center, the paramedics rushed Nathan through the emergency entrance.
A nurse led Claire and Ellie into a small waiting room.
“Someone will update you as soon as we know more.””
Claire grabbed her sleeve.
“Please. Don't let him die.””
The nurse softened.
“We're going to take care of him.””
The door closed.
Ellie climbed onto Claire's lap.
“Mommy?””
“Yes?””
“Did I do something bad?””
Claire looked down.
“What? No, sweetheart.””
“Grandma said I shouldn't touch Daddy.””
Claire felt a knot tighten in her stomach.
“Grandma was upset.””
“She said Daddy was gone.””
Claire hugged her.
“Sometimes grown-ups don't know everything.””
Ellie rested her head against her mother's chest.
“I knew.””
For the next forty minutes, Claire didn't move.
She stared at the clock, listening to the distant sounds of medical equipment and hurried footsteps.
Then a man in blue scrubs entered.
“Mrs. Harper?””
Claire stood immediately.
“I'm Claire.””
“I'm Dr. Samuel Reed. Your husband is in critical care.””
“Is he going to live?””
Dr. Reed pulled out a chair.
“We've stabilized his heartbeat, but his condition is extremely serious. His body temperature was dangerously low, and we're investigating what caused his condition.””
Claire sat down slowly.
“What happened to him?””
“We can't say for certain yet.””
“He was declared dead.””
Dr. Reed's expression changed.
“Who declared him dead?””
“The paperwork came from a private medical facility. That's what the funeral director told me.””
“Do you have the paperwork?””
Claire reached into her handbag and pulled out a folder.
She had brought it to the funeral because the funeral director had requested several signed documents.
Dr. Reed examined the certificate.
His eyebrows drew together.
“Where did you get this?””
“From the funeral home.””
He studied the signature.
“Dr. Alan Whitmore.””
“Yes.””
Dr. Reed looked up.
“There's no physician by that name registered with our hospital.””
Claire's stomach dropped.
“But the document says he examined Nathan.””
“I understand.””
“Then who signed it?””
“I don't know yet.””
Claire stood.
“Someone told me my husband was dead. I planned his funeral. I picked out his clothes. I watched my daughter climb into his coffin because she thought she could wake him up.””
Her voice cracked.
“I need someone to tell me what happened.””
Dr. Reed gently placed the document on the table.
“We're going to investigate this.””
A knock interrupted them.
A police officer entered.
“Mrs. Harper? I'm Detective Daniel Brooks.””
Claire looked at him.
“Is this about my husband?””
“Yes. We received a call from the funeral home. I need to ask you a few questions.””
Claire nodded.
Detective Brooks opened a small notebook.
“When was the last time you saw your husband alive?””
“Tuesday evening.””
“And when were you informed of his death?””
“Thursday morning.””
“Who informed you?””
“A police officer named Miller. He said Nathan had suffered cardiac arrest.””
“Did you see his body before the funeral?””
Claire hesitated.
“No.””
The detective looked up.
“Why not?””
“The funeral director said there had been complications and recommended a closed viewing until the service.””
“Who made that recommendation?””
“Margaret. Nathan's mother.””
Detective Brooks stopped writing.
“His mother?””
“She said it would be too upsetting for Ellie and me.””
“Was your husband close to his mother?””
Claire let out a humorless breath.
“Not particularly.””
“Did they have any disagreements recently?””
Claire thought about it.
Nathan and Margaret had argued two weeks earlier.
She remembered hearing raised voices in the study.
Margaret had been demanding something.
Nathan had refused.
When Claire entered, they had both gone silent.
She had asked what was happening.
Nathan had kissed her cheek and said, “Nothing you need to worry about.””
Now that memory felt different.
“There was an argument,” Claire said.
“But I don't know what it was about.””
Detective Brooks closed his notebook.
“I'd like you to stay available. We may need additional information.””
As he turned to leave, Claire remembered Thomas's warning.
“Detective?””
He stopped.
“The funeral director told me something.””
“What?””
“He said the doctor who signed the death certificate doesn't exist.””
Brooks's expression hardened.
“Did he tell you anything else?””
Claire hesitated.
“He told me not to trust my mother-in-law.””
The detective exchanged a look with Dr. Reed.
Then he leaned closer.
“Mrs. Harper, has anyone from your husband's family contacted you since his death?””
“Margaret has been here.””
“When?””
“This morning. At the funeral.””
“What did she do?””
Claire remembered Margaret's insistence that Ellie be removed from the coffin.
“She wanted us to leave.””
Detective Brooks nodded.
“Do you have any reason to believe your husband had enemies?””
Claire shook her head.
“Not enemies. Nathan owned a construction company. He had business disagreements, but nothing like this.””
“What about money?””
The question made her pause.
Nathan had always handled the family's finances.
They had a comfortable home, savings, and a life that seemed secure.
“I don't know.””
“Did he have life insurance?””
“Yes. A substantial policy. Five million dollars.””
Detective Brooks looked up sharply.
“Who was the beneficiary?””
“I was.””
“Anyone else?””
“His mother was listed as the secondary beneficiary.””
The detective wrote something down.
“Thank you. I'll need a copy of the policy.””
Before Claire could ask another question, a nurse appeared at the door.
“Mrs. Harper? Your husband is showing signs of neurological activity.””
Claire's heart leaped.
“Can I see him?””
“Briefly.””
She took Ellie's hand.
Together, they entered the intensive care unit.
Nathan lay beneath a white hospital blanket. Machines surrounded him. A ventilator helped him breathe.
Ellie approached the bed slowly.
“Daddy?””
Claire lifted her into a chair.
“Look, baby. Daddy is here.””
Ellie reached for his hand.
“I'm holding it again.””
Claire brushed her husband's hair.
“Nathan, it's me. I'm here.””
Nothing happened.
She leaned closer.
“You need to wake up. Ellie needs you. I need you.””
A tear rolled down her cheek.
Then Nathan's eyelids fluttered.
Claire froze.
“Nathan?””
His fingers moved weakly.
A nurse rushed toward the bed.
“Mr. Harper? Can you hear me?””
Nathan's eyes opened a fraction.
He looked confused.
His gaze moved across the room.
Then he saw Ellie.
His lips moved beneath the oxygen equipment.
The nurse leaned closer.
“Don't try to speak.””
But Nathan tried again.
Claire bent down.
“What is it, sweetheart?””
His eyes widened with sudden terror.
He struggled against the bed.
The monitor began beeping rapidly.
The nurse called for assistance.
“Mr. Harper, calm down!””
Nathan's hand grabbed Claire's wrist.
His fingers were weak, but his grip was desperate.
He forced out three barely audible words.
“Not... my... mother.””
Claire went completely still.
“What?””
Nathan's eyes filled with tears.
“Don't... trust...””
His heart monitor began alarming.
The medical team rushed forward.
“Everyone step back!””
Claire pulled Ellie against her chest as nurses surrounded the bed.
Then Nathan's eyes closed again.
And Claire understood something terrifying.
May you like
Her husband hadn't been afraid of dying.
He had been afraid of someone in his own family.
