Chapter 4 - Shadows in the Clinic
I stared at Dr. Reed in disbelief. "You texted me?"
"I had to be careful," Dr. Reed said, her eyes flicking nervously toward the hallway. "Dr. Vance is the chief of staff here, and he works closely with your mother-in-law. For the past two months, I've noticed anomalies in your wife's blood work. Her potassium levels keep plunging unexpectedly, but Dr. Vance kept overriding my requests for a full toxicology panel."
"She’s being poisoned," I said outright, pulling the notebook and vials slightly out of my pocket. "Marlene has been giving her Digoxin."
Dr. Reed’s eyes widened in horror. "Digoxin? That explains the digitalis toxicity symptoms—the nausea, the visual halos, the bradycardia! But why would Dr. Vance cover for her?"
"Marlene isn't just a wealthy socialite," I realized out loud. "Her late husband was the founder of Whitaker Pharmaceuticals. She sits on the board of trustees for this hospital. She probably funds half of Vance’s research grants."
"If Sarah remains under Dr. Vance's care, they will keep her sedated until... until her heart gives out completely, and it will look like natural organ failure," Dr. Reed warned. "Marlene has already authorized a transfer to a private hospice care facility in upstate New York. They plan to move her at midnight."
Panic surged through me. It was already 7:00 PM. I had five hours to break through a wall of legal authority, police skepticism, and medical corruption to save my wife.
"If I present this evidence to the police right now, will they stop the transfer?" I asked.
"Without a certified lab test from the hospital confirming Digoxin in Sarah's system right now, the police might treat this as a domestic custody dispute over medical care, especially with Marlene holding power of attorney," Dr. Reed explained grimly. "Vance will claim you are an unstable spouse making wild accusations, and they’ll use it as an excuse to speed up the transfer."
"Then we need that lab test," I asserted.
"I can draw Sarah's blood secretly," Dr. Reed offered, her voice firming up with resolve. "I can run it through the emergency automated lab under a false patient code. It will take two hours. But I need to get into her room past Dr. Vance's guards."
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"I'll draw their attention," I said. "Create a distraction in the main lobby. Once you have the sample, run the test. I'll head to the local police precinct with the results and this notebook."
Dr. Reed nodded. "Be careful, Ethan. Marlene Whitaker isn't just protecting a secret. She has everything to lose."
