A terrible thought entered my mind.
What if this wasn’t my daughter?
And then I hated myself for being afraid to hold her too closely.
A few minutes later, the charge nurse arrived with the nurse who had been present during the delivery.
The charge nurse introduced herself as Denise.
“Tell me exactly what happened.”
Caleb described the birthmark and where he had seen it.
Denise turned to the delivery nurse.
“Do you remember the mark?”
The woman looked between us.
“Yes.”
My heartbeat seemed to stop.
“Where?”
“Left side. Close to the collarbone.”
Nobody spoke.
I looked at Denise.
“Did our baby leave this room?”
“For routine assessment.”
“Where?”
“Down the hall.”
Denise’s expression shifted.
“Were there other newborns there?”
The delivery nurse hesitated.
“One other, I think.”
Denise turned sharply.
“You think?”
“It was busy. I need to check the log.”
Denise stepped into the hallway.
