Chapter 4 - The Secrets in the Blood
By 3:00 a.m., the hospital’s pathology lab in the basement was the only room with its lights still burning at full strength.
Maya Reed stood beside the stainless-steel prep table, watching as Dr. Albert Vance, the hospital’s chief forensic pathologist, adjusted his spectacles. On the table between them lay the contaminated purple-top tube Ryan had stolen, alongside a fresh, sealed sample of Noah’s blood that Maya had drawn under strict, double-witnessed protocol.
"The man was clumsy, Maya," Dr. Vance said, tapping the computer screen where a series of DNA sequence graphs were starting to align. "He tried to use a standard commercial over-the-counter paternity swab to collect cells from the baby's cord blood tube. But he didn't realize that cord blood contains maternal cellular debris from the placenta."
"So the test would have been inconclusive?" Maya asked.
"Worse," Vance said, pointing to a specific genetic marker on the screen. "It would have shown a mixed profile. If he had sent this to a commercial lab, they would have reported that the baby had three distinct genetic contributors—which Ryan would have immediately used to accuse Laura of multiple infidelities."
"He wanted it to be inconclusive," Maya said, the pieces of the puzzle falling into place. "He wanted to create enough doubt to justify throwing Laura and the baby out of the house, while keeping the custody of Emma for himself to maintain control over Laura’s family estate."
"But look at the fresh sample we drew," Vance said, sliding a different folder across the table.
Maya opened it.
The paper contained a standard comparative genetic matrix. On the left was Laura Collins' DNA profile, which had been on file from her pre-op screening. In the middle was Noah's profile.
And on the right was a third profile—one that had been pulled from the hospital’s historical database.
"Who is the father, Albert?" Maya asked.
"It’s not Ryan," Vance said softly. "The genetic match is a ninety-nine point nine percent probability for a man named Thomas Reed."
Maya’s breath caught in her throat.
"Thomas Reed?" she whispered. "The man from ICU Bed 4? The one who was in the accident three months ago?"
"The same," Vance nodded. "Before the accident, Thomas and Laura had been working together on a local historic restoration project. According to the medical records, Thomas had registered a genetic sample with our reproductive health wing two years ago during his own divorce proceedings."
"So Noah... Noah is Thomas’s son," Maya said, a sudden, beautiful comprehension washing over her. "The man who nearly died in my unit... his legacy is sleeping in the nursery right now."
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"But there’s a problem," Vance said, his face darkening. "Ryan has power of attorney over Laura’s financial assets while she is incapacitated. If he files for divorce before she wakes up and uses the contaminated lab report to claim custody, he can freeze her accounts and lock her out of her own home."
"Not if we get the real report to the judge first," Maya said, her eyes narrowing. "And I know exactly who can help us."
