Chapter 6 - THE PEDIATRIC PORTAL
Emma’s pediatric practice used a parent portal.
Claire and Ethan had access.
So did Margaret.
That surprised Claire.
“Why?”
Ethan answered:
“I added her when you were recovering from the delivery. She offered to help with appointments.”
Claire stared at him.
“You gave her medical access?”
“Temporary.”
“You never removed it.”
He looked down.
No.
Portal logs showed Margaret viewed Emma’s records repeatedly.
Normal at first.
Then more frequently.
She downloaded:
weight charts,
feeding guidance,
after-hours instructions,
and visit summaries.
Nothing illegal about an authorized caregiver accessing them.
Then Grace found secure messages.
One message had been sent from Claire’s profile.
Doctor, Claire wrote:
I’m worried I’m forgetting feeding times and sometimes don’t remember if I changed Emma.
Claire’s mouth went dry.
“I never wrote that.”
The portal stored device information.
The message came from the family tablet.
At 3:18 a.m.
Claire had been asleep upstairs.
Could Margaret have used Claire’s profile?
Yes.
The tablet had remained logged in.
Ethan said:
“She could have.”
Grace corrected him.
“Could is not proof.”
Then the pediatric office provided an audit log.
The message had been typed after switching from Margaret’s authorized caregiver account into Claire’s saved browser session.
Two minutes earlier, Margaret had accessed the same portal under her own name.
Claire stared at the sequence.
Margaret had manufactured a medical record of Claire doubting herself.
The pediatrician had replied:
Sleep deprivation can be severe. Please involve your partner and call if you feel unable to care safely for Emma.
Margaret forwarded that response to Ethan.
Without showing him the original message.
Ethan whispered:
“I thought the doctor was responding to you.”
Claire turned.
“You never asked me.”
He said nothing.
Then Grace scrolled lower.
There was another portal draft.
Never sent.
Subject:
Safety incident at home.
May you like
Written by Margaret.
Created six hours before the bathroom incident.
