Chapter 2 - ONLY SOMETHING
Claire felt the floor disappear beneath her.
“What?”
Diane immediately began backtracking.
“I mean—I gave him something before. Not today.”
Dr. Patel stepped between them verbally before Claire could move closer.
“What medication?”
Diane shook her head.
“I don’t remember the name.”
“You gave an eight-month-old medication and don’t remember what it was?”
“It was over the counter.”
“For what condition?”
“He wouldn’t sleep.”
Claire’s stomach turned.
Noah did not have a sleep disorder.
He had normal infant naps.
Some short.
Some messy.
Some inconvenient.
Then Diane said:
“Your generation acts like babies are made of glass.”
Claire stared at her.
“My baby is in an emergency room.”
Dr. Patel kept his voice controlled.
“Mrs. Bennett, I need the exact product if you can identify it. This is not about blame right now. It affects how we evaluate him.”
Diane finally named a common sedating antihistamine product.
Dr. Patel did not react dramatically.
He asked when.
How often.
Whether Noah had taken anything else.
Diane said:
“Once.”
Claire turned.
“Once when?”
“Last week.”
“Why?”
“He was fussy.”
Claire looked at the dosing syringe.
“Then why is this in his diaper bag today?”
Diane’s face changed.
The lie was collapsing.
Dr. Patel ordered targeted testing and continued observation.
He told Claire:
“His symptoms could have several causes. We need to be careful not to decide before the evidence does.”
Claire nodded.
That mattered.
A medication exposure was possible.
Not proven yet.
Then a nurse asked whether Noah had any recent pediatric visits.
Claire opened the health portal.
One note from three weeks earlier caught her attention.
Reason:
EXCESSIVE SLEEPINESS AFTER GRANDMOTHER CARE.
Claire stared.
She remembered that day.
Diane watched Noah for six hours.
When Claire returned, he slept nearly three hours longer than usual.
Diane said:
“He finally had a proper nap.”
Claire had worried.
The pediatrician told her to monitor and call if it happened again.
It did happen again.
Claire just had not known it.
Then Dr. Patel received preliminary toxicology information.
He did not say:
“This proves everything.”
He said:
“There is evidence consistent with exposure to a sedating antihistamine.”
Claire slowly turned toward Diane.
May you like
Diane whispered:
“He was crying.”
