Chapter 2: The Dosage
Doctor Harris never raised his voice.
That made his next words worse.
“Mr. Carter, the amount of medication found in Maya’s bloodstream is concerning.””
I felt my hand tighten around my daughter’s.
“How concerning?””
The doctor glanced at Claire.
Again.
That bothered me more than anything.
“Doctor?””
He looked back at me.
“We need to monitor her closely. Some medications are safe at prescribed levels. But what we found is much higher than what would normally be expected.””
My mouth went dry.
“You’re saying someone gave her too much?””
Silence.
Sometimes silence is an answer.
Claire finally spoke.
“That’s ridiculous.””
Everyone looked at her.
She forced a laugh.
“Maya must have accidentally taken something. Teenagers leave things everywhere.””
I stared at my wife.
“You said she had food poisoning.””
“She did.””
“No.””
My voice surprised even me.
“No, Claire. You said that because you didn’t want me to bring her here.””
Her eyes narrowed.
“Are you accusing me?””
I looked at Maya.
My daughter was staring at the blanket.
She looked broken.
“I’m asking why you were more worried about the hospital than our daughter.””
Claire’s expression hardened.
“I was worried about her.””
“Then why did she say you told her not to tell me?””
Claire looked away.
That tiny movement told me everything.
Doctor Harris stepped between us.
“This isn’t the time to argue. Maya needs answers, not conflict.””
He was right.
I hated that he was right.
I sat beside my daughter.
“Maya, sweetheart.””
She didn’t look at me.
“It’s okay.””
“No, it’s not.””
Her voice cracked.
“I didn’t want you and Mom to fight.””
My heart broke.
“You should never have to protect us from the truth.””
She wiped her face.
“I was scared.””
“Of what?””
She hesitated.
Then whispered:
“Of Mom being mad.””
Claire immediately stood.
“Maya.””
The warning in her voice was subtle.
But I heard it.
So did Maya.
My daughter flinched.
I stood.
“Stop.””
Claire looked at me.
“What?””
“Whatever this is, it ends now.””
She stared at me.
For ten years, I had known every version of Claire.
The loving mother.
The exhausted wife.
The woman who stayed up all night making school projects.
But I had never seen this version.
The woman standing in a hospital room trying to control a scared child.
Doctor Harris asked Claire to step outside.
She refused at first.
Then she left.
I watched through the window as she paced the hallway.
Her phone came out.
She typed something.
Then deleted it.
Then typed again.
I noticed because I was watching her like I had never watched her before.
Like I was searching for a stranger wearing my wife’s face.
A nurse came in to check Maya’s monitor.
After she left, Maya whispered:
“Dad?””
“Yes?””
“Are you mad at me?””
The question hit harder than anything else.
“Why would I be mad at you?””
“Because I didn’t tell you.””
I shook my head.
“No. Never.””
She stared at the ceiling.
“Mom said you would overreact.””
My chest tightened.
“What else did she say?””
Maya swallowed.
“She said hospitals ask too many questions.””
I felt cold.
“Questions about what?””
Maya didn’t answer.
A few seconds later, she whispered:
“About the pills.””
I froze.
“What pills?””
She looked toward the closed door.
“Mom gave them to me.””
The world became silent.
“What?””
“She said they were vitamins.””
I couldn’t breathe.
“How many?””
“I don’t know.””
“When?””
“Every night.””
I grabbed the chair.
“Every night?””
Maya nodded.
“She said they would help me sleep.””
I closed my eyes.
I remembered.
The past month.
Maya sleeping later.
Maya looking tired.
Claire always saying:
“She’s just stressed.””
I opened my eyes.
“Why didn’t you tell me?””
Her tears returned.
“Because Mom said if I told you, you’d take me away from her.””
That sentence destroyed something inside me.
Not because Maya believed it.
Because someone had made her afraid of me.
The door opened.
Doctor Harris came back in.
“Mr. Carter, we need to discuss the medication.””
I stood.
“Tell me everything.””
He lowered his voice.
“The amount suggests repeated exposure.””
My jaw tightened.
“Repeated?””
“Yes.””
“So this wasn’t one accident?””
He didn’t answer immediately.
He didn’t need to.
I looked through the window.
Claire was still outside.
Still waiting.
Still pretending.
Then Doctor Harris said something that made my blood run cold.
“Mr. Carter, before we continue, I need to ask you one question.””
“What?””
“Has anyone in your family had access to Maya’s medications or personal items?””
I stared at him.
Then at my wife.
And I realized there was one thing I hadn’t considered.
Claire didn’t need to sneak into Maya’s room.
She lived in the house.
She had access to everything.
Including the one thing that could prove what she had done.
The next morning, when I returned home to get Maya’s things, I found the bathroom cabinet open.
May you like
And the empty pill bottle sitting on the sink.
With Claire’s name on it.
