The next morning, Sophie walked into Pod C, where Rihanna
was sorting through Isabelle’s T-shirts and onesies.
“I can’t believe you’re leaving already. What am I going to do
without you?”
“You’ll be fine. I’ll miss you terribly, but I’m so happy to be
leaving here.”
“Let me help you pack your stuff up. When do you leave?”
“Tomorrow morning,” Rihanna said as she crossed herself.
“God willing.”
Kim brought over some empty boxes for the two women to
start filling with baby supplies—formula, diapers, and T-shirts.
Kim handed Rihanna a supply of BrainHealth.
“The first one’s free,” said Kim. “After that, for the next two
years, it’s on you.”
Sophie whispered in Rihanna’s ear, “That’s what the drug
dealers say—the first one’s always free.”
Rihanna looked at Sophie, and they burst out laughing.
Sophie turned to Kim. “On the back of our information pam
phlet for Dr. Sheldon’s study, it says ‘not approved by the FDA.’
What’s up with that? When I googled it, there’s nothing on any
medication called BrainHealth.”
Kim explained, “That’s because they’re using it off-label. It’s
just caffeine citrate—the same caffeine all these babies who have
apnea get. That’s what Dr. Sheldon’s research is all about—to get
the FDA to approve it for brain development.”
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“That’s exactly what he said,” answered Sophie.
“Good, that means I’ve got the party line right.” Kim laughed.
“Just kidding.”
Sophie gave a short laugh.
“
Hey,” Sophie said to Rihanna. “Do you feel like doing some
sleuthing on your last day here?”
“What’s sleuthing?”
“Spying, snooping.”
“Okay. Where? What are we sleuthing for?” Rihanna asked.
“The doctors’ lounge. We’re looking for more on Brain
Health, or about Dr. Wagner. I don’t know. Let’s just go look. I
feel like being nosy.”
Rihanna followed Sophie out of the NICU, down the hall to
the doctors’ lounge. “Sheldon doesn’t let me go in there with him.
‘It’s just for doctors’”—she mocked Sheldon’s voice—“which of
course just makes me more curious.” She giggled. They looked for
Sheldon in his empty office. “Must be at lunch.” Rihanna took
one of his spare fobs, and they snuck into the doctors’ lounge.
“Nice digs,” Sophie whispered, even though they were alone
in the lounge. Several on-call rooms, equipped with beds, com
puters, and televisions, branched off the hallway that led to the
lounge. There was a kitchenette, cushy couches, and several
tables, one with a backgammon inlay. The tidy lounge, topped
with the smell of lemon-scented furniture polish, told Sophie the
cleaning lady had just been through. On one of the tables lay a
neatly stacked pile of glossy postcards with the WMI logo on the
front. She read:
Westchester Medical Industries—All Things Medical and More- – –
Parent Company to New York’s Leading Hospitals
Kindred Pharmaceuticals
Gene Therapy
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JULIE HATCH- – – – –
Health Insurance – Helping Hands Insurance (HHI)
Staffing Services: Home Health, Blood Donor Drives,
Lab Technicians
Reproductive Services and Family Planning
Internal Medicine
Women’s Health
“Whoa. WMI seems to have cornered the medical service
market.”
Sophie put one of the cards in her back pocket. She noticed
the corner of a letter sticking out from under a stack of medical
journals. It bore the WMI logo.
Sophie pulled it out and started to read, “Dear Dr. Hennessy.
It is with great pleasure th—”
The lounge door opened, loud voices startling Sophie and
Rihanna. The talking and laughing got louder as they walked
down the hallway toward the two. Sophie shoved the letter in
her front pocket as she grabbed Rihanna’s hand and they scur
ried to the opposite side of the lounge, ducking around a corner.
Relieved to find another exit, they slipped out. Rihanna returned
Sheldon’s fob to his desk.
Back in the NICU, Sophie pulled out the letter. Out loud,
she read:
Dear Dr. Hennessy,
It is with great pleasure that I invite you to join our new
team of Metro Hospital professionals working on an exciting
new enterprise. Using innovative, state-of-the-art technology,
we are helping couples who, until now, have been unable to
have children. The project is in its infancy with promise of
tremendous growth. The company and I hope that you will
consider the offer and become the second physician on board.
If you’d like to learn more, please call the number provided
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below to arrange an appointment at the WMI corporate
headquarters.
Sincerely yours,
The bottom of the letter was torn off.
“Dr. Hennessy must have taken the name and number with
him.” She put the letter back in her pocket.
Knowing this would likely be their last time together for a while,
Sophie and Rihanna spent the rest of the afternoon together
in the pod, chatting away as only good friends can. Other moms
came and went. Kim left at the end of her shift, telling Rihanna
and Sophie that she’d see them in the morning.
“I wonder what that letter was about.” Sophie pulled the let
ter and brochure from her pockets. “Do you know anything about
WMI? I know they own the hospital, but it looks like they do a
whole lot more.”
“I hear Sheldon on the phone with them every so often. I
think they talk about research projects. But beyond that, I don’t
know.”
Sophie flipped the brochure around in her hands, then put it
and the letter back in her pockets. She sat back in the rocking chair
and sighed. “Wow, Ri, home tomorrow. What a huge milestone for
you. What about Sheldon—are you guys sticking together?”
“I dunno. He says he’s got a new project that’s taking up more
time than he expected. I’m afraid we’re cramping his style. So, really,
the timing is perfect. I’m so happy to be taking Isabelle home.”
“Did Kim give you back your gold necklace?”
“Yes. How did you know about that?”
“I saw Amanda hand it over to her.”
Rihanna looked at Sophie in confusion, as if trying to put
pieces of a puzzle together that wouldn’t quite fit
