Chapter 4: The Signature on the Death Certificate
Sarah stared at her husband.
“Who signed what?””
Nathan's fingers tightened around hers.
“The... paper.””
“What paper, Nathan?””
He tried to lift his head, but the effort made him wince. The monitor beside his bed began beeping faster.
The doctor stepped forward.
“Mr. Carter, you need to conserve your strength.””
Nathan ignored him.
“Sarah...””
“I'm here.””
“Who signed... my death?””
Sarah felt the blood drain from her face.
She turned toward the doctor.
“Can you explain what he's talking about?””
The doctor adjusted the monitor.
“Your husband may be experiencing confusion. His condition is unusual, and we need to understand what happened before drawing conclusions.””
“But he remembers something.””
“Possibly. We'll need to examine him further.””
Nathan suddenly shook his head.
“No.””
Sarah bent toward him.
“No, what?””
Nathan struggled to speak.
“Not... confused.””
His eyes moved toward the doctor.
For a brief moment, his expression changed.
He looked frightened again.
The doctor noticed.
“Mr. Carter, nobody here is going to hurt you.””
Nathan's breathing quickened.
Sarah took his hand.
“It's okay, sweetheart. You're in the hospital.””
Nathan looked at her.
Then he whispered:
“Not... that hospital.””
Sarah froze.
“What?””
Nathan closed his eyes.
The doctor immediately checked his condition.
“That's enough for now. He needs rest.””
Sarah reluctantly stepped away.
As the doctor guided her toward the door, Nathan opened his eyes one more time.
“Sarah!””
She turned.
His lips trembled.
“Find... the first report.””
“What first report?””
But his eyes closed again.
The doctor asked her to leave.
Sarah stood outside the room, unable to move.
The first report.
The death certificate.
The hospital.
Who had signed it?
She pulled out her phone and called Margaret.
“Mom, I need you to bring Nathan's hospital papers.””
“What papers?””
“Everything you have. Admission forms, discharge records, anything they gave us.””
Margaret became quiet.
“Sarah, what happened?””
Sarah looked through the glass at her husband.
“He asked who signed his death.””
Forty minutes later, Margaret arrived carrying a brown envelope.
Ellie was with her.
The little girl ran toward Sarah as soon as she saw her.
“Mommy!””
Sarah knelt and caught her.
“Hey, princess.””
“Where's Daddy?””
“Daddy is resting.””
“Can I see him?””
“In a little while.””
Ellie frowned.
“I want to tell him something.””
Sarah brushed her daughter's hair away from her forehead.
“What do you want to tell him?””
“That I knew he wasn't sleeping.””
Sarah felt her throat tighten.
Margaret placed a hand on her shoulder.
“Here are the papers.””
They sat together in the waiting area.
Sarah opened the envelope.
There were hospital receipts, insurance documents, a medication list, and several printed medical summaries.
She went through them one by one.
The admission date was there.
The date of the phone call informing her of Nathan's death was there.
And then she found the document she had been looking for.
A copy of the death certificate.
Sarah stared at it.
Nathan Carter.
Date of death.
Time of death.
The listed cause.
Her fingers moved down the page.
There was a signature at the bottom.
She frowned.
“Margaret?””
“What?””
“Do you recognize this name?””
Margaret leaned closer.
The signature belonged to a physician named Dr. Daniel Reeves.
Margaret shook her head.
“No. Should I?””
“I don't know.””
Sarah looked at the document again.
She remembered the doctor who had spoken to her after Nathan's hospitalization.
She remembered his face, his voice, and the way he had held a folder against his chest.
But she couldn't remember whether he had introduced himself as Daniel Reeves.
She took a photograph of the certificate.
Then she noticed something else.
The document listed a hospital she had never visited.
Not St. Mary's Medical Center.
Instead, it named a different facility.
Riverside Medical Institute.
Sarah read it twice.
“That's not where Nathan was.””
Margaret looked confused.
“What do you mean?””
“He was admitted to St. Mary's. That's where the ambulance took him.””
Sarah turned the paper around.
“Look.””
Margaret studied the name.
“I've never heard of this place.””
Sarah picked up her phone.
She searched the hospital's name.
A building appeared on the screen.
Riverside Medical Institute.
She stared at the photograph.
Then she looked at the death certificate again.
“Why would his death certificate name a hospital he was never admitted to?””
Margaret shook her head.
“I don't understand.””
Neither did Sarah.
But suddenly, Nathan's question made sense.
Who signed it?
Sarah called the hospital records department.
After several minutes of waiting, a woman answered.
“Medical records. How may I help you?””
“My husband, Nathan Carter, was treated at your hospital. I need to verify his medical records.””
“Certainly. Do you have his patient number?””
Sarah read it from the paperwork.
The woman typed.
There was a pause.
“I'm sorry, ma'am. I can't locate a completed admission under that number.””
Sarah's stomach tightened.
“That's impossible. He was there.””
“Could you confirm the date?””
Sarah did.
More typing.
Then silence.
“Ma'am?””
“Yes?””
“The record appears to have been transferred.””
“Transferred where?””
“I don't have access to that information.””
“Can you tell me who authorized the transfer?””
The woman hesitated.
“I'll need to refer your request to the records supervisor.””
Sarah gripped the phone.
“Please do that.””
She ended the call.
Margaret stared at her.
“What did they say?””
Sarah slowly placed the death certificate on the table.
“They can't find his admission.””
Ellie, who had been quietly drawing on a piece of paper, looked up.
“Mommy?””
Sarah turned.
“What is it, sweetheart?””
Ellie held up her drawing.
It showed three people holding hands beneath a yellow sun.
Daddy.
Mommy.
Ellie.
“Can I give this to Daddy?””
Sarah forced a smile.
“Of course.””
But before she could stand, her phone vibrated.
An email had arrived from the hospital records department.
The subject line read:
*REQUEST FOR ACCESS — PATIENT NATHAN CARTER.*
Sarah opened it.
There was only one sentence.
Your request cannot be processed because the patient's file is currently marked as restricted.
And beneath that sentence was a name.
May you like
The same name Nathan had tried to make her find.
Dr. Daniel Reeves.
