3: 3

3.

I checked every detail of the room myself to make sure it would suit Grace Bishop.

I picked two nurses I trusted more than anyone to watch her room.

"Bed twenty-one, Ms. Bishop, the room's ready. You can move over now."

The moment she saw me, her eyes lit up.

Her mother-in-law was sprawled sideways across the hospital bed, picking at her feet.

"So delicate. Has a baby and needs a whole new room. What did I do in past lives to end up saddled with a daughter-in-law like you?"

Face flushed with embarrassment, Grace braced herself up out of the chair.

She gathered up her odds and ends and pleaded with the older woman.

"Mom, it's such a mess in here. I can't rest properly."

"Nobody's as fussy as you. Spends my son's money every single day, and still has to wear out these old bones of mine."

Still muttering, her mother-in-law climbed down off the bed and reached over to twist her arm.

"Ms. Bishop, the two of you need to settle it. If you're not switching, I'll give the room to someone else."

She hurried toward the door with her things: "We're switching. I'm switching right now."

I stood and moved aside, careful not to touch her.

Her mother-in-law came after her, carrying her own load.

My mother happened to step out of the room next door just then.

Grace stopped short, arms full: "Ma'am, could you help me?"

I moved forward quickly and took the things from her.

She looked at me, startled, a flicker of something poisonous at the corners of her eyes, too faint for most people to catch.

Once my mother saw who it was, she grabbed her tools and hurried off.

"Dr. Fox, you're so kind. Switching my room, carrying my things. I really don't know how to thank you."

I smiled at her. "Just have your baby safely and go home safely. That's all I want."

The smile on her lips froze, and her voice trailed off into nothing.

I went over the instructions with the two nurses myself.

Then I went to the cleaners' break room to find my mother.

"Zoe, is that the girl you were talking about?"

I pointed to the room next door. "Mom, starting today, she's moved over here. She's going to keep coming to you for help. Count on it."

"I've assigned her two nurses. If she needs anything, she can go to them."

My mother nodded and kept nodding. "Don't worry. I've got it."

"Mom, trust me. I have my reasons, but I can't tell you what they are."

She held my hand. "Don't you worry. I won't cause you any trouble. I promise."

Right then, there was a knock at the door.

"Ma'am, are you there?"

It was Grace's voice.

My mother and I both went quiet at the same time, listening to what was happening outside.

"Ma'am, are you in there?"

She knocked again for a while.

When no one answered, she rattled the door handle hard.

Thank goodness for what I'd learned in my last life.

Wherever I went, I locked the door behind me first.

When it wouldn't budge, she stopped.

"You old bag, off the clock in the middle of a shift? Where'd you run off to?"

Her voice had gone shrill and cutting, nothing like the gentle, pitiful thing she usually played.

"You old bag, you can dodge me today, but you can't dodge me forever."

"Just you wait. I'm not letting you off."

With that, she slowly walked away.

The hand holding my mother's had gone damp with cold sweat.

My mother's face went white in an instant.

4: 4

4.

"Zoe, how could she do something like this?"

My mom had lived her whole life honest and decent, always good to people.

I held her trembling hand in mine.

"You've got me. Don't be afraid."

Tonight, Grace Bishop would give birth.

Last time, I'd been off shift, and she'd gone into labor so suddenly that I wasn't the one who delivered her.

Tonight I was off shift too, but I planned to keep watch inside the hospital.

Sure enough, a little after nine, she was wheeled into the delivery room.

Her mother-in-law waited outside, resentful.

At eleven, both she and the baby were wheeled out.

I messaged a coworker to ask, and the reply came back that mother and child were both fine.

And I couldn't stop wondering.

Why was she so set on framing me and my mom?

The next morning, the moment I clocked in, hers was the first room I checked.

The baby was healthy. She was recovering well.

"Dr. Fox, could you get me some water?"

The skin on her lips had cracked into dry white flakes.

"Where's your mother-in-law?"

She opened her mouth, but the tears at the corners of her eyes fell before any words did.

"Contact the family. If no family member shows up within half an hour, notify them to discharge."

The ward nurse got on the phone with Grace's family.

Lying in the bed, she closed her eyes, helpless.

Three more days, and it would be the day she framed my mom.

For these three days, I was going to keep a close eye on her.

I'd guessed right. Grace's mother-in-law only put in a few appearances.

Once she could get out of bed, she watched the baby herself, looking utterly pitiful.

When my mom went in to clean her room, she was always finding little reasons to have my mom help her.

As a cleaner, my mom was obliged to lend a hand with small things.

With my warning, my mom was extremely careful.

The third day came, and every one of Grace's and the baby's checkups was normal.

I arranged for someone to borrow my mom over to the pediatric ward next door.

That morning, when Grace saw the person coming in to clean wasn't my mom,

the disappointment in her eyes spilled over.

"Who are you? Where's Granny Nora?"

The cleaner ignored her and went on sweeping the floor.

Refusing to give up, she pushed open the door of the cleaners' room, looking for my mom.

She was agitated, pacing the ward without stop.

She couldn't even be bothered with the baby when he cried.

The minutes ticked by, and it was almost the time she framed my mom.

This time I'd moved my mom away. There was no way she'd succeed.

"Dr. Fox, the ER just brought in a car-crash patient, a pregnant woman who needs your consult."

After the message came, I called my mom.

"Mom, stay in pediatrics today. Don't come back."

Hearing her short "Mm,"

I hurried toward the emergency ward.

Passing the room around the corner,

I pushed the door and glanced in at Grace.

"Grace, is anything bothering you?"

She shook her head, staring hard at me without a word.

"Where's the baby? How did he feed and go last night?"

Still she said nothing, the blackest malice showing in her dark eyes.

I called a nurse and told her to watch closely.

"Dr. Fox, where did the cleaning lady who used to be on this ward go?"

Right before I stepped out, she suddenly asked me.

I turned my head. She was smiling, mouthing the words at me.

"I know you did this."

Then she gently stroked the baby in her arms.

Nothing at all like the terrifying face from a moment ago.

"Keep an eye on her. If there's any trouble, don't rush to touch the baby."

Having told the nurse, I hurried off to the ER.

The resuscitation over, I'd just gotten back to the ward.

Grace's bedside nurse came running into the office.

"Dr. Fox, something's happened. The baby in bed twenty-one is gone."

My heart lurched.

Could it be, after everything I'd done this time,

all of it would still happen?

At least I'd moved my mom away ahead of time.

This time, it absolutely couldn't have anything to do with my mom.

The nurse gasped for breath, barely able to get the words out.

"She says the cleaning lady who used to work this ward carried the baby off."

In that instant, it felt like someone had hollowed out my heart.

"She also said Granny Nora is your mother."

I stumbled back two steps.

Only by catching the chair behind me did I keep from falling.

"Dr. Fox, Dr. Fox, what's wrong?"

The nurse's voice calling me rang in my ears.

And at the same time, I heard a strange voice.