They had taken our daughter home.
Hospital staff immediately tried calling them, but no one answered. Police officers were dispatched to their address.
For the next hour, I paced the room while Daniel sat silently with his face buried in his hands. Max stayed beside me, apologizing over and over for not telling us sooner.
“You saved your sister,” I told him. “You noticed what every adult missed.”
At last, the security officer returned.
The Thompson family had been found.
They were already on their way back to the hospital.
When the elevator doors opened, a frightened young couple stepped out.
The woman was holding a sleeping newborn wrapped in the familiar yellow hospital blanket I recognized instantly.
Before anyone could stop me, I ran toward her.
The moment I saw the tiny red birthmark beside the baby’s ear, I knew.
