Patricia became defensive.
“Because all of you are making me sound like some criminal.”
Emma’s voice was almost a whisper.
“You knew exactly how much weight I had gained.”
Patricia shrugged.
“I could see you were gaining weight.”
“No.”
Emma shook her head.
“At Easter, you told everyone I had gained twenty-seven pounds.”
I remembered that moment.
Patricia had laughed and said,
“Twenty-seven pounds already? This baby is going to be born asking for dessert.”
Emma had laughed too.
But only because everyone else had.
Now Emma looked directly at her.
“I had gained exactly twenty-seven pounds at my appointment three days before Easter.”
The room went completely silent.
“You didn’t guess.”
Patricia whispered,
“I was worried.”
“About what?”
“Your health.”
“My doctor wasn’t worried.”
“You don’t know that.”
Emma stared at her.
“I think I know what my own doctor tells me.”
Then she turned toward Ryan.
Her expression changed.
“You knew?”
That question seemed to frighten him more than anything else.
“I found out four days ago.”
“Four days?”
“Yes.”
“And you didn’t tell me?”
“I was planning to.”
“When?”
“Tonight.”
Emma laughed bitterly.
“Apparently everyone decides I can learn the truth later.”
Ryan went pale.
Then he did something I didn’t expect.
He didn’t defend himself.
“You’re right.”
Emma stopped.
Ryan explained that Patricia had asked him to fix an email problem on her tablet the previous Sunday.
While he was working, messages kept appearing on the screen.
One contained Emma’s name.
When Ryan looked closer, he realized Marcy had sent Patricia information from Emma’s latest appointment.
Ryan photographed everything because he knew his mother would delete the messages once confronted.
Patricia immediately snapped,
“You had no right to go through my tablet.”
I actually laughed.
Everyone looked at me.
I couldn’t help myself.
“Patricia, today might not be the best day for you to use the phrase ‘no right.’”
Ryan then explained that he had contacted Emma’s doctor the following morning.
He didn’t want to accuse his mother until the clinic verified what had happened.
The practice spent three days reviewing access logs and questioning employees.
That morning, Marcy finally admitted it.
She had accessed Emma’s records without a legitimate medical reason several times.
She had also sent information from appointment notes directly to Patricia.
The clinic had suspended her while the investigation continued.
That was why Dr. Shah had just called Emma.
Patricia shook her head.
“Marcy never meant to hurt anyone.”
Emma pushed her chair backward.
“Stop saying that.”
“Emma—”
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