What the Cradle Hid

The day my son was born, I held that tiny, wrinkled little bundle in my arms, my hands trembling.

Whitney Shaw lay on the delivery bed. Her lips were pale as she smiled at me.

"That 12-story commercial building in Cascade City? Put it all in the kid's name."

I lowered my head and kissed her forehead.

"And the profits from that piece of land we bought last year? Those shares belong to you too. Everything I earn is for you and our son."

Whitney gave me a look. "Will you stop already?"

"Nope. I'm happy."

The next day, our son was gone.

Whitney lost her mind. She spent six months searching for him before finally jumping off our balcony.

I drank myself to death on the streets. Even as I lay dying, I could still hear my son's first cry.

In this life, all I wanted was for my wife and son to be safe and happy.

All day, I did not let anyone touch my son. Whenever a nurse came to check his temperature, I stood right beside her, watching every move.

When the head nurse, Sienna Lawson, walked through the door and cheerfully announced that she was taking my baby for a newborn hearing screening, my back broke out in a cold sweat.

"Mr. Collins, your baby is due for his hearing screening. I'll take him to the examination room on the third floor and bring him back in half an hour."

She wore a mask that covered most of her face, leaving only a pair of gentle eyes visible.

The nurse beside her nodded along. "Ms. Lawson is doing the screening herself. She has plenty of experience."

I stood up and stepped in front of the crib.

"What screening? Is there an order form? Has the attending physician signed off on it? Where does it say the head nurse has to personally carry my baby to the examination room?"

Sienna paused.

"Mr. Collins, please don't worry. It's just a routine procedure..."

"I asked if there's an order form," I cut her off.

I pulled my phone out of the bedside drawer and opened the voice recorder.

"Please repeat that. Who sent you here? What screening are you performing? Which examination room are you taking him to? And what is the doctor's name? I want to record everything."

Her eyes curved above her mask, and a faint hint of annoyance flickered across them.

"Mr. Collins, you're being overly cautious. Newborn screenings are all scheduled through the hospital. We've been running this hospital for over a decade, and nothing like this has ever happened."

"I don't care whether anything has happened to anyone else." I picked up my swaddled son. He was sleeping soundly, his little face scrunched up. "I care about my son. Bring me the order form. I will carry him to the examination room myself."

Sienna's smile froze for a moment. "Mr. Collins, don't you trust me?"

"It's not just you." I stared straight into her eyes. "I don't trust anyone."

The room fell silent for several seconds. Sienna took a step back and forced a smile. "All right. Please wait here. I will go get the paperwork."

She turned and walked out.

The moment the door closed, I looked down at my son, then over at my sleeping wife, Whitney.

I still remembered the way she had cried in my previous life, until her eyes were red and swollen.

This time, no one was going to lay a finger on my son.