Chapter 12
Bridget sat with her head in her hands when Todd entered Eliza’s room. He couldn’t tell if she was praying or defeated, so he made some noise as he stepped into the room.
“That good?”
She looked up with a grimace. “We’re out of time.”
“That bad.”
“Yeah. She needs surgery. On her brain. There’s pressure from bleeding.
Probably from hitting her head, and the neurosurgeon wants to go in and relieve the pressure.
He can essentially give consent in place of her parents, but he doesn’t want to do that unless we can document all the ways we’ve tried to find them. ”
“I can tell him everything we’ve done since finding her last night.”
“I told him the same thing, but he wants more. I think the fact that it involves her brain makes him more cautious.”
He could see that. “Riskier.”
“Yes.” She shuddered. “I’m glad, but I also need to be ready to sign in loco parentis.”
“Are you sure?”
“Yes. My supervisor said I must do it. I’m the state rep on site, so I’m the lucky person who gets to decide.” She hung her head. “The pressure is horrible. What if the doctor’s wrong?”
“At a certain point, you have to trust his training.” At the same time, he was glad he wouldn’t have to make the decision.
What could he do to make the process easier for her?
“Caleb is connecting with his friend on the police force in Wayne. We’re trying to figure out what happened six months ago that caused the Brandenbergs to leave. What else do you need?”
“I need confirmation that the parents died. If they did, then someone would have been appointed her guardian. That person would then need to make the decision about the surgery.” Bridget left the not me unsaid.
“On it.” Todd pulled out his phone. “I can work on finding out what happened. What about Sydney? Can she or Tricia help too?”
Bridget blinked at him. “I should have thought of that.” She pulled out her phone and started texting. “Bill and Odette, right?”
“Yes.”
“Okay. I can see if either of them can help us. Do you think they can get access to the adoption file? Or my boss can?”
“Tricia or Sydney would know or can find the answer.” Todd tried to figure out what had happened to the parents. “A family doesn’t just disappear.”
“Not without a trace.” Bridget set her phone down. “But I know I saw an article about the accident. It doesn’t make sense it disappeared.”
“Let’s figure out where the accident happened. Then we can figure out who to talk to. I’ve got friends in law enforcement all over this part of the state.” He just needed a starting place.
“Maybe we should figure out Odette’s maiden name. That would give us another way to find her. I can also check social media.” Bridget began clicking again. “There has to be something here.”
“I agree, but I can’t find it.” And it was maddening. “In today’s world, everyone has a social media footprint.”
“Unless they got rid of it for a reason.”
“What’s the reason? Who are they hiding from?” As soon as he said it, Todd wanted to smack his forehead. “Why didn’t I consider that before? They weren’t leaving Waverly for a job. They were leaving to hide from someone.”
He seemed so sure of himself that Bridget hesitated to challenge him, yet she had to wonder if the principal wouldn’t have brought it up if that was the case. Surely someone would have mentioned it. “We need to know more about her brother.”
“We need to go to Wayne.”
“I can’t. My job is to stay with Eliza, in case we can’t find someone to make medical decisions for her.” Bridget wanted to stomp out of the room and never come back. Her fatigue lay like a heavy blanket across her shoulders. “I hate hospitals.”
“Me too.” Todd eased her toward him. “It always makes me remember when my dad was sick. I spent too much time in hospitals then.”
“I’m sorry.” She wanted to nestle closer but forced herself to stiffen.
“Me too.” He tugged her again.
This time she stopped resisting and let herself relax, for just a moment, into his strength.
She could forget about the smells and sounds of the hospital.
Pretend she was anywhere but there, as she let herself be comforted by his solid presence.
The moment she felt herself truly relaxing, she pushed back and lifted her chin.
She cleared her throat. “I’ll see what Sydney and I can find from our computers. ”
Todd watched her closely, as if he could see her. Really see her. “I’ll get on the road. I can get to Wayne in time to learn something helpful. Maybe find out what happened to her family.”
“Or you waste four hours.”
“I’ll call the principal and a couple other people from the road. If time is as critical as you say, I can’t wait until tomorrow.”
“Who else will you talk to?”
“In addition to the principal? My friend. See if I can find some neighbors at home.” He shrugged. “I’ll investigate. It’s what I’m good at.”
“All right. Be careful.”
“You, too. This is where things got dangerous last night.” He hesitated as if he had more to say.
She pinned him with a look. “What aren’t you telling me?”
“The man who injected Eliza last night? He moved with military precision and acted like he knew exactly where the cameras were. So be careful, all right? Just in case he isn’t done.”
“You know how to make a girl feel all warm and safe.”
“Better to be forewarned.”
She rolled her eyes. Just when she was starting to feel protected, he had to go and prove he was like everyone else.
She was better off relying on herself. “You weren’t going to tell me, until I pushed.
But thanks for the warning. Everyone’s more alert today than last night because we know what’s possible. ”
“Don’t do that.”
“Do what?” Her jaw tightened as she wanted to push back against his concern.
“Create distance.”
“You should be creating distance. In the car. Right now.”
He straightened. “Call if you find anything. I’ll do the same.”
She resisted saluting. He didn’t deserve that kind of response, not when she knew fatigue drove part of her reaction. “Be safe.”
“You, too.” He hesitated like he wanted to say more, then he ducked out of the room.
As he left she knew there was more to say, but it was something she couldn’t analyze. Not right now. Not when so much was dependent on them finding answers. She walked over to the bed and took Eliza’s hand.
Father, help us find the answers and do the right thing for Eliza. Lead us and heal her.
Bridget didn’t know what else to say, but she had to believe He knew how to fill in the gaps between her words and her heart.
Then she settled back into the recliner and dialed Sydney.
Her friend picked up right away. “Hey, I wondered when you’d call.”
“Todd Westmont just left, but I need your help with that information I texted about.”
Sydney sighed. “Adoption records are almost impossible to open. I dug back through the statutes after I got your text to make sure I wasn’t forgetting a loophole.
The only people who can get access to the sealed records are the adopted child or the adoptive or birth parents.
Even then, you must file paperwork with the court where the adoption was finalized and convince the judge to release the records. ”
“We can’t find her adoptive parents. If we’re even right that she was adopted.” At this point, that was all contingent on the principal having correctly identified Eliza based on the backpack. There was still the chance that the backpack wasn’t hers.
“Then you’d need to know who the birth parents are since you can’t get Eliza’s consent. Since she’s under eighteen, I’m not convinced she could provide valid consent. If she’s as young as you think, then I think she's way too young.”
“That would make her a minor.” Bridget didn’t want to divulge Dani’s hopes without her permission. “What if I had the birth parent contact you? Could you fast track the paperwork?”
“You know the birth parent?” Sydney sounded skeptical and Bridget couldn’t blame her.
“Maybe. We won’t know for sure until the paperwork is unsealed. But I have someone who wants to believe she’s the birth mom.”
“And you can’t wait for DNA tests to come back.”
Bridget shook her head, then spoke since Sydney couldn’t see. “No. Not when she needs surgery, and the doctor prefers someone give consent.”
Sydney groaned. “That puts a wrinkle in things. I don’t know if we can push anything through fast enough. When does the surgery need to happen?”
“Today. Tomorrow at the latest. Eliza has pressure on her brain that he needs to relieve. He’ll do a second MRI later today, and depending on what it shows, may not be able to wait.”
“That’s awful.” A clicking came across, like Sydney was tapping a pen rapidly on a desk as she thought through options, a gesture Bridget had seen numerous times when she worked for Sydney.
“Have the alleged birth parent reach out. I’ll need the birthdate, the adoption date, the county, and all the other information they have.
I can then complete the paperwork and have the birth parent meet me at court.
Based on the exigent circumstances, we might be able to get a judge to push through consideration, but that’s assuming the judge is available.
That’s a big ask on a Friday afternoon.”
“Understood. I’ll have her call right away.” Bridget started moving to the ICU waiting room before she hung up with Sydney.
She needed to find Dani fast.