SETH (Book Four)

THIRTY-SEVEN

I approach the hospital's automatic doors, watching the staff pass by me in a rush. People are waiting to be checked in or just waiting.

It's busy today, but standing here and observing wasn't my purpose. I walk over to the receptionist, a middle-aged African woman with short curly hair, a lovely dark complexion, and wearing Snoopy scrubs. She is sitting behind the counter typing on her computer. When she looks up and plasters a cheerful smile, although behind that expression - working in a hospital can make anyone feel cranky, and this woman seems she has not slept since her shift.

Better not

"Hi, are you here for an appointment?" She asks with a forceful smile.

"Um. No, I'm here to ask if Dr. Keith P. Swanson is available?"

The receptionist, whose name on her ID badge says Anita Cook, looks at me as if I made up the name. "He's not here."

"Oh, do you know when his shift starts?"

"Dr. Swanson hasn't worked here for 26 years. He retired right after a scandal with a patient of his."

Scandal?

I wondered what he did to his patient that made a doctor like him leave.

Intrigued, I lean forward, not wanting anyone to listen in. "What did he do?"

"I'm sorry," she said, looking at her computer screen. She quickly shifted with her eyes towards me and then back on the net. "It's taboo to talk about Dr. Swanson."

Fuck!

I tap my mail on the counter, thinking of a different approach.

"Then how about helping me with something else." The nurse looks up at me. "Can you look up a list of names of newborns?"

"Are you here to see the mother who recently gave birth?" She asks.

I shake my head. "No, this newborn was born on April 21, 1995."

Without saying anything, Anita starts to type the date on her computer. "There are twelve newborns born in that year," Anita states. "May I know the name of the child?"

"Theresa Young."

Her eyes are glued to the screen as she glances back at me. "No, sorry. I don't see the name."

"Are you sure?" I furrow. "Can you check again?"

"I'm sorry," she moves the monitor to have me look. "See, there is no name on the record."

How can that be?

Does that mean I don't even exist?

I was about to pull the birth certificate from my phone before it got me thinking if the document was authentic.

"Dr. Swanson was the attending doctor for a patient named Majorie Berger," I tell her.

"What's your relationship with this patient?" She is on high alert towards me as I'm asking about a patient from 1995.

"She's...my mother, and the child she gave birth on that date was my sister."

The computer keyboard clicks as she types the name and then shakes her head. "Sorry. No Majorie Berger is in the system. Your mother probably gave birth in a different hospital."

"What the hell?" I whisper and clench my fist. "Her name gots to be there. My mother was young and gave up the baby for adoption, and I'm looking for that baby."

"I'm sorry to hear that. I wish I could help you, but my hands are tied," she said pityingly. "A lot of young mothers tend to get scared and confused. Your mother probably didn't want to give birth in a hospital full of strangers who would judge her because of her age. They give up the child if they don't know what to do."