The Baby's Secret Only I Can Hear

1: 1

On my mother's seventh day working as a cleaner in the maternity ward, the patient in bed 21 asked her to watch the baby for a little while.

In my past life, my mother felt sorry for her and watched him for half an hour.

But the baby vanished, and when they found him he was lying in a trash bin, his whole body purple.

The patient said my mother had killed her child, and demanded she pay with her life.

Before the truth was ever uncovered, the online mob hounded my mother until her heart gave out and she died.

The hospital fired me, and the patient decided the mother's debt should be paid by the daughter, and hounded me until I jumped from a building.

When I opened my eyes again, the moment I saw the patient in bed 21,

every hair on my body stood on end.

1.

"Dr. Fox, could you move me to the room by the stairs?"

"I'm due any day now, and I haven't been sleeping well. It's quieter over there."

Grace Bishop cradled her swollen belly, her eyes full of pleading.

The sound of her voice jolted me awake.

Seeing that face that terrified me, I gripped the chart in my hand without thinking.

Grace Bishop, due within the next few days, admitted two days ago.

She'd come to me personally to check in, and I'd put her in bed 21.

At first, I thought she was just one of countless ordinary patients.

I never imagined she would ruin my entire life.

A knock came at the door.

Grace perked up, listening.

Looking at the figure outside the door, I knew it was my mother bringing me lunch.

"Dr. Fox, someone's here for you. Let me get the door."

"No need. One patient at a time. Sit down."

In my past life, Grace met my mother on this very day.

Throughout her stay, she always found ways to strike up conversation with my mother.

And whenever my mother finished cleaning the ward, she would stop by to check on her, ask how she was doing.

That was exactly what laid the groundwork for the string of disasters that followed.

I took out my phone and texted my mother, telling her to wait for me at the door of the break room.

Grace kept twisting her head toward the door, the urge to open it plain in her eyes.

"Dr. Fox, I really don't mind. Maybe some patient needs you urgently. Why don't I open it?"

Her left arm cradled her belly while her right hand reached for the handle.

At that moment, my mother picked up the lunch container and walked away.

A flicker of disappointment crossed Grace's face.

I pointed at her chart and went over the things she needed to watch for before delivery.

She listened with only half her attention.

"Grace, you're about to give birth. Where's your family?"

She paused. "My mother-in-law had something to take care of and went home."

She was lying. Her mother-in-law had come only once, the day she was admitted.

These past few days she'd been at the hospital alone.

I clicked through the admission records with the mouse.

"Where's your husband's information? Why isn't it here?"

She pressed her lips together and said nothing.

I called the doctor who'd been on duty that day.

Hanging up, I looked at her. "Grace, we need to fill in your husband's information."

"He's out of town." She said it quietly.

"How long until he's back?"

Thinking of what had happened in my past life, I raised my voice without meaning to.

"Soon." There was a note of injury in her voice.

"That can't wait. I need to register his contact number now."

She lifted her eyes to me. Under all that hurt, there was a faint, hard-to-catch flash of anger.

The moment she gave the number, I dialed it fast.

"Is this Grace Bishop's family? She's about to give birth. You need to come to the hospital"

Before I could finish, the call was cut off.

Tears slipped from the corners of her eyes.

"Dr. Fox, II only wanted to change rooms."

I kept typing, logging it into her chart.

"You can change rooms, but your family needs to come to the hospital this morning."

"You're about to deliver. Someone has to be with you twenty-four hours a day."

"Whether it's your husband or your mother-in-law, I need to see someone here by noon."

She hesitated for a moment, then said slowly, "Fine!"

"So can I change rooms now?"

Looking at that pitiful expression of hers,

I made myself stay calm. "Have your family come first, and I'll arrange the room for you."

She let out a quiet, secret breath and reminded me,

"The one at the corner by the stairs is quieter. That's the one I want."

I glanced at the approved repair request sitting on the corner of the desk.

I chased up the worker in charge of maintenance.

Once I had a clear answer,

I forced out a smile. "All right. I'll get it done for you."

2: 2

2.

After she left, I sank down onto the stool.

That room at the bend in the stairwell was right next to the restrooms.

In summer the smell got strong, and patients didn't want to stay there.

So it had always been kept as a backup room.

People coming and going all the time, and yet she called that spot quiet.

She'd probably noticed the security camera in that room was broken.

And it was tucked into a corner.

Close to the cleaners' break room.

Once she'd gotten friendly with my mother, it would be easy for my mother to drop by and see her on the way past.

A text came in confirming that what I'd asked for that afternoon could be installed.

I went to the break room.

My mother, her hair going gray, stood in the doorway holding a lunch box, waiting for me.

"Zoe, was I interrupting you just now?"

"I made dumplings. I was worried you wouldn't have time to go home, so I brought them over."

I took the lunch box from her hands and slid an arm around her shoulders as we headed into the break room.

I opened the box and the smell rose up warm.

Pork and mushroom.

"Eat up before the skins split. If they soak in the broth too long they'll break."

My mother laid out my utensils for me, the aromatic vinegar and the chili pepper.

Remembering how it all ended in my last life, my eyes stung and prickled.

"Mom, has any patient been trying to chat with you lately?"

One dumpling down, and the tears started to fall.

"No. I finish my work and go straight to the break room."

"Have I been causing you trouble, sweetie?"

Before the rest of it left my mouth

Someone was pushing at the door, so I got up and opened it.

It was Grace Bishop.

She craned her neck, peering into the break room.

"Dr. Fox, my mother-in-law will be here soon. When can I switch rooms?"

Her eyes kept flicking into the room.

My mother was busy ladling dumplings for me and hadn't noticed anyone at the door.

"Once it's cleaned up, I'll have a nurse call you."

She let out a soft little "oh."

"Dr. Fox, are those dumplings you're eating? They smell wonderful."

And as she talked, she started to step inside.

I blocked her. "This is the doctors' break room. Patients aren't allowed in."

Before she could react, I shut the door with a sharp snap.

The sound startled my mother.

She came over. "Zoe, what's wrong?"

I listened to the footsteps fade down the hall.

Then I pulled the door half open and pointed at Grace's shuffling figure.

"Mom, that patient is Grace Bishop. She's in bed twenty-one. Do you remember her?"

She thought for a moment. "The day before yesterday, when she came in, I think I helped her carry some things."

"Has she tried to talk to you at all recently?"

My mother shook her head, and some of the weight in my chest eased.

"Mom, tomorrow she's moving into this corner room. It's very close to your break room. Promise me, whenever she tries to talk to you, no matter when, you tell me."

My mother looked at me, confused.

"And one more thing. She's due to give birth tomorrow night. After the baby comes, if she asks you to help watch it, you must not do it."

The confusion on her face deepened.

"Mom, trust me. You have to stay away from Grace Bishop."

My mother looked at Grace's frail figure and nodded.

The moment I sat back down on the couch to eat my dumplings,

I realized my whole back was soaked through.

Even though I'd prepared for it.

Even though I'd warned my mother in advance.

My frightened heart

was still hanging high.

3: 3

3.

I checked every detail of the room myself to make sure it would suit Grace Bishop.

I picked two nurses I trusted more than anyone to watch her room.

"Bed twenty-one, Ms. Bishop, the room's ready. You can move over now."

The moment she saw me, her eyes lit up.

Her mother-in-law was sprawled sideways across the hospital bed, picking at her feet.

"So delicate. Has a baby and needs a whole new room. What did I do in past lives to end up saddled with a daughter-in-law like you?"

Face flushed with embarrassment, Grace braced herself up out of the chair.

She gathered up her odds and ends and pleaded with the older woman.

"Mom, it's such a mess in here. I can't rest properly."

"Nobody's as fussy as you. Spends my son's money every single day, and still has to wear out these old bones of mine."

Still muttering, her mother-in-law climbed down off the bed and reached over to twist her arm.

"Ms. Bishop, the two of you need to settle it. If you're not switching, I'll give the room to someone else."

She hurried toward the door with her things: "We're switching. I'm switching right now."

I stood and moved aside, careful not to touch her.

Her mother-in-law came after her, carrying her own load.

My mother happened to step out of the room next door just then.

Grace stopped short, arms full: "Ma'am, could you help me?"

I moved forward quickly and took the things from her.

She looked at me, startled, a flicker of something poisonous at the corners of her eyes, too faint for most people to catch.

Once my mother saw who it was, she grabbed her tools and hurried off.

"Dr. Fox, you're so kind. Switching my room, carrying my things. I really don't know how to thank you."

I smiled at her. "Just have your baby safely and go home safely. That's all I want."

The smile on her lips froze, and her voice trailed off into nothing.

I went over the instructions with the two nurses myself.

Then I went to the cleaners' break room to find my mother.

"Zoe, is that the girl you were talking about?"

I pointed to the room next door. "Mom, starting today, she's moved over here. She's going to keep coming to you for help. Count on it."

"I've assigned her two nurses. If she needs anything, she can go to them."

My mother nodded and kept nodding. "Don't worry. I've got it."

"Mom, trust me. I have my reasons, but I can't tell you what they are."

She held my hand. "Don't you worry. I won't cause you any trouble. I promise."

Right then, there was a knock at the door.

"Ma'am, are you there?"

It was Grace's voice.

My mother and I both went quiet at the same time, listening to what was happening outside.

"Ma'am, are you in there?"

She knocked again for a while.

When no one answered, she rattled the door handle hard.

Thank goodness for what I'd learned in my last life.

Wherever I went, I locked the door behind me first.

When it wouldn't budge, she stopped.

"You old bag, off the clock in the middle of a shift? Where'd you run off to?"

Her voice had gone shrill and cutting, nothing like the gentle, pitiful thing she usually played.

"You old bag, you can dodge me today, but you can't dodge me forever."

"Just you wait. I'm not letting you off."

With that, she slowly walked away.

The hand holding my mother's had gone damp with cold sweat.

My mother's face went white in an instant.

4: 4

4.

"Zoe, how could she do something like this?"

My mom had lived her whole life honest and decent, always good to people.

I held her trembling hand in mine.

"You've got me. Don't be afraid."

Tonight, Grace Bishop would give birth.

Last time, I'd been off shift, and she'd gone into labor so suddenly that I wasn't the one who delivered her.

Tonight I was off shift too, but I planned to keep watch inside the hospital.

Sure enough, a little after nine, she was wheeled into the delivery room.

Her mother-in-law waited outside, resentful.

At eleven, both she and the baby were wheeled out.

I messaged a coworker to ask, and the reply came back that mother and child were both fine.

And I couldn't stop wondering.

Why was she so set on framing me and my mom?

The next morning, the moment I clocked in, hers was the first room I checked.

The baby was healthy. She was recovering well.

"Dr. Fox, could you get me some water?"

The skin on her lips had cracked into dry white flakes.

"Where's your mother-in-law?"

She opened her mouth, but the tears at the corners of her eyes fell before any words did.

"Contact the family. If no family member shows up within half an hour, notify them to discharge."

The ward nurse got on the phone with Grace's family.

Lying in the bed, she closed her eyes, helpless.

Three more days, and it would be the day she framed my mom.

For these three days, I was going to keep a close eye on her.

I'd guessed right. Grace's mother-in-law only put in a few appearances.

Once she could get out of bed, she watched the baby herself, looking utterly pitiful.

When my mom went in to clean her room, she was always finding little reasons to have my mom help her.

As a cleaner, my mom was obliged to lend a hand with small things.

With my warning, my mom was extremely careful.

The third day came, and every one of Grace's and the baby's checkups was normal.

I arranged for someone to borrow my mom over to the pediatric ward next door.

That morning, when Grace saw the person coming in to clean wasn't my mom,

the disappointment in her eyes spilled over.

"Who are you? Where's Granny Nora?"

The cleaner ignored her and went on sweeping the floor.

Refusing to give up, she pushed open the door of the cleaners' room, looking for my mom.

She was agitated, pacing the ward without stop.

She couldn't even be bothered with the baby when he cried.

The minutes ticked by, and it was almost the time she framed my mom.

This time I'd moved my mom away. There was no way she'd succeed.

"Dr. Fox, the ER just brought in a car-crash patient, a pregnant woman who needs your consult."

After the message came, I called my mom.

"Mom, stay in pediatrics today. Don't come back."

Hearing her short "Mm,"

I hurried toward the emergency ward.

Passing the room around the corner,

I pushed the door and glanced in at Grace.

"Grace, is anything bothering you?"

She shook her head, staring hard at me without a word.

"Where's the baby? How did he feed and go last night?"

Still she said nothing, the blackest malice showing in her dark eyes.

I called a nurse and told her to watch closely.

"Dr. Fox, where did the cleaning lady who used to be on this ward go?"

Right before I stepped out, she suddenly asked me.

I turned my head. She was smiling, mouthing the words at me.

"I know you did this."

Then she gently stroked the baby in her arms.

Nothing at all like the terrifying face from a moment ago.

"Keep an eye on her. If there's any trouble, don't rush to touch the baby."

Having told the nurse, I hurried off to the ER.

The resuscitation over, I'd just gotten back to the ward.

Grace's bedside nurse came running into the office.

"Dr. Fox, something's happened. The baby in bed twenty-one is gone."

My heart lurched.

Could it be, after everything I'd done this time,

all of it would still happen?

At least I'd moved my mom away ahead of time.

This time, it absolutely couldn't have anything to do with my mom.

The nurse gasped for breath, barely able to get the words out.

"She says the cleaning lady who used to work this ward carried the baby off."

In that instant, it felt like someone had hollowed out my heart.

"She also said Granny Nora is your mother."

I stumbled back two steps.

Only by catching the chair behind me did I keep from falling.

"Dr. Fox, Dr. Fox, what's wrong?"

The nurse's voice calling me rang in my ears.

And at the same time, I heard a strange voice.