Later that day, Daniel called the pediatrician.
The doctor asked several questions.
Had Noah fallen?
No.
Had he been vaccinated recently?
No.
Had anyone else handled him?
Daniel paused before answering.
“Well… we did have a babysitter two days ago for a couple of hours.”
Megan looked at him.
“The college girl?” she asked.
Daniel nodded slowly.
My stomach twisted again.
The doctor asked them to bring Noah in the next day just to be safe.
A Growing Suspicion
That evening, the house felt different.
Quieter.
Heavier.
Megan sat on the couch staring at Noah as if she were studying every movement.
“I keep thinking about what the doctor said yesterday,” she whispered.
Daniel looked at her.
“About what?”
“That babies Noah’s age don’t bruise easily.”
No one spoke for a moment.
Then Daniel rubbed his face.
“You don’t think—”
“I don’t know,” she interrupted quickly. “But I want to be sure.”
I watched them carefully.
They were scared.
But more than that… they were beginning to question something they hadn’t questioned before.
And I felt the same uneasy thought growing stronger in my own mind.
Because sometimes the scariest part of being a parent…
Is realizing the danger might not come from strangers.
Sometimes it comes from people you trusted.
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