Cry That Wouldn’t Stop

“Tighter?”

Daniel nodded slowly.

“She said she hugged him close against her chest… really tight… because she thought it would help him stop crying.”

The room fell silent.

My stomach twisted painfully.

A two-month-old baby didn’t need much pressure for bruises to appear. Their skin was fragile… their bones delicate.

If she held him too tightly…

That could explain the fingerprints.

But something still didn’t sit right with me.

The Doctor Visit

The next morning, we went back to the pediatric clinic.

Noah slept quietly in Megan’s arms as we waited. The calmness of the baby felt almost surreal compared to the storm of thoughts running through our minds.

When the doctor entered the room, she greeted us warmly.

“How is Noah today?”

“He’s better,” Megan said. “But… we noticed another bruise.”

The doctor immediately became serious.

She gently examined Noah’s stomach and leg again.

Then she sighed.

“These bruises are very unusual for a baby his age,” she said carefully.

Daniel shifted uncomfortably.

“We might know how they happened,” he said.

And he told her everything about the babysitter.

The doctor listened quietly, nodding slowly.

“That explanation is possible,” she said. “But I’d like to run one more test.”

My heart skipped.

“What kind of test?” Megan asked.

“A simple blood test.”