My brother and I exchange a glance as he sighs. “That couldn't be any further from the truth. I’m not sure if you have been informed about how she came to be pregnant with my baby…” He trails off when the doctors nod their heads, their expressions as disgusted as they should be. “Look, I will love that baby with everything I have, but any kind feelings I may have had toward Veronica have been annihilated with her actions.” They exchange another glance.
“See, there lies the problem. She’s in denial and won’t hear what we tell her about it beingyourbaby. She insists that the baby is Thomas’,” Dr. Reed says quietly. “She also says that if we don't produce Thomas, she will do everything she can to kill the baby. I don’t like it any more than you do, but it’s not like we can restrain her for the next four months until the baby is born. Right now, we’re all well aware that she’s manipulating the situation, but our hands are tied. All we can do is find the best solution to our current problem. Really, Kai, I hate to be so frank, but it doesn’t quite matter how you do or don’t feel about her. With her interest so focused on your brother, he’s the one we need to buy into this strategy.”
My stomach feels like there’s a lead balloon in it, and Kai looks positively green. Forrest takes over because he can see we’re both at a loss for words.
“What is it you want from us? How can my clients possibly help?”
“We believe it would be in the baby’s best interest for Thomas to pretend that he’s willing to go along with her demands. If you agree with this, we’ll tell her that her placement was done at your request because you wanted her and the baby to have the best care, that the six-month in-hospital program is her best shot at you two having a future together. That would hopefully be a useful first step to getting her to calm down. We will try not to push you too far, but at a minimum, we’d like it if you could visit during any prenatal appointments and encourage her because her contact with the outside world will be limited while she’s in the program.”
“Is that even legal for us to manipulate her like this? As her doctors, you’re allowed to arrange this?” Kai asks, glancing between the two doctors with skepticism on his face. Honestly, I’m not surprised that it is. The doctors’ priority is to provide for her physical and mental well-being, and if the harsh truth would completely undermine and threaten that, well, I fully believe they could justify this course of “treatment.”
“She kind of loses all rights because of the crime she committed. It’s either here or a maximum-security prison, which may shatter her already fragile mental health. She may never see the inside of a maximum-security prison. We will reassess her after the baby is born and taken from her custody. This could all just be a clever ploy to keep herself out of jail,” Dr. Reed informs us.
“And how does that help me?” Kai says, immediately jumping back in. “I want to be there for my baby’s appointments.”
“I don't see any problem with you being at the appointments. We’ll just tell her you’re there to offer moral support for your brother. “ Dr. Wiseman shrugs like what they’re suggesting is no big deal, but I feel ill at the thought of getting close to her like this.
“Are you basically implying that if I don’t do this, our baby won’t make it?” I ask him, the feeling of dread growing with every word out of these men's mouths.
“Yes. Essentially, she doesn't see the baby as anything but a means to get what she wants. She shows no maternal instinct whatsoever. In fact, in one of our sessions while I was assessing her mental capacity to go to trial, she suggested that the baby would have a nanny and go to boarding school. If you wanted your child to have siblings, then a surrogate would need to be employed because she wasn’t risking her figure again.’” I’m not sure if I appreciate the matter-of-fact way that he’s sharing this, but there’s an undercurrent of disgust that at least makes me feel like he understands our position.
“Basically, she got what she wanted from the pregnancy because she believes that it’s her ticket into the Summers family. The baby is a means to an end, and even though deep down she knows she’s in trouble for what she did to her roommate, she’s going to use this baby for as long as possible,” Dr. Wiseman warns us.
“But what about when she gets closer to giving birth and her delusions are coming to an end? What’s to stop her from blackmailing the Summers further?” Forrest points out even though I know what I’m going to do. I’ll do everything to protect that baby, even if I have to pretend with Veronica.
“Veronica has demanded a Caesarian for the birth, so we will be able to schedule a date for it,” Dr. Wiseman informs us. “Because of her incarceration, she loses all rights to the baby, which gives Kai full custody. There will be nothing to blackmail the Summers with. Once that child is delivered, it will no longer be anywhere near her.”
“Okay, I’ll do it,” I tell them before either doctor can say more, “but I refuse to doanythingphysical with her. Additionally, the visits will be restricted to when she has prenatal appointments, and Kai will be with me.”
“We will be petitioning the court not to allow Veronica any rights to the child—even supervised visitation—in the event of her actually leaving this prison one day.” Forrest pulls out a document. “But if she would be willing to sign over her rights to us, that would be better and certainly easier.”
“Maybe Thomas can convince her to sign it. Tell her that you don't want the baby taking her focus away from you, and she will probably jump at it. Appeal to the narcissistic side to her, and she won’t even hesitate. Tell her that she’s so special to you, you can’t stand to share her with anyone else, even the baby. The nannies can have the baby while she remains solely yours. That should ensure her cooperation, though I really doubt a court wouldn’t grant you full rights anyway. Either Veronica really is mentally unstable, or she’s a criminal who is being charged with attempted murder. No judge in their right mind would ever allow her to have access to her child,” Dr. Wiseman suggests.
I sigh, standing up and grabbing hold of the piece of paper. “Stay here. I’ll go speak to her. Maybe the doctors can go over the results from her latest baby scans with you while you’re waiting,” I tell my brother. He doesn't look happy with the idea, but thankfully, he doesn't argue with me.
Dr. Reed stands up and gestures for me to follow him. “I’ll take you to where she’s being held, and Dr. Wiseman can stay here.” He leads me out of the conference room and through the facility until we stop in front of a door.
“She’s restrained for now, and she’ll probably beg you to release her. We’ve told her we’re still not convinced she’s not a danger to herself and the baby, so you won’t have to worry about her throwing herself at you. There are multiple ways to handle this, but given her state, I believe a firmer approach would be best. We might have a better outcome if you act angry at her for what she tried to do and unsure how committed she is to your ‘relationship.’ Until she can prove herself by not harming herself, then you’re not sure if you can commit to her as well.” He sighs and runs a hand through his hair, looking slightly defeated for a moment. “I know it’s manipulative and deceitful, but I’m not sure what else will work for her. Appealing to her good nature won’t because I’m not sure she has one. If she was willing to go as far as to poison her roommate to further her ambitions, there’s not much else to stop her.”
“Let’s get this over with,” I growl, not hiding the anger in my voice. I’m not angry with the doctor so much as the situation, but he’s receiving the brunt of my feelings.
He opens the door to a small windowless medical room. The artificial light makes Veronica look washed out and sickly, but her eyes light up when she catches sight of me.
“Thomas, you came!” she cries with joy and struggles to sit up even though she can’t. She frowns at the restraints on her hands.
I just stare at her, hoping my disgust doesn't show on my face. I’m not sure I can do this, but I guess they can’t keep her restrained for the whole pregnancy.
“Hello, Veronica,” I say calmly, and she smiles.
“Where have you been? I’ve been asking for you! Did you hear that we’re having a boy?” I look at the doctor, and he sighs.
“No, Veronica, we told you you’re having a girl,” the doctor says firmly, but she doesn't even look away from me.
“I was thinking about Thomas Jr. for his name, so we can call him Tommy,” she gushes, and I can feel my blood pressure rising. This is either an academy-award-winning performance, or the girl really has cracked.
“Well, we won’t be calling him anything if you keep doing what you did,” I growl, unable to make my tone nicer. She flinches, and tears well in her eyes.
“But how else was I supposed to get you to visit me?”
