Chapter 6 - THE RECORDING
By noon, Grant’s interview had spread across local social media.
He portrayed himself as a frightened father being separated from his premature children.
He claimed my family had used money to silence him.
He described Vanessa only as a close family friend.
Then Beacon Crest released the security footage.
The video contained no images of Noah or Elise.
Their incubators had been carefully blurred.
Everything else remained clear.
Grant’s voice filled the recording.
“They’re too fragile.”
“I’m not wasting my future on them.”
“You’d better start looking for a shelter.”
The video also captured his threat to Nurse Morales.
My company supplies half the monitoring equipment in this hospital.
You should be careful about choosing sides.
Within minutes, public sympathy shifted.
Reporters who had called him a desperate father began describing him as a corporate executive under investigation.
Halston Medical Supply’s website crashed.
Employees started contacting the company’s compliance hotline.
Former staff members posted stories about unpaid invoices, altered contracts, and suspicious shipments.
Grant had spent years building the appearance of success.
It took less than an hour for the foundation beneath it to crack.
My grandfather switched off the television in my room.
“You don’t need to watch the rest.”
“I need to know what he is doing.”
“You need to recover.”
“I can do both.”
He studied me.
“You always were stubborn.”
“You taught me.”
He could not argue with that.
Miriam entered carrying a stack of printed reports.
“We have a more serious problem.”
She placed the documents on the table.
“Three Beacon Crest hospitals received neonatal monitoring sensors from Halston Medical Supply last month.”
My attention sharpened immediately.
“What kind of problem?”
“The serial numbers do not match the manufacturer’s records.”
My grandfather stood.
“Counterfeit equipment?”
“We don’t know yet.”
Miriam looked toward the incubators.
“The sensors were included in shipments intended for pediatric and neonatal units.”
The room seemed to become colder.
“Are any being used here?” I asked.
Dr. Pierce answered from behind us.
“We are checking every device.”
She looked at Noah and Elise.
“The twins’ primary monitors came directly from the manufacturer.”
Relief came quickly but did not last.
Other children in the network might have been exposed.
My grandfather’s voice became hard.
“Recall every shipment connected to Halston Medical Supply.”
Miriam nodded.
“The clinical engineering teams have already started.”
I looked at the company logo printed at the top of the report.
I had designed that logo with Grant at our kitchen table.
At the time, I believed we were building something that would protect patients.
Grant might have turned it into something dangerous.
“Find out who approved those shipments,” I said.
My grandfather looked at me.
“You should leave the investigation to the board.”
“I founded the company.”
“You are also recovering from surgery.”
“And those devices may have entered hospitals because I trusted the wrong man.”
My voice shook, but I did not lower it.
“I will not look away again.”
For several seconds, my grandfather said nothing.
Then he pulled a chair toward the table.
“Very well.”
May you like
He opened the first report.
“We begin with the invoices.”
