“It resembles a healed insertion site from a specialized sampling line.”
Matteo asked, “For what?”
Dr. Sloan hesitated.
“Among other things, repeated blood draws.”
Dominic leaned forward.
“Compatibility testing?”
Dr. Sloan looked at him sharply.
“Possibly.”
The room became still.
Matteo asked the question none of them wanted answered.
“Compatibility with whom?”
Dr. Sloan closed the file.
“That depends on what they were testing.”
Dominic turned the laptop toward her and showed her the procedure code.
Her face lost color.
“I haven’t seen this code used in years.”
“What is it?”
“It was part of an experimental maternal-fetal immune study.”
Liana stared.
Matteo’s eyes narrowed.
“Experimental?”
Dr. Sloan nodded reluctantly.
“There were legitimate research trials. Highly regulated. Consent required.”
“Was my wife enrolled?”
“No.”
“Was Liana’s child?”
Dr. Sloan checked.
“No.”
Matteo’s voice became quiet.
“Then why is the code in both files?”
No one answered.
A cold pressure built inside Liana’s chest.
“What exactly did the study do?”
Dr. Sloan spoke carefully.
“It investigated rare immune reactions between maternal antibodies and newborn blood markers. In most legitimate cases, the testing itself was not dangerous. But if someone was conducting unauthorized procedures or selecting infants based on compatibility…”
She stopped.
Matteo stepped closer.
“Finish the sentence.”
Dr. Sloan looked at him.
“They might have been using patients without consent.”
Liana shook her head.
“No.”
The word came out weak.
She looked at the photograph of her child clipped to the medical record.
Her son smiling.
Healthy.
Alive.
Then hospitalized.
Then gone.
She pushed herself away from the table.
