Adam rolled over and fumbled for the phone. “Who is this, and why are you calling in the middle of the night?”
“Adam,” his mother cried into the phone. The sound of her tear-filled voice had him on instant alert. “Mom, what’s wrong? Why are you crying?”
“It’s Gail. We took the kids to the movies, and as we were walking to the car, someone hit her in the parking lot. Gail pushed Bobby out of the way, and the car ran into her. We are at the University of Pennsylvania Hospital. Hurry home Adam.”
Looking over to see the other side of the bed empty, he called out for his wife. “Lydia, where are you?”
Running into the room, Lydia stopped in mid-step when she saw the look on Adam’s face. “What is it? What’s wrong?”
“It’s Gail. A car hit her. Hurry up and get dressed.”
The drive home took longer than anticipated due to a bus accident on the expressway. Adam used this time to call the hospital. “David, how is my daughter?”
“She’s unconscious Adam. Her injuries are severe. I am prepping her for surgery to repair her broken leg. She has multiple contusions and two fractured ribs. I have the blood bank on alert. Gail has a rare blood type, and I want to be prepared.”
“What? That’s not possible! Her blood type is O Positive.”
“Her birth certificate has O Positive; however, when I ran Gail’s blood work to prep her for surgery, her blood type is AB Negative. I also checked your records as well as Lydia’s. Both of you have Type O. I ran the test three times. I think you know what I’m saying, Adam.”
“Check it again, David. Make sure you are correct before you operate. Do you understand what I am asking?”
“Yes, I know and I wish I were wrong. I’ll run it one more time.”
Adam pulled onto the side of the road as nausea gripped him with such force; it robbed him of the ability to speak. Lydia only heard part of the conversation, and she knew Adam was upset. Why were they talking about blood types? Her heart thumped in her chest. “Adam, what’s wrong? You look like you are going to be sick.”
Adam shook uncontrollably as the tears flowed down his face. “David ran Gail’s blood work. Her blood type is AB Negative. We both have Type O blood. Do you know what this means Lydia?”
“Adam, you are scaring me. What does it mean? I’m not a doctor.”
Adam shook his head in disbelief. “It means that we are not Gail’s biological parents. It means that there may have been a mix-up at the hospital. It means; were you unfaithful to me Lydia?”
The implications of such a question hit her like a sledgehammer. “I understand the need to ask me this question; however, it hurts more than I can say that you would think I could ever have an affair. There has to be another explanation.”
Remorse consumed him, and he felt physically ill. “Honey, I’m sorry I hurt you. I don’t understand how this could have happened. We need to see Gail before her surgery, and we will figure out the rest of it later. Gail needs us.”
A state patrol car pulled up behind them. “Sir, may I see your license and registration?”
When Adam showed him his identification, he told the officer, “Our daughter is in the hospital. I felt ill and pulled over to the side of the road.”
“What hospital?” the officer said kindly.
“University of Pennsylvania Hospital, Philadelphia.” The officer was kind enough to give him a police escort to the state line. Adam focused on his driving and remained quiet. Lydia tried speaking to him several times, but he ignored her. Adam snapped out of his stupor once they arrived at the hospital. His parents and Bobby were still sitting in the waiting room. When Margaret saw her son, she ran to him. “Thank God you’re here. They won’t let us see Gail.”
“Wait here for a minute. I need to find out what’s going on.”
When Adam returned to the waiting room, the look on his face confirmed Lydia’s worse fear. Walking over to her, Adam reached for her hand and practically broke her fingers. The tension radiating down his arm was palpable. She followed her husband into the ER. The familiar sounds of clicking and beeping bombarded him as they walked towards the nurse’s station. Adam lived in the ER, and for the first time, the sounds and smells made him sick. “My daughter Gail Brady was admitted a few hours ago. I want you to add my parents, Colin and Margaret Brady, and son Robert to the visitor’s list.”
Adam took several deep breaths as he approached Gail’s room. The curtains were open, which gave the doctor’s and nurse’s the ability to see into her room. The sight of her broken body made Adam ill. Lydia choked back a sob as she entered her room. A quick scan of the monitors showed Gail’s blood pressure and pulse are slightly elevated. Her skin felt clammy and warm. She had two IV’s in her arm. Her leg was in a temporary cast, and her ribs taped. Looking over the bed to his wife, Adam once again felt the tears flow down his face. Lydia lowered her head and kissed her daughter’s hand. Whispering, she said, “Gail honey, mommy, and daddy are here.”
Adam felt the reassuring touch of his mother’s hands on his shoulders. “Whatever is wrong, we will help our little angel.”
Leaning in to kiss her forehead, he whispered, “Mommy, gran, gramps and Bobby are here sweetheart, and everything will be ok. We all love you so much and will be waiting here for you when you wake up.”
Father Mallard volunteered at the hospital twice a week and I want to continue the visitation. It would be an excellent opportunity to reach out to some of my parishioners. Sunday afternoon would be my first visitation, and honestly, I embrace the opportunity of helping those less fortunate. Father Mallard and I discussed his routine, and he gave me a notebook with patient names and room numbers. Visiting with the waiting family members will be my first stop. It startles me when I see my entire family in the emergency waiting room. “What’s happened? Why are all of you here?”
I stand next to my mother while Adam fills me in on what has happened to Gail. When Adam tells me what room she is in, I ask everyone, “Come with me, please.” My heart aches as I look down at my beautiful niece. She looks fragile, and honestly, like a little girl. It’s hard seeing anyone injured, but it is especially difficult when it is a family member. We may not be close, but she is still my brother’s child. I stand next to Gail’s bed and anoint her with holy water. With a trembling hand, I gently run my hand over the top of her head. I recite the prayer for the sick, anoint my niece with holy water and bent down to kiss Gail’s forehead.
A few minutes later, a nurse approached Adam. “We do not have enough AB Negative on reserve. We have contacted HUP requesting five pints of whole blood. We need at least two pints of whole blood before we can operate.”
The look on Adams' face concerns me. He glances at Lydia and leaves the room. I look over to Lydia and she is crying. It troubles me seeing her upset and I offer my assistance. I turn to the nurse and say, “I am AB Negative.. I would be more than happy to donate blood for my niece.”
“Thank you, Father Brady. As soon as we run a cross-match, we can operate on Gail. The remaining reserve should be here within the next two hour. The cross-match should only take ten minutes. We have a machine that speeds up the process. If you would please follow me, I will take care of you.”
I follow the nurse to an empty room and sit on the gurney. The nurse follows me into the room.
“If you would lie down Father, I will start the IV. If you feel dizzy or nauseous, please tell me.” She places a stress ball in my hand. “Squeeze this while you are hooked up to the IV. It will help to speed up the donation. There is juice on the table should you feel thirsty.”
I lie on the gurney as the nurse hovers over me. The process does not take long, and my mind is focusing on the ball in my hand. Thirty minutes later, the nurse has collected two pints of blood. It makes me a little sick seeing my blood in a bag. A few crackers and grape juice take away nausea.
Thirty minutes later, David asked to speak to Adam. “I don’t know how to say this Adam. We ran the neces
sary donor tests on Father Brady’s blood. Adam, as you know, the machine that we use is foolproof. Gail and Father Brady’s blood is an exact match. Based on this, John Brady is Gail’s father.”
All of the color left Adam’s face, and he crashed to the floor. The agonizing sobs that ripped through him felt like fire. His wife had sex with his brother. His wife was unfaithful, and the love that he felt for her died. He felt hollow as if his life force suddenly left him.
“Adam, are you ok?” The concern in David’s voice brought Adam back to the present.
“No, I’ll never be ok.”
The hours passed slowly, which gave Adam a lot of time to think back. He furiously tried to remember anything that would have passed for infidelity, but there were too many gaps in his memory. Being a resident in training sucked up all of his time. He continued to watch Lydia out of the corner of his eye. Her face was flaming red, which was a sure sign that she was upset.
Walking over to his mother, Adam sat down and rested his head on her shoulder. The simple gesture brought back many memories. He reached out to hold her hand. He felt like a little child running to Mommy when he had a problem. Now he needed the comfort of his mother’s hand holding his.
Straightening in his chair, he once again looked at Lydia. She had fallen asleep leaning against his father. Several minutes later, he went up to his office. Still reeling from the shock, Adam went to his file cabinet and retrieved Gail’s medical records. How had he missed this all of these years?
Slowly, he looked through her file. The birth certificate clearly showed Gail’s blood type as O Positive, which is obviously incorrect. How could the hospital make such a huge mistake? Both he and Gail were Type O. Upon further investigation; Adam came across old test results dating back several years when Gail had her tonsils removed. Scrolling down the report, and to his horror, AB Negative glared back at him. How did I miss this?
I am not Gail’s father. A myriad of emotions ripped through him. Oh, God, she is not my baby girl! Adam covered his face with his hands and cried a river of tears. In one awful night, he lost his daughter. Turning his chair towards the window, he shut off the light and closed his eyes.
When he never returned to the waiting room, Lydia sent him a text message. His phone vibrated against the glass top of his desk. Adam looked over to see that Lydia sent him a text message
Where are you?
I’m in my office.
Why? What has happened? Is it Gail?
Gail is still in surgery. I am reviewing her medical record. Can you come up now? I need to speak to you.
Ok, I’ll be there in a few minutes.
Lydia sat next to her father-in-law and tried to maintain a modicum of control as she read Adam’s message. Taking a deep breath, she turned to Colin and said, “Adam is in his office. I am going up there for a few minutes. Call me if the doctor has any news about Gail. I’ll be back in a few minutes.”
Lydia walked into Adam’s office feeling a sense of dread. The room was dark, and Adam sat facing the window. He did not turn around to look at her when she turned on the light. Taking a few steps closer to the desk, Adam said, “What are we going to do Lydia? I just went through her entire medical record. Based on the information I have now, Gail is not my daughter. We need a DNA test to confirm your paternity.”
“You still don’t believe I was faithful do you? Why else would you want a paternity test? You said the blood type confirms that Gail is not our daughter. You don’t believe me, do you?”
“I want to believe you, but I find it impossible to comprehend that this hospital would make a mistake and switch babies. It is not possible, so, that leaves only one other conclusion. If you don't tell me the truth, then I will have to discover it some other way.”
In all of their years of marriage, this is the first time Adam truly hurt her. “Well, if you won’t believe I am telling you the truth, I guess there’s nothing else I can say. Run all the tests you feel necessary, but just remember Adam, I am not lying to you.”
Lydia rose from her seat and left Adam’s office. Once outside his door, she leaned against the wall and cried. Adam heard her crying but remained behind his desk. He wanted to believe his wife; he did, but being a doctor, he knew the hospital could not have made this horrible mistake. Adam picked up his phone and called his father.
“Dad, can you and Mom come up to my office? I have a problem.”
“What’s wrong Adam? Is it Gail?”
Choking back the tears, he said, “I can’t discuss it on the phone. Please, Dad, I need you and Mom.”
Concerned, Colin turned to his wife. “Something is wrong with Adam. He wants us in his office. I think he was crying.”
Fear gripped Margaret. “Is it Gail?”
“I don’t know. He won’t discuss it on the phone.”
They found Lydia sitting on the floor outside Adam’s office. Colin bent down and helped her to stand. “Why are you crying?”
Lydia lowered her head and stared at the floor. “We’ve just discovered inconsistencies in Gail’s medical records. I don’t know how to say this. Her blood type does not match ours. Gail’s blood type is AB Negative." Lydia followed them into Adam’s office. Still seated behind his desk, he looked surprised when she followed his parents into the room.
Colin spoke first. “We asked Lydia to come with us. It’s obvious to us that something is terribly wrong. Is it Gail?”
Adam looked down at the folder in front of him. “Indirectly, it is about Gail.” He focused his stare on Lydia. “I gave you the opportunity to tell me the truth.” He held the folder in his hand. “This folder contains Gail’s DNA test. While it is a preliminary test, the markers do not lie. Gail is not my biological daughter. I’m asking you again, Lydia, were you unfaithful to me?”
Once again, Lydia told him the truth. “I was never unfaithful to you. I don’t know how many times I have to say it. There must be another explanation.”
“There isn’t Lydia!” Adam screamed as he slammed his hand on the desk. “I have the fucking proof in my hand! My brother is Gail’s father! The genetic markers already found match his blood. Why would you lie to me?”
Lydia blinked several times as she tried to absorb this information. Colin and Margaret looked at each other, and at that moment, the pieces of the puzzle fit together perfectly. “Oh my God Colin, it was Lydia.”
Colin sat dumbfounded. His mind raced with the implications of this discovery. Lost in thought, he did not hear Adam. “Dad, what the hell is going on?”
“Before I say anything, we want the two of you to know we love you very much. What I am about to tell you will affect the entire family, especially Gail. What you choose to do with this information is up to you. Adam, do you remember the events surrounding your twenty-eighth birthday?”
“How am I supposed to remember what happened almost twenty years ago? What does this have to do with Gail?”
Sighing, Colin continued. “John wrote a letter to your mother and me, informing us that he was entering the priesthood. Maggie was furious because he did not discuss this with us before making such an important decision. John was resolute in his decision and confessed in his letter that he...he...drugged a young woman to make her an unwilling sexual partner. He was in love with her, and when she married someone else, he became obsessed with her.”
“He drugged her wine, and when she was unable to defend herself, he had sex with her.” Looking at Lydia, he said, “I am sorry Lydia. He never mentioned the girls name in the letter. We went to the police and reported the crime, but the detective told me he needed a name before he could issue an arrest warrant. We gave the cops John’s picture, and we never heard from them. We searched for him for several weeks, and we could not find him. Eventually, we gave up the search.”
Adam’s entire body stiffened, as the anger crept up his back. He reached out to hold Lydia’s hand and felt her shaking. A sob erupted from her, and she leaned against Adam. “How could he do this to me? We wer
e friends, and I thought he respected me. I told him I could not return his feelings. I told him I loved you, Adam. How could he rape me?”
“Oh God, please tell me this cannot be happening. Adam, I have been reliving this in my dreams. It is always the same dream. Someone is holding me down, forcing himself on me, but I can never see his face. It was John. It was John.” Covering her mouth with her hand, Lydia ran to the bathroom and became violently ill.
Adam glared at his parents. “How could you keep this a secret?”
Colin became frustrated. “We reported the crime. What else were we supposed to do? I wasn’t about to advertise that our son raped someone.”
“Did it ever occur to you that we, as a family, had the right to know he committed a crime?”
“At the time, no, I did not want to share this with anyone.”
“Do you still have the letter?”
Colin hesitated before answering. “Yes, I still have a copy of the letter.”
Adam shoved his hands into his pockets to stop them from shaking. “I want the letter in my hand before the end of the day.”
“Why do you want the letter?”
“I don’t have to explain myself to you or anyone else. I want the fucking letter!”
Margaret covered her face with her hands and cried. “Give him the letter Colin. Adam, you must understand that without a name, we had no proof. John left home and we searched for him for many weeks. He disappeared. We never knew until today that John is Gail’s father. How could we have possibly known?”
Adam gritted his teeth. “The fact that you kept this to yourself for nineteen goddam years sickens me. How do you think my wife feels knowing my brother raped her? The truth will scar her for the remainder of her life. You should have told us the truth when it first happened. She may have remembered, and we could have taken the information to the police. Get out now before I lose my temper. I have to take care of my wife.” Adam went into the bathroom and closed the door.
The Confession Page 4