One In a Million
by
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Frank Merril entered Birthing Room 6 carrying a small bouquet of flowers and another pink teddy bear for Jessica, though not as big as the one his father brought in. When he entered, he saw his wife gazing into space, not even aware of his presence. Her face was very pale and her hands were trembling. "Susan . . . Susan, are you all right?" he said, sitting down beside her. "Frank!" Susan jumped out of her trance. "Did you bring the pictures?" She grabbed hold of Frank's arms, "Did you bring the pictures you took yesterday?" "What's wrong with you, Susan? You look like you saw a ghost. Aren't you feeling well?" "Did you bring the damn pictures?" she asked in a threatening tone. "No. They lost them." Frank couldn't help but be concerned about the strange way Susan was acting. "What's wrong Susan? Is something wrong with Jessica?" he looked toward his daughter. "Who lost them?" Susan demanded, not letting go of Frank's arms. "The drug store where I took them in for developing. They said they’d run a trace on them and call me when they find them. Now, tell me what's wrong." Susan looked down. "Damn!" "What's wrong with you, Susan?" he yelled. "Frank. I don't think this is Jessica." Susan said frantically. " I think someone switched her. Frank, I . . . " "What the hell do you mean someone switched her!" He hurried to the crib and stared at whom he believed was Jessica. "That's our daughter right there." "I don't think so, Frank." Susan took hold of Jessica's right arm, "She had a birthmark there yesterday," Susan held up her own arm, "exactly like mine. Now it's gone." The look her husband gave her scared her. "Frank. I’m not crazy." Knots formed in Frank’s stomach. "I'm going to get the doctor. What you're saying sounds . . . it sounds ludicrous, Susan. Besides, I don't remember seeing a birthmark on her arm." "Maybe you didn't notice it during the birth, but . . . " "I held her after that too, Susan, and I don't recall seeing one." "That’s because the hospital ID band covered it up. I didn't see it either until last night." "Well that should tell you right there." He pointed to Jessica's arm, "Don't they have to match up the baby's ID band with the mother's ID band?" "Yes they do. The numbers match, but look." Susan put her banded arm next to Jessica's. "My name is different on hers." Frank didn’t notice the difference right away but then saw what Susan was talking about. "You know I don't ever use my middle name. When I was admitted yesterday morning and that man asked me if I had a middle name, I said no. I remember that." "But your full name must be on your medical records somewhere," Frank said, becoming increasingly frightened. He knows that Susan has never used her middle name before, at least since he met her.
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About the Book
Frank and Susan Merril’s long struggle to have a child of their own had finally paid off. But what had been their life long dream, quickly became their worst nightmare. The morning after the birth of her daughter, Jessica Ann, Susan began to convince herself that the child in her arms was not the child she gave birth to. Unable to convince her husband or the hospital staff of her concerns, she turned to the authorities. One man, FBI Agent Donald Hendricks, believed Susan and agreed to investigate the claim. But shortly thereafter, Susan passes away. Four months later, in a small town in Michigan, identical twin newborns burn to death in their hospital room. Sheriff Ernest Waters investigates, but the case is taken over by the FBI under the command of Agent Donald Hendricks. What follows is a trail of death and infant disappearances uncovered, not by Hendricks, but by Sheriff Waters, who then ends up running for his life. The novel will have the reader asking questions about recent medical and genetic breakthroughs that they might have otherwise considered uneventful.
About the Author
Paul
Iannucci is a Michigan businessman with many interests. Born in Detroit in
1961, he now resides in Dryden, a small community in the southeast portion of
the state, with his wife, Bev, and their two children, Daniel and Kristina.
When not writing, Paul is a residential builder and developer by trade. A few
of his major accomplishments include being awarded a United States Patent and,
most recently, surviving cancer. Paul
has pledged that a portion of the proceeds from the sale of this book will go
toward cancer research so that someday, “‘cancer
survivor’ will be more widely exclaimed”.