Chapter 7 - The notation on the hospital page
The paper from Marlene’s purse contained a line beneath Claire’s medication list:
Patient requests confidential social-work consultation without mother present.
Then:
Patient states mother is pressuring her regarding financial documents and child-care arrangements.
Then:
Patient requests removal of mother as authorized non-spousal contact for financial/discharge-planning discussions. Husband Ethan Cole remains primary contact.
I read it six times.
Claire had asked the hospital to exclude Marlene from certain discussions.
And Marlene knew.
Because beneath the typed notation was another entry:
Marlene Reeves advised of updated patient preference at 3:42 p.m.
Signed by a social worker.
Marlene had been told directly.
Yet for three years she told me:
May you like
“Claire wanted me handling everything.”
That was lie number one.
