Chapter 11 - A Doctor Who Never Examined Her
Dr. Halpern had never met Savannah.
That mattered.
Dana made it very clear.
"A doctor cannot ethically diagnose someone he's never examined based on stories from a relative. If Bernice represented otherwise, that's important."
Savannah searched her messages and found a photo Mom had once sent her of a typed note on medical letterhead.
It said Savannah displayed "concerning signs of emotional instability" and should be evaluated before assuming full care of an infant.
No signature.
No patient number.
No indication the doctor had ever examined her.
We sent it to Dana.
Then I did something I should have done months ago.
I sat beside Savannah and asked her to tell me everything, without interrupting.
For almost two hours, she did.
Mom criticized her weight during pregnancy.
Mom told her my first girlfriend would have made a better wife.
Mom moved family photos so Savannah was hidden behind other frames.
Mom repeatedly asked whether Savannah's mother had "mental problems" because Savannah cried after a difficult ultrasound appointment.
Mom once stood in our driveway for forty minutes after Savannah locked the door and refused to let her in.
"Why didn't you call me?" I asked softly.
"Because when I told you smaller things, you kept telling me she meant well."
There it was again.
The cost of my avoidance.
"I'm listening now," I said.
Savannah gave me a sad smile. "I need you to keep listening after this is over."
"I will."
That afternoon, Dana called Dr. Halpern's office with our permission to inquire about the letter.
An hour later, his attorney called back.
The letter was fake.
The office had never produced it.
The letterhead had been copied from a billing statement Bernice received as a patient.
Mom had manufactured medical-looking evidence against Savannah.
The detective added it to the case.
Then Reed Development's chief financial officer called me.
"Chris, we have a problem."
"What kind?"
"Your mother called an emergency board meeting for tomorrow morning."
"Why?"
He hesitated.
"She's asking the board to remove you as president for impaired judgment and personal instability."
I almost laughed at the irony.
Then he added, "And she says she has enough votes."
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For the first time, I understood Mom's full plan.
If she couldn't control my marriage from inside my house, she was going to take away the job that let me protect it.
