Chapter 2 - THE ARROGANT DOCTOR MOCKED THE WRONG NANNY
Before he could respond, the office door opened without warning.
A silver-haired man wearing an expensive navy suit stepped inside.
He carried a leather medical case and looked irritated by the sight of me.
"Vincent, we need to discuss Leo's latest results."
His eyes moved toward my suitcase.
"Who's this?"
"Claire Morgan, the new nanny candidate."
The man's mouth curved.
"Another babysitter?"
"Nanny," I corrected.
He gave a dismissive laugh.
"These children need serious medical expertise, not household staff playing detective."
"I agree that they need medical expertise."
That surprised him.
"Then we understand each other."
"Not exactly."
I closed the folder.
"How long have you been treating Lucas and Leo?"
His eyes narrowed.
"Eleven months."
"And have you identified the cause of their condition?"
The silence was immediate.
Vincent stopped turning the pages on his desk.
Dr. Blake straightened.
"Their case is exceptionally complicated."
"I'm sure it is."
"Then you should respect the limitations of your qualifications."
"I do, Doctor."
I met his eyes.
"My job is to notice things that may be useful to the people qualified to investigate them."
He smiled without warmth.
"Observations are not medical evidence."
"No, but sometimes they're the reason someone knows where to look for evidence."
Vincent slowly leaned back.
I could feel the doctor growing angrier.
"Vincent, bringing another untrained person into this situation will only confuse matters."
Vincent stood.
"She's hired."
Dr. Blake stared.
"You haven't even completed the interview."
"I've heard enough."
"These children aren't an experiment."
Vincent's expression hardened.
"Neither is my patience."
The doctor gathered his papers.
"I'll return this evening to review their treatment schedule."
He gave me one final condescending look before leaving.
When the door closed, Vincent turned toward me.
"You enjoy provoking people?"
"No."
I returned the folder.
"I simply don't confuse arrogance with expertise."
For a moment, something almost resembling amusement reached his tired eyes.
Then it disappeared.
"I want you to understand something before you meet my sons."
I waited.
"Every person who comes here promises they can help."
His fingers tightened around the back of his chair.
"Eventually, they leave with an apology, another theory, or another bill."
"I can't promise to cure them."
"Then what can you promise?"
"That I will pay attention, tell you what I see, and never pretend to know something I don't."
He studied me for several seconds.
"Come upstairs."
We walked through a sweeping staircase lined with framed family photographs.
In the earliest pictures, Vincent stood beside a beautiful dark-haired woman holding two laughing toddlers.
Isabella's smile appeared effortless.
Vincent noticed me looking.
"She loved photographing them."
"They look happy."
"They were."
His voice dropped.
"They still deserve to be."
The upper hallway was quieter than the rest of the house.
Thick cream carpeting softened our footsteps, and warm sunlight entered through tall windows overlooking the gardens.
At the far end stood two adjoining bedroom doors.
A small wooden sign decorated with painted stars hung outside the first.
LUCAS.
The second displayed a painted moon.
LEO.
Vincent knocked softly.
"Guys, we have someone to meet."
A small voice answered.
"Is it another doctor?"
"No, buddy."
He opened the door.
Lucas sat on the edge of a large bed wearing gray sweatpants and a blue sweater.
His dark hair was untidy, and his knees looked painfully thin beneath the fabric.
Beside him, Leo sat cross-legged with a book open on his lap.
The twins had identical faces, but their expressions immediately distinguished them.
Lucas watched me with suspicion.
Leo looked curious.
"Hi, boys."
I crouched so we were at eye level.
"I'm Claire."
Lucas folded his arms.
"Are you going to make us drink disgusting medicine?"
"Not unless a doctor has prescribed it and it's my job to help you take it."
Leo closed his book.
"Are you going to make us do exercises?"
"Sometimes, if they're part of your care plan."
Lucas sighed dramatically.
"Everybody always wants us to do something."
I smiled.
"Then maybe today we can start by doing absolutely nothing for a few minutes."
Leo laughed quietly.
Lucas tried not to smile.
Vincent stood by the door, watching as though he had forgotten what ordinary conversation with his children sounded like.
I asked about their favorite games.
Lucas loved racing cars, while Leo preferred puzzles and stories about astronauts.
They used to build enormous cardboard spaceships together.
Now, Leo explained, carrying the cardboard boxes was difficult.
"We still have the spaceship," Lucas said.
"It's in the playroom."
"Maybe you can show me someday."
He looked at the floor.
"Maybe when my legs stop being stupid."
My chest tightened.
"Your legs aren't stupid."
"They don't work right."
"That doesn't make them stupid."
For the first time, he looked directly at me.
"You really think so?"
"I know so."
Leo reached beneath his pillow and pulled out a small photograph.
It showed Isabella holding both boys in a garden.
"That's Mommy."
"She's beautiful."
"She liked flowers."
I nodded.
"What kind?"
"White ones."
Lucas pointed toward the window.
May you like
"Daddy planted lots of them after she died."
Vincent looked away.
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