Nobody moved.

The second bassinet wheel rolled another inch into view.

The mother held the newborn tighter.

The nurse stepped backward.

“No…”

The father turned toward her.

“You knew?”

Her lips trembled.

“I knew something was wrong.”

From inside the room, the unseen baby cried again.

The mother’s eyes filled with panic.

“My baby is in there?”

The nurse shook her head.

“I don’t know.”

The father grabbed the door.

But before he could pull it open, the nurse caught his wrist.

“Wait.”

He looked at her like he might explode.

“Why?”

She pointed at the ankle band on the baby his wife was holding.

“There’s another number.”

The mother looked down.

Hidden beneath the folded plastic band was a second identification strip.

The father leaned closer.

His face went pale.

“What does it say?”

The nurse didn’t answer.

The mother slowly read it herself.

Then her entire body went still.

The newborn crying inside the room suddenly stopped.

A voice came softly from behind the half-open door.

“Give me back my baby.”

The mother looked at the nurse in horror.

The nurse whispered,

“That’s the woman who arrived here without being admitted.”