The doctor didn’t rush it. “There’s a foreign device inside your wife,” he said carefully. “Small. Embedded near her lower spine.” Ricky stared at him. “What do you mean… a device?” “It doesn’t belong there,” the doctor replied. “And it wasn’t placed during any procedure we performed.”
Silence filled the room. One of the officers stepped forward. “Has your wife been treated anywhere else recently? Another clinic? Specialist?” Ricky swallowed. “Yeah… we had a doctor. For the pregnancy. Someone a friend recommended.” “What clinic?” the officer asked. Ricky gave the name. The two officers exchanged a quick look. A nod.
“We’ll handle this,” one of them said, already turning toward the door. Ricky barely registered them leaving. “All that matters right now,” the doctor added, “is that we remove it safely.” Later, when Ricky finally saw Jolene, she looked exhausted—but awake. He sat beside her, gently taking her hand.
“It’s okay,” he said softly. “You’re okay.” Jolene looked at him, confused but relieved. Ricky forced a small smile. “We’ll talk about everything… when we get home.”