Chapter 9 - Serena Finally Admitted How Long It Had Been Happening
The answer to my question came during a recorded family-law interview.
Not at home.
Not emotionally.
With attorneys present.
“How long have you restricted Nora’s access to her breathing device?”
Serena initially said:
“I never restricted medically necessary use.”
Her attorney shifted.
My lawyer placed the camera stills on the table.
Serena changed her answer.
“Occasionally.”
“How long?”
“Months.”
“How many?”
“I don’t know.”
“Before Christmas?”
Pause.
“Yes.”
That meant at least four months.
Probably longer.
Then came the hardest question.
“Did Nora ever tell you she could not breathe when you withheld it?”
Serena’s face tightened.
“Yes.”
“And what did you do?”
“I told her to regulate her breathing first.”
“Without her prescribed device?”
“Yes.”
My stomach turned.
The interviewer asked:
“Why?”
Serena answered:
“Because I believed she was exaggerating.”
Not because a doctor told her.
Not because the device was dangerous.
Because she believed.
An adult’s belief had become more important than a child’s medical plan.
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That was the entire case in one sentence.
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