1 00:00:05,280 --> 00:00:09,160 Speaker 1: I went down to DC thinking that I was making 2 00:00:09,240 --> 00:00:15,120 Speaker 1: a parenting plan, and I came back with business cards 3 00:00:15,120 --> 00:00:21,400 Speaker 1: for investigators and victims assistance phone numbers in my luggage, 4 00:00:22,360 --> 00:00:25,200 Speaker 1: doubting who I knew for the last five years. 5 00:00:40,520 --> 00:00:43,760 Speaker 2: I'm Andrea Gunning, and this is Betrayal, a show about 6 00:00:43,760 --> 00:00:46,919 Speaker 2: the people we trust the most and the deceptions that 7 00:00:47,080 --> 00:00:53,680 Speaker 2: change everything. Betrayal Weekly is officially back for season two. 8 00:00:53,840 --> 00:00:56,160 Speaker 2: Whether you've been with us from the beginning or you're 9 00:00:56,280 --> 00:01:00,400 Speaker 2: just tuning in, welcome this season. We're bringing you some 10 00:01:00,440 --> 00:01:05,920 Speaker 2: of our most riveting, emotional, and unforgettable stories yet, starting 11 00:01:06,080 --> 00:01:09,480 Speaker 2: with this one. 12 00:01:09,720 --> 00:01:17,360 Speaker 1: So I had been married for eleven years. It was 13 00:01:17,480 --> 00:01:21,000 Speaker 1: very shocking to me what little independence I had so 14 00:01:21,600 --> 00:01:26,319 Speaker 1: easily fallen into. And I didn't want to be like that. 15 00:01:26,319 --> 00:01:30,199 Speaker 2: That's Brook Fisk. She's an ICU nurse from upstate New York. 16 00:01:30,840 --> 00:01:34,280 Speaker 2: When she was thirty two, she divorced her first husband 17 00:01:34,760 --> 00:01:35,559 Speaker 2: and started over. 18 00:01:36,120 --> 00:01:40,160 Speaker 1: The first couple of months were scary and lonely. You know. 19 00:01:40,240 --> 00:01:42,399 Speaker 1: I would come home from work and the house would 20 00:01:42,400 --> 00:01:44,400 Speaker 1: be empty because the kids would be at their dads 21 00:01:45,160 --> 00:01:48,360 Speaker 1: and it would be quiet, and I would sit down 22 00:01:48,360 --> 00:01:50,320 Speaker 1: in the kitchen and look around and not know what 23 00:01:50,360 --> 00:01:51,360 Speaker 1: to do with myself. 24 00:01:52,480 --> 00:01:55,920 Speaker 2: Brooke was a newly single mother of two, sharing custody 25 00:01:55,960 --> 00:02:00,520 Speaker 2: with her ex. This transition made her painfully aware of 26 00:02:00,560 --> 00:02:04,160 Speaker 2: how much she sacrificed in her marriage. She wanted to 27 00:02:04,160 --> 00:02:06,280 Speaker 2: rebuild a life where she was in control. 28 00:02:07,400 --> 00:02:12,600 Speaker 1: So when I got divorced, really my focus for that 29 00:02:12,680 --> 00:02:17,560 Speaker 1: first year was to become independent and maintain my independence, 30 00:02:18,720 --> 00:02:19,960 Speaker 1: and I really thrived at that. 31 00:02:21,880 --> 00:02:24,280 Speaker 2: She bought a small house and fixed it up on 32 00:02:24,320 --> 00:02:24,680 Speaker 2: her own. 33 00:02:25,880 --> 00:02:29,120 Speaker 1: I would watch YouTube videos on how to fix things 34 00:02:29,200 --> 00:02:33,160 Speaker 1: and how to maintain things, and it was very empowering 35 00:02:33,280 --> 00:02:34,960 Speaker 1: figuring out how to do that stuff. 36 00:02:35,919 --> 00:02:39,760 Speaker 2: When she started dating again, she was careful her kids 37 00:02:39,840 --> 00:02:42,440 Speaker 2: had already been through enough change. 38 00:02:42,680 --> 00:02:45,760 Speaker 1: I was on dating apps and I would meet people 39 00:02:45,800 --> 00:02:48,560 Speaker 1: and go on dates and have a lot of fun 40 00:02:48,600 --> 00:02:52,079 Speaker 1: with that. But whenever it got to the point of 41 00:02:52,160 --> 00:02:56,960 Speaker 1: somebody wanting to get serious, I think that it would 42 00:02:56,960 --> 00:02:59,359 Speaker 1: scare me and I would back right off. 43 00:03:00,760 --> 00:03:04,040 Speaker 2: She didn't want a boyfriend, and she definitely didn't want 44 00:03:04,080 --> 00:03:07,160 Speaker 2: to get married again. If she was looking for anything, 45 00:03:07,520 --> 00:03:10,120 Speaker 2: it was just someone to go on dates with. Her 46 00:03:10,160 --> 00:03:12,960 Speaker 2: life was busy enough with her two kids and a 47 00:03:13,000 --> 00:03:14,560 Speaker 2: demanding job in the ICU. 48 00:03:16,120 --> 00:03:22,640 Speaker 1: I worked nights and it was an incredible experience. I 49 00:03:22,680 --> 00:03:27,600 Speaker 1: loved working in the ICU. I loved being able to 50 00:03:27,960 --> 00:03:29,919 Speaker 1: really impact people's lives. 51 00:03:30,960 --> 00:03:33,040 Speaker 2: That's where she met a medical resident. 52 00:03:34,120 --> 00:03:38,080 Speaker 1: So his full name was Secunder am Ron, but I 53 00:03:38,120 --> 00:03:40,560 Speaker 1: called him Sick. A lot of his friends called him Sick. 54 00:03:41,360 --> 00:03:43,920 Speaker 2: One day, she was called into a room with Sick 55 00:03:44,120 --> 00:03:45,240 Speaker 2: and another doctor. 56 00:03:46,080 --> 00:03:50,040 Speaker 1: They were talking about the patient's heart rate and he said, well, 57 00:03:51,600 --> 00:03:54,440 Speaker 1: his heart rates up now, it must be because this 58 00:03:54,600 --> 00:03:55,800 Speaker 1: nurse is in his room. 59 00:03:56,840 --> 00:04:00,240 Speaker 2: He was talking about Brooke. He shot Brooke a small le. 60 00:04:01,000 --> 00:04:05,960 Speaker 1: Which was funny and flirtatious and maybe a little inappropriate 61 00:04:06,000 --> 00:04:09,600 Speaker 1: at the time, but yeah, that was the first time 62 00:04:09,640 --> 00:04:10,680 Speaker 1: I remember meeting him. 63 00:04:12,800 --> 00:04:15,080 Speaker 2: A few weeks later, Brooke was working the night shift 64 00:04:15,080 --> 00:04:17,640 Speaker 2: with Sick when he asked her to help with the patient, 65 00:04:18,320 --> 00:04:21,560 Speaker 2: and once the patient fell asleep, Brooke and Sick got 66 00:04:21,600 --> 00:04:22,120 Speaker 2: to chatting. 67 00:04:23,560 --> 00:04:28,200 Speaker 1: At the end of our conversation, he asked me if 68 00:04:28,240 --> 00:04:31,040 Speaker 1: I would like to go out with him, and I 69 00:04:31,200 --> 00:04:37,080 Speaker 1: said that I don't date doctors. He said ever, and 70 00:04:37,120 --> 00:04:39,800 Speaker 1: I said, no, I don't date doctors. I have a 71 00:04:39,880 --> 00:04:44,159 Speaker 1: rule against it. And he said, well, let me know 72 00:04:44,200 --> 00:04:47,680 Speaker 1: if you change your mind. And after he left the room, 73 00:04:48,240 --> 00:04:52,960 Speaker 1: the patient, who I thought was sleeping, opened her eyes 74 00:04:53,000 --> 00:04:55,160 Speaker 1: and she pointed at me. She had a trike so 75 00:04:55,200 --> 00:04:58,520 Speaker 1: she couldn't talk, but she mouthed the words that man 76 00:04:58,600 --> 00:05:01,560 Speaker 1: is for you. And I laughed and I said, no, 77 00:05:01,680 --> 00:05:04,680 Speaker 1: he's not, and she said, yes he is. 78 00:05:06,800 --> 00:05:10,400 Speaker 2: Brooke didn't like the stereotype about doctors and nurses hooking. 79 00:05:10,240 --> 00:05:12,720 Speaker 1: Up, you know, the nurse and the doctors sneak off 80 00:05:12,760 --> 00:05:17,599 Speaker 1: into a supply closet, because that's what's depicted on Gray's anatomy. 81 00:05:18,600 --> 00:05:22,400 Speaker 2: That's why she had the rule no dating doctors. But 82 00:05:22,480 --> 00:05:25,680 Speaker 2: after a few weeks of flirtation, he won her over. 83 00:05:26,440 --> 00:05:29,440 Speaker 2: She took his number and decided that just this once, 84 00:05:30,120 --> 00:05:34,240 Speaker 2: she could break her rule. They started with an ice 85 00:05:34,240 --> 00:05:37,839 Speaker 2: cream date, then long walks and dinners at his apartment. 86 00:05:38,640 --> 00:05:43,120 Speaker 1: We really developed kind of a friendship first kind of relationship, 87 00:05:43,240 --> 00:05:46,680 Speaker 1: so we would spend a lot of time watching movies, 88 00:05:46,839 --> 00:05:51,679 Speaker 1: going to movies. I taught him how to cook rice 89 00:05:51,880 --> 00:05:56,440 Speaker 1: American style. I don't think either of us realized at 90 00:05:56,480 --> 00:05:59,400 Speaker 1: the time how much closer we were getting while we 91 00:05:59,400 --> 00:06:07,120 Speaker 1: were doing those casual things. So that fall we went 92 00:06:07,160 --> 00:06:12,240 Speaker 1: out a couple of times and we started talking about, 93 00:06:12,400 --> 00:06:16,279 Speaker 1: you know, where he came from, what my background was, 94 00:06:17,440 --> 00:06:22,120 Speaker 1: and I knew that he had come for residency from Pakistan. 95 00:06:23,040 --> 00:06:25,880 Speaker 2: He came from a family of doctors. In fact, his 96 00:06:25,960 --> 00:06:29,719 Speaker 2: dad had owned a hospital in Pakistan. Like his older brother, 97 00:06:29,960 --> 00:06:33,280 Speaker 2: Sick wanted to stay in the US and practice medicine here. 98 00:06:34,000 --> 00:06:38,799 Speaker 1: Where he grew up. Men and women didn't do public 99 00:06:38,800 --> 00:06:43,040 Speaker 1: displays of affection. And I remember the first time that 100 00:06:43,080 --> 00:06:46,359 Speaker 1: he held my hand in public. He was so awkward 101 00:06:46,440 --> 00:06:51,400 Speaker 1: about it, and I was like, what are you doing? 102 00:06:51,720 --> 00:06:54,840 Speaker 1: Are you holding my hand in public? You know, kind 103 00:06:54,880 --> 00:06:57,760 Speaker 1: of joking with him, and he was like, yeah, I am, 104 00:06:58,160 --> 00:06:59,840 Speaker 1: but he was so nervous about it. 105 00:07:00,640 --> 00:07:03,960 Speaker 2: There was a real connection between them, but that didn't 106 00:07:04,040 --> 00:07:06,200 Speaker 2: change Brooke's feelings about commitment. 107 00:07:07,320 --> 00:07:10,000 Speaker 1: I was honest with him that I really wasn't looking 108 00:07:10,120 --> 00:07:14,240 Speaker 1: for any kind of a relationship. That I have kids 109 00:07:14,280 --> 00:07:17,680 Speaker 1: at home and they're my first priority. He knew that 110 00:07:17,800 --> 00:07:20,200 Speaker 1: I would only go out with him when my kids 111 00:07:20,240 --> 00:07:23,960 Speaker 1: were with their dad, and he was accepting of that. 112 00:07:24,920 --> 00:07:28,240 Speaker 1: He also said that he wasn't looking to get into 113 00:07:28,280 --> 00:07:30,200 Speaker 1: a relationship or get married either. 114 00:07:31,320 --> 00:07:35,680 Speaker 2: Regardless of what he said, Brooke could tell he was trying. 115 00:07:36,480 --> 00:07:41,360 Speaker 1: He would always pay attention and notice details. He would 116 00:07:41,400 --> 00:07:45,480 Speaker 1: notice how I took my coffee and make an effort 117 00:07:45,560 --> 00:07:49,480 Speaker 1: to prepare it for me that way. He knew which 118 00:07:49,720 --> 00:07:55,040 Speaker 1: ice cream flavors I liked, at which dessert restaurants. He 119 00:07:55,160 --> 00:07:59,200 Speaker 1: was logical and thoughtful and funny and caring. 120 00:08:00,480 --> 00:08:03,560 Speaker 2: After six months of dating, they realized that what was 121 00:08:03,600 --> 00:08:06,320 Speaker 2: happening here was more than just a casual fling. 122 00:08:07,520 --> 00:08:13,800 Speaker 1: It was probably late the next spring that he looked 123 00:08:13,800 --> 00:08:18,120 Speaker 1: at me and he said, do you consider me your boyfriend? 124 00:08:20,080 --> 00:08:26,320 Speaker 1: And I hadn't even thought about it, and I said, well, yeah, 125 00:08:26,360 --> 00:08:28,640 Speaker 1: I guess I do. Is that okay? 126 00:08:29,920 --> 00:08:35,319 Speaker 2: It was definitely okay with him. Once they became official, 127 00:08:35,480 --> 00:08:37,000 Speaker 2: they kept things quiet at work. 128 00:08:38,040 --> 00:08:43,320 Speaker 1: A lot of our coworkers knew that we were together, 129 00:08:43,880 --> 00:08:45,920 Speaker 1: but it was just kind of a thing that nobody 130 00:08:45,960 --> 00:08:49,600 Speaker 1: really talked about. Occasionally someone would say, oh, I saw 131 00:08:49,679 --> 00:08:53,880 Speaker 1: your boyfriend, but I would say, oh, do you mean 132 00:08:53,960 --> 00:08:55,360 Speaker 1: doctor Imron. 133 00:08:55,280 --> 00:09:01,080 Speaker 2: You know, outside the hospital. They built a rhythm. When 134 00:09:01,080 --> 00:09:03,839 Speaker 2: Brooks kids were with their dad, she and Sick planned 135 00:09:03,920 --> 00:09:06,160 Speaker 2: romantic dinners and weekend getaways. 136 00:09:07,000 --> 00:09:11,040 Speaker 1: We loved to go on trips. What we really liked 137 00:09:11,080 --> 00:09:16,000 Speaker 1: to do is go to vacation spots and find the 138 00:09:16,040 --> 00:09:17,760 Speaker 1: foods that they were famous for. 139 00:09:19,000 --> 00:09:22,560 Speaker 2: It started with an impromptu road trip to Chicago. Sick 140 00:09:22,640 --> 00:09:25,400 Speaker 2: drove with Brooke asleep in the passenger seat. 141 00:09:26,160 --> 00:09:28,400 Speaker 1: And I remember him waking me up as we were 142 00:09:28,520 --> 00:09:33,599 Speaker 1: kind of driving into Chicago. It was nighttime and Chicago 143 00:09:33,920 --> 00:09:37,680 Speaker 1: was let up. A lot of the buildings had purple 144 00:09:37,760 --> 00:09:41,080 Speaker 1: lights on them for some reason. And he woke me 145 00:09:41,160 --> 00:09:44,120 Speaker 1: up and he said, look, I called Chicago and had 146 00:09:44,120 --> 00:09:47,480 Speaker 1: them light the buildings up purple for you, because he 147 00:09:47,520 --> 00:09:48,679 Speaker 1: knew that I liked purple. 148 00:09:49,679 --> 00:09:53,160 Speaker 2: That weekend, they didn't have a plan. They just explored 149 00:09:53,200 --> 00:09:54,280 Speaker 2: their way through the city. 150 00:09:55,360 --> 00:10:00,960 Speaker 1: We found this really awesome restaurant that had Kastani food 151 00:10:01,120 --> 00:10:03,920 Speaker 1: and they were open all night. We went there at 152 00:10:03,960 --> 00:10:06,880 Speaker 1: like one o'clock in the morning, in this hole in 153 00:10:06,920 --> 00:10:11,240 Speaker 1: the wall restaurant, and it was the most amazing food. 154 00:10:12,760 --> 00:10:14,600 Speaker 2: Next they went to New Orleans. 155 00:10:15,960 --> 00:10:22,160 Speaker 1: Even though I donate me, we ate alligator, it was 156 00:10:22,200 --> 00:10:22,720 Speaker 1: pretty good. 157 00:10:25,920 --> 00:10:28,760 Speaker 2: Back home in New York, they weren't living together, but 158 00:10:28,800 --> 00:10:31,959 Speaker 2: they were in each other's lives in real, tangible ways. 159 00:10:32,840 --> 00:10:35,800 Speaker 2: About two years into dating, Sick came to her with 160 00:10:35,840 --> 00:10:36,600 Speaker 2: a proposition. 161 00:10:37,480 --> 00:10:40,760 Speaker 1: He moved out of his apartment and into a townhouse, 162 00:10:41,880 --> 00:10:44,720 Speaker 1: and he had said at one point that he thought 163 00:10:44,760 --> 00:10:47,120 Speaker 1: that I would come and live with him, and I said, 164 00:10:47,800 --> 00:10:50,880 Speaker 1: I can't come live with you. I have kids, and 165 00:10:50,920 --> 00:10:52,760 Speaker 1: he said, well, you can just stay here when your 166 00:10:52,800 --> 00:10:56,400 Speaker 1: kids aren't home, and I said that's fine. And at 167 00:10:56,400 --> 00:10:59,720 Speaker 1: that point we had a conversation about how we really 168 00:11:01,040 --> 00:11:04,720 Speaker 1: liked the life we had together, and we liked being 169 00:11:04,800 --> 00:11:09,120 Speaker 1: together when we could be together, but that neither of 170 00:11:09,200 --> 00:11:14,079 Speaker 1: us were really passionate about wanting to get married. 171 00:11:14,200 --> 00:11:18,400 Speaker 2: Still, Brooke had been careful about boundaries from the very beginning, 172 00:11:18,960 --> 00:11:20,839 Speaker 2: especially when it came to her kids. 173 00:11:21,520 --> 00:11:25,640 Speaker 1: For me, there was a lot of hesitancy about introducing 174 00:11:25,679 --> 00:11:28,880 Speaker 1: someone to my kids, so there was a little bit 175 00:11:28,880 --> 00:11:32,320 Speaker 1: of integration, but not a lot. We all went to 176 00:11:33,559 --> 00:11:36,839 Speaker 1: the movies together a couple of times, and he came 177 00:11:36,920 --> 00:11:39,400 Speaker 1: over for dinner a couple of times. 178 00:11:40,040 --> 00:11:43,200 Speaker 2: Her kids really took to sick and enjoyed having him around. 179 00:11:44,000 --> 00:11:46,880 Speaker 2: After that, he wanted Brooke to meet his family. 180 00:11:47,640 --> 00:11:50,360 Speaker 1: His mom came to town and he asked me if 181 00:11:50,400 --> 00:11:56,000 Speaker 1: I would meet her, and she invited me for lunch 182 00:11:56,120 --> 00:11:58,760 Speaker 1: and tea. So I went over and we had a 183 00:11:58,800 --> 00:12:05,720 Speaker 1: really nice afternoon together and we ended up talking about love. 184 00:12:07,120 --> 00:12:09,640 Speaker 2: Sick was at work, so it was just Broken his mom, 185 00:12:10,200 --> 00:12:12,280 Speaker 2: and there was clearly a wink and a nod to 186 00:12:12,320 --> 00:12:16,760 Speaker 2: the conversation because Sick hadn't been completely honest with his mom. 187 00:12:17,679 --> 00:12:21,360 Speaker 1: Sick had told her that I was his friend. But 188 00:12:21,920 --> 00:12:26,760 Speaker 1: she's a mom and she's not dumb, so I think 189 00:12:26,840 --> 00:12:32,000 Speaker 1: she knew what was going on. She asked me what 190 00:12:32,040 --> 00:12:34,440 Speaker 1: I thought about arranged marriage and if I thought it 191 00:12:34,559 --> 00:12:39,240 Speaker 1: was good or if I thought love marriages were better, 192 00:12:40,280 --> 00:12:43,200 Speaker 1: And we had a nice conversation about love, and she 193 00:12:43,480 --> 00:12:49,520 Speaker 1: told me about meeting six Dad and their marriage. I 194 00:12:49,760 --> 00:12:54,040 Speaker 1: didn't get any sense of disapproval from her at all. 195 00:12:54,760 --> 00:12:56,240 Speaker 1: She was very kind to me. 196 00:12:57,240 --> 00:13:00,720 Speaker 2: The meeting went so well. Broken Six moms started sending 197 00:13:00,800 --> 00:13:04,360 Speaker 2: letters and care packages back and forth, which made Sick 198 00:13:04,400 --> 00:13:05,599 Speaker 2: a little nervous. 199 00:13:06,080 --> 00:13:09,120 Speaker 1: I remember him being a little bit like, she's going 200 00:13:09,200 --> 00:13:10,680 Speaker 1: to know, She's going to know, and I was like, 201 00:13:11,240 --> 00:13:12,800 Speaker 1: I think she already knows. 202 00:13:14,600 --> 00:13:17,800 Speaker 2: Brooke didn't see the big deal, but for Sick, his 203 00:13:17,960 --> 00:13:22,559 Speaker 2: family expectations mattered, especially when he came to marriage. 204 00:13:23,320 --> 00:13:28,120 Speaker 1: He talked about feeling like there was an expectation on 205 00:13:28,200 --> 00:13:33,560 Speaker 1: him to marry a Pakistani girl. And his family wouldn't 206 00:13:33,559 --> 00:13:38,960 Speaker 1: accept him marrying a white girl. And I asked him, well, 207 00:13:38,960 --> 00:13:42,120 Speaker 1: what if you just don't get married, would that be okay? 208 00:13:43,240 --> 00:13:45,840 Speaker 1: Would your family accept that? And he said I think so. 209 00:13:46,640 --> 00:13:50,800 Speaker 1: And I said, well, okay, let's do that. Then let's 210 00:13:50,880 --> 00:13:51,840 Speaker 1: just not get married. 211 00:13:53,960 --> 00:13:58,000 Speaker 2: Their agreement worked for almost four years, but when six 212 00:13:58,160 --> 00:14:03,360 Speaker 2: residency ended, there were relationship hit across roads. He started 213 00:14:03,360 --> 00:14:06,079 Speaker 2: applying to Fellowship programs across the country. 214 00:14:06,679 --> 00:14:10,240 Speaker 1: We actually went to a couple of different places. We 215 00:14:10,280 --> 00:14:13,880 Speaker 1: took a little road trip around for him to look 216 00:14:13,920 --> 00:14:15,000 Speaker 1: at them and interview. 217 00:14:15,760 --> 00:14:18,880 Speaker 2: The program he really wanted to go to was in DC, 218 00:14:19,600 --> 00:14:23,080 Speaker 2: a six hour drive from upstate New York. Brooke made 219 00:14:23,120 --> 00:14:26,600 Speaker 2: it clear that relocating wasn't an option for her family. 220 00:14:27,560 --> 00:14:31,920 Speaker 1: I don't think that trying to have a long distance 221 00:14:32,000 --> 00:14:36,200 Speaker 1: relationship is a good idea, especially given that I have 222 00:14:36,360 --> 00:14:41,240 Speaker 1: kids and he's going to be living states away. And 223 00:14:41,280 --> 00:14:44,600 Speaker 1: he acknowledged that, and we had a couple of conversations 224 00:14:44,640 --> 00:14:50,280 Speaker 1: about it, but ultimately he decided that it was important 225 00:14:50,280 --> 00:14:53,040 Speaker 1: for him to go to this program. It was a 226 00:14:53,080 --> 00:14:55,560 Speaker 1: program that his brother had done, so it was kind 227 00:14:55,600 --> 00:14:56,760 Speaker 1: of a family legacy. 228 00:14:57,800 --> 00:15:02,760 Speaker 2: It was bittersweet, but Brooks supported sick if he wanted 229 00:15:02,760 --> 00:15:06,040 Speaker 2: to start his career in America. This really was for 230 00:15:06,080 --> 00:15:06,520 Speaker 2: the best. 231 00:15:09,640 --> 00:15:13,040 Speaker 1: I was very happy for him, congratulated him. I bought 232 00:15:13,080 --> 00:15:18,960 Speaker 1: him a cake and helped him start looking for places 233 00:15:19,000 --> 00:15:22,920 Speaker 1: to buy down there, and helped him paint it and 234 00:15:23,000 --> 00:15:27,160 Speaker 1: helped him pick out furniture and decorate it. And then, 235 00:15:27,320 --> 00:15:30,360 Speaker 1: you know, we kind of said goodbye after that, But 236 00:15:30,480 --> 00:15:35,520 Speaker 1: of course goodbye wasn't really goodbye, as often happens in 237 00:15:35,560 --> 00:15:37,040 Speaker 1: these relationships. 238 00:15:37,840 --> 00:15:41,120 Speaker 2: They knew they had an expiration date, but they were 239 00:15:41,160 --> 00:15:42,720 Speaker 2: having a hard time letting go. 240 00:15:43,720 --> 00:15:49,080 Speaker 1: I remember walking into the airport with tears streaming down 241 00:15:49,120 --> 00:15:54,400 Speaker 1: my face, bawling after saying goodbye to him, and Tshent 242 00:15:54,560 --> 00:15:56,560 Speaker 1: came up to me and she said, are you okay? 243 00:15:58,000 --> 00:16:00,720 Speaker 1: And I said, yeah, I just said goodbye to my boyfriend. 244 00:16:01,080 --> 00:16:03,520 Speaker 1: But I'm sure she thought something was horribly wrong, just 245 00:16:03,520 --> 00:16:06,640 Speaker 1: from the amount that I was crying. We said a 246 00:16:06,640 --> 00:16:07,880 Speaker 1: lot of good byes that year. 247 00:16:09,320 --> 00:16:12,880 Speaker 2: This began a new era of their relationship, one where 248 00:16:12,920 --> 00:16:16,080 Speaker 2: they kept finding their way back to each other weekend 249 00:16:16,120 --> 00:16:16,720 Speaker 2: by weekend. 250 00:16:17,560 --> 00:16:22,360 Speaker 1: We weren't in a relationship, we were not together, but 251 00:16:22,520 --> 00:16:25,240 Speaker 1: what we would end up doing is anytime either one 252 00:16:25,240 --> 00:16:30,960 Speaker 1: of us had like a long weekend free, or if 253 00:16:31,000 --> 00:16:33,360 Speaker 1: it was one of our birthdays, we would take a 254 00:16:33,360 --> 00:16:34,360 Speaker 1: little trip together. 255 00:16:35,520 --> 00:16:38,560 Speaker 2: For her thirty seventh birthday, Sick planned a trip to 256 00:16:38,600 --> 00:16:39,479 Speaker 2: the Poconots. 257 00:16:40,040 --> 00:16:45,280 Speaker 1: We stayed at a bed and breakfast up in the mountains, fireplace, 258 00:16:46,480 --> 00:16:55,280 Speaker 1: woody romantic get away, candle at dinners and fireside chit 259 00:16:55,360 --> 00:16:57,120 Speaker 1: chat every night. You know. 260 00:16:58,360 --> 00:17:01,200 Speaker 2: Brooke didn't know it at the time, but what happened 261 00:17:01,240 --> 00:17:06,959 Speaker 2: that weekend would affect the rest of her life. At 262 00:17:06,960 --> 00:17:09,840 Speaker 2: the end of their trip, they said another tearful goodbye. 263 00:17:10,560 --> 00:17:13,760 Speaker 2: It was a great time, But that whole weekend, Sick 264 00:17:13,840 --> 00:17:16,680 Speaker 2: had been keeping a secret. He just couldn't bring himself 265 00:17:16,720 --> 00:17:17,840 Speaker 2: to tell her in person. 266 00:17:19,000 --> 00:17:22,960 Speaker 1: He called me a couple of days later, and he 267 00:17:23,080 --> 00:17:27,080 Speaker 1: said that he wanted to talk to me, and he 268 00:17:27,119 --> 00:17:28,960 Speaker 1: wanted to let me know that he had talked to 269 00:17:29,000 --> 00:17:34,480 Speaker 1: his mom and that he had agreed to let his 270 00:17:34,560 --> 00:18:03,800 Speaker 1: mom arrange him a marriage. 271 00:18:04,080 --> 00:18:07,800 Speaker 2: After a romantic getaway for Brooke's birthday, Sick called her 272 00:18:07,840 --> 00:18:12,719 Speaker 2: with surprising news he was moving forward with an arranged marriage. 273 00:18:13,400 --> 00:18:17,879 Speaker 1: I was surprised because he had not been interested in 274 00:18:17,920 --> 00:18:22,080 Speaker 1: an arranged marriage and hadn't expressed any interest in it. 275 00:18:23,080 --> 00:18:26,280 Speaker 2: She always thought Sick wanted a love marriage. And when 276 00:18:26,280 --> 00:18:29,399 Speaker 2: he broke the news, he didn't even seem excited about 277 00:18:29,400 --> 00:18:30,320 Speaker 2: the idea. 278 00:18:30,840 --> 00:18:35,120 Speaker 1: He seemed resigned to it. He seemed sad about it. 279 00:18:36,240 --> 00:18:40,360 Speaker 1: He talked about it like he was going to get 280 00:18:40,359 --> 00:18:42,320 Speaker 1: a girl who wanted to marry a doctor. 281 00:18:43,359 --> 00:18:46,199 Speaker 2: Brooke tried to hide it, but she was hurt. 282 00:18:46,880 --> 00:18:51,159 Speaker 1: I felt sad, but I think that part of me 283 00:18:51,240 --> 00:18:54,040 Speaker 1: had been expecting it because we'd basically been trying to 284 00:18:54,040 --> 00:18:57,960 Speaker 1: say goodbye for a year. So even though part of 285 00:18:58,000 --> 00:19:01,800 Speaker 1: me felt like he was still mine, he really wasn't 286 00:19:01,880 --> 00:19:02,720 Speaker 1: mine anymore. 287 00:19:04,680 --> 00:19:08,160 Speaker 2: If he was serious about pursuing this, that meant their 288 00:19:08,160 --> 00:19:09,720 Speaker 2: relationship had to be over. 289 00:19:10,600 --> 00:19:14,880 Speaker 1: I told him that if that was happening, then we 290 00:19:15,000 --> 00:19:18,560 Speaker 1: really needed to stop talking to each other, because it 291 00:19:18,640 --> 00:19:24,359 Speaker 1: wasn't fair to another woman to think that she was 292 00:19:24,359 --> 00:19:27,760 Speaker 1: getting a husband and have her husband over here in 293 00:19:27,800 --> 00:19:30,879 Speaker 1: the United States talking to me and going on trips 294 00:19:30,920 --> 00:19:36,359 Speaker 1: with me. That's just not fair. And he agreed, And 295 00:19:37,080 --> 00:19:39,480 Speaker 1: for all the times we had tried to say goodbye 296 00:19:39,600 --> 00:19:45,480 Speaker 1: over the past year, I think that finally seemed to 297 00:19:45,480 --> 00:19:47,600 Speaker 1: be the thing that let us stop talking to each other. 298 00:19:51,359 --> 00:19:56,480 Speaker 1: After that, conversation. I think we went the longest period 299 00:19:57,000 --> 00:20:02,000 Speaker 1: we had ever gone without talking. It was over two weeks. 300 00:20:02,720 --> 00:20:10,320 Speaker 1: Neither of us reached out, and then I realized my 301 00:20:10,440 --> 00:20:15,760 Speaker 1: period was late, so I took a pregnancy test and 302 00:20:15,920 --> 00:20:16,720 Speaker 1: it was positive. 303 00:20:17,600 --> 00:20:20,600 Speaker 2: Brooke knew it happened during their Pocono's trip. 304 00:20:21,600 --> 00:20:25,639 Speaker 1: The moment I realized I was pregnant, I started thinking 305 00:20:25,680 --> 00:20:29,919 Speaker 1: about the baby and who he was going to be. 306 00:20:31,080 --> 00:20:34,800 Speaker 1: I really just felt like that was my baby. From 307 00:20:34,840 --> 00:20:38,120 Speaker 1: the minute I knew I was pregnant, it felt like. 308 00:20:38,080 --> 00:20:40,679 Speaker 2: A gift from the universe. She knew this would be 309 00:20:40,720 --> 00:20:44,720 Speaker 2: her last baby, and it just felt right. But now 310 00:20:45,440 --> 00:20:46,920 Speaker 2: she faced another decision. 311 00:20:48,080 --> 00:20:53,080 Speaker 1: I wasn't sure if I should even tell him. Part 312 00:20:53,080 --> 00:20:57,479 Speaker 1: of me thought, if I don't tell him, he'll never know, 313 00:20:58,640 --> 00:21:02,159 Speaker 1: and I just have the baby and go on with 314 00:21:02,240 --> 00:21:05,399 Speaker 1: my life and he can go on with his life. 315 00:21:06,359 --> 00:21:09,040 Speaker 2: On the other hand, it felt wrong to keep this 316 00:21:09,080 --> 00:21:09,520 Speaker 2: from him. 317 00:21:10,320 --> 00:21:13,800 Speaker 1: Is it fair of me to not give him that 318 00:21:14,000 --> 00:21:18,000 Speaker 1: choice and that opportunity to take part in his child's life. 319 00:21:18,680 --> 00:21:21,840 Speaker 1: I knew how much I liked being a parent, and 320 00:21:22,440 --> 00:21:25,280 Speaker 1: I wouldn't want to miss the opportunity to be in 321 00:21:25,320 --> 00:21:30,119 Speaker 1: my child's life. So I decided to tell him because 322 00:21:30,119 --> 00:21:31,960 Speaker 1: I thought that it was the right thing to do. 323 00:21:33,280 --> 00:21:36,320 Speaker 2: She told him over the phone. He was quiet for 324 00:21:36,359 --> 00:21:38,800 Speaker 2: a few seconds, and then. 325 00:21:39,200 --> 00:21:42,400 Speaker 1: His immediate reaction was to ask me to have an abortion. 326 00:21:44,320 --> 00:21:48,480 Speaker 1: I told him I couldn't and he didn't have to 327 00:21:48,480 --> 00:21:53,000 Speaker 1: be involved. He didn't have to financially support the baby, 328 00:21:53,160 --> 00:21:55,560 Speaker 1: he didn't have to have anything to do with the baby. 329 00:21:56,960 --> 00:22:00,240 Speaker 1: I was already a single mom. I loved having kids. 330 00:22:00,400 --> 00:22:04,199 Speaker 1: I'm good at raising kids. If he doesn't want to 331 00:22:04,200 --> 00:22:05,840 Speaker 1: have the baby, that's fine. 332 00:22:06,280 --> 00:22:08,639 Speaker 2: She went to the doctor and learned the baby was 333 00:22:08,720 --> 00:22:12,480 Speaker 2: perfectly healthy. It was a little boy. 334 00:22:12,640 --> 00:22:16,840 Speaker 1: I was already picking out names before I was even 335 00:22:17,040 --> 00:22:21,920 Speaker 1: showing because I already knew who he was. I decided 336 00:22:21,920 --> 00:22:26,720 Speaker 1: to name him Makai and call him Kai for short. 337 00:22:29,920 --> 00:22:33,359 Speaker 2: But Sick wasn't on the same page. After she told him, 338 00:22:33,720 --> 00:22:34,879 Speaker 2: he started spiraling. 339 00:22:37,320 --> 00:22:44,280 Speaker 1: That started months of phone calls and text messages, begging 340 00:22:44,320 --> 00:22:47,159 Speaker 1: and pleading with me to have an abortion, and telling 341 00:22:47,240 --> 00:22:51,520 Speaker 1: me that I was ruining his life, that this was 342 00:22:51,600 --> 00:22:55,720 Speaker 1: going to cast shame on his family in Pakistan, that 343 00:22:56,359 --> 00:22:59,760 Speaker 1: his mother was going to be ridiculed and he was 344 00:22:59,760 --> 00:23:04,160 Speaker 1: going to be an outcast, and that I was causing 345 00:23:04,240 --> 00:23:06,919 Speaker 1: him mental anguish. 346 00:23:08,080 --> 00:23:11,480 Speaker 2: She understood that having a baby outside of marriage wasn't 347 00:23:11,520 --> 00:23:16,160 Speaker 2: part of his plan, but plan or not, this was happening. 348 00:23:18,119 --> 00:23:21,440 Speaker 1: All of that text message and the phone calls about 349 00:23:21,480 --> 00:23:23,800 Speaker 1: your ruining my life, You're ruining my mom's life. That 350 00:23:23,880 --> 00:23:24,920 Speaker 1: all made me pretty mad. 351 00:23:26,000 --> 00:23:29,080 Speaker 2: She kept waiting for Sick to come around, but every 352 00:23:29,119 --> 00:23:32,120 Speaker 2: time she talked to him, he tried a new tactic. 353 00:23:32,960 --> 00:23:35,719 Speaker 1: One day, I was sitting on my bed and I 354 00:23:35,760 --> 00:23:38,920 Speaker 1: was on the phone with Sick, and he said that 355 00:23:40,040 --> 00:23:42,840 Speaker 1: he had talked to a friend of his who was 356 00:23:42,880 --> 00:23:46,760 Speaker 1: an OPIQI N and that his friend had told him 357 00:23:47,400 --> 00:23:55,320 Speaker 1: that I could take mesaprostal and that it would abort 358 00:23:55,359 --> 00:23:57,880 Speaker 1: the baby, and that I could do it right there 359 00:23:57,880 --> 00:24:02,520 Speaker 1: at sex house and it all happened very easily, and 360 00:24:02,560 --> 00:24:05,080 Speaker 1: I wouldn't even need to go to the hospital or anything. 361 00:24:05,440 --> 00:24:07,720 Speaker 1: And said could be there with me the whole time, 362 00:24:09,119 --> 00:24:11,840 Speaker 1: and asked if I would be willing to do that, 363 00:24:11,920 --> 00:24:13,639 Speaker 1: and I said absolutely not. 364 00:24:14,240 --> 00:24:14,320 Speaker 2: No. 365 00:24:16,520 --> 00:24:19,320 Speaker 1: He said that he wasn't trying to pressure me, but 366 00:24:19,440 --> 00:24:21,880 Speaker 1: that we were running out of time because we could 367 00:24:21,920 --> 00:24:26,080 Speaker 1: only do this in the first trimester, and my first 368 00:24:26,119 --> 00:24:30,280 Speaker 1: trimester had been coming to an end. So he wanted 369 00:24:30,320 --> 00:24:33,919 Speaker 1: me to do this, and I said now. 370 00:24:36,400 --> 00:24:40,200 Speaker 2: When she started the second trimester, the conversation was over. 371 00:24:40,960 --> 00:24:45,320 Speaker 2: She'd made her choice. The window for second guessing had closed. 372 00:24:46,200 --> 00:24:49,119 Speaker 2: Now that it was official, Brooke shared the news with 373 00:24:49,160 --> 00:24:50,159 Speaker 2: her two kids. 374 00:24:51,040 --> 00:24:54,639 Speaker 1: We had a little gender reveal cake for the baby. 375 00:24:55,800 --> 00:24:59,520 Speaker 1: We went shopping and bottom a bunch of clothes and 376 00:24:59,760 --> 00:25:01,040 Speaker 1: some stuff for his croup. 377 00:25:01,880 --> 00:25:04,359 Speaker 2: She didn't hear from sick for a few weeks, but 378 00:25:04,400 --> 00:25:07,200 Speaker 2: when he did reach out again, he'd had a change 379 00:25:07,200 --> 00:25:07,520 Speaker 2: of heart. 380 00:25:08,400 --> 00:25:12,640 Speaker 1: Eventually, he starts talking about setting up a bank account 381 00:25:12,800 --> 00:25:17,520 Speaker 1: for me and the baby, and then he asks me 382 00:25:17,920 --> 00:25:23,320 Speaker 1: if I'll come down to see him so that we 383 00:25:23,359 --> 00:25:26,240 Speaker 1: could figure out a parenting plan and figure out a 384 00:25:26,240 --> 00:25:30,000 Speaker 1: way that we could have this baby together and him 385 00:25:30,680 --> 00:25:33,399 Speaker 1: still be in d C and maybe in New York, 386 00:25:34,000 --> 00:25:35,560 Speaker 1: but still have this baby together. 387 00:25:36,560 --> 00:25:40,080 Speaker 2: Finally, the sick she knew was back. She made plans 388 00:25:40,119 --> 00:25:42,560 Speaker 2: to drive down to d C right after her four 389 00:25:42,600 --> 00:25:43,920 Speaker 2: month ulder sound appointment. 390 00:25:44,920 --> 00:25:47,000 Speaker 1: The morning that I left, I went to the doctor, 391 00:25:47,600 --> 00:25:52,359 Speaker 1: We did a fetal heart rate, everything looked good, and 392 00:25:52,720 --> 00:25:56,080 Speaker 1: I left and set off to go down to d 393 00:25:56,280 --> 00:25:59,680 Speaker 1: C to see him. I drove the whole way down there, 394 00:25:59,720 --> 00:26:03,959 Speaker 1: he texting me reminders to get up and walk so 395 00:26:04,000 --> 00:26:07,080 Speaker 1: I don't get a blood clot, reminding me to drink water, 396 00:26:07,480 --> 00:26:09,280 Speaker 1: asking me how my drive is going. 397 00:26:10,200 --> 00:26:12,879 Speaker 2: When she got to Sick's house, he gave her a 398 00:26:12,960 --> 00:26:13,560 Speaker 2: long hug. 399 00:26:14,680 --> 00:26:21,359 Speaker 1: Everything seemed back to normal, except for one thing. He 400 00:26:21,400 --> 00:26:25,120 Speaker 1: didn't say anything about my belly. He didn't try to 401 00:26:25,119 --> 00:26:26,720 Speaker 1: touch it or anything like that. 402 00:26:27,600 --> 00:26:30,399 Speaker 2: When he came to the baby, he still seemed to 403 00:26:30,400 --> 00:26:31,240 Speaker 2: have a wall up. 404 00:26:32,080 --> 00:26:34,399 Speaker 1: He hadn't even wanted me to tell him the gender 405 00:26:34,440 --> 00:26:37,639 Speaker 1: of the baby, so I knew it was a boy, 406 00:26:38,560 --> 00:26:43,440 Speaker 1: but he didn't. At one point that evening, I did 407 00:26:44,680 --> 00:26:48,600 Speaker 1: start to bring up the baby, the pregnancy, and he said, 408 00:26:50,000 --> 00:26:53,800 Speaker 1: let's wait and talk about this tomorrow, and I said okay. 409 00:26:56,560 --> 00:27:01,160 Speaker 1: And the next morning we got up and we start 410 00:27:01,200 --> 00:27:05,280 Speaker 1: making breakfast together, which we've done hundreds of times before. 411 00:27:06,240 --> 00:27:11,399 Speaker 1: I'm making eggs and he's making coffee, and he's making 412 00:27:11,960 --> 00:27:15,080 Speaker 1: coffee that we had gotten when we went to New Orleans. 413 00:27:15,480 --> 00:27:19,960 Speaker 1: And it's this chickory root coffee, so it's a little 414 00:27:19,960 --> 00:27:25,879 Speaker 1: bit stronger. So when I started drinking it, I noticed 415 00:27:26,000 --> 00:27:31,040 Speaker 1: that it burned my stomach a little bit, and I 416 00:27:31,119 --> 00:27:34,960 Speaker 1: kind of just thought, you know I'm pregnant. I probably 417 00:27:34,960 --> 00:27:39,840 Speaker 1: shouldn't be drinking so much coffee. I'm probably developing an ulcer. 418 00:27:40,000 --> 00:27:42,920 Speaker 1: Maybe I shouldn't drink this. So I didn't finish my 419 00:27:43,000 --> 00:27:47,920 Speaker 1: cup of coffee. I sat it aside, finished breakfast, and 420 00:27:48,560 --> 00:27:52,080 Speaker 1: went on about our day. Got ready went shopping. 421 00:27:52,680 --> 00:27:55,960 Speaker 2: But as soon as they got to the mall, I was. 422 00:27:55,920 --> 00:27:59,760 Speaker 1: Having a queasy feeling, so I ended up going into 423 00:27:59,760 --> 00:28:03,000 Speaker 1: the back room quite a few times. At some point 424 00:28:03,040 --> 00:28:06,240 Speaker 1: he asked me if I was feeling okay, and I 425 00:28:06,359 --> 00:28:10,959 Speaker 1: told him no, that I had an upset stomach. His 426 00:28:11,160 --> 00:28:17,840 Speaker 1: response was just, oh, okay, And that struck me in 427 00:28:17,840 --> 00:28:22,880 Speaker 1: that moment as being very odd, because he normally would 428 00:28:22,920 --> 00:28:27,520 Speaker 1: have asked if I needed anything, or gotten me a drink, 429 00:28:27,800 --> 00:28:30,480 Speaker 1: or had some follow up to make sure I was 430 00:28:30,520 --> 00:28:34,439 Speaker 1: all right, And in that moment, I remember thinking that 431 00:28:34,520 --> 00:28:37,560 Speaker 1: I wondered if he was hoping that something was wrong, 432 00:28:42,160 --> 00:28:45,400 Speaker 1: And then, of course I convinced to myself to put 433 00:28:45,440 --> 00:28:46,200 Speaker 1: it out of my mind. 434 00:28:48,160 --> 00:28:50,880 Speaker 2: As the day went on, she started to feel better, 435 00:28:51,320 --> 00:28:53,800 Speaker 2: so they decided to get takeout and go back to 436 00:28:53,840 --> 00:28:54,360 Speaker 2: his place. 437 00:28:55,240 --> 00:28:59,600 Speaker 1: After dinner. He put on my favorite movie and said 438 00:28:59,600 --> 00:29:01,360 Speaker 1: that he was going to make me a cup of 439 00:29:01,400 --> 00:29:05,040 Speaker 1: tea for my stomach, so it was dark in the room. 440 00:29:05,840 --> 00:29:09,000 Speaker 1: He brought me the tea, and when I tasted it, 441 00:29:09,080 --> 00:29:13,560 Speaker 1: I noticed that it was unusually sweet, which was not 442 00:29:13,760 --> 00:29:17,480 Speaker 1: how I took my tea. And he said that he 443 00:29:17,560 --> 00:29:22,640 Speaker 1: had accidentally put in both sugar and honey, which was 444 00:29:22,680 --> 00:29:25,680 Speaker 1: odd because he always remembered how I took my tea. 445 00:29:27,040 --> 00:29:30,280 Speaker 1: But I drank it anyway. And when I got toward 446 00:29:30,320 --> 00:29:33,160 Speaker 1: the bottom of the cup of tea, I took a 447 00:29:33,160 --> 00:29:39,280 Speaker 1: sip of it, and there was grit in the bottom, 448 00:29:40,600 --> 00:29:46,480 Speaker 1: and from being a nurse, I knew that texture was 449 00:29:46,640 --> 00:29:53,600 Speaker 1: ground up pill so I spit it back in the cup, 450 00:29:54,040 --> 00:29:55,960 Speaker 1: and I put the cup down, and I said that 451 00:29:56,000 --> 00:29:59,640 Speaker 1: I had to go to the bathroom. I went into 452 00:29:59,680 --> 00:30:02,880 Speaker 1: the bath room and I put my finger down my throat, 453 00:30:03,160 --> 00:30:05,600 Speaker 1: and then I put a toothbrush down my throat to 454 00:30:05,640 --> 00:30:10,280 Speaker 1: try to make myself throw up, and I couldn't. And 455 00:30:10,320 --> 00:30:14,440 Speaker 1: I sat there in the bathroom and I wasn't sure 456 00:30:14,440 --> 00:30:14,960 Speaker 1: what to do. 457 00:30:15,800 --> 00:30:19,320 Speaker 2: As the minutes passed, she started doubting what she'd seen 458 00:30:19,440 --> 00:30:20,480 Speaker 2: at the bottom. 459 00:30:20,120 --> 00:30:22,680 Speaker 1: Of her cup. I've known him for years. I've been 460 00:30:22,760 --> 00:30:27,080 Speaker 1: dating him for years. This man loves me the man 461 00:30:27,160 --> 00:30:30,880 Speaker 1: I know wouldn't do that. And then I remembered that 462 00:30:30,960 --> 00:30:37,000 Speaker 1: conversation where he told me that his friends suggested that 463 00:30:37,080 --> 00:30:40,840 Speaker 1: I take me supostal and it would cause an abortion, 464 00:30:41,280 --> 00:30:46,440 Speaker 1: and I told him no, and I just I knew 465 00:30:46,440 --> 00:30:49,960 Speaker 1: that's what he did. But then I kept going back 466 00:30:50,000 --> 00:30:54,600 Speaker 1: to maybe I'm crazy. Maybe there weren't pills in my cup. 467 00:30:56,520 --> 00:31:02,360 Speaker 1: He wouldn't poison me, so maybe I'm insane. But then 468 00:31:02,880 --> 00:31:06,560 Speaker 1: if he did that to me, what else would he do? 469 00:31:07,400 --> 00:31:10,200 Speaker 1: If I go out there and he knows I know, 470 00:31:11,760 --> 00:31:17,000 Speaker 1: and he actually did it, will he kill me? If 471 00:31:17,000 --> 00:31:19,200 Speaker 1: he wants to get rid of the baby so bad 472 00:31:19,240 --> 00:31:21,040 Speaker 1: that he'll poison me? Is he going to kill me? 473 00:31:22,720 --> 00:31:24,440 Speaker 1: So I can't let him know that I know. 474 00:31:28,720 --> 00:31:31,600 Speaker 2: In that moment, she came up with a plan. And 475 00:31:31,680 --> 00:31:34,400 Speaker 2: before we keep going, I want a flag that what 476 00:31:34,520 --> 00:31:37,440 Speaker 2: Brooke is about to describe could be emotionally triggering for 477 00:31:37,520 --> 00:31:41,760 Speaker 2: some listeners. If you've had experience with pregnancy loss, please 478 00:31:41,800 --> 00:31:45,720 Speaker 2: take care while listening. Now back to Brook, Here's what 479 00:31:45,840 --> 00:31:46,760 Speaker 2: she decided to do. 480 00:31:47,040 --> 00:31:49,920 Speaker 1: I'm going to wait until he goes to sleep, and 481 00:31:49,960 --> 00:31:51,640 Speaker 1: I'm going to sneak out of the house and I'm 482 00:31:51,680 --> 00:31:54,280 Speaker 1: going to go to the hospital. And so I sat 483 00:31:54,320 --> 00:31:56,680 Speaker 1: down on the couch with him, and the movie was 484 00:31:56,680 --> 00:31:59,840 Speaker 1: almost over, and I told him that I was tired 485 00:32:00,360 --> 00:32:03,160 Speaker 1: and I wanted to go to bed, and so the 486 00:32:03,200 --> 00:32:08,600 Speaker 1: movie ended, and he got up to take my dishes 487 00:32:08,680 --> 00:32:11,920 Speaker 1: to the kitchen, and I said I'll take them, and 488 00:32:12,000 --> 00:32:15,320 Speaker 1: he said, no, I'll take them, and he pulled them 489 00:32:15,320 --> 00:32:18,840 Speaker 1: out of my hands, took the dishes to the sink, 490 00:32:18,920 --> 00:32:21,960 Speaker 1: and I saw him tip the cup into the sink, 491 00:32:22,840 --> 00:32:25,360 Speaker 1: and then he went into the bathroom. And when he 492 00:32:25,400 --> 00:32:28,440 Speaker 1: went into the bathroom, I thought, I have to know, 493 00:32:30,600 --> 00:32:33,000 Speaker 1: so I turned on the kitchen light and I looked 494 00:32:33,080 --> 00:32:35,520 Speaker 1: and there was pill fragments in the bottom of the cup. 495 00:32:36,480 --> 00:32:40,480 Speaker 1: So I got a plastic baggie out and I scooped 496 00:32:40,520 --> 00:32:42,640 Speaker 1: out the rest of the pill fragments that were in 497 00:32:42,680 --> 00:32:44,440 Speaker 1: the cup, and I zipped them up in the little 498 00:32:44,440 --> 00:32:47,040 Speaker 1: plastic baggy and I hit him in my purse, and 499 00:32:47,120 --> 00:32:49,320 Speaker 1: I thought, when he goes to sleep, i'll go to 500 00:32:49,320 --> 00:32:53,400 Speaker 1: the hospital. Because now I don't so much think I'm insane. 501 00:32:53,400 --> 00:32:56,360 Speaker 1: I think he probably did poison me. But now I 502 00:32:56,400 --> 00:32:58,480 Speaker 1: really do need to wait until he's asleep. 503 00:33:00,120 --> 00:33:02,600 Speaker 2: Now that she had seen the proof, the panic came 504 00:33:02,680 --> 00:33:06,160 Speaker 2: flooding in what had he given her and how much 505 00:33:06,200 --> 00:33:09,080 Speaker 2: of it did she drink? But she had to stay 506 00:33:09,120 --> 00:33:12,000 Speaker 2: calm so she could get out and get help. 507 00:33:12,520 --> 00:33:15,120 Speaker 1: So I got ready for bed, and I laid down 508 00:33:15,160 --> 00:33:20,040 Speaker 1: next to him, and I just listened to him breathing 509 00:33:21,520 --> 00:33:26,520 Speaker 1: and waited to hear his breathing change so I could 510 00:33:26,560 --> 00:33:29,719 Speaker 1: hear when I got deeper so I could sneak out 511 00:33:29,760 --> 00:33:35,400 Speaker 1: of bed. And while I was laying there, I felt 512 00:33:35,400 --> 00:33:42,360 Speaker 1: a pop and I felt myself start bleeding. I got 513 00:33:42,440 --> 00:33:45,320 Speaker 1: up and ran into the bathroom and I was bleeding, 514 00:33:47,000 --> 00:33:50,120 Speaker 1: and I started crying and laid down on the bathroom floor. 515 00:33:52,520 --> 00:33:57,120 Speaker 1: At this point, I was almost twenty weeks, a long 516 00:33:57,880 --> 00:34:02,920 Speaker 1: four months pregnant. The baby was fully formed, so having 517 00:34:03,360 --> 00:34:07,800 Speaker 1: this happen in his bathroom at his apartment is certainly 518 00:34:08,160 --> 00:34:14,200 Speaker 1: medically dangerous for me. And he came in and he 519 00:34:14,280 --> 00:34:17,560 Speaker 1: said what's wrong? And I said, the baby's dying. You 520 00:34:17,640 --> 00:34:22,960 Speaker 1: need to call nine one one, and he said, no, 521 00:34:23,120 --> 00:34:28,719 Speaker 1: you're fine. I'm a doctor. I can take care of you. 522 00:34:55,080 --> 00:34:57,440 Speaker 2: Brooke planned to get out of Six's house quietly and 523 00:34:57,520 --> 00:35:02,400 Speaker 2: drive herself to the hospital. Before she could, she started bleeding. 524 00:35:03,400 --> 00:35:06,600 Speaker 2: Four months into the pregnancy. She knew she needed to 525 00:35:06,640 --> 00:35:09,560 Speaker 2: get help quickly, but when Sick found her on the 526 00:35:09,560 --> 00:35:13,440 Speaker 2: floor of the bathroom, he didn't want to call an ambulance, and. 527 00:35:13,400 --> 00:35:16,239 Speaker 1: I said, you need to call nine one one, and 528 00:35:16,280 --> 00:35:20,400 Speaker 1: he said, no, you're okay, I'm a doctor, You're going 529 00:35:20,480 --> 00:35:25,080 Speaker 1: to be fine. I didn't know if he was refusing 530 00:35:25,120 --> 00:35:29,080 Speaker 1: to call nine one one because he wanted to kill me. 531 00:35:30,560 --> 00:35:33,880 Speaker 2: She was terrified for herself and for her baby. 532 00:35:34,160 --> 00:35:38,759 Speaker 1: Part of me was really hopeful that maybe if I 533 00:35:38,800 --> 00:35:41,880 Speaker 1: could just get to a hospital, somehow, the baby was 534 00:35:41,920 --> 00:35:47,040 Speaker 1: going to survive. So I was desperate for him to 535 00:35:47,080 --> 00:35:54,080 Speaker 1: call nine one one. I said, you don't understand your 536 00:35:54,200 --> 00:35:58,920 Speaker 1: son is dying, your son, and if you don't call 537 00:35:59,040 --> 00:36:03,040 Speaker 1: nine one one, then I will. 538 00:36:03,239 --> 00:36:05,600 Speaker 2: She hadn't told him the sex of the baby until 539 00:36:05,680 --> 00:36:09,480 Speaker 2: this moment. When she called the baby his son, something 540 00:36:09,520 --> 00:36:10,160 Speaker 2: shifted for. 541 00:36:10,160 --> 00:36:15,040 Speaker 1: Sick, and then he said, okay, I'll call and he 542 00:36:15,120 --> 00:36:17,680 Speaker 1: went and he called nine one one, and then the 543 00:36:17,719 --> 00:36:24,480 Speaker 1: ambulance came, and at this point I was bleeding a 544 00:36:24,480 --> 00:36:25,040 Speaker 1: lot more. 545 00:36:26,520 --> 00:36:29,239 Speaker 2: The paramedics picked her up from the floor and laid 546 00:36:29,239 --> 00:36:30,120 Speaker 2: her on the stretcher. 547 00:36:30,480 --> 00:36:33,879 Speaker 1: As they're pushing me out of the apartment. I see 548 00:36:33,960 --> 00:36:39,440 Speaker 1: my purse sitting on the counter, and I remember that 549 00:36:39,560 --> 00:36:43,080 Speaker 1: the pill fragments are in a baggy in my purse. 550 00:36:45,600 --> 00:36:49,040 Speaker 1: So I ask the paramedic to hand me my purse 551 00:36:50,080 --> 00:36:54,160 Speaker 1: and he says, you don't need it, and I said, no, 552 00:36:54,280 --> 00:36:59,680 Speaker 1: I want my purse, and Sick picks it up and 553 00:36:59,760 --> 00:37:04,280 Speaker 1: he says, I'll take it. I have another moment of panic, 554 00:37:04,400 --> 00:37:08,440 Speaker 1: thinking if the paramedic asks me for my insurance card, 555 00:37:09,480 --> 00:37:12,160 Speaker 1: Sick is going to open my purse and he's going 556 00:37:12,200 --> 00:37:14,600 Speaker 1: to see that baggie in there with the pills in it, 557 00:37:14,680 --> 00:37:17,160 Speaker 1: and he's going to get rid of it. So they 558 00:37:17,239 --> 00:37:20,880 Speaker 1: lowed me into the ambulance and Sick gets into the 559 00:37:20,920 --> 00:37:25,759 Speaker 1: ambulance with us. I just keep thinking, if I can 560 00:37:25,800 --> 00:37:28,719 Speaker 1: get this paramedic to just make eye contact with me, 561 00:37:29,680 --> 00:37:33,759 Speaker 1: he'll see in my eyes that I'm afraid and I 562 00:37:33,840 --> 00:37:34,799 Speaker 1: don't want Sick here. 563 00:37:36,840 --> 00:37:40,440 Speaker 2: But the paramedic was too busy triaging Brooke to notice 564 00:37:40,960 --> 00:37:45,120 Speaker 2: all the while Six stayed right by her side, acting concerned. 565 00:37:46,320 --> 00:37:49,360 Speaker 1: So we get to the hospital and the whole time 566 00:37:50,200 --> 00:37:53,560 Speaker 1: Sick is holding my purse. Finally we get up to 567 00:37:53,600 --> 00:37:57,560 Speaker 1: labor and delivery and he sets it down on the counter. 568 00:37:57,360 --> 00:38:01,960 Speaker 2: In the room sick wouldn't leave her, and he made 569 00:38:02,000 --> 00:38:03,520 Speaker 2: it known that he was a doctor. 570 00:38:04,000 --> 00:38:06,879 Speaker 1: She's right there the whole time, right next to my bed, 571 00:38:07,400 --> 00:38:11,280 Speaker 1: helping them move me from stretcher to bed and talking 572 00:38:11,280 --> 00:38:14,839 Speaker 1: to the doctor about their medical training and where they've 573 00:38:14,880 --> 00:38:20,560 Speaker 1: both worked, and he's that normal person that everybody likes 574 00:38:21,200 --> 00:38:28,719 Speaker 1: in that room. Finally he goes into the bathroom and 575 00:38:29,000 --> 00:38:33,160 Speaker 1: I whispered to the nurse to make him leave. I 576 00:38:33,160 --> 00:38:35,320 Speaker 1: could just see the colored drain out of her face. 577 00:38:36,400 --> 00:38:39,360 Speaker 1: She looked at me and she whispered, back, are you okay? 578 00:38:39,840 --> 00:38:44,360 Speaker 1: And I said no. A couple of minutes later, the 579 00:38:44,480 --> 00:38:47,640 Speaker 1: charge nurse came in and got sick and said that 580 00:38:47,800 --> 00:38:51,160 Speaker 1: she wanted to show him the father's lounge, and she 581 00:38:51,280 --> 00:38:54,840 Speaker 1: took him out. And then the nurse and the doctor 582 00:38:54,880 --> 00:38:59,919 Speaker 1: came and asked me what was going on, And I said, 583 00:39:00,200 --> 00:39:04,080 Speaker 1: I swear I'm not crazy, but I think he poisoned me. 584 00:39:06,840 --> 00:39:10,840 Speaker 1: I found pills in my tea and they're in a 585 00:39:10,880 --> 00:39:11,880 Speaker 1: baggy in my purse. 586 00:39:17,800 --> 00:39:20,560 Speaker 2: The nurse went into Brooks bag and grabbed the ziploc 587 00:39:20,640 --> 00:39:23,400 Speaker 2: with the pill fragments. She wanted to send them to 588 00:39:23,400 --> 00:39:24,440 Speaker 2: the lab for testing. 589 00:39:25,560 --> 00:39:32,840 Speaker 1: Not long after, that my water broke and Kai was born. 590 00:39:35,560 --> 00:39:40,759 Speaker 1: He was not alive. Part of me still hoped he 591 00:39:40,800 --> 00:39:45,400 Speaker 1: would cry when he was born, but he didn't. But 592 00:39:45,440 --> 00:39:49,080 Speaker 1: they wrapped him up in a blanket and put a 593 00:39:49,080 --> 00:39:52,160 Speaker 1: little tiny hat on him and brought him to me. 594 00:39:53,400 --> 00:39:57,719 Speaker 1: They let me hold Kai for a couple of hours. 595 00:40:00,000 --> 00:40:05,759 Speaker 1: I was holding Kui, I wasn't thinking at all about 596 00:40:05,800 --> 00:40:10,840 Speaker 1: what Sick had done. It was more thinking about the loss. 597 00:40:12,440 --> 00:40:19,120 Speaker 1: Even though Kai wasn't alive. Still looking at him, there 598 00:40:19,200 --> 00:40:23,399 Speaker 1: was sort of this amazement about who he was as 599 00:40:23,440 --> 00:40:28,799 Speaker 1: a person, which is odd to say about somebody who 600 00:40:28,880 --> 00:40:33,160 Speaker 1: wasn't alive to recognize who they are as a person, 601 00:40:34,400 --> 00:40:36,840 Speaker 1: But he was. He was a little person with little 602 00:40:36,920 --> 00:40:40,319 Speaker 1: long fingers and long toes. And that's what I was 603 00:40:40,360 --> 00:40:43,600 Speaker 1: thinking about when I was looking at him, that he 604 00:40:43,719 --> 00:40:46,919 Speaker 1: probably would have played basketball, and he would have been tall, 605 00:40:47,760 --> 00:40:50,640 Speaker 1: and maybe he would have played piano because he would 606 00:40:50,640 --> 00:40:56,680 Speaker 1: have had long piano playing fingers. Probably sounds strange to 607 00:40:56,760 --> 00:41:01,920 Speaker 1: somebody who hasn't lost a baby, but that's what I 608 00:41:01,960 --> 00:41:03,240 Speaker 1: was thinking about in that moment. 609 00:41:05,160 --> 00:41:06,799 Speaker 2: Sick was in the room too. 610 00:41:08,120 --> 00:41:14,120 Speaker 1: When he saw what Kai actually looked like, Sick cried. 611 00:41:16,239 --> 00:41:20,600 Speaker 1: I almost think that that is the first time Sick 612 00:41:20,880 --> 00:41:26,080 Speaker 1: realized that it was a whole human. I think that 613 00:41:26,280 --> 00:41:30,040 Speaker 1: was really the first time that it was real in 614 00:41:30,120 --> 00:41:32,160 Speaker 1: his mind that that was his son. 615 00:41:34,080 --> 00:41:37,000 Speaker 2: After they took Kai's footprints and filled out the paperwork, 616 00:41:37,920 --> 00:41:40,000 Speaker 2: his body was taken for an autopsy. 617 00:41:40,600 --> 00:41:44,040 Speaker 1: Seven am rolls around and the day shift nurse comes 618 00:41:44,080 --> 00:41:48,840 Speaker 1: in and she takes me in the bathroom and she 619 00:41:49,640 --> 00:41:53,680 Speaker 1: very quietly asks me what happened. 620 00:41:55,360 --> 00:41:57,520 Speaker 2: Once again, Brooke told the story. 621 00:41:57,880 --> 00:42:00,880 Speaker 1: And she says, what are you going to do? And 622 00:42:00,960 --> 00:42:03,600 Speaker 1: I said, I don't know. I don't know what to do. 623 00:42:04,960 --> 00:42:10,080 Speaker 1: And she said, if there's any part of you that 624 00:42:10,200 --> 00:42:13,000 Speaker 1: thinks that this man poisoned you and killed your baby, 625 00:42:13,760 --> 00:42:19,840 Speaker 1: you need to report him. Brooke agreed, and she said 626 00:42:20,080 --> 00:42:23,239 Speaker 1: have you asked him? Have you asked him if he 627 00:42:23,280 --> 00:42:28,520 Speaker 1: did this? And I said no, and she said, I 628 00:42:28,520 --> 00:42:29,280 Speaker 1: think you should. 629 00:42:30,160 --> 00:42:32,600 Speaker 2: So they went back in the room just as Sick 630 00:42:32,760 --> 00:42:33,719 Speaker 2: was walking back in. 631 00:42:34,840 --> 00:42:37,360 Speaker 1: And he said he was going to go back to 632 00:42:37,400 --> 00:42:42,239 Speaker 1: his apartment and take a shower, get changed, and bring 633 00:42:42,280 --> 00:42:46,200 Speaker 1: me some clothes. And I said that before he left, 634 00:42:46,200 --> 00:42:50,439 Speaker 1: I wanted to ask him a question, and I asked him, 635 00:42:52,400 --> 00:42:58,680 Speaker 1: did you poison me? And he said, do you honestly 636 00:42:58,760 --> 00:43:04,560 Speaker 1: think I would do that to you. I said, yes, 637 00:43:04,719 --> 00:43:10,239 Speaker 1: I do. And I told him I found ground up 638 00:43:10,320 --> 00:43:13,359 Speaker 1: pill in the bottom of my cup and I gave 639 00:43:13,400 --> 00:43:16,640 Speaker 1: it to the nurse and they're going to have it tested. 640 00:43:17,719 --> 00:43:21,120 Speaker 1: So if you did this, you need to come clean 641 00:43:21,160 --> 00:43:26,440 Speaker 1: with me right now. And he started crying and he 642 00:43:26,480 --> 00:43:28,680 Speaker 1: put his head down on the bed. He was sitting 643 00:43:28,719 --> 00:43:30,319 Speaker 1: in a chair next to the bed, and he put 644 00:43:30,320 --> 00:43:36,880 Speaker 1: his head down on the bed and just started bawling. 645 00:43:37,719 --> 00:43:41,640 Speaker 1: And he told me that he had put me sprostal 646 00:43:42,000 --> 00:43:45,880 Speaker 1: in my coffee that morning and that's why I had 647 00:43:45,960 --> 00:43:52,400 Speaker 1: a stomach ache, and when it didn't work, he ground 648 00:43:52,480 --> 00:43:54,719 Speaker 1: up more and put it in my tea that night. 649 00:43:57,480 --> 00:44:01,480 Speaker 2: It was the final confirmation. She just stared at him 650 00:44:01,520 --> 00:44:07,800 Speaker 2: in silence, heartbroken. Sick continued talking and tried to rationalize 651 00:44:08,280 --> 00:44:10,160 Speaker 2: what he'd done, and. 652 00:44:10,200 --> 00:44:14,120 Speaker 1: He said that the reason that he did it is 653 00:44:14,200 --> 00:44:19,400 Speaker 1: because he knew that I loved him and I wanted 654 00:44:19,440 --> 00:44:24,160 Speaker 1: to do what was best for him. But he knew 655 00:44:24,160 --> 00:44:26,760 Speaker 1: that if I made the decision to have an abortion, 656 00:44:28,000 --> 00:44:31,120 Speaker 1: I would be unhappy about it, so he was making 657 00:44:31,200 --> 00:44:34,840 Speaker 1: the decision for me so that I wouldn't have to 658 00:44:34,880 --> 00:44:39,680 Speaker 1: live with it. He said it like he thought that 659 00:44:39,880 --> 00:44:46,040 Speaker 1: he was doing something benevolent for me, but he wasn't. 660 00:44:46,400 --> 00:44:51,920 Speaker 1: He was taking from me somebody that I loved, somebody 661 00:44:51,960 --> 00:44:56,359 Speaker 1: that I wanted in my life, and he was justifying 662 00:44:56,400 --> 00:44:59,520 Speaker 1: it and acting like he was doing it for my benefit. 663 00:45:01,160 --> 00:45:04,000 Speaker 2: He really seemed to believe he had done the right thing. 664 00:45:04,600 --> 00:45:07,640 Speaker 1: I couldn't believe what he was saying to me. I 665 00:45:07,640 --> 00:45:15,160 Speaker 1: couldn't believe it. I felt betrayed. I felt like, that's 666 00:45:15,239 --> 00:45:21,200 Speaker 1: not your decision to make. And he was completely selfish. 667 00:45:21,880 --> 00:45:25,440 Speaker 1: Rather than taking on what he thought was going to 668 00:45:25,480 --> 00:45:30,839 Speaker 1: be ridicule, he was causing pain to other people. That's 669 00:45:30,880 --> 00:45:37,360 Speaker 1: a coward. And while he was saying it, there's a 670 00:45:37,440 --> 00:45:41,440 Speaker 1: knock on the door to my hospital room, and that 671 00:45:41,600 --> 00:45:43,760 Speaker 1: was the police. 672 00:45:44,000 --> 00:45:47,239 Speaker 2: The police took Sick into another room for questioning. 673 00:45:47,320 --> 00:45:54,120 Speaker 1: And he confessed that he had poisoned me. So they 674 00:45:54,200 --> 00:45:57,000 Speaker 1: arrested him and took him to jail. 675 00:45:57,440 --> 00:46:02,319 Speaker 2: Brooke wouldn't see him again until his sentence hearing, but 676 00:46:02,360 --> 00:46:04,839 Speaker 2: Sick had left his phone with her, so she picked 677 00:46:04,880 --> 00:46:06,080 Speaker 2: it up and made a call. 678 00:46:07,160 --> 00:46:09,680 Speaker 1: I called his brother, who lives here in New York, 679 00:46:10,200 --> 00:46:15,080 Speaker 1: and I told his brother Sick had been arrested and 680 00:46:15,719 --> 00:46:18,080 Speaker 1: what he had been arrested for, that he had poisoned 681 00:46:18,120 --> 00:46:24,280 Speaker 1: me and killed our baby. And his brother said he 682 00:46:24,320 --> 00:46:30,440 Speaker 1: didn't know that I was pregnant. I said that I 683 00:46:30,480 --> 00:46:34,600 Speaker 1: couldn't take care of Sick anymore, that he was not 684 00:46:34,800 --> 00:46:38,279 Speaker 1: my responsibility and he needed to come down here and 685 00:46:38,320 --> 00:46:39,200 Speaker 1: take care of his brother. 686 00:46:42,640 --> 00:46:45,759 Speaker 2: Before they hung up, Sick's brother had one more thing 687 00:46:45,800 --> 00:46:47,400 Speaker 2: to say. 688 00:46:47,640 --> 00:46:51,839 Speaker 1: While he didn't know that I was pregnant, they did 689 00:46:52,000 --> 00:46:56,120 Speaker 1: know that Sick and I were seeing each other. And 690 00:46:56,480 --> 00:47:00,640 Speaker 1: his mom had known for years. She had known since 691 00:47:00,680 --> 00:47:03,879 Speaker 1: the day she met me, and they had just been 692 00:47:03,920 --> 00:47:05,279 Speaker 1: waiting for him to tell them. 693 00:47:07,120 --> 00:47:10,840 Speaker 2: It was a tragic revelation. The pressure Sick put on 694 00:47:10,920 --> 00:47:15,400 Speaker 2: himself to live up to his family's expectations was self imposed. 695 00:47:16,200 --> 00:47:24,600 Speaker 2: His family would have accepted Brooke and their son. Brooke 696 00:47:24,680 --> 00:47:26,759 Speaker 2: called a friend who flew down to DC to pick 697 00:47:26,800 --> 00:47:30,160 Speaker 2: her up at the hospital. Before they started to drive home, 698 00:47:30,360 --> 00:47:33,040 Speaker 2: they stopped by six apartment to get Brooks bags. 699 00:47:33,600 --> 00:47:39,880 Speaker 1: The police met us there. It was very strange to 700 00:47:39,960 --> 00:47:46,600 Speaker 1: go in. There's crime scene tape in his apartment and 701 00:47:46,880 --> 00:47:51,000 Speaker 1: it's been ransacked by the police. Just an odd feeling 702 00:47:51,440 --> 00:47:54,560 Speaker 1: knowing that that's now the scene of a crime, and 703 00:47:54,600 --> 00:47:57,120 Speaker 1: it's a place that you painted and decorated. 704 00:47:58,560 --> 00:48:01,040 Speaker 2: The police had turned the apartment upside down to find 705 00:48:01,040 --> 00:48:04,840 Speaker 2: more evidence, and they did. They found white powder in 706 00:48:04,920 --> 00:48:09,080 Speaker 2: a pack of one hundred missoprystal tablets with ten doses missing. 707 00:48:09,719 --> 00:48:13,279 Speaker 2: He had given her all ten in one day. It 708 00:48:13,320 --> 00:48:15,319 Speaker 2: was a massive overdose. 709 00:48:15,280 --> 00:48:19,840 Speaker 1: So he had given me two hundred milligrams in the morning, 710 00:48:20,560 --> 00:48:22,560 Speaker 1: and then when that didn't work, he gave me an 711 00:48:22,600 --> 00:48:31,920 Speaker 1: additional six hundred milligrams in the evening. He probably needed 712 00:48:31,960 --> 00:48:35,480 Speaker 1: to give me that dose because I was way further 713 00:48:35,520 --> 00:48:36,680 Speaker 1: along in pregnancy. 714 00:48:38,239 --> 00:48:41,160 Speaker 2: The police told Brooke they'd be in touch, and that 715 00:48:41,320 --> 00:48:41,640 Speaker 2: was it. 716 00:48:42,440 --> 00:48:48,080 Speaker 1: The drive back to New York was awful. There's no 717 00:48:48,640 --> 00:48:51,040 Speaker 1: eloquent way to say that. It was just awful. I 718 00:48:51,120 --> 00:48:55,280 Speaker 1: cried most of the way back. I missed my baby. 719 00:48:57,120 --> 00:49:01,439 Speaker 1: I went down to DC thinking that I was making 720 00:49:01,520 --> 00:49:06,520 Speaker 1: a parenting plan, and I came back missing my baby, 721 00:49:07,600 --> 00:49:13,720 Speaker 1: with business cards for investigators and victims assistance phone numbers 722 00:49:13,840 --> 00:49:17,640 Speaker 1: in my luggage, doubting who I knew for the last 723 00:49:17,680 --> 00:49:19,880 Speaker 1: five years. My whole world had changed. 724 00:49:22,120 --> 00:49:25,239 Speaker 2: And then came the regrets. Even though she knew it 725 00:49:25,320 --> 00:49:28,839 Speaker 2: wasn't her fault. All she wanted was to go back 726 00:49:28,840 --> 00:49:29,560 Speaker 2: in time. 727 00:49:29,960 --> 00:49:34,400 Speaker 1: You know, blaming yourself. I wish I had never driven 728 00:49:34,480 --> 00:49:38,080 Speaker 1: down there. I shouldn't have done that. I should have 729 00:49:38,160 --> 00:49:42,719 Speaker 1: known better. I've worked through that. I don't still blame myself, 730 00:49:42,960 --> 00:49:46,640 Speaker 1: but at that time I did. I kept thinking that, 731 00:49:47,440 --> 00:49:50,120 Speaker 1: how stupid was I to drive down there. 732 00:49:53,040 --> 00:49:56,400 Speaker 2: When she got home, the loss became even more real 733 00:49:57,320 --> 00:49:59,720 Speaker 2: because she had to find a way to tell her kids. 734 00:50:00,680 --> 00:50:03,120 Speaker 1: Not only was I dealing with my own emotions, but 735 00:50:03,200 --> 00:50:05,840 Speaker 1: I had to tell my kids that I wasn't pregnant 736 00:50:05,880 --> 00:50:09,680 Speaker 1: anymore and they weren't getting a baby brother. And not 737 00:50:09,760 --> 00:50:13,160 Speaker 1: only were they not getting a baby brother, but their 738 00:50:13,200 --> 00:50:18,320 Speaker 1: baby brother was murdered. And not only was he murdered, 739 00:50:18,680 --> 00:50:21,200 Speaker 1: he was murdered by somebody that they knew and trusted. 740 00:50:22,239 --> 00:50:25,919 Speaker 1: And I have to help them through that. While I'm 741 00:50:25,960 --> 00:50:31,960 Speaker 1: trying to manage my own emotional fallout from this and 742 00:50:32,280 --> 00:50:36,040 Speaker 1: also figure out what to do about this criminal case, 743 00:50:37,360 --> 00:50:42,000 Speaker 1: I can hardly function to get dinner on the table. 744 00:50:43,760 --> 00:50:46,680 Speaker 2: Her kids weren't just mourning a baby brother. They were 745 00:50:46,760 --> 00:50:49,920 Speaker 2: mourning a sense of safety, and Brooke had to carry 746 00:50:49,960 --> 00:50:53,080 Speaker 2: all of it. She took leave from work leaned on 747 00:50:53,120 --> 00:50:58,000 Speaker 2: her friends and found a therapist. Even with all the support, 748 00:50:58,239 --> 00:51:00,759 Speaker 2: she stayed awake at night trying to make sense of 749 00:51:00,800 --> 00:51:01,320 Speaker 2: what happened. 750 00:51:02,280 --> 00:51:06,640 Speaker 1: I really went through this period of wondering if I 751 00:51:06,719 --> 00:51:10,080 Speaker 1: ever knew him at all, and did I ever see 752 00:51:10,160 --> 00:51:16,720 Speaker 1: him or was I fooling myself? Was he a monster 753 00:51:16,920 --> 00:51:20,239 Speaker 1: this entire time? And I just didn't want to see it? 754 00:51:23,239 --> 00:51:26,120 Speaker 1: And I really did have to think about that because 755 00:51:27,480 --> 00:51:31,560 Speaker 1: either I loved a monster and never knew he was 756 00:51:31,600 --> 00:51:38,319 Speaker 1: a monster, or I loved a man and then he 757 00:51:38,400 --> 00:51:47,240 Speaker 1: became a monster. One of those is true. 758 00:51:45,400 --> 00:51:47,280 Speaker 2: Her heart tells her it was the latter. 759 00:51:48,880 --> 00:51:52,839 Speaker 1: I had to objectively look at the person that he 760 00:51:53,040 --> 00:51:57,440 Speaker 1: was and look at his actions leading up to that time, 761 00:51:58,040 --> 00:52:01,720 Speaker 1: and look at the way he treated people. I really 762 00:52:01,760 --> 00:52:05,760 Speaker 1: think that I loved a man who became a monster. 763 00:52:08,320 --> 00:52:13,520 Speaker 2: Sick was charged with premeditated fetal homicide. He initially pled 764 00:52:13,840 --> 00:52:14,520 Speaker 2: not guilty. 765 00:52:16,000 --> 00:52:18,040 Speaker 1: I didn't want to go to a trial. I really 766 00:52:18,120 --> 00:52:21,840 Speaker 1: just wanted him to plead guilty and take responsibility for 767 00:52:21,920 --> 00:52:26,279 Speaker 1: what he did. That's when I decided to speak out 768 00:52:26,480 --> 00:52:27,840 Speaker 1: about what had happened. 769 00:52:29,200 --> 00:52:31,960 Speaker 2: Brooke went the local news to tell her story. 770 00:52:32,680 --> 00:52:36,720 Speaker 1: After I talked to the media, he changed his mind 771 00:52:36,760 --> 00:52:38,360 Speaker 1: and decided to plead guilty. 772 00:52:39,840 --> 00:52:43,040 Speaker 2: After that, the only thing left was the sentencing hearing. 773 00:52:43,600 --> 00:52:47,360 Speaker 1: He was facing twenty years to life in prison. He's 774 00:52:47,560 --> 00:52:52,360 Speaker 1: not an American citizen, so whenever he completed his sentence, 775 00:52:52,480 --> 00:52:56,200 Speaker 1: he was going to be deported back to Pakistan. So 776 00:52:56,920 --> 00:53:00,960 Speaker 1: when he decided to plead guilty, I decided to do 777 00:53:01,800 --> 00:53:05,760 Speaker 1: was to ask for leniency for him. So I wrote 778 00:53:05,760 --> 00:53:11,799 Speaker 1: a letter to the judge and asked for leniency, and 779 00:53:12,040 --> 00:53:16,640 Speaker 1: I explained to the judge that my son is gone. 780 00:53:16,920 --> 00:53:22,000 Speaker 1: My son is dead. Kai's life is over. He will 781 00:53:22,040 --> 00:53:26,960 Speaker 1: never do anything with his life. He's gone. He won't 782 00:53:26,960 --> 00:53:31,239 Speaker 1: have a chance, but six still does. He still has 783 00:53:31,280 --> 00:53:37,080 Speaker 1: a chance. And I would hate to see two lives 784 00:53:37,120 --> 00:53:42,799 Speaker 1: be gone because of this. And I really think that 785 00:53:43,320 --> 00:53:48,440 Speaker 1: rather than wasting the rest of his life sitting in prison, 786 00:53:50,160 --> 00:53:57,960 Speaker 1: Sick owes it to Kai to do something with his life. 787 00:53:58,600 --> 00:54:02,840 Speaker 1: The judge wrote my letter and granted him le nancy 788 00:54:03,440 --> 00:54:10,520 Speaker 1: and sentenced him to four years in prison. Otherwise he 789 00:54:10,560 --> 00:54:15,839 Speaker 1: would have given him twenty years to life. 790 00:54:16,200 --> 00:54:18,600 Speaker 2: Sick was released from prison in twenty twenty one and 791 00:54:18,600 --> 00:54:22,480 Speaker 2: deported to Pakistan. Today, it's been eight years since the crime, 792 00:54:23,000 --> 00:54:26,879 Speaker 2: and despite everything she's gone through, she manages to live 793 00:54:27,000 --> 00:54:30,520 Speaker 2: a joyful and fulfilling life. 794 00:54:32,360 --> 00:54:39,840 Speaker 1: Today. I have finished my master's degree in nursing and 795 00:54:40,080 --> 00:54:44,759 Speaker 1: I'm teaching nursing. I do Brazilian jiu jitsu a couple 796 00:54:44,840 --> 00:54:49,120 Speaker 1: of times a week as a fun hobby and exercise. 797 00:54:49,440 --> 00:54:51,839 Speaker 1: It's very empowering. I love doing that. 798 00:54:53,400 --> 00:54:56,080 Speaker 2: She and her kids chose to memorialize Kai. 799 00:54:56,680 --> 00:55:01,759 Speaker 1: His brother got a burial pla and said a prayer 800 00:55:01,840 --> 00:55:06,240 Speaker 1: over him, and we buried him in a cemetery here. 801 00:55:07,360 --> 00:55:10,880 Speaker 1: So he's got a little gravestone and a cemetery up 802 00:55:10,920 --> 00:55:15,920 Speaker 1: here in Upstate New York with his little superhero on it, 803 00:55:17,239 --> 00:55:19,880 Speaker 1: and it says Superheroes never sleep. 804 00:55:25,080 --> 00:55:27,960 Speaker 2: We end all of our weekly episodes with the same question, 805 00:55:28,880 --> 00:55:30,480 Speaker 2: why do you want to share your story? 806 00:55:31,560 --> 00:55:35,200 Speaker 1: When people hear my story, it is a little bit shocking, 807 00:55:35,880 --> 00:55:40,040 Speaker 1: and people often say, oh my god, I can't believe 808 00:55:40,080 --> 00:55:44,680 Speaker 1: that happened to you. But what I like people to 809 00:55:44,760 --> 00:55:50,040 Speaker 1: take from it is, no matter what happens, no matter 810 00:55:50,080 --> 00:55:53,520 Speaker 1: what you go through, you'll get stronger and you learn 811 00:55:53,560 --> 00:55:57,840 Speaker 1: to carry it. I was surprised that I made it through, 812 00:56:00,080 --> 00:56:03,680 Speaker 1: prized by the amount of strength that I came up 813 00:56:03,719 --> 00:56:08,200 Speaker 1: with and looking at it from the other side, I 814 00:56:08,239 --> 00:56:12,520 Speaker 1: look back and I think, wow, I made it through that. 815 00:56:13,520 --> 00:56:16,160 Speaker 1: If I could make it through that, people can make 816 00:56:16,160 --> 00:56:20,080 Speaker 1: it through anything. They really can. 817 00:56:27,560 --> 00:56:31,640 Speaker 2: Next week on Betrayal Weekly, I go, what are you 818 00:56:31,680 --> 00:56:32,160 Speaker 2: involved in? 819 00:56:33,239 --> 00:56:39,440 Speaker 3: Are you being investigated by the FBI? And he looked 820 00:56:39,480 --> 00:56:43,839 Speaker 3: at me so coldly like he never knew me, and 821 00:56:43,920 --> 00:56:47,279 Speaker 3: he said, if I go down, I'm taking you with me. 822 00:56:50,560 --> 00:56:52,360 Speaker 2: If you would like to reach out to the Betrayal 823 00:56:52,400 --> 00:56:55,280 Speaker 2: team or want to tell us your Betrayal story, email 824 00:56:55,360 --> 00:56:59,640 Speaker 2: us at Betrayalpod at gmail dot com. That's Betrayal Pod 825 00:57:00,040 --> 00:57:04,160 Speaker 2: at gmail dot com. We're grateful for your support. One 826 00:57:04,160 --> 00:57:06,479 Speaker 2: way to show support is by subscribing to our show 827 00:57:06,520 --> 00:57:09,640 Speaker 2: on Apple Podcasts, and don't forget to rate and review Betrayal. 828 00:57:10,040 --> 00:57:13,040 Speaker 2: Five star reviews go a long way. A big thank 829 00:57:13,080 --> 00:57:16,480 Speaker 2: you to all of our listeners. Betrayal is a production 830 00:57:16,560 --> 00:57:19,320 Speaker 2: of Glass Podcasts, a division of Glass Entertainment Group and 831 00:57:19,400 --> 00:57:23,160 Speaker 2: partnership with iHeart Podcasts. The show is executive produced by 832 00:57:23,200 --> 00:57:26,680 Speaker 2: Nancy Glass and Jennifer Fason, hosted and produced by me 833 00:57:26,920 --> 00:57:31,560 Speaker 2: Andrea Gunning, written and produced by Monique Leboard. Also produced 834 00:57:31,560 --> 00:57:36,280 Speaker 2: by Ben Fetterman. Associate producers are Kristin Melcuriy and Caitlin Golden. 835 00:57:37,000 --> 00:57:41,040 Speaker 2: Our iHeart team is Ali Perry and Jessica Krincheck. Audio 836 00:57:41,160 --> 00:57:45,000 Speaker 2: editing and mixing by Matt Delvecchio, Additional editing support from 837 00:57:45,040 --> 00:57:50,680 Speaker 2: Tanner Robbins. Betrayal's theme composed by Oliver Bains. Music library 838 00:57:50,880 --> 00:57:54,680 Speaker 2: provided by my Music and For more podcasts from iHeart, 839 00:57:54,880 --> 00:57:58,400 Speaker 2: visit the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get 840 00:57:58,400 --> 00:58:03,680 Speaker 2: your podcasts