Chapter 2
The strange doctor moved toward the baby warmer.
My son’s cry filled the room.
Small.
Sharp.
Alive.
I wanted to crawl out and tear him away from that man, but my body would not obey fast enough.
Linda stepped closer to Emily.
“You know what happens to little girls who lie.”
Emily’s chair scraped backward.
“She’s in the bathroom.”
“There is no bathroom door closed.”
Silence.
Then the doctor said, “Mrs. Carter, we need to proceed. The longer we wait, the more risk.”
Risk.
They were talking about me like I was paperwork.
Linda exhaled sharply.
“Find her.”
The doctor turned.
His shoes came toward the bed.
I curled tighter beneath it, biting my lip so I would not make a sound.
Emily suddenly screamed.
Not cried.
Screamed.
“My brother is turning blue!”
The doctor spun back.
Linda rushed toward the warmer.
I used that second.
I grabbed the dangling call button cord and pressed it again and again.
Red light flashed above the bed.
The nurse station alarm sounded.
The doctor cursed under his breath.
Linda hissed, “Stop that.”
Emily kept screaming.
The door flew open.
My nurse, Carla, ran in.
“What happened?”
Linda spoke first.
“She’s hysterical. The patient wandered off.”
I reached from under the bed and grabbed Carla’s ankle.
She looked down.
Her face changed.
“Mrs. Carter?”
“Help me,” I whispered. “They’re trying to take my baby.”
Carla did not hesitate.
She hit the wall emergency button.
A louder alarm blared.
The strange doctor backed away.
Linda’s face twisted.
“You stupid girl,” she spat at Emily.
Carla stepped between them.
“Security. Now.”
Linda lifted her chin.
“My son owns this hospital wing.”
May you like
Carla looked at her coldly.
“Then he can explain it to the police.”
