Chapter 14 - Doreen’s Last Move
By morning, Leah believed the worst was over.
She was wrong.
At 7:12 a.m., Mae entered the room carrying coffee.
At 7:14, a newborn transport aide appeared.
She checked the bassinet identification.
“Baby Carver is scheduled for discharge processing.”
Mae frowned.
“No, he isn’t.”
The aide looked confused.
“It’s in the system.”
Leah sat upright.
“Discharge to whom?”
The aide checked her tablet.
“Father.”
Mae snatched the tablet.
The order had been entered twelve minutes earlier.
Nathan’s name appeared as authorized parent.
Leah’s name was marked temporarily restricted.
Mae immediately called Dr. Shah.
Nobody could explain who had entered the order.
Then the fire alarm sounded.
Lights flashed red.
A prerecorded voice instructed staff to prepare for evacuation.
Mae’s face changed.
“This isn’t normal.”
“What?”
“Maternity doesn’t evacuate automatically for an alarm two floors away.”
She moved toward the door.
“Stay here.”
“No.”
Leah picked up Eli.
“I’m not letting him out of my arms.”
Staff rushed into the corridor.
Security doors released automatically as part of the fire protocol.
Mae cursed under her breath.
“Someone knew.”
They moved toward the nurses’ station.
Then Leah saw Doreen.
She was wearing a visitor coat and walking behind two hospital employees.
No police officer was with her.
Mae stared.
“How is she here?”
Doreen saw Leah.
For one second, both women froze.
Then Doreen turned and ran.
Mae shouted.
“Security!”
Doreen disappeared through an emergency stairwell.
Nathan came from another corridor.
“What happened?”
Leah glared at him.
“Your mother happened.”
Nathan looked at the evacuation screen.
Then his face changed.
“The parking garage.”
“What?”
“There’s an old staff exit from the east stairwell.”
“It opens near the parking garage.”
Mae pulled out her radio.
Nathan ran toward the stairs.
Leah followed.
Mae grabbed her arm.
“You just had abdominal surgery.”
“My son is in my arms.”
“She can’t take him if I stay with him.”
“That isn’t the point.”
A woman screamed from the nurses’ station.
Mae turned.
Simone stood near the elevator.
Her hands were on her stomach.
Blood was running down her leg.
“My baby.”
She gasped.
Mae moved instantly.
Leah stopped.
Two emergencies.
Two mothers.
One hallway.
Nathan looked toward Simone.
Then toward the stairwell where his mother had disappeared.
For the first time, Leah saw him make a choice without Doreen telling him what to do.
He ran to Simone.
“Help her.”
Leah watched him kneel beside the woman carrying his other child.
Then Mae turned to Leah.
May you like
“You and Eli stay with me.”
Doreen’s escape would have to wait.
