Chapter 7 - Someone Came for Grace
The room went black.
Grace started crying.
Julian moved toward the bassinet.
“Stay with her.”
I reached beneath my pillow for my phone.
Emergency lighting flickered on.
Dim red light filled the hallway.
Then someone tried the door.
Once.
Twice.
Julian locked it.
“Who's there?”
No answer.
The handle moved again.
Then stopped.
I called Dr. Grant.
No service.
Julian looked through the narrow window.
“What do you see?”
“Nothing.”
Grace cried harder.
I lifted her from the bassinet and held her against my chest.
“It's okay.”
My own voice was shaking.
“Mommy's here.”
Footsteps approached.
Slow.
Controlled.
Then a key entered the lock.
Julian grabbed a metal chair.
The door opened.
The security officer stepped inside.
“Power failure.”
Julian blocked him.
“Stay outside.”
“We need to evacuate the infant.”
“No.”
“Sir, hospital protocol—”
“No.”
The guard reached toward his belt.
I saw it.
A plastic restraint.
Not a radio.
Not medical equipment.
A restraint.
“Julian.”
He followed my eyes.
Everything happened quickly.
Julian shoved the door closed.
The guard pushed back.
Another hospital employee appeared behind him.
I screamed.
Not from fear.
To attract witnesses.
“HELP!”
Doors opened down the hallway.
Patients looked out.
Nurses appeared.
The guard immediately backed away.
That was all we needed.
Witnesses.
Dr. Grant came running from the stairwell.
“What is happening?”
The lights returned.
I pointed at the guard.
“He tried to remove my daughter.”
The guard shook his head.
“Emergency evacuation procedure.”
Dr. Grant looked confused.
“There was no evacuation order.”
The guard's face changed.
He ran.
Julian chased him.
“Julian!”
He stopped.
Good.
That was exactly what they wanted.
Chaos.
Anger.
A father attacking someone on camera.
Evidence for Dominic.
Julian understood.
He returned to me.
The guard disappeared into the stairwell.
Dr. Grant immediately called police.
Twenty minutes later, officers searched the building.
They found the guard's uniform in a maintenance room.
But the man was gone.
His employee identification was fake.
Rebecca called me.
“Clara, federal agents are coming.”
“When?”
“They're already downstairs.”
Then she paused.
“There's something else.”
“What?”
“Dominic withdrew the emergency custody petition.”
I looked at Julian.
“Why?”
May you like
Rebecca answered.
“Because Eleanor Vance just disappeared.”
