Chapter 4 - The Trade
Julian spun around, turning his back on the stranger, his heart slamming against his ribs like a caged bird. "Clara? Is she—"
"She’s stabilized, but barely," Dr. Rao said, his breathing heavy, his hands visibly shaking as he wiped his brow with the back of his wrist. "We had to perform an emergency perimortem section. Your daughter is breathing, Julian. She’s in the neonatal unit now, fighting for every breath."
Relief crashed through Julian like a wave, followed instantly by the icy grip of terror. "And Clara? Can I see her?"
Dr. Rao looked down at the floor, unable to maintain eye contact. "Her heart stopped for nearly four minutes. We brought her back, but the neurological damage... we don't know the extent yet. She’s in a medically induced coma. Julian, you need to know something else. When we opened her, we found surgical scars. Deep, internal sutures from an old procedure."
Julian shook his head, baffled. "That’s impossible. Clara’s never had major surgery. We’ve been together eight years. I know her entire medical history."
"These weren't medical, Julian," Dr. Rao whispered, stepping closer so his voice wouldn't carry. "Someone implanted a bio-telemetry tracker in her pelvic cavity years ago. And when her heart stopped... a secondary signal transmitted."
May you like
Julian turned sharply toward the spot where the woman in the red dress had been standing. The corridor was empty, but lying on the polished floor beneath the elevator light was a single silver key attached to an embossed metal tag.
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