Chapter 7 - The Men at Her Door
“DO NOT LET THOSE MEN NEAR MY PATIENT!”
Dr. Price's voice echoed down the pediatric hallway.
Lena immediately called for additional officers.
I moved toward Nora's room.
One of the uniformed guards stopped me.
“Sir, please remain behind the security line.”
I looked him directly in the eyes.
“That little girl has been hunted through a snowstorm. Nobody gets near her.”
Before he could respond, a commotion erupted near the elevator.
Two men wearing dark jackets and county identification badges had entered the pediatric wing.
A hospital employee was trying to stop them.
“We have an emergency placement order,” one man insisted.
“The child is being transferred into protective custody.”
Lena stepped into their path.
“Detective Ortiz. Show me your credentials.”
The taller man held out his badge.
His hand was steady.
Too steady.
“County Child Services. We're authorized to remove the minor.”
“Who's your supervisor?”
“It's on the paperwork.”
“Then say the name.”
For the first time, he hesitated.
His partner shifted toward the hallway leading to Nora's room.
I noticed immediately.
“Lena.”
She followed my gaze.
“Hands where I can see them,” she ordered.
The taller man stepped backward.
Then his partner suddenly tried to rush past her.
One of the officers blocked him.
They struggled briefly against the hallway wall.
The second man attempted to flee toward the elevator.
I stepped into his path.
He stopped.
For several seconds, we stared at each other.
He looked at my face.
Recognized me.
And whatever confidence he had possessed disappeared.
“Move,” he said.
I didn't.
“Who sent you?”
He glanced toward the police.
“Get out of my way.”
“Say her name.”
“What?”
“The little girl you're here to collect. Say her name.”
He swallowed.
The officer behind him moved closer.
I lowered my voice.
“You came to take a frightened child from a hospital, and you don't even know her name.”
He tried to push past me.
I caught his arm long enough for the officer to restrain him.
Within seconds, both men were handcuffed.
Lena searched their vehicle with the officers after obtaining the appropriate authorization.
The back windows were heavily tinted.
There were no medical supplies.
No pediatric equipment.
No documentation identifying a licensed receiving facility.
Only blankets and a locked compartment containing multiple forged identification cards.
When the officers discovered what was inside, Lena's expression darkened.
The identification cards bore different names.
But several belonged to children listed in Natalie's records.
Children who had supposedly been moved into protective homes.
Children whose families had been told they were unavailable for contact.
Inside Nora's room, Dr. Price reassured her that the emergency transfer had been canceled.
I sat beside her.
“Were those the people who took Mommy?”
Nora asked the question so quietly that I almost missed it.
“I don't know yet.”
“Did they come for me?”
I couldn't lie to her.
“I believe they did.”
Her eyes filled with fear.
She looked toward the door.
“I thought hospitals were supposed to be safe.”
I felt ashamed that I had no easy answer.
“They are supposed to be.”
I took her hand.
“And we're going to make sure you stay safe here.”
Later, Lena returned with an update.
One of the arrested men had agreed to speak.
His name was Gavin Cole.
He worked for a private security company contracted by HarborLight.
At first, he claimed the transfer was legitimate.
But when investigators confronted him with the falsified documents, his confidence collapsed.
“He told us the girl was dangerous,” Gavin admitted.
Lena stared at him.
“She is eight years old.”
“He said she knew things.”
“Who said that?”
Gavin looked toward the door.
“Mercer.”
I felt my hands curl into fists.
Lena leaned closer.
“What was your assignment?”
“Get her out of the hospital.”
“And then?”
Gavin didn't answer.
“Where were you taking her?”
He stared at the floor.
Finally, he whispered something that changed everything.
“It doesn't matter now. Mercer is moving the others.”
Lena stiffened.
“What others?”
Gavin looked up.
“The children. All of them.”
“When?”
His voice dropped.
“Before Friday morning.”
It was already Wednesday.
May you like
We had less than two days.
And somewhere beyond the hospital walls, an unknown number of children were being prepared for disappearance.
