Chapter 7 - The Police at the Seventh-Floor Doors
The heavy pounding against the exterior double doors of the seventh-floor surgical suite echoed like gunshots through the quiet room.
"Open up! St. Jude’s security and municipal police department! Step away from the doors immediately!" a gruff voice commanded from the hallway, followed by a sharp rattle of the brass door handle.
Dr. Miller spun around, panic flaring openly in his eyes as he looked from the locked door back to Director Vance. "Vance, if the police get in here and find us with this audit and an unauthorized patient, we're finished. They'll trace the embezzlement straight to the board."
Director Vance, however, remained chillingly calm. He straightened his tie with slow, deliberate movements, his eyes fixed on the heavy oak door as it began to splinter under the force of a battering ram.
"Calm down, Arthur," Vance murmured, his voice ice-cold. "The police only respond to active alarms. Someone triggered the emergency panic button downstairs. And I have a strong suspicion that our kind friend Helen was the one who pressed it."
Leo seized the sudden distraction. While the adults were momentarily transfixed by the impending breach, Leo lunged forward toward the surgical table, grabbing Lily’s frail hand.
"Lily, wake up, we have to go," Leo whispered frantically, trying to lift her upper body.
Lily groaned softly, her eyelids fluttering open just a fraction. Her lips were cracked and pale, but she managed to squeeze Leo’s fingers back with a tiny surge of strength. "Leo... where are we?"
Before Leo could answer, the heavy oak doors crashed inward with a deafening splinter of wood and shattered brass. Uniformed police officers poured into the room, led by a stern female detective in a heavy trench coat, her hand resting firmly on the holster of her sidearm.
"Freeze! Nobody move!" Detective Ramos shouted, her sharp eyes scanning the operating room, taking in Dr. Miller standing near the surgical trays, Director Vance calmly adjusting his cuffs, and eight-year-old Leo holding onto a dying child.
Detective Ramos’s gaze locked onto Dr. Miller, her expression hardening into absolute fury. "Dr. Arthur Arthurson, you are under arrest for the illegal embezzlement of medical funds, medical malpractice, and the kidnapping of two minors."
Miller threw his hands up defensively, stepping backward. "This is a misunderstanding! I was performing life-saving surgery on the girl!"
"Tell it to the judge," Ramos snapped, motioning for two officers to cuff him. She then turned her attention directly to Leo and the unconscious Lily on the table. "Paramedics are right behind us, kid. You're safe now."
As the officers moved in to secure the room, Detective Ramos stepped close to Leo and noticed the heavy leather journal sticking out of his hoodie pocket. She reached out and gently pulled it free, her eyes widening as she read the title stamped on the cover.
May you like
"Where did you get this?" Ramos asked softly.
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