Chapter 17 - The Sirens
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The wail of police sirens pierced the freezing morning air, growing louder until they seemed to surround the entire warehouse. Flashing red and blue lights reflected off the grimy windows of the foreman’s office.
“Hands in the air! This is the police!” a voice bellowed through a megaphone outside.
Daniel didn't care. He dropped to his knees beside Emma, ignoring Rachel who was still sobbing in the doorway, and ignoring Elias who had passed out from blood loss against the desk.
“Emma,” Daniel pleaded, gently shaking her shoulder. “Emma, wake up. It’s over. We’re safe.”
Emma didn't respond. Her skin was terribly cold, and her pulse was a faint, erratic flutter beneath his fingers. The baby, swaddled tightly in his coat on her chest, continued to cry weakly.
A tactical team swarmed the office seconds later, heavily armed officers sweeping the room. They saw the dead body of Silas, the surrendered Rachel, and Daniel sobbing over his unconscious wife.
“We need medics up here now!” one of the officers screamed into his radio. “We have an unconscious female, postpartum, and a premature newborn! Move!”
Paramedics rushed into the room, pushing Daniel aside. It was a blur of organized chaos. They strapped an oxygen mask over Emma’s face, started an IV line right there on the dirty mattress, and carefully secured the baby into a specialized portable incubator.
“Is she going to live?” Daniel grabbed the sleeve of a paramedic as they loaded Emma onto a stretcher.
“Her blood pressure is through the roof, and she’s unresponsive,” the paramedic said grimly, not sugarcoating the situation. “We need to get her to the ICU immediately. Are you the father?”
“Yes,” Daniel choked out.
“Ride in the ambulance with the baby. Let’s go!”
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As they carried Emma down the stairs, Daniel looked back. Police officers were handcuffing Rachel and loading a barely conscious Elias onto another stretcher. Elias caught Daniel’s eye and gave a weak, bloody nod. He had kept his promise. He had held the line.
Now, the battle belonged to the doctors.
