Chapter 12 - The Lockdown
Ethan’s perfectly crafted smile vanished. For the first time, a flicker of genuine confusion crossed his face. "Excuse me?" he stammered. "I just told you, she slipped on the wet tile—"
Liam didn't blink. He didn't raise his voice. He reached past Ethan, picked up the red wall phone, and kept his eyes fixed firmly on my husband.
"Lock down this unit," Liam ordered into the receiver, his voice echoing with absolute authority. "No one leaves Trauma 3. Call hospital security. And get the police down here immediately. Priority one."
Ethan let out a forced, nervous laugh, glancing around at the nurses as if Liam had just made an incredibly embarrassing joke. "Whoa, hold on a second, Doc. Let's not overreact. You can’t imprison me because my wife bruises easily. I want to speak to the hospital administrator."
Liam hung up the phone and stepped smoothly between Ethan and my gurney, shielding me with his body. He stood a full three inches taller than Ethan.
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"I am the administrator on call tonight," Liam said flatly. "I can preserve forensic evidence. I can restrict civilian access to a highly vulnerable patient. And I am legally mandated to report suspected felony assault. Security is already outside that door."
Ethan took a step back. The polished CEO facade cracked, revealing the panicked coward underneath. He looked toward the glass doors and saw two burly security guards taking their positions. He was trapped.
