Chapter 14: Someone Inside the Hospital
### Chapter 14: Someone Inside the Hospital
Arthur handed the card to Sergeant Reyes.
She read the single sentence twice.
Congratulations on your daughter.
We'll be waiting.
Her expression hardened.
"Who touched these flowers?"
The nurse swallowed.
"I... I don't know."
"They were left at the front reception desk."
"Someone said they were for Mrs. Sarah Vance."
Reyes immediately turned to one of her deputies.
"Lock down the maternity floor."
"No visitors."
"Verify every staff member's ID."
"And pull every security camera from the last hour."
The deputy nodded and hurried away.
---
Inside the delivery room...
Sarah knew something was wrong.
She could see it in Arthur's face.
"What happened?"
Arthur forced a smile.
"Nothing you need to worry about."
Sarah looked directly at him.
"Don't lie to me."
Before Arthur could answer...
Emily stepped between them.
"Right now, the only thing that matters is you and your baby."
Sarah wasn't convinced.
But another contraction hit.
This one stole her breath completely.
She gripped the bed rails.
Emily checked the monitor.
The baby's heartbeat remained strong.
"Good girl," Emily whispered.
"Keep fighting."
---
Downstairs...
Two detectives reviewed the surveillance footage.
The flower delivery appeared on screen.
A man wearing a hospital maintenance uniform pushed a supply cart toward the reception desk.
His face was hidden beneath a surgical mask and cap.
He placed the bouquet on the counter.
Signed nothing.
Spoke to no one.
Then disappeared into a service hallway.
One detective frowned.
"Can we track him?"
The security officer shook his head.
"There isn't supposed to be any maintenance scheduled today."
The detectives looked at each other.
"He wasn't an employee."
---
Five minutes later...
Every maintenance worker in the hospital had been located.
Every one...
Except one.
Because he had never existed.
---
Meanwhile...
Inside the underground parking garage...
The fake maintenance worker calmly removed his cap.
Then the mask.
He wasn't old.
Perhaps thirty-five.
Sharp features.
Cold eyes.
He unlocked a white delivery van.
Inside...
Medical uniforms hung neatly from hooks.
Hospital badges.
Boxes of surgical gloves.
Even an empty infant carrier.
The man picked up a small radio.
"Phase One is complete."
A voice answered immediately.
"Status?"
"The floor is locked down."
He smiled.
"Exactly as planned."
---
Upstairs...
Emily finished another examination.
She looked at Sarah with gentle honesty.
"You're eight centimeters."
Sarah blinked.
"What does that mean?"
Emily smiled softly.
"It means your daughter is impatient."
Arthur squeezed Sarah's hand.
"You can do this."
Sarah nodded.
Tears slipped down her cheeks.
"I'm scared."
Emily leaned closer.
"So is every good mother."
"But fear doesn't mean you aren't strong."
It means you understand what's precious."
Sarah smiled through her tears.
---
Outside the room...
Sergeant Reyes met with the hospital director.
"I need a list of everyone who entered this floor today."
The director nodded nervously.
"Of course."
"And the nursery?"
Reyes asked.
"How secure is it?"
The director hesitated.
"Parents wear matching identification bracelets."
"Every newborn receives an electronic ankle monitor."
"If anyone removes a baby without authorization..."
"Every exit locks automatically."
Reyes seemed relieved.
"Good."
But something still bothered her.
The flowers.
The message.
It felt...
Too easy.
Almost as if...
They wanted the police focused on the nursery.
---
Back inside the delivery room...
Arthur noticed something unusual.
A young nurse entered quietly.
He had never seen her before.
She smiled politely.
"I'm here to check the IV."
Emily frowned.
"I didn't request anyone."
The nurse froze.
"Dr. Benson sent me."
Emily shook her head.
"Dr. Benson is off today."
Silence.
Arthur slowly stood.
The young nurse took one step backward.
Her smile disappeared.
Arthur spoke calmly.
"Who are you?"
She suddenly turned and ran.
---
"Stop her!"
Arthur shouted.
The hallway exploded into motion.
Deputies chased after her.
Doctors stepped aside.
Patients screamed in surprise.
The woman sprinted toward the emergency stairwell.
She pushed through the heavy metal door.
Arthur followed seconds behind.
The stairwell echoed with pounding footsteps.
Down one flight.
Then another.
She was fast.
Too fast.
Arthur finally caught sight of her near the third floor.
"Police!"
Reyes shouted from above.
"Stop!"
Instead...
The woman reached into her pocket.
Arthur expected a weapon.
Instead...
She threw dozens of hospital ID badges into the air.
Plastic cards scattered everywhere.
Deputies slipped trying to avoid them.
For only two seconds...
But two seconds were enough.
She disappeared through another fire door.
---
By the time officers reached the lobby...
She was gone.
Only a discarded blonde wig remained near the exit.
Reyes picked it up.
"Professional."
Arthur looked toward the parking lot.
"She came to Sarah's room."
"But she never touched her."
Reyes slowly nodded.
"Which means..."
Arthur finished the sentence.
"She wasn't the one we're supposed to fear."
---
At that same moment...
Three floors below...
Inside the hospital's power control room...
The fake maintenance worker looked at his watch.
Then quietly opened an electrical panel.
He clipped one small electronic device onto the main circuit.
A blinking green light appeared.
He calmly walked away.
Exactly sixty seconds later...
The entire hospital suddenly went dark.
Every light.
Every hallway.
Every elevator.
Every security camera.
Power lost.
Emergency alarms immediately began screaming.
Backup generators struggled to activate.
Inside the delivery room...
Sarah gasped.
"What's happening?"
Emily grabbed a flashlight.
Arthur instinctively stood between Sarah and the door.
Outside...
In the darkness...
Footsteps echoed through the maternity ward.
Slow.
Deliberate.
Someone had been waiting for the blackout.
And now...
May you like
They were coming.
To be continued...
