Chapter 1 - Put the Phone Down
The woman in pink slapped her palm against the rail of my hospital bed and leaned close enough for me to smell her expensive perfume.
“Know your place, Emily.”
My hand went straight to my stomach. At thirty-one weeks pregnant, every sharp movement made me think about the baby first and myself second.
“Don’t you dare touch me again.”
Dr. Nolan Pierce stepped between us, but not to protect me. His face was tight with irritation, like I was the problem in the room.
“Emily, calm down. This isn’t good for the baby.”
I stared at him. “Then tell her to get away from me.”
The woman in pink—my mother-in-law, Evelyn Hart—smiled as if she had already won.
“You have nowhere left to run in this hospital.”
That sentence changed everything.
I had come to St. Catherine Medical Center that morning because of cramping. I expected fetal monitoring, maybe fluids, maybe a long lecture about rest.
Instead, Evelyn arrived without being called. Then Dr. Pierce started asking whether I had been “confused lately.” A nurse brought a syringe I had never agreed to. When I asked what it was, nobody gave me the same answer twice.
So I reached for my phone.
Dr. Pierce’s voice jumped an octave. “EMILY! PUT THE PHONE DOWN!”
Evelyn laughed. “Who could you possibly be calling? No one cares about you.”
My thumb hovered over one name I had not used in almost three years.
I looked at her. “You think I’m completely alone here?”
Dr. Pierce took one slow step toward me. “Please. Think about what you’re doing before it’s too late.”
That was the second sentence that told me I was right to be afraid.
I pressed call.
The line connected immediately.
“Uncle Raymond,” I said, fighting to keep my voice steady. “I need you to come up to the third floor right now.”
Evelyn’s smile vanished.
Dr. Pierce went pale.
“Uncle Raymond?” he whispered. “As in Raymond Cole?”
I kept my eyes on Evelyn. “Yes. And bring hospital security with you immediately.”
“That’s impossible,” Evelyn snapped. “She’s lying.”
Dr. Pierce looked toward the door as if he was calculating how far he could get before the elevator opened.
Then the intercom above my bed clicked.
A calm male voice filled the room.
“Third floor, lock all non-emergency exits. This is Raymond Cole. Nobody leaves until I get there.”
May you like
Dr. Pierce whispered the words Evelyn did not want to hear.
“We made a terrible mistake.”
