Chapter 12 - The Night the NICU Went Dark
The gun fired.
Boone pushed me aside.
The bullet struck the wall.
Security tackled the administrator.
But she was only a distraction.
When we returned to Riverbend, the NICU was empty.
Every incubator was still running.
Every monitor was on.
But every baby was gone.
Including Emma.
I felt my world collapse.
Then I saw the message on the glass.
OLD MATERNITY WING. MIDNIGHT.
We went back.
This time, Rachel was waiting.
I recognized her immediately.
Older.
Thinner.
But alive.
Boone stared at his sister.
Neither moved.
Then Rachel crossed the room and hugged him.
For eleven years, Boone had carried the weight of believing he had failed her.
Now he finally held her.
“I thought you were dead,” he whispered.
“I thought you betrayed me.”
“I never did.”
“I know.”
Then Rachel turned toward me.
“You kept your promise.”
I began crying.
“I forgot.”
“You weren't supposed to remember.”
“Why?”
“Because the man who erased your memory was someone you trusted.”
A voice came from behind us.
“Hello, Claire.”
I turned.
May you like
Dr. Adrian Vale stood in the doorway.
Holding Emma.
