Chapter 6 - The Watchful Hour
The continuous rhythmic beep of the fetal monitor was the only sound inside the small, sterile room. Clara had been given an intravenous drip of magnesium sulfate to control her blood pressure, but she drifted in and out of consciousness, her pale lips whispering Adrian’s name every few minutes.
Adrian sat on a low metal stool beside the gurney, his Dress Blue jacket draped over the back of the chair, his shirt sleeves rolled to his elbows. He held her limp, cool hand between his rough palms, never breaking his vigil. Every time the baby’s heartbeat dipped, Adrian felt an invisible vice tighten around his ribs.
Dr. Harrison, the gray-haired physician, stepped back into the room holding a clipboard. He checked Clara’s vitals, his expression softening slightly. ""The pressure is beginning to level out. The medication is holding, Sergeant. The baby isn't in immediate distress anymore, but she cannot endure another shock. Absolute bed rest for the next several weeks is mandatory.""
""Thank you, Doctor,"" Adrian whispered, rubbing his weary eyes.
""I know who you are, son,"" Dr. Harrison said quietly, leaning against the counter. ""And I know who your mother is. Half an hour ago, an administrative memo was blasted to every medical facility in three counties: an alert claiming a confused young woman was taken against medical advice by a volatile veteran.""
Adrian’s jaw tightened. ""She won't stop until she controls everything.""
""Your father was a good man, Adrian,"" Dr. Harrison replied, crossing his arms. ""Thirty years ago, when this clinic was facing foreclosure, Captain Thomas Vance wrote a personal check to keep our doors open. He never asked for recognition, and he never told his wife. He said charity meant nothing if it was used for social climbing.""
Adrian looked up, stunned. ""You knew my father?""
""Better than most,"" the doctor said, reaching into his desk drawer. He produced a worn business card with an embossed silver logo. ""Your father had an attorney in Dover named Kenneth Sterling. A bulldog who despised Victoria’s manipulations. Thomas gave him strict instructions to act only when Adrian was ready to stand on his own feet.""
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Adrian took the card, his thumb tracing the embossed name. Just as hope flickered in his chest, the burner phone in his pocket vibrated with an urgent text from Marcus:
Local police spotted my sedan outside the clinic. Two patrol units dispatched. You have five minutes to move her.
