Chapter 13 - An Empty Cradle
Marcus whirled around instantly, a cold dread seizing his chest.
Down the corridor, the doors to the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit were swung wide open. An alarm was buzzing—a low, rhythmic beep signifying a security breach in the infant ward.
""Donald!"" Marcus shouted, already sprinting down the hallway.
He tore through the double doors, slamming them against the wall. The nursery room was dimly lit, rows of incubators holding sleeping newborns. But at the far end of the room, incubator number four—his son’s station—was completely empty.
The transparent plastic lid was raised. The monitor wires were severed cleanly with medical shears.
Marcus fell to his knees beside the empty bassinet, his hands gripping the clear plastic sides. A single infant blanket, patterned with tiny stars, lay crumpled at the bottom.
""Where is he?!"" Marcus screamed, his voice breaking through the sterile quiet of the ward. ""WHERE IS MY SON?!""
A young pediatric nurse stepped out from behind a curtain, her hands trembling, a deep purple bruise forming on her cheek.
""A woman..."" the nurse whispered through tears. ""She was dressed as a nurse... she showed an ID badge for Vance Private Security. She knocked me down and took him out the service elevator.""
""Vanessa,"" Marcus growled, rising to his feet like a phantom from hell. ""She slipped away while the FBI was detaining Arthur.""
Donald ran in behind him, drawing his phone. ""I’m locking down all exits! No vehicle leaves the hospital perimeter!""
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""She won't take a car,"" Marcus said, his mind calculating every entrance and exit of the medical campus. ""The underground service tunnels connect directly to the subway line across the street. She’s going underground.""
Marcus didn't wait for backup. He grabbed a flashlight from the wall dock and bolted toward the basement stairs.
