Chapter 5 - An Unlikely Escape
The moment the security guard's footsteps faded into the distance, Ethan locked the door from the inside. He turned around, his mind racing through every structural blueprint he had ever studied during his architectural years. The fourth floor of the hospital connected to an older annex through an emergency service bridge, but the double doors were routinely kept under magnetic lock.
"We can't stay here," Ethan said, stripping off his heavy tuxedo jacket and wrapping it around Elena’s shoulders. "Arthur Mercer doesn't negotiate when he has leverage. If I walk down to that lounge, he will have his men take this child to a state facility under a forged relinquishment document while they force me back into the chapel."
"I can barely stand, Ethan," Elena whispered, her face pale, beads of sweat glistening across her forehead. The delivery had been complicated, leaving her weak and bruised. "I lost too much blood."
"Then I will carry you," Ethan said without hesitation.
He moved toward the bassinet, carefully lifting the oxygen tube that was connected to a portable tank. He secured the miniature regulator, tucking the canister beneath his arm. With swift, determined movements, he helped Elena swing her legs over the side of the bed. She gasped, a cry of pain tearing through her lips as her feet hit the cold floor, but she held the baby against her collar with an iron grip.
Ethan hoisted Elena into his arms, using his back to force open the fire exit door that led to the utility stairs. The alarm did not sound; someone had already cut the emergency circuits, presumably Arthur's men preparing for a clean extraction.
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They descended two flights of concrete stairs in suffocating darkness, the infant’s rhythmic, raspy breaths echoing against the stone walls. When Ethan kicked open the lower exit onto the alleyway behind the laundry bays, he was greeted not by cold air, but by the blinding headlights of an idling sedan.
The passenger door flew open, and a figure stepped out into the glare. It was Clara Vance, her wedding veil torn away, her eyes blazing in the night.
