Chapter 3 - Two HeartbeatsClaire reached the loading dock barefoot beneath her hospital gown, one hand pressed protectively against her incision and the other gripping the wheelchair arm until her knuckles turned white.
"What are you doing?" Claire whispered.
"Buying us a few seconds."
The elevator chimed again.
Footsteps approached.
Nora pushed the phone into Claire's hand.
"Hide it."
Claire slipped it beneath her pillow.
The handle moved.
Locked.
A knock followed.
"Nora?"
A man's voice.
"Open the door."
Nora whispered, "Hospital security."
Claire stared at her.
"Are they with Daniel?"
"I don't know."
The knocking became harder.
"Nurse Parker, open this door immediately."
Nora moved toward the bed and began adjusting Claire's IV as if nothing were wrong.
"Mrs. Whitmore, whatever happens, act confused."
Claire nodded.
Nora unlocked the door.
Two hospital security officers entered.
Behind them stood Dr. Martin Vale, the obstetrician who had delivered Claire's twins.
Claire had liked him.
Trusted him.
Now she watched every movement.
Dr. Vale frowned.
"Why was this door locked?"
"Patient privacy," Nora replied.
"Since when do you lock recovery rooms?"
"Since family members started entering without permission."
His eyes moved to Claire.
"You're awake."
Claire deliberately blinked slowly.
"My babies?"
Vale approached the bed.
His expression became solemn.
"I'm sorry, Claire."
She wanted to break his nose.
Instead, she whispered, "I want to see them."
The doctor looked uncomfortable.
"There are procedures—"
"I want to see my babies."
"They've already been transferred."
Claire nearly reacted.
Transferred.
Not sent to the morgue.
Nora heard it too.
"Transferred where?" Nora asked.
Vale's eyes sharpened.
"That isn't your concern."
"You just told her they died."
"I said their remains were transferred."
Claire stared at him.
"Where?"
Vale glanced at security.
"Claire, you've suffered catastrophic emotional trauma. Your husband is concerned that—"
"My husband isn't my doctor."
"No, but he is your emergency medical contact."
"Not anymore."
The room went silent.
Vale's jaw tightened.
"I'd like to administer something mild for anxiety."
"No."
"It would help you sleep."
"No medication."
His expression hardened almost imperceptibly.
"Claire."
"No."
One of the guards moved closer.
Nora stepped between him and the IV.
"Patient refused."
Vale looked at her.
"Nurse Parker, leave the room."
"I'm assigned to her."
"Not anymore."
Nora didn't move.
Vale removed his phone.
"I'm calling your supervisor."
Claire suddenly understood.
They weren't trying to comfort her.
They were trying to separate her from the only person who had seen the babies alive.
Claire raised her voice.
"Where is my husband?"
Vale hesitated.
"Downstairs."
"I want him here."
That caught everyone off guard.
Nora glanced at her.
Claire gave the smallest shake of her head.
She wanted Daniel upstairs because her father's people were coming.
Keeping Daniel close might prevent him from disappearing.
Vale nodded.
"I'll have someone bring him."
He stepped outside.
One guard followed.
The second remained.
Nora returned to checking Claire's monitor.
She kept her voice low.
"The woman downstairs is named Selena Ward."
"You know her?"
"I saw the name on transport paperwork."
"What company?"
"New Dawn Neonatal Services."
Claire stared at her.
"Never heard of it."
"Neither had I."
Nora adjusted the blanket, hiding Claire's hands.
Underneath it, she opened a medical supply drawer.
Inside was a pen.
Claire immediately understood.
Nora whispered numbers while pretending to check Claire's pulse.
"Transport authorization: ND-7720. Vehicle tag ended in 41K. Departure logged at 9:26."
Claire wrote everything on the inside of her wrist.
"What direction?"
"Loading dock camera showed them turning east."
The guard looked over.
Nora raised her voice.
"Her blood pressure is elevated. Not surprising considering the circumstances."
The guard looked away.
A minute later Daniel entered.
Vivian followed him.
Claire almost laughed at the arrogance.
Vivian had changed clothes.
She now wore a cream blouse and tailored navy slacks, hair tied back, expression carefully arranged into concern.
"Claire," Daniel breathed.
He hurried toward the bed.
She let him take her hand.
His skin felt warm.
Normal.
How could hands that had signed away his own children feel normal?
"Daniel," she whispered.
His eyes filled with manufactured tears.
"I'm so sorry."
Vivian stood near the wall.
Claire looked at her.
"Why is she here?"
Daniel's body stiffened.
"Vivian was helping coordinate things with the hospital."
"At four in the morning?"
"Claire—"
"I thought you said she was in Chicago."
Vivian forced a gentle smile.
"My flight changed."
Claire stared at her.
"How convenient."
Daniel squeezed Claire's hand.
"You're exhausted."
"So everyone keeps telling me."
"Dr. Vale thinks you should rest."
"There won't be any drugs."
Daniel's expression changed.
Only for a fraction of a second.
But Claire saw it.
"Nobody's forcing you to take anything."
"Good."
She looked at Vivian again.
"Did you see them?"
Vivian swallowed.
"The twins?"
"My babies."
Daniel interrupted.
"Claire, don't do this."
"Do what?"
"Torture yourself."
Her voice cracked perfectly when she asked, "Did they look peaceful?"
Vivian looked away.
Wrong move.
Claire knew immediately that she had never seen dead babies.
Daniel answered instead.
"Yes."
Claire nodded.
"Did you hold them?"
Daniel's grip loosened.
"I couldn't."
"What color blanket was our son wrapped in?"
Silence.
Claire watched his face.
"What?"
"When you saw him after he died, Daniel. What color was his blanket?"
He stared at her.
Vivian spoke.
"Blue."
Claire turned slowly toward her.
Daniel closed his eyes.
Vivian realized her mistake too late.
Claire whispered:
"Interesting."
Nora's fingers froze above the IV pump.
Claire continued.
"Because the hospital uses white swaddles."
Vivian's face went pale.
Daniel stood.
"Enough."
"Where are my children?"
"They're dead."
"No."
"Claire—"
"My babies are alive."
The room stopped moving.
Nora inhaled.
The guard touched his radio.
Daniel's face emptied.
"What did you say?"
Claire pulled the bracelet from beneath her gown.
Vivian made a sound.
Tiny.
But unmistakable.
Fear.
Claire held up the bracelet.
"Active status. Nursery 4B."
Daniel's eyes shot toward Vivian.
That single glance confirmed everything.
Claire smiled through her tears.
"You should be more careful about what you leave under radiators."
Daniel lunged toward the bracelet.
Nora blocked him.
"Do not touch the patient."
"Give me that!"
The guard moved between them.
"Sir—"
"That's confidential hospital property!"
Claire laughed.
It hurt her incision so badly that tears sprang to her eyes.
"My daughter's hospital bracelet is confidential from me?"
Daniel turned toward the guard.
"Call Dr. Vale."
The elevator doors opened outside.
Heavy footsteps followed.
Then more.
A lot more.
The security guard frowned and touched his earpiece.
"What's happening downstairs?"
Static answered.
Then:
"We have federal agents in the lobby."
Daniel stopped breathing.
Vivian went rigid.
Claire looked at the clock.
Twenty-seven minutes.
Her father had said twenty-eight.
A second later, four men in dark suits entered the hallway.
Hospital security attempted to stop them.
They didn't slow down.
One produced credentials.
"Federal Bureau of Investigation. Step aside."
Daniel's face collapsed.
Claire hadn't seen Special Agent Marcus Reed in seven years, but she recognized him instantly.
Tall.
Gray at the temples now.
Same steady eyes.
He entered Claire's room and surveyed everyone.
Then he looked at her.
"Claire Bennett?"
Daniel blinked.
Bennett.
He hadn't heard anyone call her by her maiden name in years.
Claire nodded.
Marcus turned toward Vivian.
"Vivian Cross?"
Vivian took one step backward.
"Who wants to know?"
"Federal investigators."
Then he faced Daniel.
"Daniel Whitmore?"
Daniel recovered quickly.
"I'm her husband. This is a family medical emergency."
Marcus looked at the bracelet in Claire's hand.
"No, Mr. Whitmore."
His voice became colder.
"It stopped being a family medical emergency when two newborns crossed state lines under falsified medical records."
Vivian's knees nearly buckled.
Daniel stared.
Claire's heart pounded.
Crossed state lines.
That meant they had information already.
Marcus turned toward Claire.
"Your father is downstairs."
"Why isn't he here?"
"Because someone's trying to leave through the loading dock."
Claire looked at Nora.
Selena.
Marcus touched his earpiece.
A voice crackled.
"Target moving. Black SUV. East exit."
Marcus turned sharply.
"Stop that vehicle."
Daniel shouted:
"You don't have jurisdiction to—"
Marcus looked at him.
"Your children were removed from this hospital using forged federal neonatal transport credentials."
He stepped closer.
"I have plenty of jurisdiction."
Downstairs, tires screamed.
Then came the sound Claire would remember for the rest of her life.
A baby's cry.
Faint.
Distant.
But unmistakable.
Every person in the room froze.
Claire's hand flew to her mouth.
Again.
A newborn crying.
Nora rushed to the window.
A black SUV had been stopped sideways near the loading entrance.
Agents surrounded it.
A man stood at the rear hatch.
Holding a white bundle.
Claire screamed.
"My baby!"
She ripped the IV from her arm.
Blood dotted the sheet.
Nora tried to stop her.
"Claire, your incision—"
"I don't care!"
Daniel grabbed her shoulder.
She slapped his hand away.
"Don't touch me."
For the first time in their marriage, Daniel actually looked afraid of her.
Marcus moved beside the wheelchair.
"We'll take you downstairs."
Claire stared through the window.
The agent holding the baby stepped away from the SUV.
Then another agent opened the rear door.
He leaned inside.
And lifted out a second white bundle.
Claire broke.
Both.
Both babies.
Alive.
She sobbed so hard she couldn't breathe.
Nora lowered her into the wheelchair.
As Marcus started toward the door, Claire looked back at Daniel.
He remained standing beside Vivian.
Cornered.
Exposed.
Finished.
At least, that was what Claire believed.
She didn't yet know that Daniel hadn't stolen the twins to give them away.
May you like
He had stolen them because of something hidden in their DNA.
And once Arthur Bennett learned what it was, even he would wish the case had only been about money.
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