A BOY ARRIVED WITH TWELVE DOLLARS AND EMPTY BOTTLES TO HAVE HIS BRO/KEN LEG TREATED, BUT THE DOCTOR DISCOVERED HE WAS THE SON WHO HAD BEEN TAKEN FROM HER FIVE YEARS EARLIER: "DON’T HIT ME, I’LL BE GOOD."

I stared at the television screen in absolute disbelief.

Michael had managed to turn me into a wanted fugitive in less than three hours.

I knew we could not stay in this motel room for long.

I went into the bathroom and found a cheap bottle of dark brown hair dye under the sink.

I quickly washed the dye into my blonde hair, hoping it would be enough to disguise my identity.

I returned to the bed and used my medical supplies to properly splint Noah's broken leg.

He winced in pain, but he was incredibly brave and did not make a single sound.

Suddenly, a heavy knock echoed violently against the flimsy motel door.

"Open up," a gruff voice demanded.

It was the motel manager who had taken my cash at the front desk.

"I saw the news, lady, and I already locked your door from the outside," he shouted.

"The police are two minutes away, so do not try anything stupid."

I looked at the heavy deadbolt and realized he had chained the handle to the metal railing outside.

We were completely trapped inside the tiny, dirty room.

I grabbed the heavy base of a broken table lamp and walked back into the bathroom.

I swung the metal base as hard as I could against the small frosted window above the bathtub.

The glass shattered into a hundred pieces, letting the freezing rain pour inside.

I cleared the sharp edges with a towel and lifted Noah through the narrow opening.

I squeezed through the window frame just as the loud wail of police sirens echoed down the highway.

We hit the muddy ground and ran toward the dense tree line behind the motel building.

My lungs burned, and Noah whimpered quietly as I carried him blindly through the dark woods.

Suddenly, a blinding beam of light hit me directly in the face.

When my newborn 'passed away,' my mother-in-law leaned in and said

My Husband Left Me Alone in My Car While I Was in Labor

“You’re Dead When We Get Home,” He Snapped

"Freeze right there!" a loud voice commanded from the shadows.

A local police officer stepped out from behind a massive oak tree, aiming his service weapon right at my chest.

Chapter 5 - The Motel Trap