Chapter 2 - The Trap
I stared at the emergency court order in absolute horror.
Daniel had moved faster than I ever thought possible.
The lawyer smiled as if he had just won the lottery.
He instructed the police officers to put restraints on my wrists.
Aaron immediately stepped between the officers and my hospital bed.
His broad shoulders completely blocked their view of me.
This patient is suffering from acute heavy metal poisoning and cannot be moved.
The lawyer scoffed and waved the legal document in the air.
The judge determined she is a danger to herself and her child.
If you interfere with a court order, Colonel, you will be arrested too.
I felt the room spinning again as my breathing became shallow and rapid.
They were going to lock me in a psychiatric ward.
Daniel would have full custody of Lily by the end of the day.
He would disappear with her, and I would never see my daughter again.
Aaron did not move an inch away from the bed.
He calmly pulled his military identification from his pocket.
This hospital receives federal funding, which means I have jurisdiction over suspected bioterrorism or deliberate poisoning cases.
The officers hesitated and looked at the lawyer for guidance.
I used that brief moment of distraction to grab my phone from the bedside table.
There was a missed call and a new voicemail from my home landline.
I pressed the phone to my ear with a trembling hand.
It was Lily.
Her tiny voice was shaking with pure fear.
Mommy, I am scared.
Daddy and Grandma are packing all my clothes into big suitcases.
Grandma says we are going on a very long airplane ride and we can never come back.
My blood ran completely cold.
They were fleeing the country.
I dropped the phone and grabbed Aaron by the sleeve of his uniform.
They are taking her away right now.
Aaron looked at me, then looked back at the police officers.
He suddenly grabbed a heavy medical cart and shoved it violently toward the door.
The metal cart crashed into the officers, knocking them backward into the hallway.
Aaron slammed the door shut and locked it from the inside.
He turned to me with a wild look in his eyes.
Can you walk?
I nodded and forced myself out of the bed despite the intense dizziness.
We are getting out of here through the window.
He shattered the heavy glass pane with a single strike of a fire extinguisher.
May you like
As we climbed out onto the metal fire escape, the hospital door handle began to rattle violently.
Then we heard the unmistakable sound of a gunshot shattering the lock.
