Chapter 3 - The Empty Bed
I grabbed Detective Miller by his lapels, begging him with every fiber of my being to help me save my little girl.
He stared at me for a long, tense moment, knowing that helping a high-profile prisoner escape would completely destroy his entire career.
He reached into his pocket, pulled out his master key, and quietly unlocked the heavy steel handcuffs binding my wrists.
He told me he was officially transferring me to the county lockup, but we were taking a massive, highly illegal detour first.
We sneaked out through the precinct's underground garage, jumping into his unmarked sedan and speeding blindly into the pouring rain.
I stared at the dashboard clock as the green digital numbers flipped to one-thirty in the morning.
We arrived at City Hospital with less than twenty minutes to spare, running through the sliding glass emergency doors completely drenched.
Detective Miller flashed his shiny gold badge, bypassing the confused triage nurses and leading me directly toward the pediatric intensive care unit.
We rounded the corner and saw two of my father's expensive private security guards lounging casually in the waiting room chairs.
Miller told me to wait behind a vending machine while he confidently walked up to the guards, demanding to see their firearm permits.
As the guards stood up to argue with the detective, I slipped silently down the hallway toward Room 412.
My hands shook violently as I grasped the cold metal handle of the hospital door, praying that Lily was still breathing.
I pushed the door open, bracing myself for the terrifying beep of the life support machines keeping her fragile body alive.
The room was completely silent, filled only with the faint hum of the overhead air conditioning unit.
I ripped back the blue privacy curtain, ready to throw myself over my daughter to protect her from anyone who entered.
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My heart completely stopped in my chest, and a scream died in the back of my throat.
The hospital bed was completely empty, the sheets stripped down to the bare mattress, with no sign of Lily anywhere.
