Chapter 6: Blackout
The lights went out.
Not dimmed.
Not flickered.
Gone.
For one terrible second, the room became completely black.
Then the emergency lights came on in the hallway, bathing everything in a weak red glow.
My monitor continued beeping beside me.
Daniel grabbed my hand.
“Don't move.””
“I can't see.””
“Stay with me.””
The nurse rushed toward the door.
“Everyone stay where you are!””
A crash sounded somewhere down the corridor.
Then a woman screamed.
My entire body went rigid.
“What was that?””
Daniel looked through the narrow glass panel in the door.
“Stay here.””
“Daniel—”
“I'm not leaving you.””
Detective Harris was already outside.
His voice carried through the corridor.
“Lock the elevators!””
Another voice shouted back.
“Elevators are down!””
“Stairwells?””
“Checking now!””
My heart hammered.
The baby monitor showed a green line moving steadily across the black screen.
At least my daughter was still there.
Still fighting.
Then the nurse crouched beside me.
“We need to move.””
“Where?””
“To a secured treatment room.””
“Can she be moved?””
Dr. Patel appeared behind her, pushing a portable monitor.
“Yes.””
Daniel stared at her.
“Is that safe?””
“Safer than staying here.””
I hated how calmly she said it.
As they disconnected the larger equipment, I heard footsteps running through the hallway.
Fast.
Then slower.
Then stopping.
Right outside my door.
Daniel stepped in front of me.
Detective Harris raised his weapon.
The footsteps moved away.
A door slammed.
Harris looked at the nurse.
“Move her now.””
The bed began rolling.
I clutched Daniel's hand.
We entered the hallway.
Red emergency lights stretched down the corridor.
Every room was dark.
Patients and nurses were appearing in doorways.
Somewhere overhead, an alarm kept pulsing.
We passed the nurses' station.
The computers were black.
The wall monitors were black.
Then I saw something that made my blood run cold.
The security camera above the station was moving.
Slowly.
It turned toward us.
Daniel saw it too.
“That's not on backup power.””
Detective Harris stopped.
“You sure?””
“Yes.””
“How?””
“It wasn't moving before the blackout.””
Harris looked up.
The camera stopped.
Then pointed directly at my bed.
“Get her inside the secured room,” he ordered.
We moved faster.
At the end of the hall, a door opened.
A man stepped into the emergency lighting.
Mask.
Black jacket.
Gloves.
My blood froze.
James.
Detective Harris shouted,
“Police! Hands where I can see them!””
James ran.
Harris chased him.
Daniel pushed my bed into the secure room.
The nurse slammed the door.
“Lock it!””
A heavy bolt dropped into place.
We heard footsteps racing away.
Then a gunshot.
I screamed.
My hand went over my stomach.
Daniel leaned over me.
“It's okay.””
“Was that—”
“Yes.””
He didn't lie.
Another gunshot echoed.
Then silence.
I stared at him.
“Detective Harris?””
“He's trained.””
“That doesn't mean he's okay.””
“No.””
We waited.
Thirty seconds.
A minute.
Two.
The nurse checked the baby's heart monitor.
“She's stable.””
My eyes filled with tears.
“Thank God.””
Then something struck the door.
Once.
Hard.
The nurse jumped.
Daniel turned.
“Who is it?””
No answer.
Another impact.
The metal door shook.
I whispered,
“It's him.””
Daniel stepped toward the door.
“Stay back.””
A third impact.
Then a voice.
Not James.
My mother's voice.
“Emma!””
I froze.
“Mom?””
“Open the door!””
Daniel looked at me.
Detective Harris suddenly appeared around the corner.
He was breathing hard.
His sleeve was torn.
A thin cut ran across his cheek.
“Don't open it.””
My mother screamed from the other side.
“Emma, listen to me! Your father has the key!””
My heart stopped.
“What key?””
“The hospital access key!””
Daniel looked at Harris.
“Could he really have one?””
Harris's expression darkened.
“If someone inside this hospital helped him, yes.””
My mother began crying.
“I tried to stop him.””
I almost laughed.
“Why should I believe you?””
“Because I brought the truth!””
There was a pause.
Then something slid underneath the door.
An envelope.
Brown.
My father's handwriting was visible across the front.
*FOR EMMA.*
Daniel picked it up.
“Don't touch it.””
Harris pulled on gloves and opened it.
Inside was a handwritten note.
He read it silently.
Then looked at me.
“What?””
He hesitated.
“It says your father wants you to know why the baby is being targeted.””
My throat tightened.
“Read it.””
Harris looked down.
“Your grandmother didn't leave your daughter money.””
He turned the page.
“She left her ownership.””
Daniel frowned.
“Ownership of what?””
Harris read the next line.
“The controlling interest in a company.””
I stared at him.
“What company?””
He looked at the bottom of the page.
Then his expression changed.
“Your family's medical research company.””
I knew the name instantly.
A company my grandmother had built before I was born.
A company my father had always described as “the family business.””
I had never cared about it.
My grandmother had always told me to stay away from the politics.
But the note continued.
*Your father believes the company is worth far more than the inheritance you were discussing.*
My hands trembled.
“Why would it belong to my daughter?””
“Because your grandmother transferred the controlling shares into a trust,” Harris said.
“When?””
“Before she died.””
Daniel stared at the page.
“How many shares?””
Harris read the figure.
“Sixty-one percent.””
My mouth fell open.
“That's controlling ownership.””
“Yes.””
“And my father doesn't own them?””
“Apparently not.””
I suddenly remembered every family dinner.
Every time my father had called me stubborn.
Every time he had pressured me to sign papers.
Every time Claire had complained that I didn't appreciate what our grandmother left us.
They weren't fighting over a house.
They were fighting over a company.
A company worth hundreds of millions.
I looked at Daniel.
“Why didn't anyone tell me?””
“Because you were never supposed to know before the trust became permanent,” Harris said.
“What happens when the baby is born?””
“The shares transfer fully to her.””
“And if she dies?””
Harris turned the page.
“Then the trustee appoints a temporary board.””
“Who controls the board?””
He looked at me.
“Your father.””
I felt sick.
“But the handwritten clause said the independent trustee would control everything if her death were suspicious.””
“Yes.””
“Then why attack her?””
“Because they may have another plan.””
A terrible thought entered my mind.
“Make her death look natural.””
Daniel's face hardened.
“That's why they're after her at the hospital.””
A sound came from the hallway.
Metal scraping against metal.
Harris looked toward the door.
“Someone is trying another entrance.””
The nurse checked the security lock.
“We can't hold them if they have hospital access.””
Harris turned to Daniel.
“There's a service corridor behind this room.””
Daniel nodded.
“Then we use it.””
The nurse looked at me.
“Can she walk?””
I pushed myself upright.
“I can.””
“No sudden movement.””
I swung my legs over the side of the bed.
The moment my feet touched the floor, pressure tightened across my abdomen.
I gasped.
Daniel caught me.
“Easy.””
“I’m okay.””
The baby monitor beeped rapidly.
The nurse frowned.
“We need to keep monitoring.””
“Can you use a portable?””
“Yes.””
She grabbed it.
We moved toward the hidden door.
Then a loud click came from the main entrance.
The lock opened.
Harris pulled his weapon.
“Back.””
The door slowly swung inward.
Nobody entered.
Harris waited.
Five seconds.
Ten.
Then my mother's hand appeared through the opening.
“It's me.””
Harris lowered his weapon slightly.
“Step inside.””
My mother stumbled into the room.
Her face was streaked with tears.
She looked at me.
Then at my stomach.
“Emma.””
I backed away.
“Don't.””
She stopped.
“I came to warn you.””
“About what?””
She swallowed.
“Your father changed the plan.””
Daniel's face tightened.
“What plan?””
My mother looked at him.
“He doesn't want the baby dead anymore.””
Silence.
“What does he want?”” I asked.
Her lips trembled.
“He wants her born.””
My heart sank.
“Why?””
“Because once she's born, the shares become hers.””
“That makes no sense.””
My mother shook her head.
“He needs her alive long enough to sign something.””
A chill moved through me.
“She'll be a newborn.””
“He doesn't care.””
Daniel stepped forward.
“What could a newborn possibly sign?””
My mother looked at me.
“He doesn't need her signature.””
She glanced toward the emergency exit.
“He needs the person with legal authority over her.””
I felt the blood drain from my face.
“The guardian.””
My mother nodded.
“Your husband.””
Daniel went rigid.
My mother whispered,
“Your father has been trying to make Daniel the baby's legal guardian because the guardian can control the trust.””
I looked at my husband.
The forged document.
The six missing hours.
The secret meeting.
The message.
It all suddenly connected.
But one piece was still missing.
“Why frame Daniel?””
My mother's eyes filled with tears.
“Because your father knows you would never trust him.””
She looked toward the door.
“But he believes you'd trust your husband.””
Daniel's face went white.
My mother stepped closer.
“There is something else.””
“What?””
She reached inside her coat.
Pulled out a second phone.
And placed it in my hand.
“This belonged to Claire.””
The screen lit up.
There were dozens of messages.
One conversation sat at the top.
The contact name was saved as *D*.
I looked at Daniel.
“Who's D?””
His expression changed.
“I don't know.””
I opened the conversation.
The first message was from four weeks earlier.
*D: Did she sign the guardianship papers?*
Then Claire had replied:
*Not yet. Daniel says she'll fight.*
The next message appeared.
*D: Then use the sister. She won't expect the attack.*
I stopped breathing.
The last message was dated yesterday.
*D: After the kick, make sure she gets to the hospital. That's where the second part starts.*
My eyes lifted slowly toward Daniel.
“Daniel…”
He stared at the phone.
“I've never seen this.””
Detective Harris reached for it.
Before he could touch the screen, a new message appeared.
From *D*.
Three words.
*He's in there.*
The room went silent.
Harris looked around.
“Who?””
The phone buzzed again.
*D: The man you're trusting.*
May you like
Then the lights suddenly came back on.
And every camera in the corridor turned toward our door.
