Chapter 14 - The Woman in Scrubs

Dana Cross was arrested at a motel forty miles away.

She lasted six hours in questioning before asking for a lawyer and a deal.

Her story made me physically ill.

Corrine had hired her months earlier to gather medical information, track Alora's appointments, and establish contact with maternity staff. Dana used stolen credentials to access limited hospital systems and posed as a private caregiver when necessary.

"What was she supposed to do if Alora went into labor early?" I asked Ortiz.

Ortiz's jaw tightened.

"Notify Corrine immediately and create confusion around visitor access."

"Create confusion how?"

"False family emergency. Fake authorization. Whatever got Corrine close to the baby."

Alora stood up so quickly her chair scraped the floor.

"I need air."

I followed her to a private courtyard but stayed several feet back until she reached for my hand.

"I keep thinking I've reached the worst part," she said. "Then there's another door."

"I know."

"No, Thane. You don't."

I waited.

She pressed both hands against her belly.

"For you, they were stealing money and control. For me, every new detail says the same thing: they looked at my child and decided I was optional."

There was nothing I could say that would make that smaller.

So I didn't try.

That night, contractions started.

At first, Alora dismissed them as Braxton Hicks. Then one bent her over the kitchen counter.

"Thane."

I was beside her instantly.

Another came six minutes later.

Then another.

At the hospital, doctors said stress may have triggered early labor. They gave medication, monitored the baby, and tried to slow the contractions.

I stood beside the bed, terrified to breathe wrong.

Around midnight, Alora finally slept.

A nurse checked the monitor and smiled.

"Things are settling down."

My phone vibrated.

Mara.

"They found Grant," she said.

"Where?"

"At your mother's house."

I looked toward Alora.

"Corrine's on home confinement. How did he get inside?"

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Mara's voice turned hard.

"That's the problem. He didn't sneak in. Her ankle monitor is on the kitchen counter."