Chapter 14 - The Doctor’s Confession
Noah’s cry changed Leah from frightened to dangerous.
“Move.”
Rusk raised the gun. “You think motherhood makes you special?”
“No. It makes me willing to walk through you.”
Mae slowly reached toward a stainless-steel tray.
Rusk noticed.
“Don’t.”
Mae stopped.
Leah said, “How many?”
Rusk frowned.
“How many mothers did you drug?”
“You don’t understand clinical necessity.”
“How many?”
Rusk’s face tightened. “Doreen found families. Good families. Women came through here unstable, addicted, broke—”
“Carla had a panic attack.”
“She was poor.”
The cruelty of the answer stunned even Mae.
Leah whispered, “So that was enough?”
Rusk looked away for half a second.
Mae threw the tray.
Metal crashed into the gun hand.
Leah lunged.
The pistol fired into the ceiling.
Mae tackled Rusk from the side. Leah kicked the gun under a cabinet.
Rusk clawed at Mae’s face.
“You stupid nurse! Your sister signed the papers!”
“She was sedated!”
Mae punched her.
Rusk collapsed against the floor.
Leah ran toward Noah’s cries.
The next room looked like a private nursery: crib, formula, diapers, travel bag, passport envelope.
Noah was in the crib.
Leah lifted him and sobbed into his blanket.
“I’m here. Mommy’s here.”
He smelled like antiseptic and milk.
His breathing was slow but steady.
Mae entered, limping.
“We need to go.”
A lock clicked behind them.
Doreen stood in the doorway.
She held the pistol Rusk had dropped.
“No,” Doreen said calmly. “You need to give me my grandson.”
Leah held Noah tighter.
“He is not yours.”
May you like
Doreen’s eyes went cold.
“Everything in this family is mine.”
