Chapter 10 - The Order
The court order looked real.
That was the dangerous part.
It carried a judge's electronic signature, an emergency case number, and language authorizing Gavin to participate in Sienna's medical decisions pending psychiatric evaluation.
Hospital legal staff arrived within minutes.
"Nobody lets him upstairs," Park said.
The administrator looked nervous. "If the order is valid, we can't simply ignore it."
"Then verify it."
"We are."
Sienna sat with both hands around a cup of water she hadn't touched.
"He told me he'd do this."
"When?"
"Two weeks ago. He said if I tried to leave, he'd prove pregnancy had made me unstable. I thought it was just another threat."
"Threats are plans people haven't had the chance to execute yet," Park said.
She answered, listened, and slowly sat down.
"The judge never signed this."
"What about the case number?"
"It belongs to an unrelated guardianship filing from last year."
"Forgery again."
"More than that," the administrator said. "Somebody uploaded this document directly into our legal intake portal from an internal hospital account."
"Who?"
"A contract nurse named Elise Morgan."
Park pulled out her phone. "Photo."
The administrator opened the staffing database.
Red nails were visible where the woman held her ID badge.
Sienna whispered, "Elaine."
Elaine Mercer had been working in the hospital under a false identity.
Nico turned to Marcus. "Every entrance. Every floor. Find her."
"Police only," Park called from the hallway.
Nico shouted back, "You can arrest me after my daughter delivers."
Twenty minutes later, security located Elaine on a stairwell camera wearing scrubs and a mask.
She had entered the maternity floor twice during the night.
"She never came into my room," Sienna said.
The charge nurse checked the electronic medication log.
"Somebody accessed your chart at 4:43."
"What did they do?"
"They added a PRN order for a sedative."
Nico stood so fast his chair hit the wall.
"Was it given?"
"No. Your assigned nurse questioned the dose and called the physician."
Sienna stared at the monitor beside her bed.
A green line traced her baby's steady heart rate.
"Elaine is gone."
"How?"
"She changed clothes in a staff restroom and left through radiology."
"So we lost her."
"For now."
Then Mila, who had been quietly stacking plastic cups on the floor, said, "She has Grandma's green car."
"Who?" Park asked.
"The red-nail lady. Grandma gave her the green car key."
Park crouched beside Mila. "When did you see that?"
"Yesterday. Before Grandma cut my hair."
"Marjorie owns a dark green Range Rover."
"It hasn't been seen since yesterday morning."
Park's phone rang.
She answered, listened, and her expression darkened.
"A green Range Rover just crossed the George Washington Bridge."
"Who's driving?" Nico asked.
May you like
Park looked at him.
"Elaine Mercer. And according to the toll camera, Marjorie Cole is in the passenger seat."
