Chapter 5 5

The hospital smelled of antiseptic and money. St. Jude's Medical Center was private, exclusive, and expensive.

Karly slipped past the volunteer desk while the receptionist was on the phone. She knew the layout. She had worked here as a resident in another life.

She took the stairs to the fourth floor. Neurosurgery.

Dr. Vance's office was at the end of the hall. The door was open.

Karly knocked on the frame.

Dr. Vance looked up. He was a silver fox, handsome in a way that suggested he knew it.

"This isn't pediatrics," he said, eyeing her uniform. "Are you lost?"

"I'm Gus Lowe's daughter," Karly said, stepping inside. "I'm here to discuss his surgery."

Vance laughed. A short, bark of a sound. "Gus Lowe? The man whose insurance was declined three times? The surgery is cancelled."

"I can pay you," Karly said. "Not in cash. In value."

Vance raised an eyebrow. "Value?"

"I know you're working on the cortical mapping project," Karly said quickly. "I know you're stuck on the temporal lobe interface. I can show you how to bypass the signal noise."

Vance froze. "How do you know about that? That research is unpublished."

"I read," Karly said. "I can fix your algorithm. In exchange for my father's surgery."

Vance stared at her. For a second, she saw curiosity.

Then, he opened his desk drawer. He pulled out a piece of paper.

"Your brother was here this morning," Vance said. His voice was cold now.

Karly's heart sank.

"He signed a waiver refusing treatment on your father's behalf," Vance said. "And he warned me that his sister is a pathological liar with a drug problem who might try to scam the hospital for pain meds."

"He's lying," Karly said. "He wants the disability check."

"Get out," Vance said. He reached for the phone. "Or I call security."

"Dr. Vance, listen to me. The compression on his optic nerve is-"

"Security," Vance said into the receiver. "I have an intruder in my office."

Karly grit her teeth. She turned and walked out.

Defeat tasted like ash. Hakeem was always one step ahead. He was thorough in his greed.

She walked down the hallway, her fists clenched.

Hakeem was leaning against the wall near the elevators, flirting with a young nurse. He'd clearly talked his way past the floor's reception desk, likely spinning a sob story about his poor, blind father and his 'troubled' sister.

He saw Karly and pushed off the wall. A smug grin spread across his face.

"Told you," he whispered as she passed. "Dad's better off blind. We get the check. You don't have to worry about bills."

Karly stopped. She looked at his throat. She knew exactly where to punch to collapse his windpipe.

Not here, she reminded herself. Cameras.

She pushed past him toward the restrooms. She needed cold water on her face. She needed to think.

She pushed open the restroom door.

A woman was screaming.

Not a horror movie scream. A primal, terrified sound.

A young mother was shaking an infant. The baby was blue. Silent.

"Help! Someone help!"

A nurse rushed in from the hall. "Code Blue! Pediatric airway!"

The nurse grabbed an oxygen mask from the wall unit. She tried to force it over the baby's face.

"No!" Karly shouted.

The nurse ignored her. She squeezed the bag.

Karly saw the baby's chest fail to rise. The air pressure was pushing the obstruction further down.

"Stop!" Karly lunged. "It's a complete blockage! You're killing her!"

Dr. Vance appeared in the doorway.

"What is going on here?" he bellowed. "Security! Get that girl out of here!"