Chapter 6 The Golden Incompetence

Maya lunged forward from her assessment position. She extended her right arm, trying to reach around the obstacle to get to the suffocating infant.

"Stand aside!" Diane Adler shoved Maya hard in the chest. "I am a board-certified expert! I am taking command of this situation!"

Maya stumbled backward. Her hip crashed against a heavy wooden rocking chair. Pain flared up her side. She lost precious seconds as Diane reached her manicured hands into the crib.

Diane lifted Baby Leo. She held him awkwardly under his armpits. The baby's head lolled back. Diane started shaking him slightly in a blind panic.

"Stop shaking him!" Maya's voice tore through the nursery. "You're driving the object deeper into his airway!"

Diane ignored her completely. She laid the baby flat on his back on the padded changing table. She raised her right hand, preparing to insert her fingers into the infant's mouth.

Maya's eyes widened in absolute horror. She recognized the motion instantly. Diane was about to perform a blind finger sweep.

"NO!" Maya shouted at the top of her lungs. "A blind sweep will push the obstruction into his vocal cords! You're going to kill him!"

Damien heard the shouting. He turned his furious gaze toward Maya. His judgment was entirely clouded by panic and his previous hatred of her.

"Security!" Damien roared, his voice raw with fear. "Get that crazy woman away from the baby! Get her away from him before she causes any harm!"

Two security guards grabbed Maya from behind. One wrapped his thick arm around her waist. The other locked her arms in a tight, painful grip. They yanked her backward.

Diane pushed her index finger deep into the infant's mouth. She dug blindly for the blockage, her hand shaking violently.

Baby Leo's tiny body convulsed. His back arched off the table. His face shifted from purple to a deadly, ashen gray. The oxygen deprivation was reaching a critical level.

Diane yanked her finger out. She stared at her empty hand, trembling. "I can't feel anything!" she screamed hysterically. "He's dying! The baby is dying!"

Catherine dropped to her knees on the floor. She sobbed uncontrollably. She buried her face in her hands, believing her grandson was already lost.

Maya realized the baby had less than ten seconds of oxygen left in his blood. Her heart hammered against her ribs.

She stopped struggling against the guards. She let her entire body go dead weight for a fraction of a second.

The guards instinctively adjusted their grip to hold her up. They shifted their balance. Maya used the sudden momentum. She stomped the hard heel of her shoe directly onto the first guard's instep.

The guard grunted in sharp pain. His grip around her waist loosened just enough for her to move.

Maya violently twisted her torso. She broke free from the first guard. She threw her elbow backward, driving it hard into the second guard's ribs. He gasped and let go of her arms.

She sprinted the five feet to the changing table. Her eyes were completely devoid of panic. She was operating on pure clinical instinct.

Diane stood frozen in front of the table. She was crying hysterically, blocking Maya's path to the gray infant.

Maya did not hesitate. She shoved Diane Adler hard in the shoulder. The force sent the older woman crashing into the nursery wall. Diane slid to the floor, stunned.

"Get away from my nephew!" Damien shouted in pure rage. He stepped forward, his fists clenched, preparing to physically tackle Maya himself.

Maya ignored the billionaire charging at her. Her entire focus narrowed down to the dying infant. The rest of the room ceased to exist.

She slid her left hand under the baby's jaw. She supported his fragile head and neck securely with her fingers.

With her right hand, she scooped under the baby's back. She lifted him from the changing table in one smooth, practiced motion.

The guards recovered from the blows. They lunged at her back. Their hands grasped at the fabric of her blazer, trying to pull her down.

Maya spun away from them. She backed into the corner of the room. She shielded the baby with her own body, turning her back to the attackers.

Maya ripped the infant out of Diane's reach completely. She clutched the baby tightly against her own chest, ready to fight anyone who tried to take him.