Chapter 3 Three

Elena stared at the blank space where Celia Marek's intake photo should have been.

The hospital database was precise-every patient had an ID photo taken on arrival, for identification and records. But for Celia, there was nothing. No image, no visual trace, as if she had slipped through the cracks of reality. The thought sent a shiver down Elena's spine. How could a patient undergo surgery here, be intubated and monitored, yet vanish without a single photograph or formal record?

This wasn't the first time something of such had happened. But Elena was one to meddle in other businesses. All she did was take care of her patients and evade going back home. Home wasn't the place she had always wanted to be.

Her fingers hovered over the keyboard, hesitating, then typed again-searching every possible spelling: Marek, Mareck, Marecka. No results. A handful of other patients with similar injuries appeared, but none with Celia's profile. No insurance, no emergency contacts, no background. Only the silver pendant-a small, intricate symbol that gnawed at the back of her mind.

She pulled up a magnified image of the pendant, rotating the small silver charm on her screen.

The symbol looked very styled.it looked like three interlocking arcs encircling a circle. It was vaguely familiar, but she couldn't place it. Not a common religious or cultural emblem. Something more esoteric.

Suddenly, the image flickered-an error message. The system hiccuped, then logged her out with a security alert: Unauthorized access detected. Elena's heart pounded. Had someone been watching her screen? She rebooted her terminal, more careful now. The hospital's network was supposed to be secure. But with the missing footage and the erased files, it was clear someone was deliberately manipulating the system.

A soft knock at the door startled her. Elena glanced up. Lara stood in the doorway, her face pale.

"Dr. Vale... there's something you need to see," Lara whispered.

Elena nodded, grabbing her coat. They moved quickly down the corridor toward the hospital's archives-an old wing with dusty cabinets and rows of physical files. If digital records were being scrubbed, maybe some paperwork survived here.

The archive room was cold, the air stale with forgotten memories. Elena pulled open a metal cabinet, rifling through folders labeled by date and patient name. Nothing on Celia Marek. Not even a referral slip or surgical consent form. It was like the hospital had no record of her at all.

"Could she have been admitted under another name?" Elena asked.

Lara shook her head. "We checked. Nothing matching her injuries, timeline, or description."

Frustrated, Elena moved to a locked glass case. Inside lay a collection of personal items found on patients-wallets, jewelry, phones. Her eyes locked on a small, silver pendant-identical to the one from Celia's chart.

"Where did this come from?" Elena asked.

Lara swallowed. "Found in a janitor's closet. It was reported missing from the ICU supply room three days ago."

Elena's mind raced. The patient was deliberately planted-or stolen and discarded. But why?

Suddenly, a chill ran through her. She wasn't alone. Footsteps echoed outside the door, soft but deliberate.

"Elena," a voice called from the corridor and she shoke. "It's me. Adrien."

Her stomach twisted. She hadn't expected him here again so soon. Should she trust him? Or was he part of this conspiracy?

Without waiting for an answer, the door creaked open, and Adrien stepped inside, expression unreadable.

"I thought I'd find you here," he said smoothly.

Elena folded her arms, trying to keep her composure. "Don't you have any work to do here."

Adrien smiled faintly. "I'm concerned. This case... it's more than a missing patient. You've seen the strange patterns, the erasing of footage, the missing records. Someone is covering their tracks."

"Or someone is trying to mislead us,and another person won't mind their business. Why you all up on this case anyway?" Elena asked, rolling her eyes. "What do you really know about Celia Marek?"

Adrien's eyes flickered for a moment-too quick to read. "Not much. But I intend to find out. As a fellow concerned Doctor of course."

Elena's suspicion grew. He always knew a little too much, appeared at all the wrong moments. Was he investigating? Or obstructing?

"Why don't you tell me everything you know?" she challenged.

Adrien hesitated then pulled out a flash drive.

"What is this?" Elena demanded.

Adrien looked away. "Something I uncovered before I came here. This patient... She was involved in something big. She actually has connections to a big drug community."

Elena's pulse quickened. "You're suggesting she was targeted?"

Adrien nodded. "I don't know and honestly the hospital has alerted the police about it and it's also none of our business."

Elena looked up sharply. "Uh-uh."

"There have been other patients-disappearances, altered records, strange sightings."

"We need to dig deeper," she said.

Adrien agreed. "Or we need to let the Police handle it."

"Whatever. I'll do what I please. And please stop sneaking up on me."

As she turned to leave, he pulled her back and held her hands up as she tried to resist. He kissed her neck turning his head to different sides and then looked back at her. " You smell so good, I couldn't resist. I may receive a slap or two but I know you don't have any man who does this frequently to you. We are always stuck at the hospital."

He let her go and she slapped him. "You expected it right?. What did you just do?" Elena looked up at him with a stern face. He pulled her closer and sent his hand into her trouser and into her panties– "You're so wet from some little kisses and you're acting like you don't want me."

She slapped him again this time pushing him away. "I hate your darn guts ." She said leaving the archives.

Elena's mind churned with the new information. Could she really trust Adrien? Or was he a part of the web she was trying to unravel?

Over the next few days, Elena immersed herself in Celia's case. She visited the morgue, checked surgery reports, and interviewed nurses from the ICU. No one had seen or heard from Celia after the night she disappeared. But whispers floated-about strange phone calls, unfamiliar faces lurking near the ICU, and nurses who suddenly requested transfers.

Elena's unease grew. Then, in a quiet corner of the hospital cafeteria, she saw him: Adrien. Sitting alone, staring at a laptop, typing rapidly.

Without thinking, she approached him. "Adrien."

He looked up, surprised but composed. "Elena. Still digging?"

"I'm starting to think you're hiding something."

He laughed softly. "Only that I'm trying to keep you safe."

"Safe? From what?"

He closed his laptop. "From people anything and everything is dangerous."

Their conversation was interrupted by a sudden alarm-an emergency code flashing red on the monitors.

"I have to go." Adrien's voice was tense.

That night, Elena decided to follow him.

She waited until the hospital was quiet, then trailed Adrien through dimly lit corridors and back exits. He moved with purpose, checking over his shoulder, slipping into a service stairwell.

Elena's heart hammered. Was she making a mistake? But she couldn't stop now.

Adrien descended several floors to the basement-a part of the hospital few staff knew about. At the last stairwell door, he stopped, glanced around, then slipped inside.

Elena crept closer, peering through a narrow window in the door. Adrien quickly returned with a file.

She stumbled back from the window, heart pounding, mind racing.

"What are you doing here?" He asked.

"Was passing by and decided to check in on some files. Never really knew there was an archive here."

"Or you were following me." He said in a calm but angry tone.

"Yeah if that's what you call it every time we meet each other. And what's with your audacity? Why do you even think I'll follow you.? Excuse me." She hissed retracing her footsteps but he grabbed her and they instantly locked eyes.