CHAPTER 2 — The Men in Black
The hospital lights were too bright.
Too clean for something so broken.
The baby was rushed inside immediately.
The girl—still unnamed in the system—refused to leave the hallway bench.
She sat perfectly still.
Like moving might make everything worse.
The officer stayed with her.
Something about this wasn’t normal.
Abandonment cases were usually simple.
This wasn’t.
An hour later, the doctor came out.
“The baby is stable,” she said carefully. “But barely. Severe dehydration, early infection. If she had stayed outside another hour…”
She didn’t finish the sentence.
She didn’t need to.
The girl finally spoke.
“Can I see her?”
The doctor hesitated.
Then nodded.
Inside the NICU, the baby lay under soft blue light.
Tiny.
Fragile.
Fighting.
The girl pressed her hand gently against the glass.
“I told you I’d keep you warm,” she whispered.
The officer watched quietly.
Then his radio crackled.
“Unit 12, we have a report—black vehicle spotted near West Harbor matching abandoned infant case area. Occupants unknown, possibly armed.”
The officer straightened.
“What kind of vehicle?”
The voice came back.
“Two black SUVs. No plates.”
The girl stiffened instantly.
Her hand dropped from the glass.
“They found us,” she whispered.
The officer turned sharply.
“Who found you?”
But she was already standing.
Already backing away.
“No,” she said. “They’re not supposed to find us here.”
The hospital doors opened.
Cold air rushed in.
And then—
they entered.
Three men in dark coats.
No badges.
No hospital hesitation.
Just purpose.
The front man scanned the room.
Then locked eyes on the girl.
“There you are,” he said calmly.
The officer stepped forward immediately.
“Who are you?”
No answer.
The girl grabbed the officer’s sleeve.
“They’re not police,” she whispered.
“They’re the ones who left us.”
The man smiled slightly.
“Give us the child,” he said.
The officer reached for his weapon.
“Not happening.”
The man sighed.
“You don’t understand what you’re holding.”
A pause.
“That baby doesn’t belong to her.”
He nodded toward the girl.
“It belongs to someone very powerful.”
The officer tightened his grip.
“Then you can explain it downtown.”
The man’s smile faded.
May you like
And for the first time—
the air changed.
