Chapter 9 - The Breakdown
“Julian, no!” Dr. Ronald Vance yelled, backing away toward the door in sheer panic. “Not in this room! Not in the hospital!”
“Shut up, Ronald!” Julian roared, grabbing Maya by her collar and dragging her out from beneath the bed frame onto the open floor.
Maya fought back with everything she had, driving her elbow upward into Julian’s ribs. He grunted in pain, stumbling backward, but managed to keep his grip on her scrub top, ripping the fabric down the front.
Maya scrambled to her feet, holding her belly with one hand, her video camera clutched firmly in the other. “It’s over, Julian! I recorded everything! Every word you just said to Ronald is on this drive!”
Julian looked at the small camera in her hand, his eyes flashing with lethal fury. “You think you’re walking out of this building alive with that tape, Torres?”
He lunged forward, the scalpel gleaming in the sconce light.
Maya dodged sideways, throwing a heavy metal IV pole into his path. The pole crashed down across Julian’s shins, sending him stumbling onto the floor, the scalpel skittering across the linoleum into the corner.
Maya slammed her hand against the wall-mounted EMERGENCY CODE BLUE button beside Eleanor’s bed.
High-pitched alarm sirens instantly began to wail throughout the fifth-floor corridor, their sharp red strobe lights flashing through the frosted glass panel of the room’s entrance door.
“Code Blue, Fifth Floor VIP, Room 512!” the automated hospital PA system blared.
“You crazy bitch!” Julian spat, scrambling up off the floor, his face flushed red with rage.
He charged at her again, pinning her against the pantry door, his hands wrapping around her throat, choking off her air. Maya clawed at his eyes, her vision fading into a storm of black spots as her oxygen slipped away.
“GET OFF HER!” a roar thundered from the hallway.
The heavy room door was kicked off its frame, slamming inward with tremendous force.
David Chen and Marcus Vance burst into the room, flanked by three uniformed city police officers and the state health department’s chief enforcement director, Richard Sterling.
David didn't hesitate. He tackled Julian Vance across the room, driving him hard into the wall. The two men crashed over a bedside table, shattering glass water pitchers and medical trays before the three police officers piled on top of Julian, pinning his arms behind his back and slamming his face down onto the wet floor.
“Julian Vance!” Officer Miller shouted, pulling out his handcuffs. “You are under arrest for attempted murder, corporate fraud, evidence tampering, and medical malpractice!”
“She snuck in!” Julian screamed, his face pressed against the wet floor, his nose bleeding onto the white tiles. “She tampered with my grandmother’s room! She’s an escaped prisoner! Check her ankle!”
David ignored Julian’s screaming. He rushed over to Maya, who was leaning against the pantry door, gasping for air, her hands cradling her belly as hard, violent contractions seized her body every ninety seconds.
“Maya! Maya, look at me!” David cried, holding her shoulders.
“The... the tape...” Maya managed to whisper, holding out the small digital video camera. “It’s all... it’s all on here, David...”
Before David could take the camera, Maya’s legs buckled beneath her.
A warm, clear fluid flooded down her legs, soaking through her sweatpants onto the floor.
Her water had broken.
“Elena!” David screamed into the crowded hallway. “ELENA! GET THE MATERNITY TEAM! SHE’S IN HARD LABOR!”
Dr. Elena Vasquez pushed through the crowd of police officers and hospital administrators, carrying a emergency delivery kit. She dropped to her knees beside Maya, checking her vitals and placing a gentle hand over her tight, contracting abdomen.
“Cervix is fully effaced, nine centimeters dilated!” Elena announced loudly, looking into Maya’s eyes with deep, calm authority. “The baby is coming right now, Maya! We aren't moving you to delivery! We’re doing this right here!”
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Maya looked up through her sweat-soaked lashes at the flashing red emergency lights, then at Eleanor, who was sitting up in her bed, her blue eyes clear, watching over her with a fierce, quiet grace.
“Breathe, Maya,” Elena commanded softly, taking her hand. “Push!”
