Chapter 5 - The Rescue at St. Mary’s
By 3:00 AM, the sleet had cleared, leaving the streets of Chicago slick and black under the streetlights.
I sat in the back of an unmarked police transport alongside Richard Sterling and Captain Miller of the State Police. Behind us followed four tactical units.
"We’ve secured the perimeter at Saint Mary’s," Captain Miller announced, reviewing the floor plan on his tablet. "Vance’s private security detail is stationed on the fourth floor under the guise of 'private medical caretakers.' They have no idea Vance has been arrested."
"I'm going in with you," I said firmly, adjusting my jacket.
"Julian, it’s a tactical entry—"
"That woman carried my son for nine months believing he died at birth," I said, looking Captain Miller straight in the eye. "She has spent forty-eight hours in a nightmare created by my family's enemies. I will be the one to tell her the truth."
Miller looked at me for a long moment, then nodded slowly. "Stay behind my lead officers."
Five minutes later, the tactical team breached the side entrances of Saint Mary’s Private Care facility. The operation was swift, silent, and absolute. Within three minutes, Vance’s four paid guards were disarmed, zip-tied, and dragged into the hallway without a single shot being fired.
I stepped past the officers and walked down the quiet, sterile hallway toward Room 412.
I stood at the door for a moment, my heart pounding violently against my ribs. I took a deep breath, turned the handle, and pushed the door open.
The room was dimly lit by a single bedside lamp.
Lying in the hospital bed was a young woman with long dark hair, pale skin, and shadows beneath her eyes. She was staring blankly out the window at the city lights, tears silently slipping down her cheeks, her hands resting hollowly on her empty stomach.
"Sarah?" I called out softly.
She flinched, turning her head toward the door, her eyes wide with fear and exhaustion. "Who... who are you? Please, the doctors said I have to rest... they won't let me see my phone..."
I walked slowly into the room, stopping a few feet from her bed so as not to startle her. I pulled out the plastic-wrapped envelope Dr. Pendelton had given me.
"My name is Julian Duca," I said, my voice shaking slightly. "I am the father of the baby you carried."
Sarah went stiff, her breath catching in her throat. "They... they told me he didn't make it. They said he was stillborn..."
"They lied to you, Sarah," I said gently, stepping closer and sitting in the chair beside her bed. "Vance Carter lied to you so he could steal my estate. Your baby is alive. He is safe, warm, and resting at my home right now."
Sarah stared at me, her lower lip trembling uncontrollably. "He’s... he’s alive?"
"He is healthy, beautiful, and he has gray-blue eyes," I smiled, a genuine tear slipping down my cheek. "He’s safe, Sarah. And so are you. Vance Carter and his sister are under arrest. You will never be harmed or threatened again."
A broken, breathless sob burst from Sarah’s chest. She buried her face in her hands, weeping with such raw, unfiltered relief that it shook her entire frame.
May you like
I reached out gently, taking her cold, trembling hand in mine.
"Thank you, Sarah," I whispered from the bottom of my soul. "Thank you for bringing my son into this world."
