Chapter 6

Lucia's POV

I carried Theo to the door and glanced back at Caleb.

His eyes were red. He waved his hand. "Go. Now."

I bit down hard and ran out of the room with Theo in my arms, heading straight for the back door.

No one was there, just like I'd hoped.

I pushed it open. Outside was a narrow alley, and at the end of it, a road.

I ran through the alley and flagged down a cab.

"Hospital! Hurry!" I shouted the moment I got in.

The driver took one look at me covered in blood, then at the barely-breathing child in my arms, and floored it.

We'd been driving a few minutes when something hit me.

I had no money.

I patted my pockets. Nothing.

"Um... sir..." I stammered, "I don't have any money on me..."

He glanced at me in the rearview mirror, then at Theo, and let out a slow breath.

"Let's get to the hospital first."

I nearly fell to my knees in gratitude.

Then, halfway there, another thought stopped me cold.

I couldn't go to a regular hospital.

Xavier and Julia would look for me there first.

"Sir, not the main hospital. Take me to the children's hospital out in the suburbs."

"That's pretty far," he said.

"That's okay. I'll figure it out."

I looked down at Theo. His breathing was getting fainter. His face was a terrifying shade of white.

'Theo, you have to hold on.'

'Mommy won't let you die.'

Almost an hour later, we pulled up to the children's hospital on the outskirts of the city.

I rushed into the ER. The nurses took one look at Theo and wheeled out a stretcher, pushing him straight into the trauma room.

I followed, then my legs gave out and I nearly hit the floor.

I looked down. Somewhere along the way I'd lost a shoe. The bottom of my foot was soaked in blood, my toes rubbed raw.

I didn't feel a thing.

"Ma'am, we need to treat your wounds," a nurse said, steadying me.

"I'm fine. What about my son? What's happening to my son?" I grabbed her hand, my voice shaking.

"The doctors are working on him now. Please wait outside."

She helped me to a chair in the hallway, then brought over iodine and gauze and started cleaning the cuts on my foot.

The iodine burned like hell. I hissed through my teeth, but my mind was somewhere else entirely. It was with Theo.

When she finished bandaging me up, she handed me a cup of water. "Ma'am, is there someone we can call for you?"

Family?

My family was gone.

Xavier was supposed to be my family. And look what he did to me.

"No, thank you." I shook my head.

She gave me a long look, like she wanted to say something, then turned and walked away.

I sat alone in that hallway for nearly two hours.

Then the trauma room doors opened.

"The child is stable." The doctor came out, pulling down his mask. "But his injuries are serious. There are signs of prolonged abuse. We're required to contact the police."

"No!" I shot to my feet. "You can't call the police!"

He frowned. "Ma'am, the injuries didn't happen all at once. In a case like this, we have no choice."

"Please." I grabbed his hand, tears running down my face. "Please don't call them."

"The person who did this to him... it's his father. He has powerful connections. The police won't be able to do anything. If he finds us, he'll kill us both."

The doctor's expression shifted. He was quiet for a moment, then nodded. "What are you going to do?"

"I'm taking him somewhere his father can't find us."

He sighed. "He still needs medical care. At least a week of inpatient observation."

"I know. I'll figure something out."

I walked into the room. Theo was lying in the bed, wrapped in bandages, his face as pale and still as porcelain.

I took his hand gently, and the tears came again.

"Theo, Mom is going to get you out of here. I promise."

Then I remembered.

The paternity test.

I'd almost forgotten the most important thing.

I'd been holding onto Theo's hair, keeping it hidden close to my body, waiting for exactly this moment.

I reached into my pocket and pulled out the small plastic bag. A few strands of his hair were inside.

But what about my own?

I reached up and pulled out a few strands, then added them to the bag.

I found a nurse and asked her for an envelope, tucked the hair inside, and wrote my name on the front.

"Could you run a paternity test on these for me?"

She took the envelope, looked at me, and nodded. "Of course. Results usually take about three days."

Three days.

I couldn't wait three days.

"Is there any way to speed it up?" I asked. "It's urgent."

She thought about it. "I can put in a rush order. Earliest would be tomorrow."

"Thank you."

I handed over the envelope and felt something in my chest ease, just slightly.

Once the results came back, I'd have proof. Then I could go to Xavier.

But then doubt crept back in.

Would he even care?

He was willing to kill his own son. Would a piece of paper really matter to him?

I pushed the thought away. I couldn't go down that road right now.

Whatever happened, I had to try.

Theo was still asleep. I sat beside him and kept watch.

Outside, the sky slowly turned light. A new day.

I looked at the sunlight coming through the window, and for the first time in a long time, I felt something close to hope.

Maybe today was the day things changed.

Then the hallway outside erupted.

"Room checks, everyone. All family members, please cooperate."

Footsteps. Getting closer. Then a knock.

A nurse opened the door with a smile. "Ma'am, just need to take the little one's temperature."

I nodded and stepped aside.

She checked his temperature, looked over his bandages, and left.

I was about to sit back down when I heard it.

A voice I recognized, out in the hall.

"Search every room. Don't skip a single one."

Julia.

My heart jumped into my throat.

How did she find this place so fast?

I rushed to the door and peered through the small window. Julia was out there with a group of bodyguards, going room by room.

They'd reach this one soon.

I spun around and looked at the room. It was small. Just a bed and a table. Nowhere to hide.

The window? We were on the second floor. Jumping would break my legs at best.

I was sweating, panicking, when my eyes landed on the space under the bed.

It was low. Barely enough room to squeeze under.

I got down and crawled in.

Just as I made it, the door swung open.

"Check this one too."

A bodyguard's voice.

I pressed my hand over my mouth and stopped breathing.

He walked around the room. His footsteps passed right beside me. For a second I thought he was going to crouch down and look.

"Nothing here. Next room."

The other one said.

The footsteps faded. The door closed.

I exhaled and crawled back out.

Then the door opened again.

I froze. I looked up.

Straight into Julia's eyes.

She stood in the doorway, a cold smile on her lips, staring at me like something she'd been hunting.

"Found you."