Authors: Shawna Platt
Brice and Sorina exchanged glances and Sorina whispered, “What are we going to do?”
Brice shook his head and looked down at Kinsey, who was bearing down with another contraction.
“I don’t know. Let’s focus on Kinsey right now. She needs us.”
“How close is she to delivery?”
“She’s going to have to start pushing any time now.”
“Okay, let’s take care of her and the baby and we’ll deal with this later.”
Twenty minutes later, Kinsey was in the process of delivering her son. Never in her life had she experienced this kind of pain. The physical pain was bad enough, but knowing the second he was delivered that he’d be taken away was more than she could handle.
In between pushes, she collapsed against her pillow and swore she wasn’t leaving without him. At one point, she looked Brice dead in the eyes and stated, “If you take him from me, I swear I’ll find a way to take this program down…and I’ll take both of you with it.”
He knew she was telling the truth. He glanced at Sorina, who shook her head. He could see the fear on her face. He returned his focus to Kinsey and during the next few pushes, brought her son into the world.
His cries echoed through the room and before Brice had a chance to cut the cord, Kinsey was reaching for him. “Give him to me!”
Sorina gently pulled Kinsey’s hands away from the baby. “Hold on, Kinsey, we have to examine him.”
“He’s fine, give him to me now!”
Brice wrapped the baby in a blanket and took him over to a small bed to be examined, while Sorina finished attending to Kinsey.
Kinsey never took her eyes off him. “He’s not leaving this room.”
After a few moments, Brice brought the baby over and placed him in Kinsey’s arms. Sorina gave him a shocked look.
“What are you doing?”
“I don’t know yet. Just give her a minute.”
Sorina began pacing and decided to occupy her time by cleaning up the room.
Kinsey brought her face close to her son’s cheek and said, “His name is Ryker.”
Sorina spun around and faced her. “You can’t name him, Kinsey.”
Kinsey looked her dead in the eyes. “His name is Ryker and you’re not taking him.”
Brice sat down beside Kinsey and tried to reason with her. “Listen to me, you have to let Dr. Westcott take him to the newborn nursery. All babies go there for the first week. He’ll be right down the hall.”
Kinsey shook her head. “He’s not leaving this room.”
“He has to, Kinsey. For now, we have to keep up the appearance that everything is going according to program rules. You shouldn’t even be holding him.”
Sorina walked up and held her arms out, indicating she wanted Kinsey to give up her son.
Kinsey looked back at Brice. “If anything happens to him….”
“He’ll be right down the hall, I promise.”
“When can I go see him?”
Sorina sighed. “Participants aren’t allowed in the nursery.”
“When will you bring him back?”
Sorina was growing impatient and blew out a breath. “I can’t bring him back to your room, Kinsey. That’s not how it works.”
Kinsey turned back to Brice and whispered, “I hate you for this.”
Her words hit him like a bullet in the gut. “Give us some time to figure this out. For now, let Dr. Westcott take him to the nursery. He’ll be safe there and no one will suspect anything.”
Kinsey felt the hot tears roll down her cheeks as she surrendered her son.
Chapter Twenty-Two
Dr. Westcott placed Ryker in a small bed and turned on the heat light. She looked down at Kinsey’s son and felt her eyes well with tears.
What am I supposed to do with you,
she thought.
Part of her knew she had to stick to protocol, but what if Kinsey was right? She had photos that pointed in that direction. She felt a loyalty to Kinsey she’d never had with any other participant. At this stage in the program, the baby went to the nursery and the mother was processed for release. Now she was faced with a different set of circumstances. There was only one other baby in the nursery at the time and a nurse was busy taking care of him.
Sorina looked down at the sleeping baby and felt the pull to protect him. She needed help and she knew what she had to do. She informed the nurse of the new arrival and said she’d be right back. Sorina walked out of the nursery, pulled out her cell phone, and made the call.
Brice had given Kinsey a sedative to calm her down, but she was still insisting he get her son back. He tried to explain that, at this point, his hands were tied and having her son in the nursery was the best place for him to be. He would be there for a week before being moved and that would give them time to figure things out.
Kinsey had no choice but to accept this and she made it clear if anything happened to her son, she would hold him and Dr. Westcott responsible.
Brice leaned over and whispered to Kinsey. “There will be nurses coming in and out of your room. It’s very important you remain calm and don’t talk about this when they’re around. Do you understand?”
Kinsey nodded.
“Kinsey, I mean it. If they suspect anything, they’ll report it.” He felt the anger well up and his voice became stern. “Do you understand?”
Kinsey made eye contact, but didn’t respond.
He continued. “I’m going to help you figure this out, but you need to trust me. Keep your mouth shut and play the game. We have a week and we need to use it wisely.”
Kinsey rolled her head and looked at the ceiling. “I trust you. Just get my son back.”
“I’ll do everything I can to make that happen.” He glanced at his watch. “I’m going to leave for a while, but I’ll be back. Dr. Westcott and the nurses will take good care of you and your son...”
“Ryker. His name is Ryker.”
He sighed. “Don’t do anything stupid while I’m gone.”
She didn’t respond.
“Kinsey, promise me.”
She simply nodded and he left the room.
Brice sat in the reception area waiting for the secretary to usher him back. Hakon didn’t seem too happy about agreeing to see him, but then again, he never was. Finally, he was given the clear that he was allowed to enter.
Brice walked into Hakon’s office and found him seated behind his desk; his fingers interlaced with his hands on his chest.
Brice almost snorted at the sight.
Arrogant bastard.
“Dr. Rayner, what can I do for you?”
Without being offered, Brice took a seat in one of the chairs in front of his desk.
“I need your advice on something.”
“Of course, you do. You always need advice.”
Brice tried to ignore the sarcasm in his voice and continued. “Lately, moral has been low with the participants in the program. I’m thinking we need to do something to make them feel secure again.”
“Why wouldn’t they feel secure? They’re provided with the best of everything. As you know, Operation Vala has a very large budget.” He paused and wiggled his fingers. “I suppose if your participants aren’t feeling secure in the program, you would be responsible for that.”
Brice decided to test the waters regarding Tessa to see what his knee-jerk reaction would be. “Well, after Tessa Sloane’s miscarriage, people are a little off.”
The reaction was slight, but it was there: the minor muscle jerk around his mouth, the small change in his pupils. Brice knew this man well, and inside, Hakon was fuming.
“Yes, I heard about Tessa Sloane’s unfortunate mishap. It was a miscarriage; they happen.”
“Yes, they do, but Tessa’s involved security and that created quite a commotion. There were rumors she tried to escape and it has people a little unnerved.”
“Weren’t you informed of what happened? You
are
the head doctor at the clinic.”
“No, I wasn’t. Dr. Hartman took over Tessa’s care immediately. I didn’t even have access to her file, so I know nothing.” He paused and tried to read the man’s face again, but he had a strong poker face. “That’s why I’m here. I thought maybe you could shed some light on what Dr. Hartman and security told you, so I can put the participant’s minds at ease.”
“The participants need to mind their own business and do what they’re there to do, which is make babies. I trust you’ll handle this.”
“Of course, I just thought I’d ask.” He got up from the chair and headed to the door.
Hakon’s voice bellowed behind him. “Don’t forget who got you this job. You’re nothing without me. I’m a firm believer in consequences.”
Brice turned and made eye contact. “I know who I am.”
Hakon laughed. “Yeah, sure you do; you and everyone else. I tell people who they are, don’t forget it. Now go do your job.”
Brice walked out with a smirk on his face, knowing exactly what he had to do.
Dr. Westcott returned to the nursery to find the nurse holding Ryker.
“He sure is a cute one, isn’t he?”
Dr. Westcott walked up and rubbed her hand over his head. “Yes, he is, but they all are.”
“True, but this one is special. He has a glow about him.” The nurse rubbed her finger over his cheek and spoke to the baby. “You’re destined for great things, I can feel it.”
Dr. Westcott held her hands out. “I’ll take him now. There are some blood tests I still need to run.” She took Ryker from the nurse. “How’s the other baby doing?”
“He’s doing great. Actually, he’s scheduled for release to the main nursery. I just have to finish the paperwork.”
“Sounds good. Go ahead and finish up and I’ll have someone come for him.”
The nurse rubbed Ryker’s head again. “Yep, he’s special all right.”
After the nurse walked away, Dr. Westcott looked down at the perfect little face.
Yes, he is. You have no idea.
A couple hours later, Dr. Westcott left Ryker in the care of the night nurse and left to visit Kinsey. The other baby had been released to the main nursery, so Ryker was the only baby being cared for, and since there were no other participants in labor, that would make what she had to do easier.
She walked into Kinsey’s room and found her resting. A nurse was writing some notes in Kinsey’s file.
“How’s she doing?”
“Fantastic. She should be ready to be released from the program in a couple days.”
“Wonderful.” She looked over at Kinsey, who had her eyes locked on the two of them. She turned back to the nurse. “Why don’t you take a break while I perform an exam?”
“Sounds good, I could use one.” She handed the file to Dr. Westcott and left the room.
She walked up to Kinsey and held out her hand. Kinsey took it. After a short pause, Dr. Westcott whispered.
“I’m going to help you escape with Ryker, but you’ll need to do exactly as I say. No variations. Do you understand?”
Kinsey’s eyes widened and she nodded.
“My father, Dr. Conrad Westcott, will be here tomorrow night. He’s going to help, but again, you must do everything exactly as you’re told.”
“I will.”
“I’m going to arrange for your release from the program tomorrow. Stella will give you a ride to the airport. Everything will appear normal.”
“But what about Ryker?”
“That’s where my dad comes in and you’re going to have to trust me. There are security cameras in the hallway by the nursery. You’ll have to come there when I tell you to. They’ll see you enter, but once inside, everything that takes place will be hidden from view.”
“I don’t understand.”
“You will. I’ll explain the rest later, but it’s important security catches you on camera entering the nursery. Soon after, you’ll leave again. All will be recorded, so don’t do anything you’re not told to do.”
“But they’ll be looking for me.”
“No, they won’t, but it’s important to the plan. You have to trust me.”
“Do I have a choice?”
“Not if you want to get out of here with your son.”
“You better not screw me over.”
“Do exactly as you’re told and you’ll get out of here with your son, but know this, Kinsey, once you’re outside the compound walls with him, you’re on your own.”
“Fine.”
“I’ll have everything ready by tomorrow night. I’ll let you know when to come to the nursery.”
“Do I stay here?”
“Yes, stay here for now. You’re supposed to be recovering, so all will appear normal. I’ll arrange your early release tomorrow night, so when you leave, no one will question it.”
“Okay.” She squeezed Sorina’s hand. “Thank you.”
“You have no idea what’s at stake here.”
“Oh, I do. My son’s at stake and that makes it all worth it.”
Sorina sighed and released Kinsey’s hand. “Don’t speak to anyone about this and don’t do anything unless I tell you to.”
Kinsey nodded and watched Sorina exit the room.