Chapter Twenty-Eight Noah

The pavement outside was crowded. Keeping his head down, Noah joined the throng of citizens moving away from the square. He was just deciding whether to return to the hospital or go back to the library, when an ambulance screeched past.

Instinctively, Noah made an about turn and followed in its wake. A few blocks past him, it stopped. Stepping back into the shadows of a doorway, Noah peered at the vehicle. For a few seconds, nothing happened. But then a door at the side of the street burst open. Noah spotted the same guard carrying a limp-looking Faith out into the street.

A medic jumped out of the ambulance and opened the rear door.

"Straight to Bellator General, okay?" Taking great care not to hurt her, the guard lifted Faith inside the vehicle. When she emerged, her expression was serious. "Danforth's orders."

Hammond appeared in the doorway. "There's another one coming, yes?" she demanded. "For the other two?"

"On its way." The medic raised an eyebrow. "Heard the others don't need such urgent attention."

"They don't need any kind of attention." Hammond waved a dismissive hand. "You'll be taking them straight to the morgue."

Noah closed his eyes and forced himself not to react. When he opened them again, Hammond was slamming the rear door of the ambulance.

"This one's particularly special to Chancellor Danforth." Hammond took a step towards the medic. "Make sure you take good care of her."

Nodding, the woman ducked around the lieutenant and climbed back into her vehicle. As the ambulance pulled away, its siren split the air again, hurrying people out of its path. Once the sound had faded, Noah emerged from the doorway. His entire body was shaking.

This one's special.That, he could agree with.

His thoughts turned to Sophia, then to Robyn and Flynn. Their blood was on Danforth's hands. But there could be no more deaths. The only way to save Faith from the same fate as her friend was to rescue her before the medics administered the metraxilone. There was no other option. He would return to the hospital.

He could only hope it was possible to sneak back in. That Liam would welcome him back. Be prepared to help him.

His mind made up, Noah marched off in the same direction as the ambulance.

Once he got away from the square, the streets were quiet. Most of the citizens had headed home, probably worried about further trouble. Unless Danforth had put a temporary curfew in place that had forced people indoors. It was a definite possibility.

Noah moved as quickly as he dared, concerned he would be stopped or questioned with so few people around. He stuck to the back routes, impressing himself with his knowledge of the city. Never had he been more grateful for Madeleine's insistence on stringent preparation for going undercover. The hours poring over maps had seemed tedious at the time, but now they were paying off.

When he reached the hospital, it was unusually quiet. Whilst the memorial ceremony had been disrupted, the minimal violence meant there would not be many casualties. Silently thanking Liam for the intel about the cameras, he located the exit he had used on the way out and managed to sneak back into the building undetected. Once inside, he made his way to the supply building and spent a few minutes stocking a trolley.

The ambulance would have arrived here much faster than him, so Faith was already in the building. Of that, Noah was certain. But he wasn't sure where they would take her. If they had decided she should go straight to the ward where they had kept Sophia, it would be almost impossible to get to her. But if she needed additional care before they placed her into the fertility ward, he might be able to get to her.

Wheeling the trolley through the hospital, his mind raced through possibilities. Faith would have been brought in via the Emergency Department. She might still be there.

He approached it with caution. Lowering his head, he pressed the buzzer on the door as though he was meant to be there. Hopefully, the drudge in charge of restocking the area had not completed his rounds yet. The technicians never looked very closely at the drudges assigned to their departments, so he stood a good chance of getting in. As long as he'd timed it right.

When the door swung open, the technician paused. "Didn't we already–?"

Her voice quietened, as though she were directing the question over her shoulder.

"What?" Another voice came from further down the ward.

"Did we need restocking?" She turned to face him. "I thought we'd…"

"Perhaps the higher-ups ordered more." The second voice again. "With the disruption at the ceremony and all."

"You mean they're expecting–?"

"More trouble?" The voice increased in volume, as though the second technician had moved closer. "Maybe."

The woman in the doorway seemed to accept the explanation. Stepping back from the door, she waved him inside.

"Don't be long." She pushed the door closed. "If we're expecting more patients, I'd like the ward clear."

Nodding, Noah moved past her into the main emergency area. He hadn't restocked this department before, but he knew what it would require. Multiple cabinets stood between the beds, each one needing to be ready for an emergency. All he had to do was move from one to another, taking a moment to peek behind the curtained-off bays as he did so. If Faith was here, he would find her.

The department was quiet, and the technicians were occupied with duties in their office. Noah attended to most of the cabinets without interruption, discovering the beds either side of them to be frustratingly empty. As he approached the final one, a rhythmic beeping came from behind the curtains.

Opening the cabinet door, he angled his body so his back was to the technicians' office. Holding his breath, he slid his finger around the edge of the curtain and eased it back.

His heart stopped. In the bed, hooked up to a machine which he knew monitored her blood pressure, was Faith.