Voices and machinery came together in a frenetic symphony, as the emergency room doctors and nurses worked together. Their focus was on a frail form, which was barely recognizable beneath their hands.

One leg was immobilized in an air cast, and every inch of uncovered skin was covered with something. The patient’s left arm hung limply from the table, dried blood covering the painted red nails.

“I’m not getting a pulse,” a nurse announced, her gloves stained with blood.

The doctor looked at a monitor, where a long tone and flat lines told him all he needed to know. “We’ve done all we can do.” He raised his eyes to the clock on the wall. “Time of death, four twenty-six.” His gloves were quickly snapped off before he was out the door.

#

The hospital staff tried to take Lorrie from her, but Lex wouldn’t let go. The little girl slept fitfully, and Lex was afraid of her waking up alone. She had been torn between letting the doctors examine Lorrie, and hunting for Amanda. Charlie had gone off earlier, promising to find out any news. She sat on the edge of the stretcher, while the doctor listened to Lorrie’s lungs.

“She seems fine, Ms. Walters. I don’t see any indications of abuse.” The doctor removed his stethoscope and let it hang freely from his neck. He snapped off his gloves and tossed them in the nearby trash. “You may want to have her pediatrician give her a more thorough exam, though.”

“I’ll do that.” Lex looked down at the sleeping child in her arms. “Are we done here?”

He nodded. “Give us a call if you need anything else.”

“Thanks.” Lex stood and left the room, anxious to find where Amanda was staying. When she saw Charlie leaving the elevator, she picked up her pace to meet him. “Did you find out anything?”

He lightly grasped her arm and guided Lex to the elevator. “She’s upstairs, and the doctor’s with her.”

They rode the elevator in silence, both too caught up in their thoughts to speak.

When the doors opened, they were quickly met by Martha. Her reddened eyes spoke volumes. “I’m so glad you’re here.”

“How is she?” Lex wanted to brush by her, but Martha placed her hands against her hips.

“Dr. Vaughn is still in there.” Martha touched Lorrie’s head. “How’s this little angel doing?”

Lex swallowed hard and bit her lip. “The doc said she’s fine, just exhausted.” Her legs shook when the day’s events finally hit her. Only Charlie’s strong grip kept Lex from falling.

He guided her to a chair in the nearby waiting room. “Might as well take a seat. There’s no telling how long the doctor will be in with Amanda.” He sat on one side of her, while Martha took the other.

“I should be in there with Amanda.” Lex was about to stand again when Lorrie opened her eyes.

“Momma?” Lorrie touched Lex’s cheek. “I wanna go home.”

Lex blinked the tears out of her eyes. “I know, baby. We will, later.” She turned her head and kissed Lorrie’s palm. “How are you feeling?”

“Love you, Momma.” Lorrie giggled when Lex nibbled on her fingers. The earlier terrors had already begun to fade from her memory.

The door to Amanda’s room opened, and Dr. Vaughn stepped out. She brushed one hand through her hair and glanced around. When she saw Lex, she took a deep breath and went to stand in front of her. “I’m glad you’re here.”

Lex quickly stood. “How is she?”

“I’m not going to lie to you, it could have become very serious.” Dr. Vaughn held up her hand to stop Lex from replying. “Thankfully, your mother got her here quickly, and we were able to stop the contractions.”

“Contractions? You mean she went into labor?” Without being aware of it, Lex allowed Martha to take Lorrie, who went willingly into her arms. When her hands began to shake, she tucked them into her pockets. “Is the baby okay?”

Dr. Vaughn finally smiled. “They’re both fine. But, I’m going to have to insist she stay here with us until the baby’s born. Her blood pressure worries me, and if we don’t get it under control, I don’t see any way she can deliver this baby without a caesarean.” At Lex’s pale look, she patted her arm in reassurance. “I plan on doing everything I can to make this as smooth a delivery as possible. Let’s cross that bridge when we come to it.”

“All right.” Lex exhaled heavily. “Can I see her now?”

“She was resting when I left, but as long as you don’t upset her, I think it’ll be okay.”

“Thanks.” Although she felt like hugging the doctor over the positive news, Lex settled for shaking her hand. She gave her a bashful smile and hurried to Amanda’s room, where she stood at the door for a moment, before straightening her shoulders and going inside.

#

Charlie was left by himself, while Martha took Lorrie to the bathroom to get cleaned up. He stood and stretched, and was caught off guard when he heard Wayne’s voice behind him. “What are you doing here? You’re supposed to be guarding Elizabeth Cauble. I don’t want that woman to have any opportunity to get loose.”

“Uh, well. That’s kind of what I came up here to talk to you about.” Wayne looked around to verify they were alone. “She didn’t make it.”

“What?”

“Yeah. The doctors tried, but they told me that even if she’d lived, her brain was so messed up she’d be a vegetable for the rest of her life.”