Carson looked at his watch and then leaned on the bed. “Ellie, it’s been four weeks, five days and two hours already, don’t you think it’s time you woke up?”
He watched her still lips, hoping they would move and a sound, any sound would come out and answer him.
Nothing.
She’d been in a coma for weeks and as hopeful as the doctors seemed, he wasn’t so sure she would wake up. “Third is out of the NICU,” he laughed. “Yes I nicknamed him Third I don’t like Junior. Anyway, he’s in the nursery. I asked Roger to take care of him. I figured that’s what you’d want. He says Third is ready to be discharged but Richard thinks it would be safer for him to stay here. He doesn’t think we are out of the woods just yet.”
He stared at her, waiting for an answer, but still nothing. He climbed on to her bed and laid next to her. He gently lifted her head and placed it on his shoulder. And then he hugged her to him, “I’ve missed holding you.” He chuckled, “If your nurse walks in here she’s going to flip.”
He caressed her cheek, “I like James, in honor of your dad right? So did you name him after me or my dad? That’s a dumb question considering we are both named Dale Carson.”
“How is she?” Kris asked.
Carson looked up. Audrey was here too, with Stacey-Ann asleep in her arms. He looked back at Ellie, “She’s still giving me the silent treatment.”
“I read online that talking to a patient in a coma is good.” Kris rapped out and then bit her trembling lips shut to keep the threatening sob in.
“Yeah. She can hear you,” Audrey added.
“That’s good. She’ll be well informed when she wakes up because I’ve been talking for weeks.”
“We should try something else,” Kris announced, taking Stacey-Ann from Audrey. “Baby wake up.” She nudged her awake. Stacey-Ann’s eyes fluttered open with a whine.
“Kris, let her be.”
“Maybe if Ellie hears her daughter cry then she’ll wake up. She has a family to take care of, she needs to wake up!” She half yelled, tears freely spilling over.
“Lay her here,” Carson patted the bed.
Kris moved Ellie’s hand, then placed Stacey-Ann next to her and draped her hand over the child. Stacey-Ann cuddled against her mother, moving up to sleep closer to her face. “Mama,” she said, placing her hand on her cheek. When Ellie didn’t respond, she cuddled closer and hugged her neck and then went back to sleep.
“I… I can’t…” Kris uttered, running out. She sat down against the wall and cried.
Audrey pulled the covers over Stacey-Ann, “Do you need anything?”
He traced the outlines of Ellie’s face with his finger, “Do you think Kris is right? Maybe if we brought in Third and let him cry…”
“Maybe later,” Kevin said, stepping into the room, “Daniel is awake and you wouldn’t imagine what his first words were.”
“What?”
“Tell Carson to keep Ellie safe, Ellsa wants to kill her.”
Carson slide out from under Ellie and rushed out the door, “Audrey stay with them, you too Kevin.”
Carson matched into Daniel’s room and headed right for his bed, moving a nurse out of his way. “Daniel what do you know about Ellsa?”
“Thanks, I’m doing great after being in a coma for two months.” Daniel’s voice sounded scratchy.
Carson picked up the cup of water and held the straw to his lips, “I’m glad you are okay but Ellie is still in a coma.”
Daniel’s eyes widened with shock. He spat out the straw, “Why didn’t anyone tell me this before!”
“You woke up only an hour ago,” Richard answered.
“What happened?”
Richard ran it down for him, “Stacey-Ann was kidnapped. Seth got shot in the process, but he’s okay. Ellsa told us it was a kidnapping, she said she was going to look for the money and then Ellie got traded for Stacey-Ann.”
“How’s Stacey-Ann?”
Carson smiled, “She’s fine. She’s asleep next to her mother.”
“And the baby?”
“Did you know she was pregnant?”
Daniel shook his head, “Ellsa told me before she shoved a knife through my chest. I knew something was up when she brought me Chivas Regal as a thank you gift.”
Richard whistled, “Top five best scotch in the world, and probably your favorite.”
“Not when it’s drugged. I couldn’t move after I took a sip of it. But I could hear and feel everything.” His face creased at the memory. He placed his hand over his chest as if to confirm his heart was still there.
“What happened to Ellie?” He directed the question to Carson, but when he saw him clench his jaw and turn away, he looked at Richard for an answer.
“Ellsa had some people steal the baby, while he was still inside Ellie. They were both in critical condition, but James Dale Carson is doing fine now. We are waiting on Ellie to wake up.” When his phone rang he stepped away, “Excuse me.”
“Hi Richard, do you know where Gwen is?” Paloma asked, staring down at James as he slept. He was bigger and breathing on his own. After his traumatic birth, she expected him to have a lot more wrong with him, but he was completely fine.
“I’m right here,” Gwen announced, walking in, “Give me five minutes to change.”
Paloma turned to get her stuff, “She’s here Richard. I’m going home…” she stopped when she turned around and stared at the empty baby bed.
“What’s wrong Paloma?”
“He’s gone! Someone took him!” She dropped the phone and ran out into the corridor. She didn’t have to look far. There was a nurse in pink overalls heading for the fire exit, holding a baby. “Hey stop!”
The nurse glanced at her and kept walking.
Paloma rushed forward and pulled her gun out, “I swear, take one more step and I’ll put a bullet in your head!”
The nurse stopped.
“Turn around slowly.”
The nurse turned, exposing the baby in her arms. James was still sound asleep. Paloma took him with one arm, her other hand still pointing the gun at her. “This baby has gone through enough and I am at my wits end, so don’t play with me. Why and where were you taking him?”
The nurse put her hands up over her head, “A woman in the parking lot paid me to take him. She said it was her baby and she was been forced to put him up for adoption by her crazy husband.”
Paloma moved back, signaling her to move with her, “What’s the woman’s name?”
“Ellie Carson.”
Paloma huffed, “Of course it is.”
Paloma felt relaxed when she saw Doran came round the corner.
“Richard called. What’s going on?” Doran asked cuffing the nurse.
“Ellie asked her to steal the baby.”
“Ellie? In other words Ellsa?”
“No. She said her name is Ellie,” the nurse argued.
Doran took out his phone and scrolled to a picture of Ellie, “Is this her?”
“Yes, but her hair was straight and she had bangs.”
“The woman you met is Ellsa. She’s a serial killer who tried to kill her sister and steal James, her sister’s baby.”
The nurse had a horrified look on her face, “I think I’m going to be sick.”
“Paloma take the baby back,” Doran instructed, settling the woman on the chair. “And could we not tell Carson we almost lost his son?”
“You don’t have to tell me twice,” Paloma announced. She went back to the nursery and placed James back into his bed. She then pushed the bed to the furthest corner, far away from both the exits.
Doran sat next to the nurse. “Now, let’s start from the beginning.”
“Why don’t we just jump straight to the end? Where is my baby?” Ellsa demanded, pointing a gun at the duo.