She kept the gun pointed at Doran as she pulled the nurse up. “I sent you to get me my baby not to socialize. Where is he?”
“They took him back. They said he’s not your baby!”
“Took him where?”
“To the nursery.”
Doran stood up, “Ellsa…”
“You have a very short time to live old man, do not waste it by dying in a hospital corridor.” She walked to the nursery using the nurse as cover. She tried the door but it was locked. She cursed, and knocked on the glass. “You, open the door!”
“Not a chance Ellsa!” Paloma yelled back.
Ellsa banged frustrated, on the glass with her fist and roared, “Don’t make me shoot through this glass, because I will.”
“You can’t, it is bullet proof,” the nurse stuttered.
“Give me that baby Paloma or I swear your family will be next on my hit list!”
Paloma moved towards the glass, her face turning red with fury. “I will hunt you to the ends of the earth if you so much as go a mile near my family. And I promise you, I will kill you, even if you’re Ellie’s sister.”
Ellsa puffed, “You talk about Ellie like she was some kind of god.”
“Is, she’s not dead Ellsa.”
Ellsa’s lips rose in a smile, “Yet. She’s not dead yet.” And then she shrugged her shoulder, “I never intended on her dying, that was never in the plan, but she is in a coma. She could never wake up and that gives me full rights to the baby.”
“You’re forgetting something, James has a father.”
“What makes you so sure he’s the father?”
“Ellie is a woman of honor and loyalty and she has a heart. Everything you lack.”
That comment turned the smile on Ellsa’s lips into an angry quiver. Murder yelled out of her eyes, as she glared at Paloma, wishing that glass wasn’t there to shield her.
“Paloma,” Doran warned. “Ellsa lets discuss this.”
Ellsa grabbed hold of the nurse’s hair and dragged her a safe distance away. She placed the barrel of the gun in her ear. “I’m done talking. Give me the baby or she’s going to have a really bad ear ache.”
Carson and Richard stood close by, behind the cover of the wall. Paloma had texted them about Ellsa’s attempt to steal James. That sent Carson into a murderous rage. He wanted to put a bullet through her heart and watch her die a slow death for what she’d done to his family. He didn’t care if she was his sister-in-law, all he wanted was retribution. But as the homicidal thought commanded his mind, Ellie’s voice persistently whispered in his ear. She loved her sister, no matter what the psychopath did and killing her would only hurt Ellie. Ellsa would still have won in destroying their lives.
Carson and Richard moved closer, laying in wait for Doran’s signal. No matter how they played it, for Ellie’s sake, Ellsa had to make it out alive.
“Give me my son!” Ellsa yelled, making the nurse cry louder.
Carson clenched his jaw, forcing his emotions behind and allowing his professional instincts to take over.
Doran took a step closer, “Ellsa, you don’t have a baby here. James is Ellie’s baby, and Carson is never going to let you have him.”
She chuckled, “What? He’s going to kill me like he did my employees. Ellie is going to hate him if he does.” She laughed loudly, “I saw them and those shots were meant to make them suffer before they died. Carson is just like me, we would have made one hell of a couple.”
“Carson is nothing like you,” A tired voice spoke out.
Carson felt his heart stop. He made to move out of position but Richard held him back.
“Focus!” He instructed.
“I thought you were in a coma?” Ellsa accused.
Ellie moved to lean against the nurse’s desk, pushing Kris away. Her legs still felt like jelly under her, but she didn’t want Kris to get caught in the cross fire. There were a lot of guns aiming at Ellsa, and she had no idea. “Well, you woke me up.”
“Welcome to the party sis!”
Ellie leaned more against the desk, a dizzy spell rocking her. “What are you doing Ellsa?”
“I came to take what’s mine, my son.”
“You have a son?” She asked confused wondering how long she’d been out.
“She’s talking about your baby Ellie,” Doran corrected.
Ellie gasped, a single tear spilling, “James…. he’s alive?”
“Yes.”
She willed her legs to hold her up and staggered to the nursery window. She leaned against it and searched the room, “Is he okay?”
“Yes, my son is okay and I’m here to get him.” Ellsa barked, destroying Ellie’s relief.
Ellie felt her heart tighten. She felt like crying her heart out, but she was too weak for it. She couldn’t stand the betrayal, her own twin sister! “So you really did try to steal him from me? You had people cut me open and pull my baby out!”
“What can I say, I ran out of patience.”
“He could have died!”
She rolled her eyes, “I hired professionals. They knew what they were doing and you wouldn’t have ended up in a coma if Dale hadn’t crushed the party.”
“I don’t understand. Why would you do this? He’s just a baby, he hasn’t done anything to you!”
Ellsa smiled, “For years I’ve stood in the shadow of perfect Ellie! You’ve stolen every man I’ve ever loved. The only retribution I could think of was taking them all away from you. If I couldn’t have them, you wouldn’t either.”
“What does James have to do with this?”
“When you told me you were pregnant, I knew I didn’t have a chance of getting Dale back. You were popping another one of his spawns. So, I took you out of the picture. I figured, I’d make him fall in love with me, and then when you came back he wouldn’t care. You’d be off to jail for murder and I’d be the new Mrs. Carson.”
She clenched her jaw, the dreamy look fading, “But the idiot is too in love with you! And when you told me you were having a boy, I knew he would be my retribution. He is going to be the only man, the most important of them all, to love me more than he loves you.”
Ellie staggered forward, “You are not getting anywhere near my son!”
Ellsa tugged at the nurse’s hair making her whimper, “You have any kids?”
“One, and I’m all she has.”
Ellsa then clicked off the safety. The nurse jumped with a sob, the sound of the end ringing in her ear. “You should thank Ellie for making your daughter an orphan. Good night.”
“No!” Ellie screamed, moving forward.
Ellsa raised the gun and turned to her side. She squeezed the trigger, and the shot rang out echoing in the corridors alongside the security guard’s cry of pain.
Ellie gagged, feeling nauseated as she watched the man sag down to his knees, his hand over the bleeding hole in his chest, and a frightened look in his eyes. “What have you done?”
Ellsa turned the gun back to the nurse who was frozen in shock, watching the guard bleed out inches away from her. “Why does everyone want to be a hero? Now where was I… oh, the orphan. I bet his kids will be wondering why daddy didn’t go home today.”
Ellsa pressed the barrel hard against the nurse’s temple, snapping her back to reality, “Please don’t kill me, I’m begging you please!”
“That depends on Ellie, what do you say sis?”
Ellie watched the nurse cry helplessly. She shook her head as she sobbed, unable to say the words. She knew she was condemning her to death, but she couldn’t give up her son.
Ellsa shrugged, “Okay.”
“You shoot her and you won’t have a hostage. There will be nothing to keep us from shooting you!” Doran rapped out.
Ellsa’s lips pulled wider in a sadistic smile, “I know.” Then she turned the gun to the nurse’s station where three nurses were standing. “That’s why I’m going to be shooting them first.” She turned to Ellie, “I’m sure they have children too. You are about to make them motherless. There is only one solution to this Ellie.”
She nodded, “Yes there is… you kill me.”
Carson went to rush out, but Richard held him back , pinning him to the wall. “Not yet.”
Carson fought him, “She’s going to kill her!”
“Wait!”
“Kill you?” Ellsa blurted out, “Why in the world would I want to do that? You are my sister. I don’t want to kill you.”
“I’m the one you are mad at. I’m the one you hate, so kill me and end it all, because there is no way in hell you are getting anywhere near my son!”
“If I kill you, you do understand, I can still take him?”
“You kill me and Carson kills you. You lose and I still win.”
“He won’t kill me.”
“Why? Because he is secretly in love with you?” Ellie taunted, “He loathes you. The sight of you makes his stomach turn in disgust.”
“Stop it!”
“Why? I’m just telling you the truth. Just like George and Taylor, they never wanted you, it’s me they loved. Not forgetting, what’s his name….? Ned… your recent ex-boyfriend?”
“I had sex with them and they loved it!” She struck, hoping to cause as much damage as Ellie’s words caused her. “Your husband begged me for more and more! I pleasured him more than you ever could.”
Ellie’s lips rose in a mocking smile, “And I’m sure the entire time they were thinking about me. Did Dale whisper ‘Ellie I love you’ in your ear when he brought you to orgasm, because he loves to do that?”
Ellsa lifted the gun and pointed it at her, “You bitch! I hate you!”
“So shoot me! Shoot me and leave my son alone!”
“As you wish…” pushing back the trigger.
Carson sprinted out and rushed for Ellie as she stood there, waiting for the end. He scooped her up with one arm as the shoot rang out loudly echoing in his head. He placed her in the corner, between the pillar and the glass and shielded her completely with his body.
Another loud bang filled the air and then another one.
And then, silence.