Chapter 29

I was sitting upright in the hospital bed, the smell of disinfectant sharp in my nose, when the door opened. At first, I thought it was another nurse on the hourly rounds, but then my eyes caught a familiar face.

“Emerald?” The woman stopped mid-step, her clipboard nearly slipping from her hands. It took me a moment to place her, short brown hair now streaked with blonde highlights, the same bright eyes she’d had in high school. “Carly?” My voice was hoarse, but the name came out clearly.

She smiled, the kind that came with recognition and surprise. “I can’t believe it’s you. After all these years.” She stepped closer, looking over me with both professional concern and personal worry. “I heard about what happened. Stomach wound, right? Are you—”

“I’m alive,” I cut in, glancing toward the closed door. My heart beat faster, not from the injury but from the thought of Dan or Tyson walking in. I needed a way out, and I have the feeling she is the person who is going to help me.

Carly noticed my eyes darting around. “Is someone giving you trouble?” she asked quietly.

“Yes,” I said, gripping the blanket. “Two men. They’re… keeping me here. I can’t explain everything right now, but I need to leave before they come back.”

She frowned, the nurse in her conflicted. “Emerald, you just had surgery. You shouldn’t even be standing, let alone leaving the hospital.”

“I don’t have a choice,” I said firmly, leaning forward. “Please, Carly. You’re the only one I can trust right now.” She held my gaze for a long moment, then nodded. “Okay. I can get you out through the staff exit. We’ll need a wheelchair. Can you walk at all?”

“I can walk if I hold on to you.”

“Then let’s go.” She slid an arm under mine, helping me swing my legs over the side of the bed. The movement sent a sharp, burning pain through my abdomen, and I hissed through my teeth. She tightened her hold, her body warm and solid beside me. As soon as I put weight on my feet and gripped her arm, the world shifted. My surroundings blurred, not from dizziness, but from something I couldn’t control.

In a blink, I was no longer in the hospital. I saw her, the witch I had met before, standing in a crowded airport terminal. The sound of rolling luggage and muffled announcements echoed in my ears. She wore a black coat and held a small leather bag in one hand, her eyes scanning the crowd as if waiting for someone. The details were sharp: the gleam of the floor under her boots, the bright departure board above her head, the tension in her posture. Then, it was gone.

I blinked hard and found myself back in the hospital corridor, Carly’s concerned face inches from mine. “Emerald? You went pale. Are you sure you want to do this? We can just call the police instead of running.”

I shook my head quickly, though my grip on her arm tightened. “I’m fine. Let’s just go. Please.” She nodded, and we started moving, her steps steady, mine slow and heavy. I didn’t dare look back.

Carly kept her pace slow but deliberate, guiding me through the dimly lit side corridor that branched away from the main ward. Each step pulled at my stitches, a deep, burning tug in my abdomen. I bit down on the inside of my cheek to stop from making a sound. The hall smelled faintly of antiseptic and stale air, the walls painted the same muted cream as every hospital I’d ever been in. We passed a supply closet, then a closed door marked “Staff Only.” Carly glanced over her shoulder before pushing it open.

“This way,” she whispered, leading me into a room. The small room beyond was lined with metal lockers and shelves stacked with clean uniforms. She guided me to a bench in the middle. “Sit for a moment. I’ll grab something to cover you, your gown’s too obvious.”

I lowered myself onto the bench, the hard surface pressing into my back as I tried to breathe past the pain. Carly rummaged through a locker and pulled out a set of pale blue scrubs. “Here. Slip this over your gown.”

Changing was slow and clumsy. Every movement tugged at the wound, sending a thin sheen of sweat over my forehead. Carly helped pull the top down over my arms, then eased the drawstring pants over my legs.

When I was done, she stepped back, giving me a quick once-over. “Better. You look like you belong here.”

The sound of distant footsteps made us both freeze. Heavy, slow, coming from the hall we’d just left. Carly’s eyes met mine. “We have to move now.” We slipped out through another door at the back of the room, emerging into a narrow maintenance corridor that smelled faintly of cleaning chemicals. The air here was cooler, the hum of machinery echoing faintly in the distance.

“This leads to the service elevator,” Carly whispered, her hand steady under my arm. Every step sent a jolt of pain through me, but I forced my legs to keep moving. My pulse was loud in my ears. We turned a corner, and I froze. Through the small glass window of a swinging door ahead, I caught sight of Tyson. He was at the far end of the main corridor, speaking to a nurse. Even from here, I could see the tension in his shoulders.

Carly saw him, too."Is that one of the men?" I quickly nodded my head, answering her question, too scared to even say anything. She pulled me back against the wall, her breath quick. “We’ll wait until he turns.”

The seconds dragged. My hands trembled against the fabric of the scrubs. The vision from earlier still clung to me; her face, the airport, the way she was waiting. Whoever she was waiting for, I had a feeling it tied directly into why Dan and Tyson wouldn’t let me go.

Tyson turned abruptly, scanning the hall.

Carly swore under her breath. “Change of plans. We’ll take the stairwell.”We moved quickly, slipping through a fire door marked EXIT. The metal stairs clanged softly under our steps, the sound seeming far too loud. I gritted my teeth, holding the railing with one hand and Carly with the other. Each stair was a heavy, heart-wrenching descent. We reached the bottom, and Carly pushed through another door, and cool night air rushed over my face. I smiled despite the pain and tiredness, and we finally made it outside.

The staff parking lot stretched ahead, lit by a few flickering lamps. Carly tightened her grip on me. “Almost there.” But before we reached the edge of the lot, I heard something; the sharp echo of a door slamming open behind us, followed by Tyson’s voice calling my name. “Don’t look back,” Carly said, guiding me toward the shadowed edge of the lot. I thanked the heavens for her. “Just keep moving.” So many things were going through my mind. Why is he the one chasing after him when he just warned me about Dan an hour ago?

He didn't call my name for the second time, nor did we hear any footsteps. Is this guy playing mind games?. Carly walked to a car, which I assumed was hers, and helped me into the driver's seat. "This is my car, you can drive to the airport or anywhere you want to go. It has a GPS, so I will be able to come and fetch wherever you leave it." I gasped, eyes wide open, as I saw a familiar hand tap Carly on the shoulder. "I wanted to give you this. It has everything you need." Tyson said as he gave a big backpack, I opened it and it had clothes and my passport. "Good luck," and with that, he walked away. I quickly thanked Carly, changed out of the hospital gown, and drove to the airport.