Am I the Bait?
Her shout instantly drew everyone's attention. The hospital alarm blared and the main doors slowly began to close.
The man pushing the wheelchair lunged toward Alison, but his walkie-talkie crackled.
"Bastard!" Matthew roared.
Seeing the hospital doors about to close, he raised an eyebrow and sneered. "Take the staff exit."
The car shot toward the rear entrance like an arrow released from a bow.
As the vehicle turned and charged toward the barrier, he pulled the trigger.
The man who had pushed the wheelchair collapsed with a thud.
The car slammed into the barrier.
Amid the screams of the hospital security guards, Matthew sped away.
Seeing the man who had pushed the wheelchair lying on the ground, Alison struggled toward the newsstand.
Grabbing a newspaper, she frantically searched for any mention of Jack.
Finally, tucked away in a corner of the paper, she found the inconspicuous news item. It reported that drug traffickers had been discovered at a mountain resort ten kilometers outside City S, and that the resort had been destroyed. Two major drug lords escaped during the police pursuit. One died, and three others were injured in the operation. All casualties were under observation at the military district hospital.
Her heart clenched violently.
Died? Her hands began to tremble.
Tears fell silently in the sunlight, dampening the newspaper.
Just then, a figure quietly enveloped her frail frame. Aidan bent down and swept her up in his arms.
"You're so foolish running out like this. Look, the wound on your foot is bleeding again." He carried her through the crowd.
Tears continued streaming down her face. She choked on her words, unable to speak.
"Tell me, Aidan—is he alive or dead?" she demanded urgently.
Aidan frowned, studying her pale face.
He gently wiped the tears from the corner of her eye. "Alison, once the baby is born, he'll come back."
“The baby? Does he know I'm carrying his child?" A tearful smile instantly blossomed on her face.
"Yes, he knows." He nodded.
"Take me to see him. Now. Please?" I'm really fine." She pleaded desperately.
"You have to stay in the hospital until your foot injury and gunshot wound heal. Not before." He insisted.
"How can you be so cruel? It's been seven days since the stitches were removed."
"Your injuries aren't healed yet. Seeing you will only make him worry more," he reassured her.
"No, he won't worry about these minor injuries. It's him..." Alison said anxiously.
Aidan didn't respond; he simply lifted her into the elevator.
"You must be lying. Is his injury really that serious?" She recalled the man on the stretcher, her heart aching.
"He's been stabilized. Don't worry."
"Then ask him to call me later, okay?" she pleaded.
Aidan didn't know how to answer. He carried her out of the elevator and headed straight for the ward.
He gently laid her on the bed and said softly, "I'll have the nurse come back for your IV. Once it's done, the kids will arrive."
“Sophia and Ethan are coming?” A flicker of light appeared in her eyes.
"Yes." He smiled. "I've arranged for them to arrive at the hospital in an hour. By then, your IV should be almost finished. Remember not to pull the needle out yourself again.”
Alison nodded.
As she calmed down, she replayed the events in her mind.
What exactly was written in that letter?
Why would Matthew risk so much to seize it?
Recalling the hospital's swift response to the incident, she suspected that preparations had been made internally.
Am I the bait?
The thought made her heart pound and refused to settle.
Finally, the nurse removed the IV needle.
Alison gazed at the ward door, longing for her children to arrive.