"Anything else?"
Kieran passed Martin a tablet. "We secured the explosives and discovered another Post-it wall. Those notes are the closest thing to a clue."
"I think these are dates, but these other numbers make no sense."
Elizabeth and Julian joined them. "Hey, Seth, how'd he do?"
"Ten minutes, Beth."
"Five minutes too long." Elizabeth noted Martin's pale color and the patina of sweat on his brow. She scanned his latest vital signs. "What are you looking at?"
"Hailey kept two walls of these. We’re trying to decipher her code." Kieran handed her the tablet.
Elizabeth sat on the bed to examine the code. Martin watched the thousand-mile stare grow on her face. "Sunshine, each one has a date and time. I think the colors refer to different things—sets of people?"
Elizabeth opened her phone. "Do you have some paper?" Kip handed her a pen and pad. She jotted some notes. "They’re medical records codes. These are drugs. T40 is heroin. T43 is methamphetamine. S06 is death. We need to find ones with...T46. That's Flecainide."
Kip and Julian each scanned through their files. "Here, Beth." Kip moved from the corner of the room.
"I think 518 must mean me—that’s my birthday. Krystal Slater must be 1119 if these other numbers are the date and time," Elizabeth said.
"Chère,here's another one, a T46, the 518 and 1213." Julian showed her.
Tears fell down Elizabeth's cheeks when the date connected.A woman with a deep voice."I trusted her. I trusted Steve. How could I be such a fool?" She hopped off the bed and ran from the room.
Martin tried to catch her, but Seth held him back. "Go," Martin yelled. Kieran, Julian, and Kip were fast on her heels.
Elizabeth hit the corridor one step ahead of her pursuers, shaking with rage. The ICU doors opened, and Louella Miranda was accompanying a cardiac patient onto the unit.
"How could you?" Elizabeth screamed, her blood roaring in her ears.
The two women faced off in front of the nurse's station. "What's wrong, Beth?" Louella spoke calmly.
"Stop lying. I know. The prisoners. Me. Why?" Her hands clenched and unclenched.
"Why? A simple risk-benefit analysis. Rid the world of the undesirables and make a fortune." Louella’s eyes darkened.
"And me? Why was I so undesirable?" Her chest heaved with each breath as she stood inches from Louella.
"You were in the way. Uncontrollable. You wouldn't mind your business. Steve tried. Pietra tried. Randy tried in his irritating way, and I tried. You were so dogged in your ideology of ‘everyone deserves the best.’ The world doesn't work that way." Her tone was cold and businesslike.
Kieran, Julian, and Kip skidded to a stop. Elizabeth was between Louella and them. A critical patient and staff were also in their direct line of fire. Seeing them coming, Louella grabbed Elizabeth and pulled her against her, pressing a pair of scissors against Elizabeth's chest. "Let her go." Kip leveled his gun at Louella.
"I'll let her go when pigs fly!" Louella's face contorted with rage. "If I go down, so does she."
Elizabeth had a baby to protect. Louella was momentarily distracted by the arriving hospital security. Realizing Kip's pen was still in her hand, Elizabeth jammed it into Louella's leg. "Pigs fly." She broke free.
Louella howled and scrambled to catch her, swinging the scissors wildly. Martin stepped from behind Elizabeth and fired one shot, dropping Louella where she stood. Kieran kicked the scissors clear.
Martin sagged to the floor, dripping with sweat. "How, Marty?” Elizabeth dropped to her knees beside him.
Julian and Seth returned Martin to bed. Assured he didn’t undo his liver repair, she let him explain how he managed to get behind Louella.
“Seth leaned over me to hold me back. I sat up and grabbed his gun. Sorry, Seth. At that point, he couldn’t do much to stop me. When you stabbed her, I moved behind the desk, coming out on the other side.”
“Marty, you do realize you could have killed yourself?” She climbed on the bed and straddled his hips, carefully taking his face between her hands and peppering him with kisses. “I need you. We need you. You have to rest. I love you.”
“Elizabeth Reed, I need you and love you too." Martin pulled her head close and kissed her into silence.
