Chapter 10 - THE NIGHT THE HOSPITAL WENT DARK
A severe storm struck Chicago three nights later.
Power flickered across Blackridge Medical Center.
Emergency generators activated.
Most critical systems continued operating.
But several nonessential areas went dark.
Elise was working on the pediatric ward when the lights dimmed.
Dorothea looked up.
"Generator?"
Elise nodded.
"Looks like it."
Then the fire alarm sounded.
Staff began following emergency procedures.
Elise checked her patients.
The children were frightened.
Some cried.
Others clung to blankets.
She moved from room to room, reassuring them.
Then she noticed something unusual.
A man wearing a maintenance uniform stood near the medication storage area.
She didn't recognize him.
"Can I help you?"
He turned.
For a moment, his expression was blank.
Then he smiled.
"Electrical inspection."
Elise looked at his badge.
It was turned backward.
"Can I see your identification?"
He hesitated.
Then moved toward her.
Elise stepped back.
"Security!"
The man lunged.
She slammed the storage-room door between them.
The impact shook the frame.
Dorothea shouted for help.
Security arrived moments later.
The man fled down the service stairs.
Investigators later determined that he had entered using a stolen contractor badge.
His objective appeared to be accessing medication records and storage areas.
Elise sat in the staff room afterward, shaking.
Adrian arrived with permission from hospital security.
He stopped in the doorway.
"Elise."
She looked up.
For the first time, she didn't try to appear strong.
"I was scared."
Adrian approached slowly.
"I know."
She began crying.
He knelt beside her.
"Can I hold you?"
She nodded.
May you like
He wrapped his arms around her.
And for a moment, she let herself be held.
