nervously. Then security stepped in with Sheila trying to explain protocol to the enraged man. He flung off the hands of the security personnel, turned on his heel, and strode outside.
Madge put her palm on her chest. “Lord have mercy, I thought he was about to lose his shit right here.”
She nodded. “Me too. Who’s next?” Some people had been here for hours. She went through charts with Madge, trying to figure out who needed her most.
There was a strange ratcheting noise at the entrance. When Sarah looked across to the front door, every drop of blood drained from her head. Henriksson had come back inside, only this time he was carrying an assault rifle.
Sarah didn’t think. She ran. She had to find Henriksson’s wife and son before he did. She ran around the corner and heard gunfire as she dove into the elevator and slapped the button. A bullet dinged the metal interior just as the door closed. The guy had stepped over a line he could never come back from. She headed to level three even though Heather Henriksson was on four. She silently apologized to everyone on that floor as she got off and shouted to the staff, “Armed intruder! Lock this floor down immediately!”
She hit the stairs and started pounding the concrete steps. She burst onto the fourth floor and fled along the corridor, shouting the same message. People scattered and started shutting down the elevator and securing fire doors, getting patients back to their beds and barricading themselves inside. Sarah ran into the room where they conducted the CT scans.
“Where’s Heather Henriksson?” she asked.
The technician climbed uncertainly to her feet. “She left. Said she was going to get her son and go home.”
A wave of terror shot through her. Oh, God. The daycare. She had to make sure the children were safe. But the alarm had been raised, and they would shut the place down. She knew that, but it didn’t make her worry any less. She grabbed her phone out of her pocket, texted Nat to get to Tabitha ASAP. He’d called earlier to say he and Eliza were in town. She stood there panting. Okay—think rationally for a moment. Doors into the wards were locked. The guy might be trapped inside the elevator for all she knew. The cops would be here soon, and Mr. Henriksson would be detained.
Reilly Spencer came running out of his office. It looked as if he’d been catching a quick nap. “What’s going on?” he asked.
“That guy you called social services on?” The sound of gunfire permeated the air again, sending a quiver of fear through her bones. “Let’s just say he wasn’t very happy about it.”
Spencer’s eyes widened. “Oh, shit. The place is secure, right?”
Sarah breathed out a lungful of terror. “As locked down as a place this size can be.”
Then her heart started hammering as a noise that could only be the service elevator started to rumble. She grabbed keys from the nurse’s desk and ran for the fire exit. “Get into your offices and lock the doors.” She undid the fire door, which the staff had secured.
“What are you going to do?” Spencer asked, hovering uncertainly.
Her hands shook as she got the door open. “Draw him away from patients. I’m the one who spoke to him this morning, and he’s blaming me for getting social services involved. I promised him his wife would be ready to go at noon, and he thinks I set this whole thing up.” Spencer ran toward her. There was no time to argue with him as the service elevator opened and out stepped Henry Henriksson. His eyes found her, and he raised the rifle to his eye just as Dr. Spencer slid through the open fire door and Sarah slammed it shut behind him. They both started running.
“Why are we going up?” Spencer demanded, breathing heavily.
“You’re going to warn the pediatric ward and make sure they are barricaded inside. I’m going to the roof and down the fire escape ladder. Then I’ll head to the daycare. I need to find Henriksson’s wife and
Madge put her palm on her chest. “Lord have mercy, I thought he was about to lose his shit right here.”
She nodded. “Me too. Who’s next?” Some people had been here for hours. She went through charts with Madge, trying to figure out who needed her most.
There was a strange ratcheting noise at the entrance. When Sarah looked across to the front door, every drop of blood drained from her head. Henriksson had come back inside, only this time he was carrying an assault rifle.
Sarah didn’t think. She ran. She had to find Henriksson’s wife and son before he did. She ran around the corner and heard gunfire as she dove into the elevator and slapped the button. A bullet dinged the metal interior just as the door closed. The guy had stepped over a line he could never come back from. She headed to level three even though Heather Henriksson was on four. She silently apologized to everyone on that floor as she got off and shouted to the staff, “Armed intruder! Lock this floor down immediately!”
She hit the stairs and started pounding the concrete steps. She burst onto the fourth floor and fled along the corridor, shouting the same message. People scattered and started shutting down the elevator and securing fire doors, getting patients back to their beds and barricading themselves inside. Sarah ran into the room where they conducted the CT scans.
“Where’s Heather Henriksson?” she asked.
The technician climbed uncertainly to her feet. “She left. Said she was going to get her son and go home.”
A wave of terror shot through her. Oh, God. The daycare. She had to make sure the children were safe. But the alarm had been raised, and they would shut the place down. She knew that, but it didn’t make her worry any less. She grabbed her phone out of her pocket, texted Nat to get to Tabitha ASAP. He’d called earlier to say he and Eliza were in town. She stood there panting. Okay—think rationally for a moment. Doors into the wards were locked. The guy might be trapped inside the elevator for all she knew. The cops would be here soon, and Mr. Henriksson would be detained.
Reilly Spencer came running out of his office. It looked as if he’d been catching a quick nap. “What’s going on?” he asked.
“That guy you called social services on?” The sound of gunfire permeated the air again, sending a quiver of fear through her bones. “Let’s just say he wasn’t very happy about it.”
Spencer’s eyes widened. “Oh, shit. The place is secure, right?”
Sarah breathed out a lungful of terror. “As locked down as a place this size can be.”
Then her heart started hammering as a noise that could only be the service elevator started to rumble. She grabbed keys from the nurse’s desk and ran for the fire exit. “Get into your offices and lock the doors.” She undid the fire door, which the staff had secured.
“What are you going to do?” Spencer asked, hovering uncertainly.
Her hands shook as she got the door open. “Draw him away from patients. I’m the one who spoke to him this morning, and he’s blaming me for getting social services involved. I promised him his wife would be ready to go at noon, and he thinks I set this whole thing up.” Spencer ran toward her. There was no time to argue with him as the service elevator opened and out stepped Henry Henriksson. His eyes found her, and he raised the rifle to his eye just as Dr. Spencer slid through the open fire door and Sarah slammed it shut behind him. They both started running.
“Why are we going up?” Spencer demanded, breathing heavily.
“You’re going to warn the pediatric ward and make sure they are barricaded inside. I’m going to the roof and down the fire escape ladder. Then I’ll head to the daycare. I need to find Henriksson’s wife and
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