Chapter 6 - The Fight for Ward 4
The first security guard lunged with a heavy stun baton, the blue electric arc crackling through the air. Dario didn't step back; he had no room to retreat without putting Elena in danger.
He caught the guard's wrist mid-air, drove a sharp palm strike straight up into the man's nose, and grabbed the baton as the guard stumbled backward in pain. Dario reversed the weapon instantly, jamming the sparking tip directly into the second guard's neck.
The second guard dropped to the floor in violent convulsions, his body collapsing against the medical cart, scattering metal trays and syringes across the floor.
Dr. Sterling panicked. He raised his revolver, his hand shaking uncontrollably, and pulled the trigger.
BANG!
The gunshot echoed like a thunderclap in the small hospital room. The bullet shattered the glass window of the door behind Dario, sending shards showering over the floor.
Before Sterling could line up a second shot, Dario threw the heavy steel stun baton straight at the doctor's face.
The heavy metal object struck Sterling squarely across the forehead, breaking his glasses and sending him sprawling backward into the hallway corridor. The revolver clattered across the linoleum tiles.
Dario stepped out into the hallway, kicked the revolver away, and grabbed Sterling by the lapels of his white coat, slamming him back against the wall with enough force to knock the air out of his lungs.
"You took five years of her life!" Dario yelled, his face inches from the terrified doctor's. "You kept her poisoned with sedatives for a monthly paycheck!"
"It... it was just business!" Sterling gasped, blood pouring from a cut over his eye. "Preston paid me! He said she was a criminal hiding from the mob! I didn't know she was your wife!"
"You knew exactly who she was," Dario said, his voice dropping to a terrifying register. "I saw her file on your desk downstairs. You knew she was married to me."
Dario pulled a pair of handcuffs from the fallen security guard's belt and clicked them tightly around Sterling's wrists, securing him to the heavy steel handrail lining the hallway wall.
At that moment, the sharp wail of heavy sirens began to echo down the mountain pass outside the facility. Blue and red lights cut through the rain-soaked windows of Ward 4.
Marcus had arrived, accompanied by three state police cruisers and an emergency medical transport team.
Heavy footsteps echoed up the stairwell as state troopers rushed into Ward 4, their weapons drawn, securing the corridor in seconds.
Marcus ran into Room 402, stopping dead in his tracks as he saw Dario kneeling back down beside the bed, holding his wife's hand.
"Dario..." Marcus whispered, looking at the pale woman lying on the bed. "My God... it really is her."
"Call the paramedics in, Marcus," Dario said, never taking his eyes off Elena's face. "Get the specialized neuro-team from the university hospital. We need to flush those sedatives out of her system right now."
"They're already downstairs, boss," Marcus said, placing a reassuring hand on Dario's shoulder. "The state police brought an ICU ambulance team with them. She's going home."
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Dario leaned down and pressed a soft kiss against Elena's forehead. "You hear that, sweetheart?" he whispered, his voice trembling with love. "It's over. You're coming home to me and Elsie."
As the emergency medical team rushed into the room with specialized transport gear, the heart monitor beside the bed began to steady into a strong, clear rhythm. And for the first time in five long years, a single tear slipped down Elena's pale cheek as her fingers gently curled around Dario's hand.
