Clinton watched the ER doctor push a needle into Cassidy's arm. The fever-reducer began to drip through the IV line. Cassidy's breathing slowed, and she fell into a deep sleep.
Clinton rubbed the back of his stiff neck. He stepped out of the hospital room and pulled the door shut behind him.
He turned around.
Catherine Clarke was standing at the end of the hallway, half-hidden in the shadows. She had changed into a clean white lab coat. Her hands were shoved deep into her pockets.
She looked at him, then jerked her chin toward a heavy metal door on the left. It was a backup medical supply closet. There were no cameras inside.
Clinton frowned. His hand instinctively rested on the grip of his pistol. He walked down the hall and followed her into the small room.
Catherine stepped inside and grabbed the door handle. She pulled it shut. The heavy metal lock clicked loudly in the quiet space.
The closet was lit by a single, dim yellow emergency bulb. The air smelled strongly of rubbing alcohol and bleach. It made the small room feel suffocating.
Clinton leaned against a metal shelving unit. He crossed his arms over his chest. "What law are you going to quote at me now, Doc?" he asked, his voice dripping with sarcasm.
Catherine turned her back to him. She reached up and pulled the fake, clear-rimmed glasses off her face. She tossed them onto a metal tray. They landed with a sharp clatter.
She took a deep breath.
When she turned back around, the French accent was gone.
"You're getting sloppy, Viper," she said. She deliberately slowed her cadence, peeling back the thick layers of her French disguise word by word. Beneath it, her voice revealed its true nature-pure Boston money. Though slightly rusty from five years of disuse, the underlying tone remained as smooth, sharp, and perfectly enunciated as a polished blade.
Clinton's entire body went rigid.
Viper. It was his Marine Corps call sign. Only three people in the Sinclair family knew that name.
He pushed himself off the shelves. His eyes wide, he stared at the woman standing under the yellow light. The impossible thought from the courtyard crashed into his brain.
Catherine stepped forward, fully into the light. She didn't try to hide the pain in her eyes anymore.
"Long time no see, Clinton," she said softly. "You still frown too much."
The blood drained from Clinton's face. He stumbled backward. His shoulder hit the metal shelf hard. Three plastic bottles of saline solution fell off the edge and smashed onto the floor.
"Helen," Clinton choked out. His voice sounded like he had swallowed glass. He looked at her like she was a ghost crawling out of a grave.
Helen closed her eyes. A single tear escaped and rolled down her cheek. "Yes."
Clinton lunged forward. He grabbed the lapels of her white coat and slammed her against the concrete wall.
"You died!" he roared, his spit hitting her face. "The yacht blew up! Why the hell did you wait five years to show up?"
Helen did not fight back. She let him hold her against the wall.
"If I didn't die that day," Helen said, her voice dead and flat, "do you think Gerald would have ever stopped hunting me? Would I be breathing right now?"
Clinton's grip loosened slightly. He remembered the vicious custody battle. He remembered Gerald's cold orders to destroy her reputation. He couldn't speak.
Helen shoved his hands away. She straightened her coat. The vulnerable mother was gone. The fierce woman returned.
"I spent five years getting my medical degree," Helen said, stepping into his space. "I clawed my way to the top of this hospital for one reason. I am taking my daughter back."
Clinton let out a harsh, barking laugh. "You're insane. As long as Gerald is breathing, you will never touch that kid."
Helen's eyes turned to ice. "She is dying inside that cage, Clinton! Her mind is breaking. You saw her on that window ledge!"
She grabbed his arm. Her fingers dug into his muscle. "Don't you feel any guilt? You watch them destroy her every single day."
Clinton's chest heaved. He couldn't look her in the eye. He knew she was right. The kid was miserable.
Helen's voice cracked. She dropped her aggressive stance. "Please, Clinton. I just want to see her. Alone. Just once."
Clinton closed his eyes. The loyalty to his boss fought a violent war with the pity he felt for the broken woman in front of him.
He spun around and punched the metal shelving unit. The steel dented inward with a massive bang.
The room fell dead silent.
Clinton kept his back to her. "If Gerald finds out you are alive," he whispered, his voice shaking, "he will burn this entire city to the ground."
