Chapter 9: Mom’s Protective Nature

"There's a man with a gun!" Maria repeats.

More and more of the people in the cafeteria turn to see what she's pointing to, their curiosity is replaced by panic as they all start rushing towards the nearest emergency exit.

Quick to respond, the two available security guards shut down the automatic doors, clear the area and take aim with their pistols. The man halts, he grabs and aims his weapon towards the main entrance , ready for a gun fight.

Bullets fly and Maria knows she has to get up to room 317 as soon as possible. Rushing towards the stairs, she pulls on the fire alarm, turning off the elevators, but alerting everyone of the emergency. She runs out of the cafeteria, running towards the hospital's main lobby. People still inside the elevators force the door open, jumping and crawling out.

"Don't go out the main entrance, there's a man with a gun there." She warns the swarming people as they run past.

Outside, the gun fight concludes with the two security guards lying on the floor, as the rifled man now has access to walk into the hospital.

Her red bottom stiletto heels slowing her down, Maria throws them off. Barefoot, she pushes past the people running down the stairs.

"He's armed and coming through the main entrance, be careful!" She informs as she pushes her way past some nurses.

"Maria, where the hell are you going?" Sheryl stops her in the middle of the second floor's flight of stairs.

"It's the guy from before. The one that asked about room 317."

"What about him?" Asks Sheryl.

"He brought a gun. I think he's going up to the third floor."

Sheryl has to hear no more, they both turn to run up to the third floor, finding the door jammed shut by staff on the other side.

"Guys it's us!" Yells Sheryl. "Open this damn door!"

An Asian man in scrubs peers through the door window, confirming it's his colleagues, he opens the door for them.

As Maria takes her first step into the third floor's main hall, gunshots are heard echoing through the stairs, followed by the screams of the staff, patients and visitors as they turn around back up the stairs.

Maria addresses the Asian man in scrubs that opened the door for them. "Henry, let as many people in as you can."

As people rush through the door into the third floor, Maria and Sheryl go to an empty room, grab the heavy hospital bed, and between the two of them, push it out of the room towards the door to the stairs.

Henry is about to close the door when an older man in a white coat, with red spots of blood limps up the stairs. He helps the doctor make it up the last few steps before closing the metal door again, turning the key, and tugging to make sure it's locked. Just in time, Maria and Sheryl push the heavy hospital bed in front of the door. Henry then makes sure to lock the bed's wheels, making sure the gunman has a hard time getting through.

The wounded doctor collapses onto the floor. Maria and Sheryl slide him over the smooth tiled floor, making sure he is as far away from the door leading to the stairwell as possible. Henry helps them slide the doctor into the offices behind the reception desk, grabbing items from a cabinet, he begins to tend to the injured doctor's wounds.

"You got this, Henry?" Asks Maria.

Henry responds with a nod.

"I'll help Henry. If the gunman is after the woman in room 317 you gotta get her out of here." Explains Sheryl.

The rifled man can still be heard pushing against the metal door keeping him out the third floor. Looking down the hall, next to her office, is another emergency exit, a stairwell leading upstairs. Maria edges her way to room 317, no patient room has a lock on the door, but as Maria tries to push open the door, finds that she can't.

"It's me Maria, I work here, please let me in."

As Maria had suspected, someone, a young man, was putting his weight against the door.

Maria enters the room, the man that had opened the door for her pushes his weight against the door again, in the hospital bed lies a woman with a newborn child in her arms.

"Listen, the guy doing this is coming here, he came by yesterday asking for you, he wouldn't identify himself so we didn't let him through." She says, looking over at the man leaning against the door.

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"I am so sorry this is happening. I don't care what his deal is with you guys, all I know is I got to get you guys out of here."

"How?" Asks the mother.

"We can get to the fire escape through the roof. But we got to use the stairwell on the other end of the hall." Explains Maria.

The couple seem to agree on Maria's plan as the man walks to his woman to carry the baby for her.

"Was your birth vaginal or cesarean?" Asks Maria.

"Vaginal." She responds.

"Okay, got shoes?"

"No."

"Cool, me neither."

As the man carries the baby, the mother fights through the soreness and sedation to keep up with them as Maria leads them towards the other end of the hall.

When they reach the hall leading to the stairs barged with the hospital bed, they stop.

"On the count of three, we run. Don't let him see you." Says Maria.

The couple nods, the mother wraps her arm around Maria's shoulder for support, and on the count of three, they dart forward. Unable to pass undetected, the man sees them run by, shoots his rifle, but due to the awkward angle misses. Realizes they must be trying to escape, he withdraws his gun from the narrow window on the door and runs down to the second floor to look for another exit.

They arrive at the other stairwell entrance and start running up. A loud slam is heard, assuming it's the gunman that had made it to the same stairwell, the trio quicken their pace up the stairs, approaching the door to the roof. Exiting the stairwell out to the hospital roof, the man carrying the newborn stops.

"Wait, take the baby." He says, offering the child to Maria. "I'll hold him here. Run!"

Regretting not having the keys to lock the door, Maria agrees, taking the newborn in her arms. The mother tries to protest but Maria grabs her by the arm with one hand as she holds on to the baby on her other arm. Two media helicopters hover above them, with another one making it's way towards the hospital.

"Come on." Says Maria as they strut towards the fire escape.

Bullets pierce through the metal door, injuring the man, dropping him to the floor. The rifled man kicks the door open, looks around, and fires the remaining rounds on the man on the floor.

The women quicken their pace but are slowed down by the mother's lack of balance due to the drugs they gave her a few hours ago. The man quickly closes the distance between them and pulls on Maria's hair, dropping her to the floor, a few feet away from the fire escape.

Maria makes sure to fall on her back to protect the baby. The man strikes the mother on the face hard, dropping her to the floor as well.

"Fucking slut." He exclaims, looking down at the woman.

"Please, Ian, I know this isn't you." She pleads. "Just let us go."

"Shut up!" He yells, kicking her in the stomach and making the mother yelp in pain.

Taking advantage of the gunman's distraction, Maria gets up to her feet, placing the baby safely behind a metal air duct tube. As the man continues to viciously beat the woman Maria charges at the distracted rifleman, intent on bringing him down. She fails to even make him budge, the man turns his attention towards her, gritting his teeth, tears running down his cheek he strikes Maria in the face, hurling her back a few feet back on the floor.

"I'll gladly kill you too bitch." He says as he reaches for another clip to reload his rifle.

Maria can do nothing but look at the man as he busies himself with his gun. A sense of despair and helplessness overcomes her, coming to terms with her inevitable demise. The memory of the kiss she shared with her son flashes by her mind, the chaos easing as she remembers how the wind brushed her hair, and the waves rose up to her ankles as they watched the setting sun over a crimson beach. A whisper escapes her. "Adam."

Like a wish being granted, Adam appears before Maria. His soft eyes looking down at her as he kneels down to wipe away the blood dripping from her mouth. Looking into her eyes, he confirms that she is okay, before his eyes are filled with rage. He gets up, turning towards the gunman, fists clenched, Adam stands between his mother and the armed assailant, ready to put him in his place.

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