Chapter 3 - WHISPERS IN THE HOSPITALWhile Graciela and Bruno were loaded into separate police cars and taken to the Zapopan Central Precinct, Adrián drove at breakneck speed to the General Hospital where Elisa had been taken.
He paced the sterile corridor outside the High-Risk Pregnancy Unit for three agonizing hours. Finally, the attending obstetrician, Dr. Aranda, stepped out of the ICU doors.
"Is she... are they okay?" Adrián begged, grabbing the doctor's sleeve.
Dr. Aranda took off his mask and sighed. "Your wife was severely dehydrated and suffering from stage-two heat exhaustion. Her blood sugar was dangerously low, and she had early signs of uterine contractions brought on by extreme physical stress."
Adrián covered his mouth, tears spilling over his knuckles.
"However," Dr. Aranda continued, placing a reassuring hand on his shoulder, "we managed to stop the contractions in time. The baby’s heartbeat is strong. They are both stable, but she will need to remain under strict observation for at least a week."
When Adrián was finally allowed inside her room, Elisa was sitting up in bed, looking frail against the white sheets, a clear fluid dripping into her arm from a suspended IV bag.
As soon as Adrián knelt beside her bed, she pulled him into a desperate embrace, sobbing against his neck.
"I thought I was going to lose him, Adrián," she wept. "I thought I was going to die in that dark room."
"I'm so sorry, Elisa," Adrián wept back, kissing her hair. "I'm so sorry I wasn't here. Tell me what happened. Please."
Elisa took a shuddering breath and looked toward the door to make sure no one was listening.
"It started on Wednesday afternoon," she said softly. "You know how your mother always complains about the smell of cooking? I went down to the laundry room to fetch extra sheets, and I heard strange clinking noises coming from the old shed. The padlock was unlocked, so I opened it."
"And you found Bruno?"
"Not just Bruno," Elisa said, her eyes widening with lingering terror. "There was a stranger with him. A man in a expensive gray suit. They were hauling those red coolers up from a trapdoor in the floor. When I asked what was going on, Bruno freaked out. The man in the suit told Bruno, 'Fix this situation now, or my people will silence all of you.'"
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Elisa gripped Adrián’s hand hard enough to turn her knuckles white.
"Adrián... Bruno didn't act alone. Your mother was taking cash payments from that man right in front of me! When I told them I was calling you, your mother grabbed my hair from behind, and Bruno dragged me into the shed. They locked the door from the outside and took my phone."
