Excerpt: Operation Rescue
Inspirational Romantic Suspense
“Ms. Carson? Clare Carson?”
Clare fumbled groggily with her cell phone. The woman’s anxious voice in her ear sounded like a screech. “Yes, this is Clare.”
“It’s Dr. Laura Holland from the Pediatric Acute Care Unit. We need you to come to the hospital as soon as you can.”
“What’s happened? How’s Tyler?” Sitting bolt upright in the bed, Clare clutched the phone. Her heart beat wildly as the woman didn’t answer right away, but spoke to someone in the background. Clare glanced at the digital clock that read eleven twenty p.m.—a little over an hour since she’d fallen asleep—and threw aside the comforter. “Hello? Is anyone there?”
“Ms. Carson, I’m Bill Maher, chief night security officer at Universal Hospital.”
“What’s going on? How’s Tyler—”
“Your son is missing, ma’am.”
Clare thought she was hearing things. “What do you mean, missing?”
“An x-ray tech came to the floor during the shift change at eleven—said Dr. Holland had requested an immediate CAT scan and the tech had come with a wheelchair to take the boy downstairs. One of the nurses called x-ray ten minutes ago to check on Tyler, but no one there had seen him or knew anything about any CAT scan.”
“But I just spoke to Dr. Holland. What does she say?”
“She made no such request, Ms. Carson. My personnel are searching all over the hospital, and I’ve notified the police—”
“I’ll be right there.”
Clare didn’t wait for the man’s reply. She lunged out of bed and bolted from the room, disbelief and rising panic making it hard for her to breathe. One thought burned in her mind as she grabbed her handbag and headed for the back door.
Billy.
If her ex-husband had made good on his threat to take Tyler from the hospital, she would never, ever forgive him.
