He starts to laugh, and I swear it’s the most sinister thing I’ve ever heard. "You work here. You know about the lack of security at the hospital. There've been budget cuts, and I know that we're right in the middle of a shift change. And you also know that we only have a few that are on call.” He laughs again. The way he’s acting, he thinks this is a game or something. “What you probably don’t know is that Cary, head of security, is on his way to the hospital, but he had a flat tire and is going to be running late. And the other security guard, surprisingly, had a flat tire this morning also, so that's definitely going to buy me enough time to get out of here."
He walks toward me, and I start to back up. "Don't move," he says, cocking the gun.
He stops in front of me and stares down at me. I try to rein in my fear, but I can feel my lip trembling. He leans down, and I can smell his rancid breath as he puts his lips to mine. I whimper, and he smiles against my lips. Don't cry, I tell myself. Figure out a way to get out of this.
He pulls me to him, and he's excited by the kiss or the fear in my voice. I want to strike him, but I can’t. The gun is still pointed at me, and so I stand as still as I possibly can. My stomach rolls as I feel his erection push into my hip. I force my hips back, trying to get away.
"You're right," he says. "We should be somewhere private for this." He pulls me into his arms and holds the gun up to my head. He has me unlock the door and then pushes me out into the hallway. There are a few nurses out there standing, and they're all looking wide-eyed and scared. My friend from earlier is giving me a pointed look, and I know she's trying to tell me something. All I can tell is that she's trying to give me some kind of reassurance, and it does help settle me some. I know she went for help.
He goes to the stairwell, and we go down the steps into the back of the hospital. I can’t get into a car with him. I know it will be bad if I do, so I start to mentally prepare myself. As soon as we get outside, I’m going to fight back and fight until I can’t fight anymore.
He pushes me out the door first, and I can see he's not ready for it, because as soon as we get outside, we're surrounded. Not only are the security guards and the police here, but the first person that I see is Aiden. He's standing unarmed with his hands up, and he smiles at me. "Hey, baby," he says calmly.
That pisses Dr. Lassiter off, and he jerks me tighter against him.
I whimper, and Aiden's jaw stiffens. He shakes his head. "I can't let you leave with her."
Dr. Lasseter pushes the gun toward my head. "You can't stop me."
He turns, walking backward toward the parking lot, where I know he parks his car. "Stop," Aiden says, and at least Dr. Lassiter starts to slow down, but he doesn’t stop. Aiden follows us slowly, his hands still up in the air.
It’s like there’s a hush among the crowd around him. I spot my brother, Colt, who has a gun aimed at us. And then I notice Nash and Dylan and Walker and the rest of the guys all around also. It’s like they’ve formed a “u” surrounding us.
Aiden starts to talk, and my eyes go back to him. "You remember my old dog, Jesse. You loved him. I need you to be Jesse," Aiden says.
"Shut up," Dr. Lassiter screams at Aiden, but that doesn't stop him.
He says it again with a pointed look and louder this time. Aiden always keeps his cool, but right now, it’s like he’s losing some of his composure. "Honey, I need you to do this, okay?"
My mind goes crazy, thinking about his old beagle. It was so sad when he died, and I remember how much that devastated Aiden. What is he trying to tell me? I search my mind, trying to figure it out when Aiden gives me another clue. "It was his best trick," he says, and instantly, I know what he's talking about.
He must see the recognition on my face because he says, "Now, May." And as soon as he does, I put my complete trust in him and let myself fall and play dead. That was Jesse's best trick, and I hope that I'm doing the right thing, because I let my whole body weight pull me to the ground. It must stun Dr. Lassiter because he can't keep his hold on me. As soon as I feel myself hit the ground, I hear the shot. I have my eyes clenched shut, and then I hear the umph of a man falling behind me.