Ethan bolted toward the hospital’s west exit, ignoring the sterile echoes of alarms and hurried footsteps behind him. His sneakers skidded on the polished floor as he pushed through the automatic doors, the cold morning air biting at his face.
There—across the street—a small figure moved quickly, a bundle swaddled tight against her chest. Lina. The sunlight caught her hair, her shoulders hunched, a fragile armor against the world. Ethan’s lungs burned as he ran, heart hammering, mind narrowing to one urgent thought: get to them before anything could happen.
Traffic slowed as drivers spotted her crossing in a haze of exhaustion and confusion. Ethan waved his arms, shouting her name, each step heavier than the last. Her pace faltered, and he called again, voice raw, shaking: “Lina! Stop! I’m right here!”
Time stretched thin, every second pregnant with terror and hope. The city hummed around him—honking horns, distant footsteps, the roar of a world oblivious to his panic. And then, for a brief, suspended heartbeat, she turned her head. Their eyes met. Recognition, relief, fear, and love collided in a single flash.
Ethan surged forward, closing the distance between them. “Lina!” he gasped. “It’s okay! I’ve got you—I’ve got both of you!”
The tension cracked, the chaos distilled into one desperate, trembling reach for his wife and their daughter.
The older officer leaned forward, voice calm but firm. “We understand the urgency, sir, but we need details. Every little thing helps.”
Ethan ran a hand over his face, trying to steady the storm inside him. “She… she was just lying there, exhausted. Our daughter was swaddled next to her. I didn’t even get to give her the flowers yet. And then—she was gone. No note, no phone, nothing. Just… vanished.” His voice cracked. “And she has the baby with her.”
The officer nodded, flipping through a notebook. “Do you know if she had any plans to go anywhere? Any friends, family, anyone she might call?”
Ethan shook his head violently. “No! She never mentioned anything. She’s never done anything like this. She’s… she’s my wife. This is… this is not her.” Panic coiled tighter around his chest. “You have to find her—she could be anywhere. Cars, buses… someone could take her.”
Outside, the sun climbed higher, casting long shadows across the street. Every passing second stretched in Ethan’s mind, each one a potential disaster. The younger officer’s radio buzzed again, and Ethan leapt up.
“Something?” he demanded.
The officer glanced at him, expression tight. “Hold on. We just got a sighting—northbound, near the park. Witness says a woman matching her description is walking fast, baby in arms.”
Ethan’s pulse surged. “That’s her. That’s Lina!” He bolted to the door, ignoring the officer shouting for caution. Time had condensed into a single, vital point: get to her before she gets any further, before anything happens.