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Sophie Harris of Children’s Services called.
They are bringing two minors into St. Katherine’s for treatment and observation
and since you are already there . . . .”
    Hope’s concentration was interrupted and she no longer heard
what Judy was saying, because her attention was now drawn to the commotion
outside the waiting room. Turning around, it suddenly dawned on her she was
alone. The room, that moments earlier was packed full of Keals, had emptied out.
    “I’m sorry, Judy, what did you say?” she asked, as she moved
closer to the fracas, unsuccessfully trying to catch a glimpse of what was
happening on the other side of the wall of Keals that now blocked the doorway.
    Judy then did something she rarely did, she repeated herself.
“Sophie Harris from Children Services called. She’s in the Emergency Room; they
have a situation down there. Can you just meet her down there? She’ll fill you
in.”
    Giving no more explanation, and barely waiting for Hope to
agree, she heard her supervisor disconnect the call.
    Hope broke through the human barricade just as she watched Marty
handing what looked like an unconscious child over to one of the male nurses.
    “Marty?” she looked at him, concerned by the expression on
his face. Her first thought was something happened with the Captain while she
was distracted by the phone call, but that didn’t make any sense. She followed
his eyes and watched him as the child was taken away. It was then she became
aware of the presence of Jean Whitley, her friend and Marty’s partner, who was
standing there a few feet away.
    “What’s going on?” Hope asked, turning her attention to
Jean.
    “Hope! Good, I was hoping you were here. I have to get down
to the Emergency Room and we need you desperately,” Jean said, nervously
glancing at her wristwatch. “Can you meet me down there?” Jean managed to ask
as she ran back to catch the elevator. She disappeared behind the crowd of
bystanders and once again Hope was left bewildered before she could adequately give
an answer.
    Just as Hope was trying to piece together what was
happening, her cellphone vibrated again. Glancing down at the display, she
grimaced when she recognized the familiar number on the screen. She had no time
to have a conversation with her mother now. She hastily handed the phone to
Marty.
    “Here, you talk to her, tell her the Captain is fine, and I
will call her later.” She walked away, giving him an apologetic look as she
tried to catch up with Jean.
    It was too late. The doors to the elevator Jean occupied a
moment earlier were closed and the transport system was already making its way
down to the lower level. Cussing under her breath, she punched the down button.
She was contemplating using the stairwell when the other elevator arrived and
the doors opened. Several people departed and Hope was relieved the car was now
empty. She got in and pushed the 1 button for the lobby, the Emergency Room was
on the same level as the lobby, but on the other side of the building. Hurrying
to her destination, Hope heard the voices of medical personnel become louder
and more frantic in nature. She found Jean standing off to the side talking to
a man in a fluorescent orange vest. She waited patiently until Jean finished
with the man before she approached her friend, the detective.
    “Jean, what’s going on? My supervisor just called asking me
to meet Sophie Harris down here. Is this connected?”
    Someone shouted to clear a path, and they both stepped back,
as men and women pushed a gurney through the crowd. Hope caught a glimpse of the
person who lay on the bed but quickly turned away when she saw how much blood
saturated the linen covering him or her.
    “Come on, I’ll fill you in,” Jean said, as she grabbed Hope
by the crook of her arm. “We are still trying to sort everything out, but this
is why we need you,” the detective told her, as she pulled open the curtain to
one of the cubicles in the room. At