Unexpected (The Material Witnesses #1) by Elizabeth Aton

Author:Elizabeth Aton [Aton, Elizabeth]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Amazon: B0B2VJV584
Goodreads: 61204291
Published: 2022-06-30T23:00:00+00:00

Amina greets me after buzzing me into the NICU. I go through the usual routine, looking around every few minutes for Ava. She’s usually waiting for me by the unit entrance, but she wasn’t there when I arrived.

It feels off.

“Amina, did Ava and Francis do their regular visit last night?” I ask.

Amina raises an eyebrow in question but steps over to the door, pulls a binder off the counter that holds the unit’s visitor logs, and opens it up, scanning the pages.

“No, they didn’t. She came in with you in the morning but didn’t return. Her brows pull together in confusion. “Doesn’t she usually come every evening too?” She looks down at the log again and flips through the pages again. “She does…”

My chest tightens with something akin to panic.

Something isn’t right.

“Will you call her and make sure everything is okay? It’s not like her not to be here.”

“Of course.” Amina nods and walks to a computer nearby. “I’m going to pull up her contact info. Hold on.” She types rapidly and then moves the mouse with a few clicks, picking up the phone with her other hand. She dials the phone and then waits, the phone pressed between her ear and her shoulder.

After a few moments, she hangs up, dials again, and waits.

She dials again, waiting while I hold my breath, anxiety clawing up my chest and choking me with its harsh grip.

“Nothing?” I ask.

She shakes her head. “I just called Ava’s cell, Francis’ cell, and the home phone number listed. No one is picking up.” Amina’s dark skin looks a little ashen as we stare at one another with worried expressions.

“I’m going to go over there and make sure they’re okay. Ava wouldn’t ignore a call from the hospital.” I glance over at Michael sleeping nearby. “There’s no way she wouldn’t be here unless something is wrong.” I snap my attention back to Amina, impatience and worry straining every muscle.

“Let me know what happens, okay? You have me worried now too.”

I nod and pivot towards the door, shedding the gown the second I’m outside the sterile area, and quickly jog down the stairs and out the side door to the lot where my rental car is parked. Plugging their address into my phone’s GPS app, I follow the directions to the other side of town, over the bridge I crossed when I arrived here, and off the freeway, winding over roads that travel through progressively rougher neighborhoods until I’m turning into a senior living apartment complex. I find a parking spot next to a beat-up late model Honda with a flat tire and severely oxidized paint and look at the address to confirm the apartment number.

Nearly jogging, I find the apartment and pound on the front door so hard a Seahawks wreath hanging on it starts to fall. I catch it and place it back, listening for movement inside the apartment. I bang on the door again, dread moving my fist. I’ll break down this damn door if no one answers.

Download

Copyright Disclaimer:
This site does not store any files on its server. We only index and link to content provided by other sites. Please contact the content providers to delete copyright contents if any and email us, we'll remove relevant links or contents immediately.