Janette escaped the facility during a shift change, slipping out through a loading dock. Rain slicked the streets. She hitched a ride with Mr. Franklin Ruiz, her former neighbor who drove a battered truck. He took her to New Orleans, where she met Mrs. Delilah Cain, a retired nurse who owed Janette a favor. They disguised Janette in hospital scrubs and glasses.
Together, they waited outside St. Augustine Memorial Hospital, where Silas lay in the intensive care unit. Sirens wailed as paramedics rushed a patient into the emergency bay. In the chaos, Janette crossed the lot and slipped inside. Her heart hammered, but her steps remained confident.
She made it to the elevator. She made it to the ICU. She made it to Silas’s bedside.
Machines beeped softly. His skin was so pale it resembled wax. Janette took his hand and whispered.
“I am here. You are not alone. Hold on.”
His eyelids fluttered. Just enough for hope to bloom.