Page 46 of Shadows of Recovery

Ethan, standing close by, nodded, his jaw clenched with determination. “We’ll find her. We won’t stop searching until we do.”

Brad appreciated Ethan’s resolve, but the sinking feeling in his stomach only grew stronger with each passing second. The search continued, each moment stretching out painfully, feeling like an eternity. The building was a labyrinth of destruction, every corner hiding another grim discovery.

Staff from Waverly County Hospital who had not been involved in the hostage situation began arriving, their faces a mix of relief and horror as they took in the scene. It was a stark contrast—those who had been inside, dazed and shell-shocked, and those just arriving, their minds struggling to process the devastation before them.

“We need to move everyone out,” Brad said, his voice steady despite the turmoil inside him. “Get them to the field hospital set up by the National Guard. We can’t risk keeping anyone here.”

The command was passed on, and soon, the process of evacuating the injured and the staff began. Brad watched as Tristan and James continued their work. But with every stretcher that passed by without Sophie on it, the knot in Brad’s stomach tightened. Where the hell was she?

The scene was a blur of movement and noise, but Brad’s mind was laser-focused on one thing: finding Sophie. She had to be somewhere in the building, hidden away, waiting to be found. The alternative was too horrifying to contemplate.

He moved through the broken facility, questioning anyone who could provide information, his desperation growing with each dead end. The walls seemed to close in on him as the search dragged on, and the fear that they were running out of time threatened to overwhelm him.

But Brad wasn’t going to stop. He couldn’t. Not until he found Sophie, not until she was safe. The thought of her being at Damon’s mercy, somewhere out there in the night, was enough to drive him forward, refusing to let the exhaustion or fear take hold.

“Check every room,” he ordered, his voice carrying through the smoke-filled corridors. “She has to be here somewhere.”

As the search continued, Brad’s mind raced through every possibility, every strategy they had yet to try. He wasn’t going to give up—not now, not ever. Sophie was out there, and he was going to find her, no matter what it took.

* * *

Inside the hospital,Tristan’s heart pounded as he moved through the floors with Brad and two of his team. The secondary search was underway, alarms blaring overhead, the echoes of explosions still ringing in his ears. He could barely hear his own thoughts over the sounds, but one thing cut through the noise with piercing clarity: the desperate need to find Sophie.

Brad’s voice crackled over the radio, tense but controlled, “We’ve cleared the third floor. Alex, lead the second-floor team. Ethan, take the basement. We’re moving to the subbasement.”

“Roger that,” Alex responded, though his voice carried the strain they were all feeling. “Damn it, I need medical personnel in the SICU.”

Tristan’s gut tightened at Alex’s words. The SICU—the surgeon’s heart of the hospital, where so many lives hung in the balance. But he couldn’t focus on that now. His mind was singularly focused on Sophie.

“Medical Team B responding,” came the chatter over the radio, but Tristan barely registered the response. His thoughts were racing, his anxiety clawing at the edges of his mind.

Brad’s voice snapped him back to the present. “Stay alert. Damon’s men might still be down there.”

Tristan followed closely as Brad’s team made their way to the subbasement, the signs of a hurried escape becoming painfully clear. Scattered debris, hastily abandoned equipment—it all told the story of a calculated retreat interfered with. Tristan’s eyes locked onto the stairwell ahead, a cold dread settling in his gut.

“I’ve got tunnels not on the building plans. What the hell? I need additional manpower,” Brad demanded, leaving no room for argument. “This was their way out.”

Tristan’s breath quickened as they pushed forward, the grim reality sinking in. Damon had planned this. Every detail, every escape route—it had all been orchestrated to perfection. But Tristan’s focus wasn’t on the logistics of the operation; it was on the gut-wrenching fear that Sophie was still out there, hurt or worse.

As they dug through debris to reach a hidden entrance that Brad’s team discovered, the foul smell of the tunnel hit them immediately. Brad pushed forward despite the need for a Scott Air-Pak. Tristan barely noticed, his mind lurching ahead to what they might find.

Suddenly, a faint sound reached his ears—a sob, weak and filled with pain. Every muscle in Tristan’s body went rigid, and his heart skipped a beat.

“Over here!” Brad shouted, rushing toward the source of the sound.

Tristan’s legs moved of their own accord, carrying him through the darkness of the tunnel. His flashlight sliced through the gloom, and there, in the icy, muddy culvert, they found her.

Sophie.

She was barely conscious, her body trembling violently from cold and pain. Tristan dropped to his knees beside her, his breath catching in his throat as he took in her battered appearance. “Sophie,” he whispered, his voice thick with emotion. “We’re here. You’re safe now.”

Sophie’s eyes fluttered open, her gaze searching for him even in her disoriented state. When she found him, a faint, relieved smile tugged at her lips. “Tristan...?” Her voice was weak, but it reached him like a lifeline.

“I’m here,” he assured her, his hand gently brushing muddied hair from her face. “We’re getting you out of here. Just hold on.”

The medics moved in swiftly, carefully lifting Sophie onto a backboard. Tristan stayed by her side, his hand gripping hers as if he could transfer his strength to her through that single touch. He couldn’t bear to let go, not even for a moment. The world outside could crumble, but all that mattered was Sophie.

As they carried her out of the tunnel, Tristan’s mind whirled with a mix of relief and rage. Relief that she was alive, that they found her before it was too late. Rage at Damon Whitlock, at the thought of what that monster put her through.

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