Page 59 of Shattered By Grace

Her heartbeat thundered against her ribs, but she didn’t waver. Never show weakness. After a tense beat, one of them stepped aside, and the others followed, parting just enough to let her through. She kept her pace even, her chin lifted, but the second the elevator doors slid shut behind her, she exhaled sharply, pressing her fingers against the cool metal wall.

Why are they here?

Are they watching me?

Or worse…is this about Tyson?

She already knew what the Reaping was. Its true face, the deals made in the shadows, the power plays that decided who lived and who disappeared.

And now, she had a sinking feeling she was right in the middle of it.

As she stepped off the elevator onto the Labor and Delivery floor, she noticed the nurses’ station was empty. Perfect.

Her pulse quickened as she slid behind the desk, fingers hovering over the keyboard. One search. One name. If Tyson was here, if he was hurt, she had to know.

Her mind raced ahead of her logic.What if he was in critical condition? What if he wasn’t? What if Tristan already knew and chose not to tell her?

A bitter thought surfaced, sharp and unwelcome.Why do I even care?

The knot in her stomach twisted, almost painful. She could still feel the ghost of Tristan’s hands on her skin, the possessive intensity in his gaze. But it was Tyson’s name her fingers itched to type, Tyson’s fate that made her pulse hammer in her ears.

Get it together, Victoria.She clenched her jaw, forcing her focus back to the screen.

The elevator chimed, her heart lurching as the doors slid open. She straightened, swallowing the storm rising in her chest.

Dude chill, you are Nurse Scarlett, you're not doing anything wrong.

The on-call nurse barely glanced up as she handed off a patient report, a young woman in early labor with high blood pressure and signs of preeclampsia. Victoria nodded, absorbing the details, but her mind was already elsewhere.

The second the nurse turned away, she stepped out of sight, her fingers flying over the hospital’s database. Tyson Locke.

The result blinked onto the screen almost instantly:

Tyson Locke. Admitted: 3:47 a.m.

Status: Under observation.

She let out a long breath.No listed injuries. No details. Just a vague, clinical note.

She hesitated, glancing toward her phone. Instinct told her to text Tristan.

Then reality smacked her. She didn’t even have his number.

I need to put his number in my phone.

Before she could fully process that thought— a pair of hands grabbed her shoulders. Victoria jerked so hard she nearly took the monitor down with her.

A loud laugh rang in her ear. “Jesus, you’re jumpy as hell.”

Taylor.

Victoria turned, heart still hammering. Her best friend stood there, arms crossed, grinning like she hadn’t just shaved ten years off her life.

“You nearly gave me a heart attack!” Victoria hissed, shoving Taylor’s arm.

Taylor smirked. “Good thing I’m a nurse.” Her gaze flicked to the screen before Victoria could block it. “What are we snooping for?”

Victoria snapped out of her shock, hastily clicking out of the file. “I wasn’t snooping. I was… checking something.”

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