Page 24 of Not the Bodyguard's Baby
“Doctor, someone took a photo of one of your patients. There are already photographers hanging around the parking lot.”
Dr. Brooks responded with what sounded like an expletive. “Hand the phone back to them and get up here.”
The guards let him through.
13
September lookedup from her journal when Dr. Brooks came back into the group-therapy room. “Ladies, I am sorry, but there is an emergency, and I cannot finish this session with you. So we don’t interrupt the other groups on the floor, please stay here until our session is scheduled to be over. Would anyone like their baby brought in?”
Hands shot up and people talked all at once.
“Ladies, it looks like most of you want your children. Is there anyone who doesn’t?”
One woman raised her hand. “If my daughter is sleeping, let her sleep. My husband said she had a difficult night.”
Dr. Brooks turned to the nurse who had just come in. “Can you take care of this, please?” Another nurse entered, and Dr. Brooks exited the room. Nursery attendants came into the room with babies, one tapping September on the shoulder. “Will you please come with me?”
September gathered her journal and followed the attendant into the hall. Dr. Brooks stood at the reception desk, a phone between her shoulder and ear, flipping through the pages of a red binder. The attendant pointed to the doctor and left in the direction of the nursery. September stood near the desk, where she overheard Dr. Brooks. “Yes, code yellow. This breach isn’t just about one person. No one will trust us... I don’t know... Thank you.”
The receptionist at the desk pulled a jacket and purse out of a drawer and stood. Dr. Brooks stepped in front of the half gate. “Where do you think you are going?”
“My shift ends at two.”
“Perhaps you didn’t understand my phone call to security. We are on a code-yellow lockdown. No one, including employees, in or out of the building. That includes you. Hey, is that a cell phone?” Dr. Brooks reached over the gate and pulled a phone from the pocket of the jacket. “There are no cell phones allowed in this part of the building.”
“That is mine.”
“Yes, and if you read the addendum you signed to work on this floor, it warned you that unauthorized electronics will be confiscated.” The buzzer of the floor’s entrance door interrupted what the doctor was going to say next. From where she stood, September could see the monitor showing Adam on the other side of the door. What was he doing here? Lockdown. Hastings Security. September’s heart raced. Harmony!
Dr. Brooks dropped an arm around September and glared at the receptionist. “Buzz him in. And read the yellow section of this notebook. You are not to leave until cleared by myself and security.”
“My phone?”
Dr. Brooks ignored the receptionist’s question as she propelled September to one of the private meeting rooms. “Mr. Adam, in here please.”
Adam shut the door behind them. “My mother should be coming. I asked security to send her up. But she may be in disguise. I tried to call—”
“There is a temp at the desk today. In fact, I may have found the culprit.” Dr. Brooks pulled the phone out of her pocket. “Do you have a copy of the leaked photo?”
Adam pulled his own phone out of his pocket. “Security let me keep it.” He tapped the front and handed it to Dr. Brooks.
September looked over the doctor’s shoulder at the phone’s screen. “That’s me. How?” Adam wrapped his arm around her waist and pulled her close. She leaned into his side and felt his calming protection seep into her. “Hey, we got this. We’ll keep you and Harmony safe.”
“Someone took the photo on this floor.” Dr. Brooks handed the phone back.
“Finding the source of the photo will go a long way toward shutting things down. September, do you have any idea when this was shot?”
Her heart rate picked up again as she studied the photo. “I think it was before lunch. I went to go change her diaper. My face is scrunched up. I was telling her what a stinky girl she was. Can I go get her, please?”
“Yes, let’s go get her now, and we can figure out where the ‘photographer’ stood.” Adam stepped toward the door. Dr. Brooks put an arm out to stop him.
“You can’t go wandering around out there. I’ll go with Rayne. She can stand where she did when the photo was taken, and I can back up until I have the same view. It may give us more ideas. I am sure they took the photo from near the reception desk.”
Adam frowned.
“Is the phone you took from the receptionist unlocked?” asked September.
Dr. Brooks pulled it out of her pocket and examined it. “No, that would be too easy.”
