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Raven

Beatrice held her breath, her ear to the door.

I crouched beside her, heart hammering, the silence pressing down like a storm just about to break.

Mandy growled again, low and guttural.

Then—footsteps.

Slow. Deliberate. Just outside.

Beatrice’s eyes snapped to mine. She nodded once—confirmation. We weren’t imagining it.

Someone was out there.

I stood, already reaching for the folding blade I kept in my boot. Beatrice moved to the opposite side of the door, grabbing the metal IV pole and positioning it like a bat. Mandy stayed close to the kids, hackles raised.

I looked at her and shook my head.

“Beatrice, stay over there with the kids.”

I didn’t think she was going to listen to me, but she walked over to the bed.

Whoever it was, they didn’t knock.

Instead, a shadow paused in front of the frosted glass window. We could see the silhouette—a tall figure standing motionless, just watching.

Beatrice’s jaw clenched.

The boy in the bed whimpered, sitting up again. “Is he back?” he whispered.

I crouched next to him, lowering my voice. “Hey, buddy. You’re safe. I’m right here. He’s not getting past me. I promise.”

Beatrice stepped closer to the bed, sitting on the edge of the bed with the kids. She reached for the girl, gently pulling her into her lap without waking her, shielding them with her body.

The shadow moved again.

A slow, deliberate step to the left… then another. Testing the lock. Listening.

Mandy began to growl louder now, her body coiled like a spring.

I raised my voice just enough to carry. “You’re not getting in. Walk away while you can.”

No reply. Just breathing.

Then— a sudden, violent jolt on the handle. The door rattled.

Mandy lunged forward with a loud, deep bark, launching herself at the door. Beatrice held the kids tighter. I grabbed the blade from my boot and positioned myself beside the entrance, pressed to the wall, ready to strike if the bastard got in.

“Security’s on their way,” I shouted. “You’ve got ten seconds to leave or I’ll break you in half.”

Another pause.

Then, retreating footsteps. Faint. Slow. Controlled.

Beatrice exhaled, her chest rising and falling. “That was him,” she whispered. “I felt it.”

I nodded, my hand still tight on the knife. “He was testing the room. Looking for an opening.”

A nurse’s voice came over the intercom. “Code Pink is still in effect. The suspect has not been located. Security sweep in progress.”

Tag’s voice came through the door. “Raven? It’s us.”

I unlocked it immediately.

Tag and Gage stepped inside, weapons drawn and ready.

“West hallway’s clear,” Gage reported. “Security’s checking the north stairwell.”

“There was someone here,” I said. “He tried the door.”

“We’ve got this side now,” Tag assured us, standing beside the window, eyes scanning the corridor.

Beatrice sat on the edge of the hospital bed, cradling the girl as she began to stir. The boy was shaking, eyes darting between us.

“You’re safe now,” she said softly, brushing the hair off his forehead. “No one’s going to hurt you. Not while we’re here.”

He nodded, lips trembling. “Promise?”

“Promise,” she said, her voice steady as steel.

I knelt beside her. “You okay?”

She looked at me—and for a moment, all the fear, exhaustion, and love in her eyes hit me like a wave.

Then she nodded. “Yeah. Now that you’re here.”

* * *

The lockdown lifted two hours later.

They didn’t find the suspect, but the hospital was crawling with cops and private security now. No one was taking chances.

Beatrice refused to leave the kids' side, so I stayed with her. Tag and Gage rotated out, checking the rest of the floors.

Eventually, the boy and girl both fell into a deeper sleep, their breathing slow and even.

Beatrice leaned her head on my shoulder, finally allowing herself to exhale. I wrapped an arm around her, pulling her closer.

“You did good, Bea.”

“They were so scared,” she murmured. “I couldn’t walk away.”

“You didn’t. You stayed with them. And they’ll never forget that.”

Silence stretched between us, warm and heavy with everything we didn’t have to say.

Finally, she whispered, “Raven?”

“Yeah?”

She looked up at me, eyes rimmed with red but still burning bright. “I need to know something.”

“Anything.”

“If we ever… if something happens and you’re not there—if I have to do something dangerous again—will you still believe in me? I was scared of following Mandy into that apartment, but I knew Mandy could hear someone in there. I had to go in and see if she was right.”

I cupped her face, my thumb brushing the edge of her jaw. “Beatrice, I will always believe in you. I trust you with my life. It scares me thinking about you going into burning buildings, but I know that’s what you do, and I know you would never take a chance if you didn’t think you would make it out alive.

She blinked fast, then kissed me—quick and fierce. “I love you.”

I smiled. “Good. Because I’m not letting you go.”

She leaned into my chest. “Promise?”

“Promise.”