Now, dozens of phones were recording again. This time, no one cared whether the officers ordered them to stop.
Mia's breathing became rapid. Sweat covered her face. She could barely lift her head. "I think something's wrong..."
A young nurse who happened to be leaving a nearby urgent care clinic pushed through the crowd. "I'm a registered nurse." She knelt several feet away. "Officer, she's showing signs of severe distress."
Ryan didn't move. "Stay back."
"If she's seven months pregnant, keeping her face down could reduce blood flow to the baby."
Tom folded his arms. "We'll decide when it's safe."
The nurse stared at him in disbelief. "You don't understand. This isn't about your investigation anymore. This is about whether that baby survives."
Almost on cue, the distant sound of an approaching ambulance echoed through the streets. Mia closed her eyes. She whispered only one name: "Jack."
The ambulance screeched into the parking lot, its siren cutting through the stunned silence that had settled over the crowd. Two paramedics jumped out before the vehicle had even stopped. Leading them was Dr. Eva Lee, an emergency physician who had just finished her shift at a nearby trauma center. One look at Mia lying face down on the pavement was enough to erase every trace of fatigue from her face.
"What happened?" Eva demanded as she hurried over with a trauma bag.
Tom Reed answered without emotion. "Police investigation."
Eva ignored him and knelt beside Mia. "Ma'am, can you hear me?"
Mia's eyes fluttered open. "My baby..."
Eva gently touched her shoulder. "I'm Dr. Eva Lee. Stay with me." She glanced at Mia's swollen abdomen before checking her pulse. Her expression changed instantly. "She's tachycardic."
She placed a fetal Doppler against Mia's belly, trying to find the baby's heartbeat. Nothing. She adjusted the angle. Still nothing. A knot formed in her stomach.
"Roll her onto her left side now."
Ryan Fox didn't move. "Not until she's cleared."
Eva stared at him in disbelief. "Officer, she's in medical distress."
"She's still under investigation."
Eva stood up, her voice rising. "If you keep her face down, you could kill both the mother and the child!"
Ryan crossed his arms. "We're following procedure."
"No," Eva snapped. "You're ignoring basic emergency medicine."
Several people in the crowd applauded. Someone shouted, "Let the doctor do her job!"
Ryan looked toward the crowd. "Everyone stay back!"
Eva crouched again and looked directly into Mia's frightened eyes. "Can you feel the baby moving?"
Mia hesitated. A tear rolled down her cheek. "Less."
That single word sent a chill through Eva. She immediately reached for the handcuffs. "I'm removing these."
Tom stepped between them. "No, you're not."
Eva looked up. "Excuse me?"
"She remains detained."
Eva's patience vanished. "I don't care whether she's the president of the United States or a murder suspect. She's my patient now."
Tom's expression hardened. "Not until we're finished."
Mia suddenly cried out as another sharp pain tore across her abdomen. She instinctively curled her knees. "I... I think something's wrong."
Eva pressed two fingers against Mia's wrist again. Her pulse was climbing. She looked toward the ambulance. "I need the stretcher!"
The second paramedic rushed over with it. Again, Eva reached for the cuffs. Again, Ryan stopped her. "Hands off."
"You can't be serious!"
Ryan leaned closer. "We've seen suspects fake medical emergencies before."
Eva couldn't believe what she was hearing. "This woman is seven months pregnant!"
Ryan shrugged. "So she says."
The crowd erupted. "That's enough!" "She's pregnant!" "Can't you see her stomach?"
Phones continued recording from every direction. For the first time, Ryan noticed just how many cameras were pointed at him. His confidence wavered, but only slightly. He turned toward Tom. "Maybe we should move her."
Tom shook his head. "Not until dispatch confirms the report."
"What report?"
"The kidnapped infant."
Eva closed her eyes in frustration. "There is no infant!"
Tom pointed toward the SUV. "Then why all the baby supplies?"
Before Eva could answer, a familiar voice broke through the crowd: "I sold them to her!"
Everyone turned. Max Ford hurried across the parking lot, still wearing his store uniform. "I work at Willow Creek Baby Center." He held up a copy of the electronic sales receipt. "She paid for every single item."
Ryan frowned. "How do we know that's hers?"
Max blinked. "I checked her ID when she paid."
Ryan folded his arms. "That doesn't prove anything."
"It proves she bought the supplies legally!"
Tom stepped toward Max. "You can make your statement later."
Max looked at Mia lying helplessly on the pavement. "There won't be a later if she doesn't get medical treatment!"
Ryan motioned toward another officer. "Escort him back."
"No!" Max protested. "I'm a witness!"
The officer pushed him away from the scene. Murmurs of anger spread through the crowd. One woman whispered, "They don't want the truth." Another replied, "They've already decided she's guilty."
Lying on the pavement, Mia could hear every word. The humiliation hurt almost as much as the pain. She had always believed that if you stayed calm, respected the law, and told the truth, everything would work itself out. Today, that belief was disappearing.
One cruel moment at a time, her vision blurred. She thought about the nursery at home: the tiny crib, the yellow stars. Jack's message that morning: Landing today, can't say when. Love you both. She had smiled when she read it. Now she wasn't sure she would ever see him.
Miles away, a military transport aircraft touched down at Dobbins Air Reserve Base. As the rear ramp lowered, dozens of Marines stepped onto American soil. Among them was Gunnery Sergeant Jack Cole—tall, composed, carrying nothing but a duffel bag over one shoulder.
His commanding officer walked beside him. "Good work overseas."
Jack nodded. "Thank you, sir."
Before either man could say another word, Jack's secured military phone vibrated. Very few people had access to that number. He answered immediately. "This is Cole."
The voice on the other end belonged to Special Agent Sam King. "Jack, where are you?"
"Just landed."
A brief silence followed. Then Sam spoke in a tone Jack had never heard before. "It's Mia."