3.HELP ME!

"Okay..." the police says with an assuring voice , curiosity written all over his face.

"I... I delivered a baby three days ago at Brookhaven public hospital..." she says looking intently at the police's expression which has got his eye brows raised, as if he can't believe that she actually delivered, she has also literally seen his curiosity shoot to another level , higher .

"Okay..." he says again , obviously asking her to go on.

"So I wasn't strong enough but regardless I did my best and used all I got to deliver my baby safely because I couldn't wait to meet it."

"Mhu..."

"So I delivered safely , I didn't even get the chance to see it..." A tight ache suddenly rise in her throat, pressing upward, hot and insistent, as her vision blurs just slightly at the edges.

The heaviness behind her eyes swells , threatening to spill over, but she clenches her jaw, forcing the feeling back, she is unwilling to cry anymore since that's all she had been doing in that hospital room , now is time for actions.

Her hands balls into fists, nails digging into her palms as if the sharpness there can steady her, anchor her against the storm inside.

She takes a slow, shaky breath, willing herself to hold it together.

She blinks hard, clearing her eyes and her throat.

The police looks like he wants to say Something but he is not sure what to say so he just stares concerned, hoping that she gets it together.

"I didn't get the chance to see it because I passed out , but before I passed out , I heard the doctor say; Congratulations Victoria, it's a beautiful boy' with some more words I didn't get clear."

"Okay "

"But when I came back to conscious, I found a baby girl besides me , they claimed that it was my baby but I know it's not , I know it's not and I don't know where my baby is right now , and neither do I know whose baby they are claiming is mine is for!" She finishes her narration courageously.

"What?!" The police says in response , really looking like he can't believe it .  "Am not taking a side , but ms. How sure are you that , the one they are saying is your baby is not yours, do you have any proof?"

"I heard the doctor say it , am not crazy , I heard it and I remember it , please help me  , I just want to know where my baby is ."

"But if it happened three days ago , why are you showing up today?"

"They claimed that I was crazy woman , so they transferred me to a mental hospital, I've been there for two and a half days , the doctor there said there's nothing wrong with my mental health , so they released me , look , here are the documents." She says handing him the papers from the hospital.

The police takes a quick look at them then looks back at her.

"And where is the baby they are claiming is yours now?"

"I don't know yet since I just left the mental health hospital, maybe I'll find out when we go back to the hospital." She says more confidently now .

"Okay , just a minute " he says and disappears to some door then after a moment he comes back with other two officers , male and female.

He takes a book that was on the side of the desk and writes the date.

"Your full name"

"Victoria Peterson. "

"How old"

"22 years old "

"Do have anyone from the family maybe or a friend ?"

"No"

He asks so much information and also some parts of the narration.

He finished scribbling her statement, his pen scratching the paper in steady strokes as he jots down the details she managed to voice.

When he looks up, his face is more serious, his eyes narrowing slightly as he takes in her pale expression, the tension in her shoulders, as if the weight of what she has just reported was too much to bear.

"All right," he says quietly, setting down his pen and straightening. "We're going to need to send a team to the scene." He glances to another officer across the room, giving a quick nod_ a signal that everything is already in motion.

A pair of officers flanks Victoria , their expressions tight and focused, a silent shield of authority around her fragile presence.

One officer, tall with a stern jaw and eyes that shifts constantly, scanned the darkened street with the vigilance of someone used to expecting the unexpected.

The other, slightly shorter but equally alert, moves beside her, close enough to be reassuring without invading her space.

Their steps echoing against the pavement as they approach the waiting patrol car, its lights casting a faint glow over the shadows.

Without a word, the officers guid her to the back seat, her movements stiff and reluctant as she slide in, clutching her hands tightly in her lap.

The officers take their places in the front, each with practiced efficiency, and within moments, the car hums to life, its engine a low murmur in the quiet street.

As they pull away, the city blur by outside the windows, neon lights streaking through the darkness.

Victoria stares at the passing buildings, her gaze unfocused, barely seeing the late-night diners and dim storefronts.

The officers keep their voices low, exchanging brief, purposeful words about the hospital, the incident report, the next steps.

Occasionally, the shorter officer glances back at her, a quick, assessing look to make sure she is all right, to check that the silence isn't swallowing her whole.

The car finally turns onto the hospital's long, winding drive. As they approach, the building looms ahead, its bright lights harsh against the night sky, casting a sterile, unwelcoming glow that make her stomach twist.

The officers park , the tall one stepping out first and holding the door open for her, his posture both professional and subtly protective.

They walk towards the entrance together, their footsteps falling into an unspoken rhythm, the officers guiding her through the automatic doors and into the harsh, sanitized brightness of the hospital lobby.

The officer by her side speak briefly to the receptionist, his voice low and steady, relaying just enough information to make arrangements without overwhelming her with details.

The receptionist makes a call and some old man with a lab coat walks to where they're standing.

When he sees Victoria, he looks shocked.

"Officers?" He says approaching them.

"We would like to check the records of this patient , and also see the doctor and the nurses who helped her deliver." The lady officer says with clarity and much seriousness in her voice.

"Officer , this lady here has a mental problem , all she... "

"She has no mental problem , she just came from a mental hospital which you sent her to , and it's clear there's nothing wrong with her mental health, we need the doctor and the nurses who were with her." The short one says with much impatience.

"They are not in , they are off duty now." The man says .

"Well , we need their details right now!"

The man signals the lady officer to go with him , but the tall one stops him. "Hold on , where is the baby , the one she says is not hers. "

"We handed her to the children service , she is in the children's home." He says .

Victoria has no idea what to think , no matter what , she wouldn't want that innocent baby to end up in a children's home , but that doesn't mean she is going to just turn a blind eye on the fact that her baby is missing , that someone exchanged her baby , she needs to know where he is , she is crystal sure too that the doctor has an act on this because, why would he also say that she gave birth to girl when he was the one who told her that it was a boy!

Minutes later , the female officer comes back with some papers in her hand. She signals others and they walk out .

Standing outside the car,,,,  "Ms. We can drop you home as we work on this , you don't have to go through all this." The tall officer says.

"No am fine , I won't be able to settle down in this state."  She says hopping that they just ignore how drained and broken she looks and carry on with the plan to find her baby.

They enter the car and head to the doctor's house using the address they were given .

It is 11 pm now and they don't mind going to a suspect's house now . And the suspect has no say but to go with the police.

The two nurses are also arrested .

When they go back to the police station , the female officer takes Victoria to a certain room where there's only a single thin bed and a plastic chair .

She forces her to stay in there and rest as she goes back to her duties.

On the other side , the officers record the suspect's personal information, take fingerprints and photographs, and note the charges.

After booking, the suspects are held in a holding cell.