Chapter 22: Letting Carwyn Go

They swung open doors, peaked behind curtains, searched closets, invaded patient rooms. George even found himself looking in drawers of desks; proving just how frantic and desperate each of the men felt. Meredith's and Carwyn's fate seemed to slip from their fingers with each passing minute of the clock. With each tick, the desperation grew, the fear swelled

Burke's phone rang.

"Anything?" It was Alex in the basement.

"Nothing. You?"

"Nope. You heard from George and Webber?"

"Ya, nothing yet."

"Keep looking… they're here somewhere."

"You too. Call us if you find something… anything."

They ended the call. Preston shook his head to Derek who watched intently from across the room they were searching. He sighed and Preston could see the last bit of Derek's hope slipping away.

"Come on, we still haven't checked the attic."

Derek looked up and nodded slowly. The attic. Right. They still needed to check the attic.


The silence was growing thicker and thicker and Meredith felt the walls slowly closing in. She sat across the room from their abductor, holding Carwyn protectively on her lap, stroking her soft dark curls. Chris O'Dandridge watched his victims, his eyes unreadable, his face expressionless.

"So, what now? You're just going to keep us hidden here? You know the police have surrounded the place. They're searching every inch of this hospital… it's only a matter of time until they find us. You should just turn yourself in now. I'm sure they'd work out a plea bargain."

The man's eyes darkened. "A plea bargain?" He spat back. "I'm wanted for fraud, identity theft, embezzlement of funds, and three counts of murder. Think about it sweetheart." He then began to chuckle softly. "At least, those are the only crimes they can link me to… if they only knew…"

Meredith swallowed hard, not liking his tone of voice, and not wanting to know what he meant.

The man watched her before turning and punching a wall. He was clearly upset and now agitated about something, and Meredith wondered what.

He crossed the room a few feet and stopped in front of a large cabinet. The two large doors on the front were closed with a lock and the man reached into his pocket to retrieve a key. In a swift movement he undid the lock and opened the doors revealing a few small televisions and other electronic devices.

"What the hell is that?" Meredith couldn't stop herself from asking.

"These my dear…" He gestured to the small television screens. "… are my eyes."

Meredith furrowed her brows and looked closer. Sure, enough on the tiny screens she could make out black and white images of people scurrying around the hospital lobby. On another screen she made out what looked like the hallway of the surgical floor. The others were all the same. He had tapped into the hospital surveillance system.

He reached into the cabinet and pulled out a set of earphones, placing them carefully to his ears. He then messed with some buttons on a stereo looking machine and paused when he seemed to find what he was looking for.

Meredith watched him in silence before he nodded satisfied and replaced the listening device back into the cabinet.

"They still have no clue where we are…. and it seems your boyfriend and his posse are now running around the hospital on their own. What brave men." He rolled his eyes as he closed the cabinets shut.

Meredith closed her eyes. Derek must be going out of his mind. She needed to let him know that Carwyn was okay. Her slim fingers subconsciously went to her small cell phone that sat in the pocket of her scrub pants. He hadn't thought to take it from her yet. She had discreetly turned it off when it had started vibrating nonstop. She didn't need to look at the screen to know it was Derek and her friends, probably panicking when they discovered she was missing. She quickly moved her hand back up to Carwyn's small back and resumed the small circles she was tracing. She needed to be careful not to draw any attention to her last hope.

Meredith turned her attention back to the anxious man now pacing in front of her. He was growing restless and disturbed about something and she guessed the police had never gotten so close to him before. He was used to being on top, being in control. The tables were turned and suddenly it seemed his plan might not work. Meredith couldn't help but wonder: Would this be to her advantage… or fatal disadvantage?

"So how did you find this place down here anyway?" Meredith decided making him talk might make him less edgy, more unlikely to do anything rash.

"I did my homework sweetheart. Found out everything to know about this quaint little hospital before coming to town. How did you think I knew about your mother?"

Meredith averted his gaze as he stopped pacing and bore his eyes into her.

"You are quite beautiful you know. Not in the supermodel, blond, leggy type of way. But just as stunning… just as addicting."

Meredith tensed as she felt him come closer. Her heart started pounding in her chest as her mind frantically searched for an escape.

"We had a deal. I came… that means Carwyn gets to leave. We had a deal." Meredith forced her eyes back up on the cold face of the man.

He nodded silently a minute before speaking. "You're right. We did have a deal." He retreated back across the room to the door and swiftly opened it. He exaggeratedly gestured through its opening with his arm. "You're free to go Carwyn. It is… after all…. your mother I'm after."

Meredith took in a sharp breath as she felt Carwyn's grip tighten around her waist.

"Are you insane? She's just a baby. I don't even know where I am?! How do you expect her to find her way out of here?" Meredith was panicking, desperately trying to figure out what she should do.

"She's smarter than you lead me to believe… and you know that. She'll be fine." He shrugged. "But it's your choice. She can stay… and watch."

Meredith swallowed again. The lump in her throat seemed to be permanent. She looked down into her daughters beautiful blue eyes. The blue eyes that the only man she had ever truly loved shared. Making up her mind, she nodded.

"Can I… Can I have a moment to say good bye?"

Chris O'Dandridge turned surprised, but then an evil smile spread across his lips. "Sure Meri, say goodbye to your baby."

Meredith pried Carwyn from her lap and stood her daughter directly in front of her. She tipped the small child's head, so she was looking into her eyes and gave her a reassuring smile.

"I love you Carwyn. You are such a brave strong girl…." Meredith quickly glanced over to the man who laughed and then turned and busied himself with something else in the cabinet that he had re-opened.

When she saw he no longer was watching, she slid her had into her pocket and quickly powered her phone on. She continued talking calmly to Carwyn, telling her how much she loved her, as she frantically pressed buttons on her phone with one hand. She silently closed the phone and had just slid it into the front pocket of Carwyn's pink Osh Kosh B'gosh overalls, when she heard him close the cabinets and turn back to his victims.

"Okay… enough! I'm going to be sick with all the mushy lovey dovey. It's time for her to go." He crossed the room and gestured through the open door.

Meredith turned back to her daughter and looked hard into her eyes. Mother and daughter stared a moment, until Meredith saw the fear and uncertainty fade inside the tiny two pools, and something else replace it. Determination. Purpose.

Meredith brought her small child into her arms for one last hug and whispered softly through her curls. "Give that to daddy."

She pulled away and Carwyn nodded quickly, seeming to sense the seriousness of her mother's request. Her shy, timid daughter then crossed the room courageously to the opened door. She ignored the man who stood towering over her and turned to look at her mom one last time.

Meredith rocked back when she saw her sweet daughters face. The childlikeness was gone and wisdom beyond her years stood in its place. She turned again and disappeared out the door in a run. Meredith held her breath as the tiny, hurried footsteps faded away and sat back against the wall. She let the air out in her lungs and let herself think for a moment that she might get out of this thing. She might get out alive.

The door was shut with a loud thud causing Meredith to bring her eyes back up. The man's eyes darkened as he studied his victim. He laughed long and deep. "If you're thinking she'll bring help back… think again. You were right… she'll never find her way out. It's dark out there… kids are afraid of the dark."

Meredith desperately forced her expression to remain calm. She pulled her legs up to her chest and wrapped her arms around them. And it was only then, as the dark eyed man slowly crossed the room towards her…that she let her first tear fall.