by Shawna Platt
April, 2021
Dr. Rayner had spent the last month carefully researching and questioning participants in the program. While they all conveyed everything was fine, and their participation in the program was voluntary, their eyes told another story. Most were nervous and his questions seem to make their anxiety worse. Most of the participants he talked to made it clear they wanted the conversation over. They claimed everything was all right; they were just waiting to go home.
One night, he decided to confide in Dr. Westcott. He found her in her office finishing up for the day.
“Hey, Sorina, you have a second?”
“Hi, Brice, I suppose I can make time,” she laughed, “come on in.”
She noticed the serious look on his face before he sat down. She lowered slowly into her chair. “You okay?”
He pulled his eyebrows together. “I’m not sure. Some information has come to me that’s making me question the program.”
She immediately became concerned. This program was her life and she loved it. “What do you mean? What kind of information?”
He took a deep breath. “That’s the thing. I have no proof, but everything in me says it’s true.”
“You’re confusing me. I have no idea what you’re talking about. What’s true, Brice?”
“Kinsey came to me about a month ago with some questions. She questioned whether or not the women in this program were truly here on voluntary grounds.”
Dr. Westcott interrupted. “Of course, they are. How could they not be?”
“That’s what I said, but she knows something, Sorina. Something I’m starting to feel may be true.”
Dr. Westcott rose from her chair and began to pace. “Is she insinuating women are being forced here?”
“I don’t know for sure, and if they are, I still don’t see how, but I’ve talked to a lot of participants and something’s not right. They get very anxious when it’s brought up.”
“I don’t know what to say. This is something I’m not even willing to accept.”
“We’ve both been doctor’s here since the program started, and I’ve never seen or heard anything remotely negative in that time, but maybe we’ve missed something.” He paused. “Maybe the participants are hiding something.”
She lowered her eyes to the floor and shook her head. “I can’t believe this is what’s happening. Kinsey has to be mistaken.”
“I just thought I’d come to you and see if you could start keeping your eyes and ears open. Start paying attention to the participants and see if you can analyze what they’re truly feeling.”
“I’m not a mind reader, Brice, but I’ll start paying attention. Maybe question some of them myself and see how they respond.”
“That’s all I ask. We owe it to the participants to at least follow through and make sure they’re not being strong-armed into the program.”
She nodded. “Yes, I agree.”
Later that evening, Kinsey was enjoying, or trying to enjoy, an exercise class, when she started having pain in the lower abdomen. The instructor had her sit out for a bit, thinking she’d strained a muscle, but when Kinsey rejoined the class, the pain worsened. The instructor felt it best that she go to her room and relax for the rest of the night. If the pain continued, and especially if it got worse, she was to call Dr. Rayner or Dr. Westcott immediately.
She had to stop a few times walking back to her room. The pain was definitely not going away. As soon as she entered her room, she headed straight for the couch and carefully lowered herself down. She leaned back and put her feet up on the coffee table.
I just need a few deep breaths, she told herself.
Having her feet up helped ease the pain, but it wasn’t going away completely. Something wasn’t right. She still had a month to go and couldn’t be going into labor yet. No, she thought, not yet. I’m not ready.
She rose from the couch and walked to her patio for some fresh air. The pains increased again. She sat at the patio table and cupped her belly. Not yet, sweetie, not yet.
She slowly lifted herself from the chair and made her way back to the living room. She reached down, picked up the phone in her room, and called Dr. Rayner’s cell phone. He didn’t answer, so she called the clinic’s emergency number. When they answered, Kinsey explained what was happening and that she needed Dr. Rayner or Dr. Westcott to call her back as soon as possible.
She was barely seated on the couch again when her cell phone lit up, displaying Dr. Rayner’s name. She answered in a panic.
“Something’s wrong! The pain won’t stop!”
“Kinsey, calm down. Tell me what’s happening.”
“Lower abdomen pain. It’s very intense and it’s not letting up.”
He tried not to let the panic come through in his voice. “Where are you?”
“In my room.”
“I’m on my way. Lay down and try to relax.”
She disconnected the call. Yeah, try to relax. Easy for you to say.
She made her way to the couch again and lowered herself down. She pulled her legs up, set her feet on the coffee table, and tried to breathe. The tight band across her belly was making it difficult, but she willed herself to relax and go with it. That’s what they told her to do. Don’t fight it. Just go with it. Whatever. What the hell did they know?
A few moments later, her door buzzed. The thought of having to get up and walk to it was almost more than she could handle, but she managed. When she opened the door Brice took one look at her face and wrapped his arms around her. He helped her back to the couch.
“How long have you been having pain?”
“It started in exercise class about an hour ago.”
“On a scale of one to ten, rate the pain right now.”
“I don’t know. A four, I guess.”
“Okay, I need to get you to the clinic and do an exam. I’m assuming you don’t want to walk.”
She gave him the dirtiest look she could. “Do I look like I want to walk to the clinic?” She leaned her head back against the couch and took another deep breath.
“Okay, I’ll have someone bring a wheelchair.”
He made the call and they waited for the wheelchair to arrive. When it did, they made their way to the clinic.
Kinsey tried to relax while Dr. Rayner did the exam. He told her she was already dilating and he was going to try and stop labor from progressing.
Kinsey panicked. “You have to stop it! I’m not ready yet! I still have a month!”
“Kinsey, relax. Even if I can’t stop the labor, the baby should still be fine.”
“No! You don’t understand! I can’t have him yet…my plan….”
Brice cut her off. “Kinsey, I need you to relax.” He pulled her arm out straight and prepared to insert an IV.
Kinsey stared at the ceiling as tears began rolling down her cheeks. “You have to stop it, Brice.”
He placed the IV and checked the drip line. “Just try to stay calm and we’ll see if the medication works. If it doesn’t,” he paused and looked at her tear stained cheeks, “I’ll be right here. I won’t let anything happen to you.”
She rolled her head and looked at him. “Promise?”
He took her hand. “I swear on my life.”
“What about the baby? Do you promise not to let anything happen to him?”
“Kinsey.”
“Promise me you’ll do anything to protect him.”
“I promise.” He didn’t realize at the time what promise he’d just made.
“I’m trusting you, Brice. Don’t make me regret it.”
She rolled her head to look at the ceiling again and prayed the medication pumping through her veins worked.
Two hours later, Kinsey was in full labor. The medication hadn’t stopped the contractions and she was now dilating at a slow, steady pace. She was near hysterics when Dr. Rayner entered the room with Dr. Westcott.
The nurse caring for her simply shook her head. “I can’t calm her down. Good
luck.”
Dr. Westcott positioned herself beside Kinsey and took her hand. “You have to calm down. This is going to be a lot harder if you don’t calm down.”
Kinsey spoke between sobs. “You don’t understand…he can’t come yet…I haven’t figured it out.”
Brice sat in a chair on the opposite side of the bed from Dr. Westcott. He spoke softly. “Haven’t figured what out, Kinsey? Please, talk to us.”
Kinsey rolled her head from side to side and winced as another contraction gripped her belly.
“You wouldn’t believe me,” she sobbed.
Dr. Westcott shot Brice a look, prompting him to get her to talk. He nodded.
“We’ll believe you, Kinsey. Please, tell us.”
She had no choice. There wasn’t any more time to plan and she had to trust they would do what was right. Once she started, she couldn’t stop, and between sobs, told them everything.
“Operation Vala is a joke. Hakon forces women into the program. He threatens them with harm to their families and loved ones if they don’t. He caused a serious accident for my sister and threatened that my parents were next.” She didn’t stop there.
“He raped Tessa when she first got here. Somehow he figured out the baby was his. That’s why they killed it, to cover it up. Dr. Hartman knows everything. He’s Hakon’s right hand man. When things go wrong, he’s called in to handle it. Dr. Hartman caused the miscarriage when he took over her care.”
Dr. Westcott’s eyes widened in horror at the story Kinsey told. She looked at Brice and saw the same on his face. Kinsey continued as another contraction hit.
“Tessa tried to escape. Security found her in the back of a delivery truck leaving the compound.” She looked at Dr. Westcott. “That’s why security brought her in and that’s why Dr. Hartman was called. He had to stop her and he did.”
Dr. Westcott took a step back in disbelief. “I can’t believe this.”
Kinsey snapped back. “I don’t care what you believe. I have proof. You want proof?”
Brice took Kinsey’s hand. “What kind of proof?”
“In my room there’s a box with two photos in it in my bedroom. In the table, by my bed.” She turned to Dr. Westcott. “Remember when I first came to the compound, I told you someone broke into my room?”
Dr. Westcott simply nodded.
“It was Hakon and he’s been leaving me photos with threatening messages. Get my door card out of my purse and go get them. See for yourself.”
Dr. Westcott looked at Brice. He nodded and she left the room as another contraction hit.
Chapter Twenty-One
Dr. Westcott rushed into Kinsey’s room. She didn’t need Kinsey’s room card, she had a master that opened any door in the compound with the right code.
She rushed into Kinsey’s bedroom and began searching the bedside table drawer. In it, she found a small box. When she opened it, she found two photographs. One was of Tessa; the other, a girl she didn’t recognize. She flipped the photo of the girl over and read the message. She took a deep breath and flipped the photo of Tessa over.
Both messages were indeed threatening and she closed her eyes. Maybe Kinsey was telling the truth. Someone was definitely threatening her and it made her wonder if other participants weren’t experiencing the same thing.
She recalled her earlier conversation with Brice. The thought of women being forced into the program made her blood boil. That’s not what Operation Vala was created for. What, or who, caused it to get this out of hand? Kinsey claimed it was Hakon who was behind it all and Sorina had a hard time wrapping her head around that. She’d known this man most of her life, and yes, he could be demanding, but would he take things this far? Had he truly allowed the power to go to his head?
She thought of Kinsey and it snapped her back to reality. She grabbed the photos and rushed back to the clinic. She had to talk to Brice.
Kinsey’s contractions were coming back to back and Brice informed her she’d have to start pushing soon. Sorina entered the room and the look she shot him told him she’d found the proof. She walked over to Kinsey and took her hand.
Kinsey looked at her with tear filled eyes. “Did you find them?”
“Yes, Kinsey. I found them.”
Kinsey sniffed and nodded. “You have to believe me. This program isn’t what you think it is.” She paused as another contraction ripped through her. Through labored breath, she muttered, “Know one thing…I’m not leaving here without my son.”
Brice and Sorina exchanged glances and Sorina whispered, “What are we going to do?”
Brice shook his head and looked down at Kinsey, who was bearing down with another contraction.
“I don’t know. Let’s focus on Kinsey right now. She needs us.”
“How close is she to delivery?”
“She’s going to have to start pushing any time now.”
“Okay, let’s take care of her and the baby and we’ll deal with this later.”
Twenty minutes later, Kinsey was in the process of delivering her son. Never in her life had she experienced this kind of pain. The physical pain was bad enough, but knowing the second he was delivered that he’d be taken away was more than she could handle.
In between pushes, she collapsed against her pillow and swore she wasn’t leaving without him. At one point, she looked Brice dead in the eyes and stated, “If you take him from me, I swear I’ll find a way to take this program down…and I’ll take both of you with it.”
He knew she was telling the truth. He glanced at Sorina, who shook her head. He could see the fear on her face. He returned his focus to Kinsey and during the next few pushes, brought her son into the world.
His cries echoed through the room and before Brice had a chance to cut the cord, Kinsey was reaching for him. “Give him to me!”
Sorina gently pulled Kinsey’s hands away from the baby. “Hold on, Kinsey, we have to examine him.”
“He’s fine, give him to me now!”
Brice wrapped the baby in a blanket and took him over to a small bed to be examined, while Sorina finished attending to Kinsey.
Kinsey never took her eyes off him. “He’s not leaving this room.”
After a few moments, Brice brought the baby over and placed him in Kinsey’s arms. Sorina gave him a shocked look.
“What are you doing?”
“I don’t know yet. Just give her a minute.”
Sorina began pacing and decided to occupy her time by cleaning up the room.
Kinsey brought her face close to her son’s cheek and said, “His name is Ryker.”
Sorina spun around and faced her. “You can’t name him, Kinsey.”
Kinsey looked her dead in the eyes. “His name is Ryker and you’re not taking him.”
Brice sat down beside Kinsey and tried to reason with her. “Listen to me, you have to let Dr. Westcott take him to the newborn nursery. All babies go there for the first week. He’ll be right down the hall.”
Kinsey shook her head. “He’s not leaving this room.”
“He has to, Kinsey. For now, we have to keep up the appearance that everything is going according to program rules. You shouldn’t even be holding him.”
Sorina walked up and held her arms out, indicating she wanted Kinsey to give up her son.
Kinsey looked back at Brice. “If anything happens to him….”
“He’ll be right down the hall, I promise.”
“When can I go see him?”
Sorina sighed. “Participants aren’t allowed in the nursery.”
“When will you bring him back?”
Sorina was growing impatient and blew out a breath. “I can’t bring him back to your room, Kinsey. That’s not how it works.”
Kinsey turned back to Brice and whispered, “I hate you for this.”
Her words hit him like a bullet in the gut. “Give us some time to figure this out. For now, let Dr. Westcott take him to the nursery. He’ll be safe there and no one will suspect any
thing.”
Kinsey felt the hot tears roll down her cheeks as she surrendered her son.
Chapter Twenty-Two
Dr. Westcott placed Ryker in a small bed and turned on the heat light. She looked down at Kinsey’s son and felt her eyes well with tears. What am I supposed to do with you, she thought.
Part of her knew she had to stick to protocol, but what if Kinsey was right? She had photos that pointed in that direction. She felt a loyalty to Kinsey she’d never had with any other participant. At this stage in the program, the baby went to the nursery and the mother was processed for release. Now she was faced with a different set of circumstances. There was only one other baby in the nursery at the time and a nurse was busy taking care of him.
Sorina looked down at the sleeping baby and felt the pull to protect him. She needed help and she knew what she had to do. She informed the nurse of the new arrival and said she’d be right back. Sorina walked out of the nursery, pulled out her cell phone, and made the call.
Brice had given Kinsey a sedative to calm her down, but she was still insisting he get her son back. He tried to explain that, at this point, his hands were tied and having her son in the nursery was the best place for him to be. He would be there for a week before being moved and that would give them time to figure things out.
Kinsey had no choice but to accept this and she made it clear if anything happened to her son, she would hold him and Dr. Westcott responsible.
Brice leaned over and whispered to Kinsey. “There will be nurses coming in and out of your room. It’s very important you remain calm and don’t talk about this when they’re around. Do you understand?”
Kinsey nodded.
“Kinsey, I mean it. If they suspect anything, they’ll report it.” He felt the anger well up and his voice became stern. “Do you understand?”
Kinsey made eye contact, but didn’t respond.
He continued. “I’m going to help you figure this out, but you need to trust me. Keep your mouth shut and play the game. We have a week and we need to use it wisely.”