Chapter 357

We ran out of the house and jumped into my truck. Victor was behind the wheel because I was too upset to drive.

“Who would do something this terrible?” I said. “The hospital needs electricity for the equipment that keeps people alive.”

“We don’t know for sure what happened,” Victor said, trying to keep me calm. “I’ll order a full investigation.”

“We’ve got to get the lines fixed and the power back on immediately.” It was frustrating to know people could be dying at that minute, and I couldn’t do anything about it.

“Aren't there backup generators to supply power to critical parts of the hospital?” Victor asked.

“I’m sure there is,” I replied. “But the hospital still looked dark on the news. I’m so worried.”

“We’re almost there, sweetheart,” Victor said as he turned the truck off the highway and down Fourth Avenue.

We were silent the rest of the way to the hospital. I squirmed in my seat each time Victor stopped at a red light. The sense of urgency to get to the hospital was maddening.

When we got closer, we saw flashing lights all around the hospital. Victor spoke to several police officers, and we were waved through.

“Watch out for the power lines lying in the street, Mr. Klein,” one officer warned. “They are very dangerous.”

“I will,” Victor replied and slowly drove down the street until we were stopped again.

We could see the thick, black wires twisting in the street as sparks sizzled from them. They reminded me of some monstrous creature that had just come to life.

Yet, those cables helped save lives when they weren’t lying in the street, looking for a victim.

“I wouldn’t get any closer,” a hospital security guard told us.

“I must see what’s happening inside the hospital,” I told Victor. “It was my idea, and I feel responsible for it.”

Victor explained to the man who we were and that we were there to help.

“I don’t know what you can do, Mr. Klein,” he said. “The power company must send its best lineman to fix this mess, and we’re having trouble finding anyone with authority at their offices.”

“Let me park the truck, and I’ll try,” Victor said.

“What about the emergency generators?” I asked the guard.

“They’ve been disabled somehow,” the guard replied. “We’re trying to find somebody who can fix them.”

Victor pointed to the metal boxes against one wall of the hospital. “How did the cables come loose from the transformers?”

“We don’t know,” the guard replied. “There was a loud bang, and everything went dark. When I ran toward the transformers, I saw a van driving away. But I don’t know if it was involved.”

“Are you sure the emergency generators won’t work?” I asked. “Lives are in danger every second the hospital has no power.”

“We called our electrician,” the guard said. “He doesn’t answer his cell.”

“We have our own electricians at The Association,” Victor mused. “I’ll have a team come here to look at the generators, and then I’ll contact someone at Denhurst Electric Company.”

Victor made some calls, and Association electricians soon arrived. They immediately went to work on the generators.

Within minutes, we saw lights on the third, fourth, and seventh floors, where the operating rooms, the ICU, and the maternity ward are located.

“Thank the Goddess,” I sighed. “Maybe there won’t be any loss of life from this incident.”

We entered the building and used the stairs to check on the hospital’s most vulnerable patients.

Tears filled my eyes when we saw a body on a gurney, fully covered by a sheet, near the third-floor elevator.

“What happened?” I asked a nurse as Victor put an arm around my shoulders.

“She died in surgery after the power went off,” the nurse replied. “We ran for flashlights, but she was gone before we could see what we were doing to help her.”

“Who was she?” Grief for the unknown woman was tugging at my heart.

The nurse uncovered the woman’s face. She was older than me by a few years but still much too young to die.

“Natalie Scott.” The nurse’s eyes showed grief and anger. “She had three kids and worked in a flower shop. Please be discreet. We haven’t told her husband yet.”

I nodded and turned into Victor’s arms.

“We didn’t get the power restored fast enough,” I whispered.

“We did what we could, sweetheart,” he said. “But we need to restore power to the rest of the building as soon as possible. I’ll make more calls to the electric company.”

While Victor walked up the dim hallway to make the calls, the nurse told me Natalie wasn’t the only casualty of the power outage. A fifty-year-old man in the ICU passed away when his life support stopped working.

Anger grew inside me. If the blackout was done deliberately, the perpetrators must be punished. Victor had to see to it that a thorough investigation was done.

He returned to my side with a relieved half-smile on his handsome face.

“The power company’s CEO assured me a team of their best linemen will be here soon,” Victor reported.

“That’s good news,” I said. Then I saw poor Natalie Scott’s body waiting to be taken to the basement morgue. “When are you starting the investigation into the cause of the blackout?”

“Findlay is on it,” Victor assured me. “He’s collecting security video from other buildings on this block.”

Satisfied the investigation would yield results, we went upstairs to the ICU.

Another body was waiting on a bed in the ICU. It wasn’t alone. The victim, Chris Campbell, was being watched over by his wife and two adult children.

Their grief was thick in the air as they stroked his hair and spoke softly to their deceased loved one.

Victor and I expressed our condolences and left them to mourn in peace.

We went back outside to wait for the power company and were surprised by a crowd forming around the front of the hospital.

They were Betas and Omegas who wanted to express their support to the families of the Betas who died during the blackout.

They held hands and sang hymns and uplifting songs of love and kindness. They saw us and cheered before asking us to say a few words.

I didn’t hesitate.

“Thank you all for being here to support the families of the deceased,” I said. “Victor and I grieve with their loved ones, and we want you to know the cause of the blackout is under investigation.”

The crowd grew larger as they sang several more songs. Everyone cheered when the electric company’s crew had the power lines repaired, and the hospital blazed to life again.

“Let’s go home, sweetheart,” Victor suggested. “We’ve done all we can do tonight.”

I agreed, and we made our way back to my truck.

We arrived at the mansion and collapsed on the couch with a glass of wine and thick roast beef sandwiches that Carson insisted the cook make for us since we missed dinner.

I was hungrier than I thought and dove into my sandwich while Victor turned on the TV to a news channel.

We were both stunned by the breaking news report on the screen.

The peaceful scene we had left at the hospital had been invaded by angry Alphas. They wore no masks this time, and some were attacking the Betas without shame or reason.

The news stations interviewed the leaders of the attacking group.

“Why are you here?” a reporter inquired.

“We aren’t going to let Daisy Wilson and the Betas blame us for two sick people dying in a hospital,” one Alpha declared.

My stomach contracted when I saw Association Councilor Getty standing with the angry Alphas.

“What’s he doing there?” I gasped.

Victor was on the edge of his seat. “I don’t know. But it can’t be good for us.”

“Daisy Wilson constantly causes problems,” the Alpha declared. “When a blackout happens, she wants an investigation to blame Alphas.”

“We have had enough of her nonsense!” Councilor Getty declared. “Victor must marry someone else, or we will replace him with another leader.”

I shot to my feet. What was he talking about? I hadn’t done anything wrong!

“Victor has two weeks to dump Daisy Wilson and rejoin the Alphas of our society, or I will call for a vote to remove him from the leadership of The United Association of Alphas.”

“No!” I cried. “They can’t do that to you.”

“He will try,” Victor said. He looked defeated as he sat slumped on the couch. “It’s what Councilor Getty has wanted all along.”

“I can’t let them take the leadership from you,” I said and began to pace.

Victor deserved better than this.

I had to get out of his life. It would be for his own good.