Emma knows!
She must have heard me that night or else why would Emma run away?
Morris stumbled to a stop near the elevator bay, leaning on the cool metal frame. His reflection stared back at him. Unshaven, shadows under his eyes, the haunted look of a man who'd finally realized just how badly he'd failed the only child who ever mattered.
For a moment, the weight of guilt pressed so hard on his ribs that it almost took his breath away.
"Emma… please," He whispered, voice cracking under the plea. "Where did you go?"
A nurse passing by slowed down, her eyes full of gentle concern.
"Mr. Adams," she offered carefully, "security is checking every exit. Please… wait in the family room?"
But waiting felt like dying slowly.
"No," Morris rasped, straightening despite the trembling in his legs. "I have to find her myself."
And with that, he turned and kept moving… past recovery wards, past quiet corners where hope and grief shared the same sterile air.