Filed to story: The Daughter in the Shadows (Yunice) Book by Una Norris
Owen rubbed his forehead, equally agitated.
Why his hospital, of all places? Who discovered the pathogen and bypassed him-the hospital director-to report it directly to the disease control center?
If the report hadn’t gone over his head, he would’ve had time to react. As director, he wouldn’t be in such a passive position.
Yunice, of course, wasn’t about to admit she was the one who reported it.
She knew Owen’s methods too well. If she’d let him know about the pathogen first, the very first thing he’d do would be to sneak Elsie out, then have the infected patient transferred-shoving this hot potato onto someone else.
And right now, Owen didn’t even realize that the carrier was Mr. Gerardo. All three of them had been in close contact with him.
Once the inspection team arrived, all three of them would be taken away.
Elsie was frightened. “Who even is the carrier? When the inspection team gets here, shouldn’t we try to stay out of their way?”
Hospitals were fluid environments-no one could be sure if the person speaking to you now had come into contact with a patient just moments earlier. So even those who had only indirect contact weren’t necessarily safe.
Just then, there was a knock at the door-two solid thumps.
Owen and Elsie both felt their hearts sink. They knew the inspection team had arrived.
Neither of them moved, so Yunice walked over and put her hand on the doorknob.
“Yunice!” Owen hesitated. He wasn’t sure if they should open the door.
Yunice looked back at him. “Even if we don’t open it, they’ll break it down. You really think you can hide?”
Owen said nothing. He stepped in front of Elsie, shielding her, and muttered, “You don’t hold any official position here. No matter what they ask you, stick to this: you came to see me, and you haven’t spoken to or touched anyone else.”
Elsie nodded in fear, clutching Owen’s wrist tightly.
Yunice opened the door alone. Standing just outside was a fully suited inspector, completely wrapped in protective gear. The figure looked into the office and asked, “Just the three of you?”
“Yes,” Yunice replied. “The three of us were in close contact with the carrier. We’re voluntarily cooperating with quarantine and testing.”
Her words stunned everyone-those inside the room and those outside it alike.
Owen stood up instinctively, completely dumbfounded. “What nonsense are you spouting?”
Yunice turned to him. “Haven’t you figured it out yet? Mr. Gerardo is the carrier.”
The disease had hit him like a freight train. His assistant had died within thirty-six hours of showing symptoms.
Such a deadly and aggressive fever wasn’t normal. It was Owen’s negligence and lack of professionalism that had dragged so many others into this mess.
Seeing Yunice’s expression, Owen was left speechless, as if he was finally starting to understand.
Elsie jumped to her feet and blurted, “You reported it, didn’t you?!”
Yunice didn’t deny it.
She just watched as Owen’s gaze slowly shifted-from confusion to resentment.
But blaming her now wouldn’t help. No one in this room was getting out.
Yunice turned to the inspector. “The carrier received treatment in the emergency room. Many medical staff weren’t able to put on protective gear in time. The three of us were even hit by some of his bodily fluids.”
“Yunice!” Owen’s eyes were bloodshot as he cut her off.
Everyone else had been desperately trying to stay uninvolved. No one wanted any part of this. But not her-she was dragging them all down with her.
If the three of them ended up quarantined in the hospital, it would turn the place into a dead zone. The psychological and physical toll would be enormous. Had she even considered that?
Yunice knew exactly what he was thinking. She said, “You’re the hospital director. Thank you for setting an example and promptly reporting the pathogen. It’s the only reason we were able to keep this outbreak from spreading further.”
Owen stood frozen. To the doctor, Yunice’s words might have sounded like praise, but to Owen, they dripped with sarcasm.
Because it was Yunice who had the presence of mind to act. Owen, the hospital director, had only thought of escape.
As morality clashed with selfishness, Owen said nothing more.
The hazmat-suited doctor entered the room and began spraying disinfectant. A registrar followed, preparing to assign each of them to a quarantine zone based on their level of exposure.
Elsie clung to Owen’s arm, sobbing. “Owen, I don’t want to be locked up in here! I don’t want to die. That guy died in three days! I just got out of the hospital, I’m still recovering, my immune system’s shot. If I’m infected, I won’t survive long enough for them to come up with a treatment…”
“Owen, are we all going to die?”
Owen’s heart was pounding. His eyes flicked to the registrar’s pen. Once this list was complete, Elsie really wouldn’t be able to leave.
He even glanced toward the window. For a moment, he considered smashing it open and helping Elsie escape.
But the thought only lasted a second before he gave up on it.
There was no escape. The building was crawling with people. There was no way out.
And if they tried to flee now and got caught, it would become a criminal case.
Owen pressed a hand to his forehead. He had no choice but to accept it. This time, he’d let Elsie down.
“Is there a Yunice here?” The radio at the doctor’s waist crackled to life.
All three of them looked up.
Why were they asking for Yunice?
Elsie clenched her fists, her eyes darting.
Out of the three of them, she was the most desperate to leave. Any opportunity, no matter how slim, was one she had to seize.
She had tried to contact Paul earlier, hoping he could get her out, but hadn’t reached him.
But Yunice had contacted Wyatt. And Wyatt had power. Maybe he was trying to open a back door for her.
The doctor spoke into the radio briefly, then looked at the two women. “Which one of you is Yunice?”
Yunice opened her mouth to respond, but Elsie suddenly jumped in. “Hello, sir. I’m Yunice. May I ask what this is about?”
Owen looked up at her. He didn’t quite understand why she was doing this, but according to hospital records, Elsie was Yunice.
So technically, it wasn’t wrong for her to stand up.
Yunice, however, shot her a calm glance and said evenly, “I’m Yunice.”
“…” The doctor stared at them, speechless. How could there be two Yunices in the same room?
He turned to the only one in the room with official authority. “You’re the hospital director, right? Which of them is Yunice?”
Owen’s confused gaze bounced between the two women. In a way… they were both Yunice.
So he sidestepped the question. “Why do you need her?”
He wanted to know whether this was good news or bad news.