She looked back up at the alcove, where Vance was leaning close to Ethan.

“She needs quiet,” Dr. Rao said. “And she needs to know her daughter is safe.”

“Lauren is in the pediatric playroom,” I said. “A nurse is watching her.”

“Keep her there,” Dr. Rao said.

In the alcove, Vance’s voice rose just enough for the sound to carry down the empty hall.

“A secret child, Ethan?” Vance said. “An abandoned woman in a South Side tenement?”

Ethan stepped closer to him, his shoulder muscles tense under his suit jacket.

“This has nothing to do with the company,” Ethan said.

“It has everything to do with the company,” Vance snapped. “We are in the middle of a five-billion-dollar merger with the state pension fund.”

He took a step closer, his finger almost touching Ethan’s chest.

“Do you think the trustees will sign off on a company led by a man who is about to be dragged through the mud in a nasty paternity suit?” Vance asked.

“I am handling it,” Ethan said.

“You aren’t handling anything,” Vance said. “You’re hiding in a hospital hallway while your public relations team is drowning.”