Casina awoke sometime later to find herself alone in a drab-white hospital room. Thinking the deputies had transported her there to recuperate, she gave no thought to Arian"s whereabouts, assuming he was being cared for in some nearby maternity ward nursery. Only later was she to realize how foolish she had been to trust the men who had helped her, especially in the matter of her child.

When an hour had passed and still no one had come along to check on her, Casina decided to find a nurse herself. Famished, since she hadn"t eaten very well in such a long time, prior to her kidnapping, she was curious as...