Relief and worry battled inside Becky as she headed toward the primary care wing. Relief that the crisis was limited to a single child, but concern about the details of that baby’s situation. Parker Green leaned against the high counter of the nurse’s station as she entered, holding a phone to his ear. He gave her a swift nod and crooked a finger, beckoning her forward.
“Tell me about the baby,” she said when he put down the phone, her eyes darting to the exam room with the closed door.
“He’s stable.” Parker massaged a hand along the back of his neck. “Vitals are good and no signs of neglect.”
“How old?” She was already moving past him. “What’s the story?”
“Becky, wait.” He placed a gentle hand on her shoulder. “It’s the little guy from the ribbon cutting.”
She blinked, trying to follow his words. There had been no patients at the opening ceremony except...
“The woman in labor,” she said, absently rubbing her arms. “Laurel?”
The young doctor nodded, lines of tension bracketing his mouth. “She left a note tucked into the blanket she’d wrapped the baby in. She said he’s better off here for a while and she’ll be back as soon as she can.”
“Where is she now?” Becky’s heart broke for a mother who felt so desperate to relinquish her baby. Thanks to Callum watching the twins, Becky had been the one to stay with Laurel. The woman had been a heartbreaking mix of strength and fragility. She’d seemed terrified about becoming a mother but determined to take care of her baby.
Becky had empathized with her plight on so many levels. It was exactly how she’d felt the moment her water broke with Luna and Sasha. As much as she’d tried to prepare during her pregnancy, panic had fluttered through her chest like a bird caught without shelter in a rainstorm. She hadn’t known how she would handle the reality of motherhood, but she had managed due to a deep sense of devotion to her babies.
She didn’t for one instant doubt Laurel’s love, but Becky also understood that there were so many factors that went into successful parenting. If Laurel was experiencing some form of postpartum depression and had no support system, it could force her into an act of desperation.
Like giving up her child.
“The authorities are reaching out to the hospital where she delivered the baby,” Parker said, as if reading her mind. “The law provides for anonymity, but they want to make sure she’s not a danger to herself. Shannon said Laurel seemed to be coherent, but the note mentions the history of the Fortune’s Foundling Hospital. It’s as if she believes she was leaving the baby at a modern-day orphanage.”
A sick feeling spread through Becky’s stomach, but she forced herself to focus on what she could do to help. “Can I see the baby?”
“Of course,” Parker answered immediately. His phone rang at the same moment. “I’ve got to take this. I’m trying to coordinate a plan with the Department of Human Services.”
Foster care. Becky drew in a sharp breath at the thought of the tiny infant going to a stranger. Then she reminded herself there were amazing families involved in the foster care system in Texas. If Laurel felt she needed to relinquish her baby, she must have had a good reason, and the welfare of the child was critical at this stage.
She pushed open the exam room door, surprised to find the space empty other than a portable bassinet situated at one end. Her rational side understood. The child’s arrival on a low-staffed Sunday afternoon had thrown the pediatric center into crisis mode.
But the mother in her roared in silent disapproval. This baby had been abandoned. He needed someone with him. On instinct, she dimmed the lights, knowing that a baby born only a few weeks ago needed the calmest environment she could provide.
A soft coo from the bassinet had her hurrying forward. She paused long enough to wash her hands in the exam room’s small utility sink. One of the other nurses had swaddled him in a hospital blanket and placed a tiny blue cap on his head. He looked like a squirming burrito.
“Hello, big guy,” Becky said gently, reaching out to stroke a finger across the boy’s cheek.
He immediately turned toward the touch, his rooting reflex kicking in, and she realized he was hungry.
The door to the exam room opened, and Sharla entered, holding a bottle. “Poor little dude.” She frowned. “He doesn’t have any idea what’s going on.”
“I’ll feed him,” Becky offered immediately. “There has to be some explanation. I talked to the mom during her labor. She seemed overwhelmed, but it was clear she loved her baby even then.”
“Who knows,” the other woman murmured, handing the bottle to Becky. “My hormones got all out of whack after Thomas was born. It took months of me crying on the bathroom floor before my husband insisted I talk to the doctor. She helped me, but this munchkin’s mom was totally alone. Maybe she didn’t have anyone to tell her she’d be okay.”
“I wish I would have been here when she came in today.” Becky lifted the baby into her arms, then took a seat on the bench meant for family members waiting with a young patient. “Maybe I could have helped. Did the note give any details about his care?”
Sharla shook her head. “We don’t even know if he was breast-or bottle-fed. All we can do now is try to keep him healthy and hope they track down the mom or find an amazing foster care placement for him.”
The baby sucked greedily from the bottle, his tiny fingers grasped on to the front of Becky’s scrub shirt. “Does he have a name?” she whispered, tears pricking the back of her eyes at his vulnerability and resilience.
“There wasn’t anything in the note about a name.” Sharla sighed. “We know Laurel is the mom, so he started out as Baby L. I’m calling him Linus on account of the blue blanket he was wrapped in when he got there.”
Becky fingered the soft white fabric that swaddled him now. “Where is that blanket?”
“We got him a fresh one. Figured the blue one might be in need of a good washing.”
“Don’t do that. It probably smells familiar.”
“Do you think she’ll come back?” Sharla asked softly. “His mama?”
“I hope so, but more than anything I hope she’s okay.” Becky maneuvered baby Linus onto her shoulder and gently patted his back until he let out a robust burp. “He’s eating like a champ.”
The door to the room opened again, and Callum peeked in. “Parker filled me in on the situation,” he said gravely.
“You can keep the two of them company,” Sharla told him, moving toward the door. “I need to check on another patient.”
Callum washed his hands without being asked, then came to sit next to Becky.
“Can you take him for a minute?” she asked. Now that it was just her and Parker, she was having trouble holding back tears.
“Sure.” Parker easily transferred the baby to his arms, then took the half-full bottle and offered it to Linus.
“I don’t understand how this happened,” Becky whispered, wiping at her eyes. “I know Laurel loves him.”
Parker’s mouth thinned. “She obviously felt like she couldn’t care for him the way he needed.”
“She should have asked for help.”
“That’s not easy for some people,” Callum reminded her.
Becky knew that all too well. Sometimes it felt like she’d muscled through those first few months of mothering twins on willpower alone. Like Sharla, she’d cried almost every day from sheer exhaustion, but hadn’t wanted to admit to anyone how she was struggling for fear they’d judge her or deem her unfit to care for her girls. Looking back, she understood all three of them would have been better off if she’d asked for help.
Even now, she struggled to reach out even though the friends she had in the Rambling Rose community seemed happy to rally around her.
“What’s going to happen to him?” Callum asked as the baby finished the bottle. Becky
was amazed at how naturally he handled the infant. He’d told her how much responsibility he’d taken on with his younger sisters. Obviously, those skills were deeply ingrained in him. He didn’t miss a beat with burping Linus, even thinking to pull a towel off the counter to flip over his shoulder.
Becky glanced down at her own shoulder and cringed at the wet spot of spit-up. She’d never been great at remembering a burp cloth. “Do you mind sitting with him for a few minutes while I get an update from Dr. Green?” She used the edge of her sleeve to dab at the corner of one eye. “I’d also like to take a look at the note Laurel left. I’m hoping something helps me make sense of this whole thing.”
She took a step toward the door without waiting for an answer, shock making her feel fragile.
“Becky.” At the sound of her name in his deep voice, she stilled.
He came up behind her and pressed a kiss to the top of her head. “It’s not your fault.”
How did he know what she was thinking?
Drawing in a steadying breath, she turned and glanced down at Linus in Callum’s strong arms. The baby had fallen back asleep, lulled by a full stomach and the feeling of security he no doubt had being held by Callum.
“What if I had done more?” she asked, realizing she sounded as miserable as she felt. “I could have offered to go along with her in the ambulance...”
“You had the twins with you that day,” Callum pointed out gently. “I have mad babysitting skills and an insanely trustworthy face, but I doubt you would have just left them with me indefinitely.”
“Mad skills,” she repeated with a soft laugh. “In so many areas.”
When he wrapped his free arm around her, she rested her head against his chest, the steady beat of his heart calming her slightly.
“I could have followed up with her,” she said against his shirtfront. “I’ve thought about her so many times since that day. I saw a lot of myself in Laurel and her situation. What if I’d intervened and given her the support she needed to not give up on herself?”
“You still could,” he told her. “There’s no telling what will happen next. Hopefully, they find her quickly and get her the help she obviously needs. If that happens, Laurel and Linus will benefit from any support we can give them. Until then, this little guy is most important.”
“You’re smart, ridiculously handsome and have mad skills as a baby whisperer. Remind me again why you haven’t been scooped up by some lucky lady?”
She meant the question as a joke to lighten the mood but knew she’d miscalculated when his body went rigid.
“I’m a bad bet in the commitment department,” he said without emotion, taking a step away from her, his gaze shuttered.
She wanted to argue. To tell him that he just needed to believe in himself and to find a woman willing to take a chance on love with him. She could be that woman if he’d let her.
But Callum was right. Linus had to be the priority at the moment, the way Luna and Sasha were always first in Becky’s heart and mind. If Laurel couldn’t give her baby what he needed, Becky would make sure the community stepped in to help until the situation could be resolved.
“I think you’re the perfect bet,” she murmured, then quickly left the room, not wanting to gauge his response to her comment.
Dr. Green—or Parker, as he’d told her on multiple occasions to call him—was still at the nurses’ station. He ended another call as she approached.
“How is he?”
“He just took down two ounces like a champ.” She gave what she hoped was a reassuring smile. “We’re going to take care of him.”
“That boy will need our care.” Parker spoke absently, almost more to himself than her. “It could be a rough road for such an innocent baby.”
Becky couldn’t allow herself to consider that possibility. She needed to stay focused on resolving the situation. “Any leads on tracking down Laurel?”
Parker’s jaw tightened. “She relinquished the baby,” he said quietly.
“Temporarily,” Becky clarified. “Her note specified that. It’s what she told Shannon, as well. She needed a temporary reprieve.”
“I understand. But the point of the law is to offer a safe option for the baby that also protects the parent who can’t care for him.”
“Temporarily,” Becky repeated, enunciating each syllable. “You were here when she came in the first time, Parker. You know as well as I do that she loves her baby. I don’t know what Laurel is going through at the moment, but she needs our help and support as much as Linus does.”
“Unless the hospital in San Antonio doesn’t believe she’s a threat to herself, the authorities won’t aid in the search for her,” he explained, his voice tight. “That isn’t how it works when someone voluntarily gives up a child.”
“She left him at what she believed was a decades-old orphanage.” Becky threw up her hands. “She’s confused and she could even be suffering from postpartum depression. We can’t just abandon her.”
Parker drew in a deep breath, closing his eyes for a moment as if he were deep in concentration. He returned his strained gaze to hers. “We’re on the same side, Becky. I want to find and help Laurel and reunite her with Linus if that’s what’s best for the child.”
She opened her mouth to argue that of course being with the mother was best, but she’d worked in pediatrics long enough to know that wasn’t always the case. Still, nothing could shake her belief that Laurel would be a good mother if given the chance and the support she needed.
“Where does that leave us?” She pressed a trembling hand to her chest and forced herself to ask the question that had been burning a hole in her gut for the past few minutes. “What happens to Linus now?”
“I’ve talked to a half-dozen people from social services already.” Parker looked past her toward the exam room where she’d left the baby with Callum. “He’ll need to be placed with a foster family, and we’ll make sure it’s someone who will give him the right kind of care.” He thumped a hand on the top of the counter, clearly frustrated at not being able to come up with an easy fix for the situation. “Let’s go take another look at Baby L.”
“We’re calling him Linus.” Becky fell in step with him. “Callum is with him now.”
Parker gave her a funny look. “I wouldn’t have expected Callum Fortune to be so comfortable with a baby.”
“He took care of his triplet sisters when he was younger.” Becky couldn’t help the pride that swelled in her tone. “He’s really great with kids.”
She opened the exam room door to find Callum just finishing up a diaper change for the baby.
“He does diaper duty, too,” Parker murmured behind her, chuckling softly. “This one might be a keeper, Beck.”
Tension gathered between her shoulder blades at the way Parker’s teasing words made her heart leap. She should know better than to allow herself to daydream about the future, but with Callum she couldn’t help it. In the weeks and months after her husband’s death, Becky had resigned herself to a life with Luna and Sasha as her only focus. She had to be both mom and dad for them, and she’d become accustomed to the loneliness that sometimes found her in the rare quiet moments.
Callum filled that void, but she had to keep reminding herself their relationship was only temporary. He knew how to make her feel special and was a natural with her girls, but when his work in Rambling Rose was finished, he’d move on. If she wasn’t careful, he’d take her heart with him when he left.
“All systems are a go for this little trouper,” Callum reported, cradling Linus in his arms once again. “What’s the plan?”
Parker shook his head. “Social services can’t arrange a foster placement until tomorrow morning, so I think he’s going to be a guest of the pediatric center tonight.”
“I could take him home,” Callum said.
Becky felt her
mouth drop open, shocked at his willingness to step in. By the way color tinged his cheeks, she had a feeling he was just as surprised at his offer.
“I know I’m probably not the first choice to be responsible for a baby,” he clarified, his tone almost self-deprecating in its casualness. “But we might as well take advantage of all that training I had with my younger siblings.”
“Callum would take good care of him,” she told Parker, hoping Callum knew how much his actions meant to her. Linus was a precious boy but not a child with whom Callum had a personal connection. It was just the kind of man he was to take on a virtual stranger’s baby because it was the right thing to do.
“I’m sure you’re right,” Parker said, giving Callum a tight smile. “Unfortunately, that’s flaunting protocol a bit too flagrantly, even for a small-town medical center.” He stepped closer to peer down at the sleeping baby. “It’s not ideal, but baby Linus will be spending the night with us. I’ll make sure the nurses on duty take good care of him.”
“Then I’ll stay.” Callum’s hold on the baby tightened ever so slightly. “If it’s okay with you? That way we’ll know someone is with him at all times.”
Parker appeared marginally affronted by that. “You can stay if you’d like, but rest assured my staff does an exemplary job of caring for our patients.”
“I have full confidence in your staff,” Callum said, his gaze darting to Becky. “I’ll still stay.”
“Your choice.” The men shared a silent look that Becky couldn’t interpret but somehow eased the tension crackling between them. It was as if they’d come to an understanding, and Becky felt her heart go soft at the sight of these two strong men bonding over the care of an abandoned infant.
“I’ll have our largest room made up with a bed for you,” Parker said before leaving them alone again. “Thanks, Callum. We all appreciate it.”
As the door shut behind the doctor, Becky checked her watch, then let out a frustrated sigh. “I have a short shift today because the day care center closes early on Sunday.” She offered a wan smile. “I’d rather not bring the girls to see him since he seems to have settled in so peacefully. The last thing this baby needs is more unfamiliar stimulation at this point.”
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