The doctor shook Jackson’s hand, and he and the nurse left the room. Jackson was stunned. He had lost the last of his family, but gained a niece all in a span of a few minutes. A baby! Oh crap. Everything the doctor said began to sink in. What did he mean Jackson would be able to take the baby home in a few days? Where was the baby’s father? Jackson dried his face and looked up at his friends. Greg and Steve looked just as stunned as he did. They both knew his fears of having no family left, and Greg knew what he was going through since he had lost both of his parents at a young age and was an only child. Steve was the only one with family still left. He still had his mom, and she treated all of them like they were her sons, but it wasn’t the same.
“Are you going to be all right?” Greg asked. He still had his hand on Jackson’s shoulder.
“I think so. I don’t understand how I can all of a sudden miss her so bad when I haven’t seen her in so long. I didn’t expect it to hurt this much.” Jackson quickly changed the subject when more tears threatened. “I don’t understand what is going on though. What did the doctor mean that the baby could go home with me? Where is the baby’s father? Shouldn’t he be here instead?” Jackson fired off question after question, trying to hold his emotions back.
“Hey, man, we’re just as confused as you are. Let’s go find the nurse and ask her, and then she can show you where your niece is,” Greg said as he headed for the door. “I’m sure she’s scared right now, and she needs her family with her.”
In that moment, Jackson was truly grateful he had Steve and Greg with him. He didn’t think he would have been able to get through this without them. He followed Greg back to the nurses’ station where Nurse Wilson was sitting.
“I was wondering when you would be back up here, Mr. Burrows. I figured when you got over your shock you would have a few questions,” she said with a small smile. “I don’t have any answers for you, but your sister did leave this for you. She told me to give it to you if something happened to her.”
Jackson took the envelope the nurse held out and thanked her. He walked over to a chair and sat. He turned the envelope over and over in his hands, too scared to open it. What would it say? This would be that last thing his sister ever said to him. Would it supply him with answers or leave him with more questions? His hands shook as he flipped the letter over and started to open it.
* * * *
Gregory Ballantyne watched as Jackson got the letter from the nurse and took a seat. He could tell that his best friend was still in shock and not thinking clearly. Hell, Greg was still in shock himself. The whole situation was crazy. Jackson was still caught up in the fact that he’d just lost his sister, but Greg was thinking about what the doctor said. There was a baby included in this mess, and she was lying somewhere all alone. All Greg kept thinking about was that the baby was probably scared. Most babies came into the world and went straight into one of their parents’ arms. They were probably able to recognize their parents’ voices from hearing them for nine months and know they were safe. This baby didn’t have that. Was anybody holding or comforting her?
“Excuse me, ma’am, my friend is a little bit in shock right now so he may need a minute,” he stated to the nurse at the desk. “I know that you are probably not supposed to give me any information, but can you tell us where the baby is?”
“Sure, honey. She’s upstairs in the nursery. They have her in an incubator right now while they monitor her so don’t be shocked by what you see. It always looks worse than it is. Just take Mr. Burrows on up, and I will call and let them know he is on the way. He will have to show his ID, but after that, he will have access to the baby with no problem.”
Greg nodded and walked over to Jackson. The man was staring at the letter he’d been given with a dazed look on his face. He had tears streaming down his face, and Greg hated to see him like that. Steve was trying to comfort Jackson as best he could, but from what Greg could tell, the man was way out of his element. Steve was not a people person. He was more comfortable in front of his computer screen creating his programs. The closer Greg got, the clearer the helpless look on Steve’s face became.
Greg knelt beside Jackson. “Hey, buddy, I know this is hard, but there is a little baby upstairs that needs you right now. Let’s focus on her for the moment, and we will worry about the rest later.” He didn’t give Jackson a chance to answer. He just grabbed his arm and pulled him out of the chair.
Jackson followed him to the elevators, and Greg could tell that he was on autopilot at the moment. It was hard seeing his easy-going friend like this. Jackson was usually the outgoing one of the three of them. If it weren’t for him, Greg and Steve would have no social life at all. Between Steve’s job as a computer programmer and his as a video game beta tester, they weren’t the best at going out and meeting new people. Jackson took it upon himself to make sure they got out of the house at least once a week. Seeing him looking so lost made Greg’s heart ache for his best friend. He knew that Jackson was going to need a lot of help to get through this situation, and he had every intention of being there. Jackson wouldn’t hesitate to do the same for him.
If Greg were being honest with himself, he would admit he was kind of excited. His heart went out to Jackson’s sister, but he couldn’t wait to see the baby. She was Jackson’s niece, and he knew the man would not turn away his last living relative, so it looked like they were going to be gaining a new roommate. Greg loved babies, and he couldn’t wait to spoil this one.
When they arrived at the nursery, Greg led them over to the nurses’ desk. “Hi, this is Jackson Burrows,” he said, pointing at his friend. “We came to see Sarah Burrows’s baby.”
The nurse gave Jackson a look of sympathy and nodded. “I’m sorry for your loss Mr. Burrows. Nurse Wilson already let me know you are on the way so, if you could just show me your ID, then you can go right in to see the baby.”
Greg watched as Jackson handed over his ID, and the nurse checked it over. She handed it back and then placed a wristband on Jackson’s arm.
“What’s that for?” Greg asked when it was clear that Jackson wasn’t going to. His friend didn’t have a clear head at the moment, so Greg took it upon himself to ask questions and get as much information as possible.
“This is an ID bracelet, and it is identical to the baby’s. Every time we remove the baby from the nursery, we have to make sure the bracelets match. It is to prevent the babies being mixed up or stolen. They can only leave the hospital with the person wearing the matching bracelet. Normally the mother would wear it, but in this situation, Mr. Burrows has to wear the bracelet since his sister named him guardian.” The nurse motioned for them to follow.
Greg felt that Jackson didn’t need another shock and wanted him to be prepared for what he saw, so he asked the nurse, “Is the baby okay? I mean there is nothing wrong with her, right?” Not that it would make a difference if anything was. Greg just wanted to know what to expect.
“Oh, yes, she is a healthy baby,” the nurse said, looking over at Jackson. “You were lucky, Mr. Burrows. Many premature babies suffer from many health problems, but your baby is strong. She may be small, but she is a fighter.”
Greg felt the tension leave his shoulders. He was still worried about his friend, but the most important thing was that the baby was okay. Between the three of them, they could handle anything thrown at them, and at this moment, it seemed like fate was throwing everything she had. The nurse made them wash their hands and put on gowns. She then led them to a small private room located at the back of the nursery. Greg could feel the tension creeping back up into his shoulders as he watched the nurse go over and wheel a large plastic square toward them. The thing looked like something from another world with all the wires and tubes coming from it. She opened the case and lifted a tiny white bundle out. When she turned toward them, Jackson seemed to snap out of the trance he had been in and immediately held out his arms. Greg held his breath until the baby was safely handed over to his friend and the nur
se backed away.
“What’s her name?” Greg whispered to the nurse. He watched Jackson slowly walk over to the rocking chair in the corner and sit. His friend had a look of awe on his face, but he also looked terrified and out of his element.
“I’m sorry, Mr….” the nurse said pausing.
“Greg. Just Greg.”
“Okay, I’m sorry, Greg, but she doesn’t have a name yet. Her mother never made it long enough to even see her. We have been calling her Baby Burrows, and that’s what’s on her wristband.” She nodded toward Jackson. “Once all the shock of the situation wears off, Mr. Burrows will have to name her.”
Greg just nodded. What else was there to say? The whole situation was messed up.
“It looks like the baby is in good hands between the three of you. I will leave you and let you get to know her.” With that the nurse left the three of them alone in the room with a tiny baby that none of them had a clue how to take care of.
Greg moved closer and got his first look at the baby. She was a tiny pink bald thing. Greg couldn’t help thinking she looked like she belonged in the alien tube she had just come out of. She was absolutely adorable. When she opened those eyes and looked straight up at them, he knew she would have all three of them wrapped around her tiny little finger in no time at all.
“Did the nurse tell you her name?” Steve asked.
“She doesn’t have one yet,” Greg said as he gave his friend a look that said drop it. He didn’t think Jackson needed a reminder so soon that his sister hadn’t lived long enough to see her own baby, let alone name her.
“Her name is Addison. When I was little, my mom told me my sister had this doll that she’d begged for one Christmas. My dad had to stand in line for hours just to be able to get it. My mom said my sister named the doll Addison, and she never went anywhere without it. She was devastated when she left it in a hotel room when they were on vacation. Addison Sarah. It seems fitting, don’t you think?”
“Yeah, it’s a perfect name for a perfect baby,” Steve answered.
Jackson nodded as if that settled the matter and went back to staring at the baby. She seemed just as fascinated with him because she hadn’t stopped gazing at him the whole time he talked.
They were quiet until Addison’s eyes finally drifted closed. Greg knew that their lives had drastically changed in the last few hours, and they needed to make a plan. Now that the baby was asleep, he could see the wheels turning in Jackson’s head, and he didn’t want him dwelling on the loss of his sister. He needed to keep Jackson’s mind occupied.
“Okay,” Greg whispered. “We need to figure out what we need to do to prepare for Addison coming home with us.”
Chapter 2
Nadia Cassidy sighed when she made it inside her apartment without being harassed by her landlord. She had successfully avoided him for the past week, but she knew her luck was running out.
Why did her boss have to be the world’s sickest pervert? Nadia had thought she had the perfect job. Yeah, she was a secretary, but she loved the job. It gave her the freedom to be away from her controlling parents. She could handle a lot of things in life and had in the two years she worked for her boss, but she couldn’t handle it when he decided to add certain things to her job description.
Nadia knew it was time to leave her job when she had to tell her boss, “No. Mr. Johnson, but I don’t think me saving time on my lunch break to give you a blowjob would be very appropriate.”
Nadia snorted. Mr. Johnson and blowjob were words that didn’t even belong in the same sentence. She threw up a little in her mouth just thinking about it. Mr. Johnson was large man with a sweating condition. She didn’t think there’d been a time that she hadn’t seen him sweat. Needless to say, Nadia lost her job that day. She wanted to report the creep for sexual harassment, but she just walked away. The last thing she needed was for her parents to find out what had happened. She could just hear the “I told you so” coming from her dad. He already felt that she was a stain on the Cassidy name, and she didn’t want to add more fuel to the fire by making her situation public.
Nadia needed a job, and she needed one fast. She was already late on rent, and if she didn’t get money in the next few days, she would be out on the street. Wouldn’t it suck for the only child of the multimillion-dollar Cassidys to be homeless? There was no way she would go crawling back home though. She couldn’t be a robot like her mother. Eleanor Cassidy was the perfect wife from her perfectly styled hair to the pearls, from the pastel skirt suits to her Botoxed smile.
Nadia suppressed a shudder and turned on her computer. She logged onto a help wanted site and started searching listings. Just as she was about to give up, she came across an ad for a live-in nanny. Could she do it? Not seeing any other potential jobs, she gave in and replied to the post. She could at least see what the job was about and go from there. The worse that could happen would be that she’d be stuck in the same situation she was in now. If the job worked out, then she would be able to get out of this ratty apartment and maybe save some money to get something better. How hard could it be to take care of a kid?
“Famous last words.” Nadia snickered to herself as she went to the kitchen to make lunch. Her choices were slim since she was almost broke, but she had vanilla ice cream, caramel sauce, and coffee. Frozen caramel cappuccinos were her weakness. As long as she had that, she wasn’t as bad off as it seemed. She knew she was living in denial at the moment, but she didn’t care. Anything was better than being back at the mansion with her parents.
The phone ringing broke Nadia out of her thoughts. She answered without even looking at the caller ID
“Hi, I’m looking for Nadia Cassidy,” the deep sexy voice said on the other end of the phone.
Nadia swallowed the ice cream she had in her mouth and removed the spoon. She took the phone from her ear and looked at the screen. The phone said unknown caller, and bill collector automatically popped into Nadia’s head. She smiled. She bet the man was good at his job because she would definitely give him all her money to keep him talking.
“Yes, this is Nadia speaking.”
“Hi, Ms. Cassidy, this is Steve Dalaney speaking. I placed the ad for a live-in nanny that you recently answered.”
Recently? More like two minutes ago, she thought. Red flags went off in Nadia’s head. How desperate was this guy that he was sitting by the computer waiting for someone to answer his ad? Was this guy for real or was he some pervert waiting to lure innocent girls to his home with fake kids so he could do sick things with them?
“Ms. Cassidy, are you there?” the guy asked, snapping her out of her thoughts.
“Yes, I’m here,” she said, clearing her throat. “Yes, I just answered the ad, and I gotta tell you, it freaks me out a little that you called so fast. I just left a job where my boss thought sexual favors were included in my job description. How do I know this job is for real?”
Steve laughed, and Nadia swore she felt his deep voice rumble through her chest. “I can assure you, Ms. Cassidy, Addison is most certainly real. She was just a surprise that my roommates and I weren’t prepared for. We know when we need help, and right now, we definitely do. None of us has ever taken care of a baby, so we are looking for a little assistance.”
Nadia wanted to laugh. She was the last person they should be asking for help, but she was desperate. She could do research on the Internet. They had everything else on there. Surely they had a few videos or articles on how to take care of a baby.
“I tell you what, Mr. Delaney. Maybe we can arrange a meeting in public, and you and your roommates can all come with the baby. If things go well, we can talk about the job.” Now didn’t that sound all grown up and professional of her? Nadia was proud of herself for coming up with such a responsible plan.
“That sounds great,” Steve said.
They made plans to meet at noon at a small park close to the guy’s house. Nadia looked at the clock and saw that she had about an hour to get changed. She wa
s still wearing her “job hunting” pants suit that had been a complete waste of time. Who knew most companies required you to apply online these days? If she had known, she would have never gotten out of her pajamas.
She placed the ice cream back in the freezer and poured her frozen cappuccino in a travel mug. There was no need to waste that. Once she was dressed in jeans and a T-shirt and checked to make sure the coast was clear, she left the house to meet the people who would hopefully be her new employers.
* * * *
Steve hung up the phone and smiled. There was something he liked a whole lot about Nadia, but he couldn’t put his finger on it. He liked the way she’d been open and honest on the phone. She said exactly what she was thinking, and that was rare. Of course it helped that her background check came back clean. Steve was considered a computer genius by everyone he knew, and with a few simple keystrokes, he had all the information he needed on Nadia Cassidy. She was an honest person who’d paid all of her bills on time until recently. The only stain on her record that he could see was the fact that she was recently fired from a job that she held for two years. Steve wondered what caused her to be terminated, so he ran another check on her employer. The information he found made him wonder how Nadia had lasted so long. To put it simply, the guy was a sleaze. It didn’t take much to imagine what had happened to cause Nadia to lose her job.
Steve snapped out of his thoughts when he heard the baby crying. He was on baby duty for the day while Greg and Jackson ran errands. They’d been able to bring Addison home a week before, and things hadn’t been going well. They all loved the baby, but neither he nor his friends knew what they were doing. Steve wished they had set up cameras to capture the first week they were home because they would have made a lot of money on the footage. It had been hilarious watching Jackson change a dirty diaper for the first time. Not so much when it was his turn and he gagged a few times when he got poop on his hand. At that point, they all made the decision they definitely needed help.
Midnight Call (Siren Publishing Ménage Amour) Page 2
