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“Well, then it will be up to you to petition the court for permanent custody if that’s what you choose to do.”
“I can’t believe this is happening.” I rest my forehead against Mark’s chest. Just when I thought I was starting to find my new normal, my sister strikes again. This time in the form of an innocent baby who’s fighting withdrawal symptoms because my sister can’t stay clean. Even for her unborn child.
“Can I see her? The baby?”
“Yes. Right this way.” The nurse turns on her heel, and we follow her out of the waiting room and down the opposite end of the hall. She leads us to a long window that showcases babies with names all done up on pretty cards. I spot my niece right away. Her card says Baby Girl Miller.
“What’s her name?” I ask, peering through the window, trying to get a better look.
“She hasn’t been given a name yet.”
I stare through the glass at the miracle that is my baby niece, and the hatred I have for my sister grows. She’s so tiny, and she’s in what looks like an incubator, whereas the other babies are just in regular beds. “Can I hold her? I mean, are we allowed to do that?”
“You can. You have to be mindful of her IVs and oxygen, but you can hold her. Come with me.” We follow her a few steps to a door that’s locked and clearly states authorized personnel only. “We’ll need to see some identification, to match it with her file to verify you are indeed listed as the next of kin. I’m sorry, it’s procedure.”
“Sure.” I rummage in my purse, pulling out my wallet and handing her my ID.
“Thank you.” She disappears behind the door, leaving us standing in the hall.
“I can’t believe this. She’s so tiny and fighting, and Destiny just what…? Skipped town? Left the hospital? What the hell is wrong with her? How is it that the same people raised us? It’s not normal, Mark.”
“Here you go.” The nurse is back, handing me my ID before Mark can get a word in. “I’m sorry, sir,” she says to Mark. “It’s family only.”
“He’s my fiancé,” I blurt before thinking. I can’t do this alone. I need him there with me.
“Fiancé?” she asks skeptically, eyes darting to my left hand.
“Yes,” I say, my voice strong. Mark moves to stand a little closer, placing his arm around my waist. I fight the urge to sigh that he’s going along with this.
“Okay. I need some ID and will need to enter you into the system.”
“Sure.” He retrieves his wallet from his back pocket and fishes out his ID, handing it to her.
“I’m sorry,” I rush to say as soon as she disappears behind the door. “I just don’t want to go in alone, and you’re here, and I need you, and I’m sorry.”
“Hey.” He cups my face in his large hands. “I’m right here. Whatever you need, it’s yours.” His blue eyes are warm and filled with reassurance. He didn’t even flinch when I told her that he was my fiancé.
The door opens and the nurse peeks her head out. “Come on back.” She motions for us. “We’re going to need you to wash up and slip into these.” She hands us some scrubs to place over our clothes. “She’s prone to infection, so we’re doing everything we can to limit her exposure until her lungs are more developed and she’s stronger.”
Mark and I take turns washing up and slipping into the provided clothes. “Right this way.” She motions for us to follow her through yet another door, and then another. “I’ll go get her. I’ll be right back.”
“I’m nervous. Why am I nervous?” My voice pitches high.
“Because you’re about to hold the best part of your sister in your arms.”
My mouth falls open and then closes. “You continue to amaze me, Marcus Adams.” I don’t know what I did to deserve a man like him, but I’m thankful for him all the same. When I met him, I never would have guessed this is where we would be. Me, madly in love with him and afraid to tell him, and him? Well, I never guessed from our first meeting he would be this loving and supportive guy. I never would have fathomed he would become my rock and the glue that holds me together. I had no way of seeing the fall I was about to take or that he would be the one there with open arms to catch me. Regardless, I’m glad he’s here.
My safety net.
“All right, little lady,” the nurse coos, as she’s pushing the incubator holding my niece into the room. “There are some people here to meet you.” I watch with rapt attention as she opens the lid and lifts her from her bed, holding her tiny body with such care.
“Why is she in this bed?” Mark asks.
“The light. She’s jaundice and needs the light to help even out her bilirubin levels.” He nods like he understands and we both go back to watching intently.
“She’s going to be okay?” My voice catches with emotion.
“She’s a fighter this little one,” she says, not really answering my question. “Go ahead and have a seat,” she tells me.
I do as I’m told, and she places the sweet baby girl in my arms. “Hi,” I whisper. Hot tears prick the back of my eyes. Emotions threaten to overwhelm me. My parents are missing this, their first grandbaby. My sister, this little angel’s mother, has disappeared. She’s hours old, and already all alone in this hospital.
“You’re a natural.” Mark’s deep timbre surprises me.
“Yeah?” I ask, never taking my eyes from the baby.
“Yeah,” he says, crouching down next to me to get a better look. “She’s beautiful.”
“I can’t believe she left her here,” I speak my earlier thoughts.
“We don’t know that,” he tries to reason.
I get what he’s doing trying to stay optimistic, but I’ve dealt with my sister and her disappearing for too many years. I feel it in my gut. She ran.
“Unfortunately, we do know,” the nurse interrupts. “As of about fifteen minutes ago, security footage shows her leaving out a side entrance. They told me while I was entering your information into the computer.”
“I’m so sorry,” I whisper to my niece. “Who will name her?” I ask the nurse, without taking my eyes of the little bundle in my arms.
“She’ll be Baby Girl Miller. I’m not privy to all the legal that needs to happen. I know that whoever takes this little one home, whether it be social services or family, will name her. If she’s placed for adoption, her new family has the right to change that name.”
I look up at Mark, who’s watching me intently. I feel tears burn my eyes thinking about this baby girl going to an unknown family. She’s my family, all I have left. “I want her,” I say, never taking my eyes off Mark. He doesn’t even flinch at my confession.
“Okay,” the nurse says. “We’ll get someone from social services to talk to you and start the process.”
I nod and turn my attention back to the tiny human in my arms, who is fighting for her life, all on her own. There’s been no one here to love on her and tell her she’s a fighter.
Until now.
That person is me.
I lose track of time as I hold her, slowly rocking her in my arms. She fusses and jerks, which the nurse tells me is the drugs in her system. I thought I hated my sister after her confession the night my parents died. I thought that was her lowest low, but this is…. I’ll never be able to forgive her for this. The nurse said she was addicted to pills, but not out of her mind that she didn’t k
now what she was doing to her unborn baby. She simply stated she needed them. As far as I’m concerned, she has no right to this beautiful baby girl. I’ll fight her with everything I have to keep this little one safe. My sister has burned her final bridge with me. I thought maybe she had cleaned up and I could learn to forgive her. That’s what Mom and Dad would have wanted me to do, but this… there is no coming back from this.
Sure, I could say that there is a semblance of redemption. She had enough care to call me, and bring me here. She knew I would take her baby. She knew that I would care for her. That’s what my parents and I have always done. Fixed her screwups. Although, it’s impossible for me to think of that baby alone without a mother to comfort her as a screwup. She’s innocent in all this. My sister though, she’s a screwup. Letting the drugs rule her life, choosing her next fix over her own flesh, her newborn baby. I’ll be there for this baby; she’s my family. My sister, however, I’m finished. She has to want to get clean, to mean it to make it happen. Until then, I want nothing to do with her.
She’s dead to me.
Chapter Fourteen
Mark
I’m out of my element here. For the second time in the last year, the woman I love is faced with the unimaginable, and I don’t know what to do to help her. We’ve just finished talking to the social worker who explained all the red tape that goes along with the process of Dawn obtaining guardianship of the baby. Luckily, being the only living relative, and with no father listed, there won’t be anyone to contest. At least not that we’re aware of. Even if Destiny shows up, she won’t get her baby. Not until the court runs her through counseling, rehab, and a host of other hoops she’ll have to jump through.
“I can’t believe this is happening,” Dawn says, slumping down in the waiting room chair. “I guess I need to find an attorney.”
“Maybe call Ridge and Kendall. I know they had a good attorney who helped them with the adoption.”
“Good idea.” She pulls her phone from her purse and dials her best friend. Kendall answers and she begins telling her what’s going on.
