Page 27 of Return to the Waratah Inn

“Oh, of course. I understand.” Kate looked so forlorn, Reeda couldn’t stand it.

“But I tell you what. If you give me a nappy bag full of supplies, I’ll take the baby with me and let you have a few hours alone. I bet I can fit that pram in the back of my Audi.”

Kate’s eyes brightened. “Really? Are you sure? No, I couldn’t. You might get frustrated or…”

“It’ll be good for me. I’m about to foster children. I need the practice. And he’s a tiny little baby. Whatever happens, I’ll figure it out. Right?”

“Right. Of course you’ll manage. Only, I feel bad.”

“Don’t feel bad. Now that I’ve had the idea, I’m excited about it. I’ll get to spend some quality auntie time with my favourite nephew.”

Kate grinned. “Okay, you’re on. I’ll have you packed and ready to go in thirty seconds.”

Reeda watched as Kate rushed about, heating milk and shoving things into a blue shoulder bag.

“I’ll put the bottle into this little sleeve thingy to keep it warm. He doesn’t usually drink from a bottle, but I’ve managed to get him to cooperate a few times in the hopes that Alex might take him. He’s been helping more lately, though. So, that’s good.”

Sometimes, Reeda wanted to slap Alex, but resisted the urge to say so. “I’m glad Alex is stepping up to help raise his child.”

Kate shook her head. “It’s not like that…”

Reeda raised both hands. “Nevermind, we don’t have to discuss it. Noah and I will be perfectly fine. Won’t we, little mate?”

She cradled Noah in her arms, and he stared up at her with his dark blue eyes unblinking. He really did have the cutest little button nose.

“I’m going to put his seat in your car,” Kate said as she handed the shoulder bag to Reeda.

“No need,” Reeda replied. “I went and bought myself one. I thought I’d probably be driving him around at some stage.”

Kate’s eyes filled with tears, and she blinked them away. Then she threw herself against Reeda and hugged her tight. “You’re the best sister a girl could have.”

“It’s no big deal. I might never have my own children, so I’m going to treat yours like they’re mine. Okay?”

Kate wiped her eyes with the back of her hand. “I’m fine with that.”

“Now, get some sleep and maybe eat something. Noah and I are going to be good. Better than good—we’ll be great.”

The confidence Reeda expressed to Kate was more than she felt. In truth, she was anxious about how well Noah would do without his mother. Reeda didn’t know how to operate the car seat, the pram, how to bottle feed or change a nappy. But she wasn’t about to tell Kate any of that. She’d simply figure it out.

She managed to get Noah strapped into the car. He seemed happy enough—at least he was quiet as she drove. She chattered away to him the entire car ride and he didn’t cry, which she took as a sign that he was content.

When she arrived at the Community Services Centre in South Tweed, she pulled into the parking lot, left it running with the air-conditioning on, and climbed out of the car. The boot of her Audi wasn’t very big, but she’d managed to wrangle the pram into it. She studied it for a moment, wondering where to hold it without pinching her fingers, then pulled it out and set it on the bitumen.

How did this work? Was there a button or lever somewhere? She tugged on the handle, but the pram remained stubbornly folded. Hmmm… she turned it around and tried again. Still, no luck. She tried pushing, prodding and poking every single piece of the pram. Her finger was jammed between levers at one point, and she yelped in pain. Then, sucking that finger, she tried using her other hand and managed to find a red button that moved with a bit of pressure. Using both hands now, she pressed that button again and pulled on the handle at the same time. The pram popped up into position.

Proud of herself, Reeda kept pushing until she heard the pop of something locking into place. That must be it. She gave a quick nod, then went to fetch Noah from the car. Getting him into the pram was another struggle, but finally she had him lying on his back looking up at her, with straps fastened around his shoulders.

“Okay, little mate. Let’s go.” Then she realised she hadn’t switched off the car. She hurried to do that and to pick up the nappy bag, but when she turned around, she saw that the pram was rolling downhill towards the office building.

She ran after it, her heart pounding in terror against her ribcage, caught the pram and pulled it to a stop. With a quick glance around, she realised no one had seen her mistake, and there were no moving vehicles nearby. She inhaled a gasp and released it slowly.

Calm down.

She spoke the words to herself beneath her breath. If she didn’t pull herself together, someone was going to get hurt. She should think before she acted, and stop behaving like it was her first day as an adult.

With the remote, she locked the car, then pushed the pram up the built-in ramp to the office. She took a number at the reception counter and sat in the waiting room. A television set hung on the wall nearby with the news playing. Reeda studied Noah’s face—was he hungry? She should’ve asked Kate when he would need his next feed. But she supposed he’d let her know. He seemed perfectly content, although not sleepy yet. Just as the thought crossed her mind, his face crinkled, and he began to cry.

The wail echoed around the waiting room. Reeda’s pulse accelerated again. She placed her hands on the pram and began pushing it gently back and forth. Noah stopped crying almost immediately, so she let the pram come to a rest. But as soon as she did, he started up again. This time, she kept the movement going. The waiting room was full of people and had a hushed silence that she didn’t want to disturb with a squalling baby. Already, people were throwing her frustrated looks.