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“The police will hopefully sort that mess out.”
I handed Jessie over to the younger woman, and anything they said after that went over my head as I did what I could to keep from dissolving into a blubbering mess. It was so sad; in less than twenty-four hours, I had bonded with the little baby girl.
They had me sign some papers, and that was it. They made apologetic small talk on their way out the door. It was all I could do to prevent myself from giving them a shove.
Closing the door felt final. I wished I hadn’t said Mark could come over now. I wanted to be alone. But I heard the elevator bell and then a tap on my door. Ben must have let him in downstairs. Cops didn’t need approval to gain access.
“She’s gone,” I said when I opened the door to him.
“Aw, Laura. I’m so sorry. I could tell this morning that you had already bonded with her.”
“Yeah, I was attached. It was a custody issue, so I’m sure that jackass who threw her out of the door is the father.”
“Don’t repeat this, but there’s a warrant for his arrest. I heard you had a partial plate number that matches a vehicle wanted in a hit and run. They might ask you to come downtown and look at mugshots.”
“Whatever,” I said, sighing.
I was over it. I had nothing to say to Detective Spinoza. I wished I’d never met him.
“I guess you’re pretty upset,” he finally said.
“I’m emotionally drained.”
“You stuck your neck out for her. That’s admirable.”
“Is it? I rarely get involved. It’s just my nature not to. And I did, and it ended positively, I guess. I hope. If that jackass I saw with my own eyes drop a newborn on the freezing ground is the father, I’m fearful for her well-being. Who’s going to protect her?”
“I’ll do everything I can to protect her, Laura.”
“Okay. All I can do is take that at face value. If you say you’ll protect her, then fine, do it. I’ll try not to worry.”
“What are you going to do now?”
We were still standing in the foyer. I wanted to be alone. “If you don’t mind, I’d like to have some time to process this.”
I looked up at him, and it was clear he was disappointed. What was with men? It wasn’t always about them.
“Okay, I can take a hint.”
I didn’t even reply to that. He reached for the door, pausing for a moment.
“Thank you for understanding,” I said.
He nodded and left the apartment.
My first reaction was the need to talk to a friend, but I held back. I needed to think, to clear my head. Packing up the baby’s things would be painful but necessary, so I did it, using the empty dresser drawer that she’d slept in next to me as a place to store all her things. Then the tears came.
I hoped my father had made good on his promise to intervene with the hospital security department so I could get my job back. Reluctantly, I called Randy.
“I was just thinking about you,” he said. “I heard on the news that the baby went back to her mother. And I have news.”
“Jeez, that was fast. CPS didn’t even leave an hour ago.”
“I know you must be heartbroken.”
“I am. I’m so sad.”
“Come out to Babylon,” he said decidedly, trying to make it all better for me as always. “Pam is fixing up a room for you right now. She wants to pamper you. You can recover here and then start your new job next week.”
