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‘They have these all over the world. In France, the USA, Italy, Hungary, Russia, Japan, Switzerland and the Philippines. They have a whole host of names—baby windows, baby cots, cradles of life, safe havens. But they all have the same function. A safe place for a mother to leave a baby.’
She fitted the car seat into the back of her own car and climbed in next to the baby. Philippe looked at the car keys in his hand and gave a little shake of his head as he climbed into the driver’s seat.
‘The fire station here isn’t always staffed and it’s in a quieter street. That’s why we decided this was a more appropriate place than the clinic. If someone wants to leave their baby, they won’t do it while the world is watching. Our clinic is right in the middle of the main street. The rest of the crew who work here are on call. So, someone will always be able to attend quickly to any baby left in the safe haven.’
He started the engine. ‘I take it I’m driving you both to the local hospital?’ His brain couldn’t stop turning over and over.
Arissa was bending over the baby strapped into the back seat. She looked up and smiled. ‘Well, look at that, little Dee, our new doctor is a resident genius.’
He sighed and smiled as he shook his head. ‘Dee?’
She nodded as he followed the signs on the road to the local hospital. It was only a few minutes away. ‘This is our fourth baby. The first two were boys. We decided just to go with the alphabet. Our first was called Amir, our second Bahari. Our third baby was a girl. We called her Chi-tze, and this time, we’ll pick a name beginning with D.’
Now he understood. ‘The babies never have a letter or a note? Something to tell you what their name is.’
He was doing his best to keep his eyes on the road. But he couldn’t help but glance over his shoulder at the woman with dark curls looking down at the tiny baby. He could see the compassion and empathy in her face, making his stomach twist in a way he just hadn’t expected.
She gave a sad kind of smile as she stroked the little girl’s face. ‘Not yet,’ she sighed. ‘I wish they would.’
‘Have you ever managed to reunite a mother and baby after they left the baby at the safe haven?’
Arissa shook her head. ‘I’d love to tell you yes, but the honest answer is no. For two of the babies we never found their mother. Another one, she got admitted with an infection. But...’ he could hear the waver in Arissa’s voice ‘...she didn’t want to be reunited with her baby. She had a difficult history. Even with the offer of support, she just didn’t want to go down that road.’
Philippe turned into the hospital and found a space in the car park. He switched off the engine and turned around. Arissa was talking quietly to the baby. ‘So, have you picked a name yet?’ he asked quietly.
She glanced over at him. There was a smattering of freckles on her pale brown skin, over her nose. Her eyes were the deepest brown he’d ever seen. It was almost as if they sucked him in, holding him in place. For the briefest of seconds their gazes locked in a way that made him hold his breath.
‘I think you should pick the name,’ she replied, the edges of her lips turning upwards. ‘As long as you stick to the rules and pick something with a D.’
He got out of the car and walked around to her side, opening the door and looking down at the little baby. Her face wrinkled and she let out a yelp. He reached down and picked her up as Arissa released the harness on the car seat. He put the baby on his shoulder and patted her back as she continued to yelp. ‘I think she’s hungry,’ he said with a smile. Then something else crossed his mind. ‘We don’t even know if she’s been fed at all. Maybe we should hurry up with the admission process and prioritise the food.’
Arissa closed the car door and walked alongside him. ‘I think we can manage that.’ She gave him a wink. ‘I might know someone.’
It was the oddest feeling. This morning he’d been lying at a luxury resort with two weeks of fine dining and relaxation ahead of him. Now, he had a tiny newborn baby snuggling into his neck and—from what he could feel—currently trying to latch on to him. A beautiful woman, surrounded by the scent of freesias, was walking next to him and making him strangely curious about her, and this place.
