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I ran from Derek with tears welling in my eyes. Somehow, I managed not to actually start crying. That was a small victory, at least.
I was just trying to be helpful! The three of them were heroes, rushing away on their screaming fire engine to risk their lives. The least I could do was ensure their food stayed warm.
So much for Jordan saying Derek had a crush on me.
I shook it off when I reached the room with the baby. I may not have been a natural at this, but nothing brightened up a person’s mood like a giggling, smiling baby. Taylor was peering into the laundry basket where Baby Anthony was wriggling around. When he saw me, he smiled and brushed back his blond hair.
“I put him down an hour ago,” Taylor said, “but he woke up again. I think he likes all this attention.”
“I can’t blame him,” I said, picking the baby up and holding him to my chest. “Is he on a feeding schedule yet?”
“According to the Internet, a two-month-old should be fed every four or five hours. About six ounces per feeding.” He gave me a wry look. “I don’t usually believe everything I see on the Internet, but that sounded right. And in our short experience, hehasbeen waking up to eat about that often.”
Across from the bed was a tall dresser. Taylor opened the top drawer and revealed a big canister of baby formula in powder form, and a bunch of empty bottles.
“We’ve been using warm water to mix it up,” he added, “but now that we have access to the kitchen without the second-shift guys here, we can heat it on the stove if we need to.”
I nodded. “He has a lot of toys in his basket.”
Taylor grinned. He had a bright, cheerful smile. “Oh, yeah! I bought them at the thrift store. Whole big tub of them for, like, five bucks. Snuck them into the station in my backpack.” He chuckled. “We wanted to sneakhimout of the firehouse. We even had a couple of chances when the second-shift guys were asleep.”
“I was going to ask about that,” I said. “Do we really need to keep him here? It would be easier to keep him at my house. There’s less chaos, and less chance of him being discovered…”
Taylor grimaced. “I said the same thing. Great minds think alike, huh? But Chief was insistent. Guess that lawyer buddy of his knows what he’s talking about. I’m not a lawyer, so I just go along with whatever the experts say, you know?”
“Yeah, I guess so,” I said. I was keenly aware that I wasn’t the one risking her job to temporarily keep the child.
Baby Anthony hadn’t been fed in two hours, so Taylor showed me how to mix a bottle. I cradled the little guy in my arm and held the bottle to his mouth. He closed his eyes and sucked the formula down eagerly.
While the baby ate, Taylor and I went out to the living room. Jordan and Derek were sitting on the couch, speaking quietly.
“Looks like you’re doing a good job,” Derek told me gruffly. It felt forced, like he was trying to make up for scolding me earlier.
“It’s just a bottle,” I replied. “The baby’s doing most of the work.”
“He’s a hungry little guy,” Jordan agreed. “He’s going to be big.”
I looked around the room. “Should I be out here? If the sirens go off, I don’t want it to disturb the baby. Or worse: damage his hearing.”
“No chance,” Derek said. He ran a hand through his dark hair, which was thick despite having a few silvery strands mixed in. “We have variable-volume alarms. I turned down the volume on everything in the station. They’ll get your attention if you’re in the public areas, but it won’t damage anyone’s ear drums.”
I breathed a sigh of relief. I was still jumpy after being in the garage on Friday night when the alarm suddenly went off.
“So what’s the living situation… I mean, where should I stay? Do you want me with the baby at all times, or…?”
“You and Baby Anthony can sleep in my room,” Derek replied. “I’ll bunk with Jordan.”
“You don’t have to do that,” I said. “I’m fine sleeping anywhere, honest…”
He pursed his lips. “I’m not doing it out of the kindness of my heart. It makes the most sense, logistically. There’s a private bathroom, which you’ll need while taking care of the baby. There’s also more space for your things. The other bunks are cramped.”
He looked at his watch. “All right, it’s after ten. I’m going to hit the sack while I can.”
“Same here,” Taylor said.
I blinked. “Your shift just started an hour ago. You’re sleeping already?”
“We just made it through thehot zone,” Taylor replied. “That’s the busiest time of day for us—between six and nine o’clock at night. Everyone’s getting home from work, turning on electronics, cooking food. That sort of thing.”
