The Baby Discovery

“He probably thought I had news from the doctor. Don’t forget the man found the baby. I think he’s still in shock.”

“That’s for sure. What a grouch.”

“The police haven’t cleared him yet, Julie.”

“Oh for heaven’s sake— If that were the case, he would never have brought the baby in!”

“I agree it’s absurd.”

“Uh-oh. We’ve got a new customer.”

Meg looked over her shoulder in time to see the paramedics come through the doors pushing a gurney. An old tramp lay there bundled in a blanket. He looked half dead. The poor thing probably hadn’t been able to find shelter from the storm. She wished she were immune to sights like that, but it hadn’t happened yet.

Zane could hear someone screaming.

“Johnny? I’m coming! Hang on!”

The screaming grew louder, bringing Zane fully awake from an old nightmare. He’d broken out in a cold sweat and his heart was pounding like a locomotive.

It took him a second to remember where he was.

He rubbed his eyes and raised up on the cot to get a better look at the wall clock. It was almost noon!

The last time he recalled anything, it was Ms. Richins who’d come in to check on the baby.

The baby!

Zane’s heart skidded to a stop before he levered himself from the cot, terrified he would find the crib empty.

Relief flooded his system to see the infant lying in the same position as before. Without hesitation he put on a new pair of gloves, then fit his hands through the holes of the crib.

When he put out his finger and brushed it against the baby’s left hand, the little guy’s fingers responded and clung to him the same way they’d done last night.

A lump lodged in Zane’s throat. “I told you to hang in there for me, and you did.”

With his other hand he smoothed the fine dark hair on the tiny head. He studied each perfect feature, the shell ears, the minute finger and toenails. There weren’t any lashes yet, but his eyes looked like they might be open a tiny slit. Surely that had to be a good sign!

“Dear God, if you aren’t a miracle!”

A middle-aged nurse he didn’t recognize came into the room. She smiled when she saw him standing at the crib. “Sorry if the noise woke you. I heard you were here all night and figured you needed the sleep.”

“I should have been up before now. What does the doctor say about the baby’s condition today?”

“At this stage, things are tentative.”

His spirits plummeted. He should have known better than to ask. “Do you have any idea what time Ms. Richins will be on duty again?”

“She works the night shift. If she’s scheduled for tonight, she’ll be in at eight p.m. Is there anything I can do for you?”

“No, thank you. I wanted to let her know I appreciated the cot.”

“She went home at five-thirty this morning, but I’ll pass your gratitude along.”

“Thank you.”

He touched the baby’s flailing hands once more, then pulled his own hands out of the crib.

“I’ll be back later,” he whispered. “Get better for me now.”

After tossing the gloves in the waste bin, he reached for his cowboy hat. Before walking out the door, he hesitated.

“There is one thing,” he said to the nurse. “I carry a cell phone. If there’s any change in the baby either way, could someone phone me immediately?”

“Of course. Write your number at the top of the chart hanging on the front of the crib.”

He walked back and put it there with an attached pencil, but once that was accomplished, it was almost impossible to walk away from the baby. Zane felt like he was leaving a part of his heart.

“Babies are stronger than you think.” The nurse could read his mind.

“I pray you’re right.”

When he stepped outside the ER, the sunlight nearly blinded him. One thing about Utah blizzards. After they’d blown themselves out, the bluest sky on earth magically appeared.

At least a foot and a half of wet, heavy snow, maybe more, had blanketed the world around him. Its whiteness dazzled the eyes. He had his work cut out to clear it off his truck before he could see enough to drive home.

After snow-blowing his driveway and the front path leading to the porch, he went in the house and checked his answering machine. The police hadn’t called, of course.

Still full of anger, he headed for a hot shower. In case his cell phone rang, he kept it on the tile sink so he could hear it.

Later, when he’d put on a clean shirt and jeans, he rustled up some food for a sandwich, but his stores were low. He needed to do something about that before the guys pulled in tonight.

First, however, he needed to talk to his crew, then straighten the house. He had a cleaning lady who came in once a week, but there were still things to do.

Three hours later he took off for the supermarket and loaded up on supplies. On his way down one of the aisles looking for napkins, he found himself stopping in front of the disposable diaper section, something he’d never done before in his life.

There were several brands for newborns. Zane felt a pit in his gut when he thought of Johnny struggling for life beneath the heater of his crib.

As his gaze strayed to the baby bottles, pictures of the tubes and IVs hooked up to those five precious pounds of humanity flooded his mind, bringing tears to his eyes.

He blinked them back before heading to one of the checkout counters. Once he’d put the groceries away, he’d drive out to the ER and stay with Johnny. When the guys phoned, he’d give them directions to the hospital so they could see the baby before they all moved on to his house.

Hopefully Ms. Richins was working tonight and would come on duty while he was still there. For some reason the image of her gleaming brown hair and eyes like rich, warm drops of melted chocolate, managed to intrude whenever he thought about Johnny. He couldn’t seem to separate the two in his mind.

There was a sweetness in her voice and expression around the baby. Zane had been charmed by her.

When Meg went out to her car at seven p.m., she told herself it was because she needed time to scrape the ice off her windshield so she wouldn’t be late for work. On a clear night after a storm, everything froze.

But the job only took five minutes, and her Jeep could go anywhere in the snow without problem.