He gave me a fakehaha.“I think we agree it’s great to have Ani on staff,” he said in summary, like he was holding a staff meeting. “Now let’s discuss this baby.” He turned to his mom. “Ani delivered her. She was born twenty-four hours ago, at seven pounds, thirteen ounces. And she looks terrific. No complications.”
Wait a minute. “Except for the worst complication of all,” I said. “She has no home. Her mom is sixteen. She used a fake name. As soon as the baby was born, she legally handed her to me and took off for good several hours later.”
“Did anyone ever find out her real name? Daria asked.
“No,” I said. “Except she told me her first name. It’s Crystal.”
Daria made notes on an iPad. Then she set it down, crossed her arms, and looked from Adam to me. “You two are both young and single. Why are you both here at nearly midnight on a Saturday?”
“I could ask you the same question,” Adam said. “But I already know the answer. You always work too hard.”
Daria waved her son off. “Oh, I’m here for the same reason you are—I was worried. And I wanted to get things rolling before Monday.”
“I just wanted to make sure someone was holding her,” I said. Truthfully, I had the wild idea that I wanted this baby to know from the get-go that she was loved. Of course she was—the entire hospital was loving her. “Her mom trusted me, and I want to make sure that we’re doing all we can for her.”
Daria nodded. “It’s my job to do everything in my power to find this baby a good home ASAP.”
“Mom, tell us what happens next.”
This was so weird. I was sitting next to the guy I’d slept with last summer while he talked to his mom, who also worked here. He clearly had a great relationship with her—easy and funnyand honest. I found that all very intriguing. Not to mention that when Adam wasn’t grumpy, he was sort of irresistibly attractive.
“A surrendered baby gets declared a ward of the state,” Daria said. “So we contact Children’s Services, and they file a motion with the court asking for temporary custody. They conduct an investigation, assume the medical care, and then find a foster family.”
“Not an adoptive one?” I asked.
“Foster first. There’s no shortage of people wanting to adopt a new baby. Often, people foster with the intent of adopting, and those folks get first priority.”
“How do they pick a foster family?” I asked.
“Sometimes it can be relatives,” Daria said, “but in this case, we don’t have that. So the case worker will pick from the pool of foster parents. Oh, and the birth mother has thirty days to change her mind.”
I stared at the infant tucked into my arm. I guess I got a little teary because Adam put his hand on my arm, which didn’t go unnoticed by his mother.
It felt like rolling the dice, who she got as her parents. That seemed really scary. “How long does all that take?” I asked.
“We’ll try to have her placed with a foster family within a week,” Daria said. “It’s the weekend, so as soon as Monday hits, we’ll do everything we can to get the ball rolling.”
“Yes, of course.”
Daria moved to go. “I’m going to look through the baby’s chart and start getting things ready. Is there anything we might need to know about the mom’s health?”
“She was healthy,” I said. “I got a brief family history—nothing really significant.” I pulled out my phone and shared my list.
The baby was asleep in my arms, her hands on her face, fingers spread. She was so sweet, the picture of innocence. Afierce urge to protect her welled up inside of me. I wanted to be her shield. Her guardian angel. I wanted to vet everyone personally and find her the most spectacular parents anywhere so that she would feel no hardship, no pain. If only that were possible.
“I’d better go start the paperwork,” Daria said. “I’ll see you both on your way out.”
“And I’ve got to do diaper duty,” Dale said as he walked over to us with arms extended. “I’ll take her, Dr. Green.”
I suppose I hesitated, unconsciously unwilling to surrender the baby right away. I wasn’t sure why I was taking this so personally.
“You want to hold her for a few more minutes?” Dale hiked a thumb over his shoulder. “I can start on the other end.”
“Oh, I didn’t mean to be a baby hog. Here you go.”
I handed her over and accidentally met Adam’s eyes.
He must have sensed the turmoil I thought I was hiding. “You can come back in the morning,” he said quietly.
