Shit. I cleared my throat. But then I just told the truth. “Foster, I didn’t know it yet then.” I paused and flicked my eyes to Drew and Sarah. “There’s a lot of trauma we’re trying to work through here,” I said quietly. “But you don’t need to take in the mother, because the father was there and took the baby to the hospital.”
I looked sternly at Drew, who said, “Yes. I’m very sorry. But I wanted to do the right thing, and I thought that was the right thing.”
Well played, Drew. Well played.
Officer Foster nodded. “You were right. That was the right thing. Under North Carolina state law, if the baby was safe surrendered to the hospital, there’s no crime here.”
Foster pursed his lips.
“All right, then. But, kids, you need to talk this through. You need to make sure giving up this baby is what you want. The clock is ticking down at DSS, and I’d suggest you let your parents know so that they can decide if they want to raise their granddaughter. Otherwise, she’s going to end up being adopted.”
“I’ll help them with everything!” Daisy said. “I’m a nurse.”
He furrowed his brow, shook his head, and said, “I’d never have guessed in a million years…” Then he left the room.
Everyone was still for a full five seconds until Drew turned to Sarah and then to me and said, “What the hell was that? I don’t need the entire town thinking this is my baby!”
Sarah burst into tears. “But it is your baby,” she wailed. Then she ran off down the hall. Drew, stunned silent, didn’t follow her.
He turned back to me. “Can someone explain to me what is going on?”
I looked at Daisy, but she was staring at me in stony silence.
“The hospital,” Drew said, rubbing his hair. “Sarah had a baby.”
I wasn’t sure he had put all the pieces together one hundred percent correctly, but I let him walk out of the office to process this.
Daisy said, not an ounce of warmth in her voice, “I asked you for one thing.One thing.”
Now I was the one mystified. “Are you serious, Daisy? That wasn’t my fault! Sarah started it. I was just trying to protect them!”
“Well, what about me? What about Maisy? Did you not need to protect us? Because you sure as hell didn’t.”
She stood up, and I was honestly in shock. “Daisy, you can’t seriously be mad at me. You would have just let them take Sarah in for questioning when we could get them off that easily?”
“Well, they did a bad thing,” Daisy hissed. “Maybe they deserve to be punished.” Her voice broke as she said, “And now Maisy is going to end up with God only knows who, and I will never see her again!”
I tried to pull her close to me, but she stopped me. “No. Just no. I need to go try to clean up your mess.”
I was dumbfounded by her reaction. Lying about Maisy’s parentage was never going to be a long-term solution. You couldn’t keep secrets like that, and especially not in a town as small as Cape Carolina. “Daisy,” I said. “Let’s talk about this.”
“No!” she said. “You know what? Everyone was right about you. I was crazy to let myself fall for someone with your reputation. Do not call me ever again.”
Her words cut deep. I sank into my chair as she stormed out of my office. I had let myself believe I was getting a fresh start and, in one fell swoop, I had lost my girlfriend, the baby I had saved, and my starpitcher. And, if he was as furious with me as he had a right to be, I’d probably lose my job offer too. Maybe even my job here at the high school for lying about all of this. I never should have let Daisy sway me. I should have told the truth from the beginning. It was out there now. And I mused that the truth was supposed to set you free, yet here I was. Moments ago, I’d had everything I had ever wanted. And it had taken only a few minutes for it to all go up in flames, in a spectacular blaze of glory. Maybe some people weren’t meant to be happy, to get what they wanted. Maybe I was one of those people.
DAISYDNA
There was overreacting, and then there was what I had done in Mason’s office, which needed an entirely new word. Because it was well over the border of normal human reaction. So, yes, I could argue that I had overreacted because I loved Maisy so much and I wanted what was best for her. But now, back home, with a glass of wine and a sleeping baby, I knew I was being really, really selfish. I felt connected to her, but I’m sure hermotherdid too. And that her father would. And her grandparents. My job was to keep Maisy safe until the next best step was decided. I hadtotallylost sight of that.
Plus, I was the one who had cued Sarah that night we were in the hospital. The father had safe surrendered the baby. That much was true, even if he wasn’t fully aware of it. She was only using what I had given her.
I could pick up the phone and call Mason and tell him that. I could right the wrong. But then there was a tiny knock on the door.
I opened it, and Greer flung herself around my legs. A smiling Amelia stood behind her with some sort of dish in her hand. I waved her in, worrying that I hadn’t really cleaned the kitchen today. Thenagain, Amelia had had baby twins. She had toddler twins now. Surely organizational perfection was not something she expected.
“I thought you might need dinner,” Amelia said.
I scrunched my nose. “So, you heard.” Of course Mason would have told his sister-in-law about my complete nervous breakdown.
