My heart felt like it was being twisted into knots, first because of the promise I had made to my dad, and then because I realized this baby had been abandoned. His parents didn’t want him.
As if he was equally upset about the situation, Baby Anthony’s face twisted into a grimace and he began to wail. I took him from Derek and made comforting noises while rubbing his tiny little back.
“This is why I said I was too busy to hang out,” Jordan explained.
“We’ve been watching him all weekend,” Taylor said, dropping down onto the bed next to me. “None of us have gotten much sleep. We’re kind of clueless when it comes to babies.”
I had no experience at all when it came to babies, either. My older brother Jason had changed plenty of my diapers, and he had a child of his own now, but I didn’t have younger siblings. I had never helped raise anyone. I was just as clueless as these three firemen.
But they were all looking at me with hopeful expressions, like I was the savior who had come to help them.
And I really,reallywanted to help them.
“I know some,” I said, which was a lie.
“Did we put the diaper on correctly?” Jordan asked. “We watched a few YouTube videos, but I can’t tell if it’s too loose or too tight…”
Baby Anthony was still crying, so I gently laid him on his back on the bed. I opened the diaper—which took several confusing moments before I found the fastening tape—and then re-sealed it. I had no idea what I was doing, and was totally going by instinct alone.
But the crying stopped, and Baby Anthony squealed happily and wiggled his arms and legs on the bed.
“See?” Jordan said to Derek. “I told you it was a good idea to invite her over.”
I picked Baby Anthony up. “Yeah, that’s much better, isn’t it?” I bounced him in my arms. That’s what you’re supposed to do with babies, right? Bounce them?
“You said you’ve been watching him since Friday,” I said to Taylor. “Isn’t there someone you can call to take him?”
Derek crossed his arms over his broad chest and sighed deeply. “I called my sister. She works for the California Department of Social Services. Turns out they’reseverelyunderfunded right now. They don’t have the money or manpower to handle their current responsibilities, let alone additional children. If we hand him in, he’ll be placed in an overcrowded foster home.”
“I don’t understand,” I said slowly. “I thought there are lots of people waiting to adopt babies.”
“Usually, yes. But apparently adoption agencies are experiencing a lull in demand,” Derek said bitterly. “My sister says it will be better when the fiscal year is over, because they’ll have a brand new budget and more resources. But until then…” He shrugged.
“We can’t give the baby up until we know he’s going to be properly cared for,” Taylor insisted.
“Not to mention the mother,” Derek added. “She surrendered the baby too late, by accident. Under California law, she’ll be prosecuted for abandonment. My sister is working on a way to slip the baby into the system and change the back-date, so the mother isn’t liable.”
“So,” I said, “you’re taking care of the baby until then?”
Jordan and Derek answered at the same time.
“Yes,” Jordan said.
“No,” Derek said.
They looked at each other.
“You said you would consider it!” Jordan said.
Derek shook his head. “Iamconsidering it. But no matter what we choose to do, there are no good options.”
“Then let’s choose the least shitty option,” Jordan insisted.
“This is a firehouse, not a nursery,” Derek shot back. “I have no idea what I’m doing. Neither do either of you. And even if we did, how are we supposed to do our jobs while watching a child? What happens if we get a call? You think we can strap him into a baby seat in the fire engine and take him with us?”
“Oh, totally!” Taylor said. “We can get him a matching uniform and everything. Cute baby overalls. He’d be, like, our mascot…”
He trailed off at a glare from the Chief.