Drey’s back wasn’t totally to me, so I could see most of what he was doing. He shifted the baby, holding the baby’s back to him and supporting his little face with his fingers and slowly lifted the bundle up, then down. A slow, gentle rhythm.
Like he’d rocked me as he held me, only this was vertical. So strange.
“He does it that way for crack babies.”
“Did you say crack?”
“These little guys were born addicted to drugs. Mostly crack. They cry on average seven minutes longer than a normal baby.”
“Holy cow.” I pressed my hand against the glass. “And Drey comes here…”
“He rocks them. Gosh, I think he’s here three or four times per week. You gonna join him?” She went to knock on the window, but I grabbed her wrist.
“No. Let me watch a second. Why does he rock him like that?”
“Works better.”
Amazing.
Drey calmed the little guy down. I could tell he was talking, too, by the way his jaw moved.
I stood in awe of this guy. This big, tough guy doing such a gentle, generous thing. Sure made a sizable crack in the wall guarding my heart.
Chapter Nine
Drey
“Thereyougo,littleguy.” I settled Anthony in his crib. It’d taken him more than twenty minutes to calm down. “You’ll be fine, buddy.”
“You heading out, Drey?” Edith asked as she walked in holding another baby.
“Another one?”
She nodded, her lips thinned with frustration. Dang, these babies were being born addicted to crap left and right.
“Thanks, Drey,” Edith said as she nestled the little one in a crib.
“Sure.” I tucked in Anthony’s blanket. “You pulling another twelve-hour shift?”
“Always. These little ones need all the lovin’ they can get.” She grinned. “And thanks to you donating so much time, they get lots of it.”
I peered down at Anthony, wondering if anyone came in and held me while I was going through withdrawals. Patted my back when I was screaming.
“You’re a good kid.”
“You and Bill sure like to call me a kid, you know?”
“When you’re as old as us, twenty-six is a kid.” She laughed and waddled out of the room.
I headed after her and dumped my paper protective wear into the trash, then washed up. I couldn’t help but smile. These little kids always did that for me. No matter how bad things were for me, coming here put everything in perspective.
Pushing through the door, I stepped into the lobby and Analisa waved to me. “See ya next time, Drey.”
I waved, then headed outside. The wall of thick, humid air clung to my skin. Dang it, I should have taken a bottle of water.
“Hey,” a familiar voice I knew belonged to Sarah slid over me. I stopped and turned to my left. She stood there, holding a large Icee from the gas station at the corner. “Thirsty, Mr. Dad?”
Mr. Dad?“How’d you know I was here?” I asked as I accepted the frosty drink. “And how did you know I liked apple?”