Found: One Baby

by Cathy Gillen Thacker

  Disconcerted—because that would give them something in common—she returned her gaze to the newborn nestled in her arms.

  If William were her baby…

  But he wasn’t, Michelle reminded herself firmly.

  Still, the little guy was here now. He needed someone to watch over him until this mess could be sorted out. Someone who wouldn’t leave him on Thad Garner’s doorstep all by himself.

  “Believe me,” Thad said, sounding as protective toward this tiny baby as she was, “if I had any other job, I’d stay and take care of the little fella myself. But I can’t leave the E.R. short-staffed. We’ve got the only trauma center in the entire county.”

  Lives depended on Thad.

  Just as William, it seemed, was momentarily depending on her.

  Before Michelle could stop herself, she was pushing aside every self-protective instinct she had and volunteering. “Fine. I’ll do it.”

  Thad’s eyebrows lifted in amazement. “You sure?” he said finally, standing. “It’s going to be twelve hours, unless I’m able to find someone to cover the rest of my shift for me.”

  Forcing herself to shove aside the memory of another child, another time, Michelle stood, too. There would be no such heartbreak this time because she wouldn’t allow herself to get that involved with William or Thad.

  Loving the way the now sleeping William snuggled against her, she brushed off Thad’s concern. “I didn’t have much planned for today, anyway,” she fibbed. Her flower beds could wait.

  Thad breathed a sigh of relief. “Thanks. I really appreciate it.”

  Michelle had a few stipulations of her own. “I want to watch him at my house, though.” The less she knew about Thad, the less time spent in his abode, the better.

  “Of course.” Thad gently brushed his fingertips across William’s velvety cheek.

  The air between the three of them reverberated with tenderness.

  With apparent effort, Thad dropped his hand, stepped back and looked over at the baby gear in the foyer. “I hope everything you’re going to need is here.”

  Michelle lowered her face to William and smelled…spit-up. Knowing that was something that could easily be taken care of, she said quietly, “If you’ll carry the stuff across the street, I’ll sort through it.”

  “No problem.” He plucked up the items and followed her out the front door. “I owe you big-time for this,” he told her solemnly, falling into step beside her.

  “Yes,” Michelle agreed. “You do.”

  WHERE TO START? Michelle wondered as soon as the door shut behind Thad, and she and William were alone. She supposed it best to change William’s diaper.

  She slung the diaper bag over her shoulder and carried him upstairs to her bedroom. His eyes were open again as she laid him gently down on the soft cotton quilt on her bed. “You know, we hear about things like this all the time,” she told him as she pulled a diaper and a packet of wipes from the bag. “Babies being left in the strangest places. I just want you to know that you shouldn’t take it personally. Candace was only doing what she thought best, taking you to your uncle Thad’s house.”

  Although why Candace had simply left him in the Moses basket on the front porch was anyone’s guess. “But I don’t want you to worry,” Michelle continued reassuringly. “Because we are going to find your parents and get this all straightened out.”

  One way or another, they would find a great home for William. Even if it meant calling the police and social services.

  “In the meantime, I’m going to take care of you today, and then your uncle Thad is going to look after you. And before you know it, this little blip in your existence will be over. And it’ll all be good.”

  All she had to do, Michelle thought as she went about getting everything she needed out of the diaper bag, was not get emotionally involved in a situation that was ultimately a win-lose proposition for her.

  Winning, because she got to spend time with the most adorable baby she had ever seen.

  And losing, because she was going to have to let him go.

  Just as she’d had to let Jared and his son, Jimmy, go.

  And that was as painful an event as ever, Michelle mused, unsnapping the legs of William’s designer duds.

  Before she could get the diaper off, her phone rang.

  Seeing Thad Garner’s name flash on the caller-ID screen, she grabbed the portable off the bedside table.

  “How are things going?” he asked.

  It was ridiculous how glad she was to hear his voice. She hit the speaker button on the receiver and set it on the bed. Doing her best to play it cool, she said, “You just left him five minutes ago!”

  “More like seven.” Thad paused. “It sounds quiet.”

  Talk about overprotective! “He seems happy enough,” Michelle allowed.

  “He’s awake?”

  “Yes. I’m in the process of changing his diaper.”

  “While we talk?”

  “Believe it or not, I can multitask.” She used a baby wipe on William.

  “How does the diaper area look? Everything okay?”

  William turned his head slightly toward the sound of Thad’s voice.

  Michelle smiled. “As far as I can tell. It looks like he had a circumcision.”

  “Did they leave any antibiotic ointment for the stitches?”

  “Yes.” Figuring he would know, she asked, “How often are you supposed to apply it?”

  “A very thin layer three times a day.”

  Michelle made a note of that. “Since we don’t know when it was done last, should I go ahead and do that now? Or wait till later?”

  “Go ahead and put some on now just to be on the safe side.”

  Michelle did as directed.

  Thad paused. “Is there a pharmacy label on the ointment?”

  Once again, they were of one mind. Had there been a label, there would have been a patient last name and a prescribing physician and hospital or pharmacy name, as well. “No. It may have been on the box the ointment came in—but that’s not with his belongings.” She confirmed this with a second look through the bag.

  “Too bad. It would have helped to have more to go on than first names.”

  Michelle agreed wholeheartedly. Right now, of the four people ostensibly involved in this fiasco, they only knew how to contact one, and he might be out of the country! “Did you hear from your brother?” she asked, hoping that might have been the real reason for the call.

  “Not yet.” Thad sighed his frustration.

  As long as she had “the doctor” on the line, Michelle asked, “Would it be okay if I gave William a sponge bath? He smells a little like spit-up.”

  “How’s his umbilical cord?”

  She checked it out. “Kind of, um, brown. Still hanging on.”

  “Not infected?”

  “No.”

  “I think a sponge bath would be okay,” Thad said in that thoughtful voice doctors used when tending to patients. “Just make sure the water temperature is lukewarm. And don’t get the cord wet—keep that area dry.”

  Michelle resnapped the onesie and tucked the blanket in around William to keep him warm. “I’ll go to Dr. Greene’s Web site on the Internet and read up on the proper procedure before I start, just to make sure I do everything correctly.”

  Another pause. “You know about that?”

  Michelle tried not to take offense at the surprise in Thad’s voice. “All my friends back in Dallas have babies. All of them use that Web site as their primary reference.”

  “No wonder you seem so at ease with a newborn,” he said.

  That wasn’t why.

  But Michelle didn’t want to tell him about the year she had spent taking care of another infant, only to lose him—and his father—in the end.

  “Anything else you need?” Thad asked helpfully.

  Michelle studied the contents of the diaper bag. “As far as I can tell, there appear to be enough diapers, clothing and formula t
o last a couple of days.” She wondered if Thad would even have the baby that long. She knew better than anyone that the situation could change in an instant, that Brice and Beatrix or Candace or even Russell could show up to claim the baby. Which again was why she needed not to become too attached or overly involved in this situation.

  Oblivious to her concerns, Thad continued, “If you need anything else, let me know. I’ll pick it up on the way back.”

  This was suddenly getting way too cozy for comfort.

  Reminded of the last time she’d had her heart broken, Michelle picked up William and held him. “Aren’t you supposed to be at work?” Michelle asked impatiently, beginning to see why women fell so hard for the notoriously sexy doctor.

  “In two minutes.” Thad paused. “I just wanted to check with you before I actually went into the hospital and let you know how to page me in case anything else comes up.” Thad gave her the number. “Call me if you need me. Otherwise, I’ll check in with you later,” he promised before he hung up.

  With a sigh, Michelle turned back to the fragile bundle in her arms. “Looks like it’s just you and me, little guy,” she said. She smiled, realizing he was already fast asleep. “At least until your uncle Thad returns.”

  Chapter Two

  Thad expected to have half-a-dozen calls from Michelle Anderson during the day.

  There were no phone calls.

  And the two times he did call her, just to check in, she had sounded a little exasperated.

  He guessed he couldn’t blame her.

  She probably thought he didn’t trust her to take care of William in his absence. Nothing could have been further from the truth. Like animals, children knew instinctively whom they could trust and draw comfort from. William had recognized Michelle for the maternal soul she was from the moment she picked him up and cradled him gently in her arms.

  Still, the moment his shift was up, Thad headed out the door and drove the short distance home. He parked in his driveway, then headed across the street.

  As he approached the front porch of her Arts and Crafts-style home, he noticed the windows were open. Mounting the front steps, he heard Michelle singing softly. He glanced through the window. She was sitting in an old-fashioned rocking chair he hadn’t seen earlier, William in her arms.

  Thad couldn’t tell if the baby was awake or asleep—he couldn’t see William’s face—but the moment was so tender and loving it stopped him in his tracks. This, he thought, was what parenthood should be about. This was the kind of life he and his brother should have had as kids, even after their mother died.

  But they hadn’t. And there was no going back. Only forward. To the family he wanted to create.

  All he needed was a woman to love.

  He rapped on the screen.

  The lovely vocal rendition of “Brahms’ Lullaby” stopped. Michelle rose slowly and walked over to open the door and let him in. She had changed into vintage jeans and a pale blue knit shirt that clung to her curves. Her apparently just-shampooed hair had dried in a tangle of soft, strawberry-blond curls. He had never seen her wear it that way, but he liked it as much as the sleek, straight style she usually wore.

  “William looks…happy,” Thad noted. And so did she.

  A pretty pink blush lit Michelle’s cheeks. “He’s very happy,” she said, meeting Thad’s eyes, “as long as he’s being held.” She frowned in concern. “Every time I get him to sleep and put him down, he wakes up after about ten minutes and completely freaks out.”

  “Probably remembering…”

  “Waking up alone on your front porch?” Michelle asked. “That’s what I was thinking.”

  Thad shook his head. His brother was very much like their father had been while he was alive. Neither held much regard for familial responsibility or blood ties. Their lives were all about the latest career challenge.

  Thad shoved his hands through his hair in frustration. “Damn Russell,” he muttered.

  Michelle exhaled softly. “Haven’t heard from him, I take it?”

  “No. And I’ve left several messages.” Thad felt the vibration of his phone. He took it off his belt clip, looked at the caller ID. Speak of the devil. “Finally!” Scowling, Thad put the phone to his ear. “Where are you?” he barked.

  “I’m on assignment in Thailand. What’s the emergency?” Russell demanded, sounding equally irritated.

  “A baby was left on my porch this morning.” Briefly, Thad explained.

  Russell swore like a sailor who’d just found out his shore leave was canceled. But typically, he offered no explanation or apology.

  Thad pressed on. “Did you know you were having a baby with Candace when you left the country?”

  “I assumed she was pregnant,” Russell retorted, surprisingly matter-of-fact. “I didn’t know for sure.”

  And obviously hadn’t bothered to find out, Thad thought irritably. “Why didn’t you mention it to me?” he demanded.

  “Because her pregnancy wasn’t relevant to my life,” Russell grumbled.

  Figuring he was going to need legal advice sooner rather than later, Thad activated the speaker on his phone and motioned Michelle closer, so she could listen in on the conversation.

  “What do you mean Candace’s pregnancy wasn’t relevant to your life?” Thad asked.

  Russell exhaled. “It was a surrogate arrangement. I donated sperm for a couple of friends.”

  Okay. That made slightly more sense. Thad withdrew the pen and notepad he habitually carried in his shirt pocket. He wrote “Help me out here” on a slip of paper and handed it to Michelle.

  She edged closer, concern on her face. “According to the note left with baby William, Brice and Beatrix changed their minds about becoming parents,” Thad told his brother.

  “You’ll have to ask Candace Wright about that,” Russell insisted.

  Thad jotted down the last name of William’s birth mother. “Do you have a phone number?”

  Another disgruntled sigh. “She lives in Big Spring. That’s all I know.”

  “What about Brice and Beatrix, the adoptive couple?”

  “The Johnsons live in San Angelo. Listen, I can’t do anything from here—you’re going to have to straighten it all out.”

  “How?” Thad shot back, aggrieved his brother could be so cold. “I don’t have paternity.”

  “Neither do I. I signed away all my rights at the fertility clinic before the surrogate was even impregnated.”

  “We’re going to need a copy of those papers ASAP,” Michelle told Thad, switching into lawyer mode.

  “Who is that?” Russell demanded.

  “Michelle Anderson,” she introduced herself. “I’m a neighbor of your brother’s—I found the baby.”

  “She’s also an attorney,” Thad interjected.

  Michelle asked Russell, “Is there any way we can look at those papers you signed?”

  Russell harrumphed. “They’re in one of the boxes I left in Thad’s attic. If you can find them, you can have ’em. Aside from that, I don’t want anything to do with this. Like Candace Wright, I’ve done my part.”

  It wasn’t that simple, Thad knew. “If what Candace said is true…if Brice and Beatrix have changed their minds about taking William into their family…Genetically, the child is half yours.”

  “Not to my way of thinking,” Russell snapped.

  “He’s a Garner.” And that, Thad thought, should mean something.

  Russell scoffed. “What would I do with a kid? I don’t have a home and I don’t want one.”

  Every fiber of Thad’s being told him it would be a mistake just to walk away. Anger rising, he said, “You can’t just stand by and do nothing while this child you had a hand in creating is abandoned.”

  “Sure I can,” Russell replied. “And you know why? Because it would be best. The kid doesn’t need a father like the one we had. And that’s what I am. However, if you think you can do better, if you want to jump in, Thad, be my guest. Just leave me out o
f it.”

  The connection ended with a decisive click.

  Thad locked gazes with Michelle, not sure whether he was sorry or glad she had heard all that. He swore. “What a mess.”

  YES, MICHELLE THOUGHT. It was one heck of a mess.

  Deciding it was time to try again, she carried the sleeping William over to the elaborately lined Moses basket, and set him down gently on his back. She tucked a blanket around him to keep him warm. Relieved he still appeared to be asleep, at least for the moment, she walked over to the window where Thad was standing. “I’m not sure I should be involved in this situation.”

  Thad looked surprised, then confused. “You’re a lawyer.”

  Her pulse picked up as she pointed out, “I’m not your lawyer.”

  Thad tilted his head. “You could be.”

  She kept her expression impassive. “This is a family-law case.”

  He raised an eyebrow. “And you have a background in family law. A pretty good one, from what I’ve heard.”

  That was then, Michelle thought. This was now. And she knew better these days. She lifted her hands in a vague gesture of dissatisfaction and stepped away. “I did so much of it the first five years out of law school that I burned out on it. My current practice focuses on the needs of small business, wills and estate planning, real estate and consumer law. My law partner—Glenn York—does all the divorce, custody and adoption cases for our firm.”

  “I know his reputation. He’s very good.” Thad paused. He glanced over at the sleeping William, then back to Michelle. “I’d still prefer you handle it.”

  His was not an uncommon reaction. People with legal trouble often latched on to the first person who appeared able to help them out of it, without bothering to verify credentials or search out expertise in that specific area of the law. “You don’t even know me,” she said.

  “You’ve handled the situation well so far.”

  That wasn’t the only reason, Michelle decided. “You’re embarrassed by your brother’s attitude, aren’t you?”

  A muscle worked in Thad’s jaw. “Wouldn’t you be?”

  Michelle tried not to think how easy it was to be here with Thad like this. She shrugged. “I learned a long time ago not to judge people by the messes they get themselves into.” She had always been trained to look at both sides of every issue. “Besides, it sounds as if your brother was trying to do a good deed for someone. It just didn’t turn out the way he expected.”