by Anya Nowlan
After typing up the report, Colt took a peek at Brad and found him sound asleep in the cell. Seeing as his shift was over hours ago, Colt pulled a leather jacket over his uniform and headed to the exit, leaving Deacon to hold down the fort.
“See you in the morning,” he called out to his deputy, who was pouring himself a cup of the black tar they called coffee.
“See ya, chief.”
Pulling the door open, Colt suddenly stopped in his tracks. The scent hit him first, even before he got a chance to look down. A small basket lay on the front steps of the sheriff’s department, overflowing with pink blankets. Inside the fluff, something was moving, accompanied by a soft cooing sound.
What in the world…
His heartbeat quickened as he stepped closer and folded away the top layer of fleece to find a baby girl, no more than a few weeks old, staring back at him. Quickly scanning his surroundings, Colt wasn’t able to see or hear anyone moving around in the darkness.
Whoever left the child was already gone.
“Hey, you,” he whispered, crouching down and touching the baby’s tiny hands.
They were warm, so she hadn’t been out there long enough to get cold, at least. The heap of blankets probably helped, as well. The rustle of paper caught his attention as he moved the blankets around, and he discovered a small note tucked away in the basket.
Please take good care of my little girl. I’ll be back for her as soon as I can. Until then, tell Lana her mom loves her very much.
Colt took a moment to absorb what was happening. Chasing down criminals came naturally to him, but he’d never had to deal with this kind of situation. He fell back on his training, recalling what the correct procedure was to deal with abandoned infants.
Which was easier said than done when met with a pair of innocent eyes, belonging to a little being who had no idea why her mother wasn’t around.
“Nice to meet you, Lana,” Colt murmured, folding the note neatly.
“What’s going on, boss?” Deacon called from the office, walking over to the open door.
Lana’s little mouth began to twist into a squiggle as she started to grow restless.
“Oh no, don’t cry, Lana,” Colt said in a low voice, the best he could do for soothing at the moment, before turning to his deputy. “Call Child Services and get them in here, right now,” he barked at Deacon.
The deputy was standing stunned in the doorway, looking down at him and the baby.
With her eyes squeezing shut, Lana started to cry. It was a piercing, gut-wrenching sound that cut straight to Colt’s core, drawing a primal and protective response from him. His bear reacted immediately, as if looking for anything or anyone that was threatening the little baby girl. There was no one in the night, though.
Deacon scrambled back inside to make the call, leaving Colt to deal with the baby. He hesitated for a second before deciding to pick her up, ever so carefully.
She looked even smaller as he gently scooped her up into his large hands, making sure to support her head. Bringing her against chest, he started to lightly sway her back and forth, murmuring calming sounds as he stepped back into the office.
Lana quieted almost immediately, looking up at him with her big blue eyes, the pupils rimmed with a circle of green. She was a gorgeous little thing, but then again, weren’t all babies?
A satisfied grumble tickled the back of Colt’s throat, his bear relaxing and all of the tension leaving his body as he held this tiny new life in his arms. Having never considered himself ‘fatherly’ in any way, Colt was surprised with how comfortable and calm he felt with Lana. The feeling seemed to be mutual.
I could get used to this, he pondered absently.
“Don’t worry, Lana. We’ll find your mom, I promise,” he whispered, even though he knew he shouldn’t make promises he wasn’t sure he could keep.
Three
Colt
Denise Grant was a middle-aged woman with pronounced laugh lines and sharp eyes. She arrived only half an hour after Deacon contacted Child Protective Services, looking professional and put together despite being called out in the middle of the night.
Colt knew her by reputation only, never having any direct dealings with the woman. From what he’d heard, he was sure Lana would be in good hands with Denise.
As soon as she was through the door, she made a beeline towards Colt, who still had Lana in his arms.
“She fell asleep about five minutes ago,” he whispered, bending down so Denise could get a look at the baby.
“She doesn’t look malnourished or hypothermal, but I’d still like to get her to the hospital for a checkup,” she replied smartly, scribbling something down on the notepad she was carrying.
Walking over to the basket Lana had been left in, he delicately placed her inside and covered her with a blanket. It was hard not to stay at the baby’s side and watch her sleep, but he forced himself to step away, so he could talk to Denise without being distracted.
Despite that, he kept throwing glances at little Lana all throughout the conversation.
“She couldn’t have been out there for more than thirty minutes. We would have noticed her when we brought Brad in,” Colt said, glancing over at Deacon.
Deacon nodded in agreement. The younger man kept a distance. He clearly wasn’t feeling too comfortable around the baby.
Reaching into his pocket, Colt pulled out the note he had found and handed it to Denise.
“This was inside the basket.”
Denise looked it over, nodding, before giving it back with a sigh.
“It’s nothing I haven’t heard or read before. New mothers sometimes feel overwhelmed, especially if they don’t have a support system in place.”
“So you think her mother will come back for her?” Colt asked, sneaking a peek at Lana.
The little one was still sound asleep, a soft flush on her full cheeks. Colt couldn’t imagine what it must have felt like to leave one’s child on someone’s doorstep like that, but it sure as hell couldn’t have been easy. Whatever the mother was going through, it had to be something damn serious.
He kept thinking back on the note’s phrasing.
I’ll be back for her as soon as I can.
Did it mean something was keeping the mother from returning for her child? Or was it more figurative, as in she’ll come back once she gets her life sorted out?
Colt could speculate all he liked, but it didn’t really get him anywhere. Only Lana’s mother knew why she’d left her daughter behind. He couldn’t judge her one way or another. Whatever choices she’d made that had brought her to this, he could only work to make sure that her baby girl was safe until she returned.
If she returned.
If she’s even a fit mother for Lana, Colt thought grimly.
Denise in the meanwhile tilted her head, weighing her response.
“It’s certainly possible. She could be an inexperienced first-time mother who just panicked and is on her way to reclaim her baby as we speak. Or not. Only time will tell.”
Denise didn’t sound too convincing, but Colt imagined that it was for a reason. He had never been especially good at waiting around for things to happen, though. He’d rather make them happen.
“What happens to Lana now?” he asked, eager to help in any way he could.
Well, it was part that, and part the fact that he couldn’t bear the thought of having her too far from him.
“Well, we’ll get her checked out and make sure she hasn’t been reported missing or anything like that. Then, our top priority will be to place her with a permanent caregiver as soon as possible. Usually we try to contact the baby’s relatives, but since we know nothing about the mother…”
Denise didn’t have to say it. It would take nothing short of a miracle to locate Lana’s mother or her next of kin with the information they had right now. She continued, scrolling through her phone as she did.
“I’ll call my friend, she’s a pediatrician at the medical ce
nter, and let her know I’m bringing Lana in. She’ll stay at the hospital until I can find her a permanent placement.”
Denise’s voice was soft and compassionate, but her words struck Colt as cold. She must see that sort of stuff all the time and it didn’t strike her quite as strongly as it had Colt. Or perhaps it was because he had already grown attached to Lana, and didn’t like the thought of her alone in some hospital one bit.
He swallowed the growl building in his throat, as his bear protested to letting Lana out of his sight.
“What if you place her with me for now?” he asked, making Denise’s pen stop on the page and prompting Deacon to turn and gape at him. “I’ll stay with her at the hospital until the doctors make sure she’s alright, and then I can take her home with me.”
The words fell out of his mouth before he could even fully process what he was saying. All he knew was, he had to do whatever he could to keep that baby safe.
As ridiculous as it was, he felt like the note from Lana’s mother was addressed directly to him. He was responsible for Lana’s wellbeing now, there was no two ways about it. And his bear would kill him if he didn’t do everything he possibly could for that little girl.
“Don’t take this the wrong way, but what do you know about babies?” Denise asked, studying him carefully.
Colt could see why she would be hesitant. At 6'4", he towered over most everyone, and he was as wide as he was tall, all muscle. Add to that his dark, almost black eyes and a square, bearded jaw, and he definitely looked like someone you wouldn’t want to run into in a dark alley.
But he was also a respected member of the community, as being elected sheriff proved. A nice guy, as much as anyone knew about him.
And, most of all, he was volunteering.
“I know enough. And what I don’t know, I’ll learn.”
Raising a brow at him, Denise gave him one last appraising look.
“Well, then. I guess that’s settled. For now.”
Colt sat on the wooden bench at the courthouse, with Lana in the car seat next to him. She was yawning, clutching the little teddy bear that had become her favorite toy. Her wispy, blonde hair shone in the sunlight pouring in through the large windows, framing her head like a halo.
According to the law, a potential adoptive parent had to wait sixty days before they could petition the courts for custody of an abandoned baby. He had waited much longer than that.
It’s about time we make it official, he thought.
He had been trying to give Lana’s mother more time to show up and reunite with her child. But as the months stretched on, it became more and more apparent that whoever she was, she wasn’t coming back. Finally, he decided it wasn’t fair to either Lana or to himself to keep waiting for something that might never happen.
It was time to move on. Together.
Lana was eleven months old now and hitting all the developmental milestones and even surpassing them. She had been crawling around when she was only five months old and now she was already up and walking. Doctors were impressed with her quick progress, while Colt had a feeling he might know what the reason was.
But it was too early to tell.
She could just be gifted, he reminded himself, not really buying it.
He could logic himself out of all sorts of things, but his nose didn’t lie. Before he could continue down that track of thought, he heard something that roused him from his thoughts.
The click of heels drew his attention to the end of the hallway. Denise was rushing towards them, clutching different-colored folders to her chest. He stood to greet her, giving the woman a warm smile.
Denise had been a great help to him over the past months, offering not only professional but friendly support. Suddenly being a father definitely came with a steep learning curve, and Denise had been there to help him through the adjustment, despite her immediate reservations in the beginning.
She was also the one tasked with evaluating whether Colt would be a suitable adoptive parent for Lana. Which worked in his favor, he figured, though he hadn’t particularly been trying to butter the woman up. Who had the time, between being a new father and holding down a job?!
“So, are you going to give me a hint about your verdict or am I going to have to hear it in front of the judge?” he asked, smiling.
She grinned at him before crouching down to say hi to Lana, who held her bear up in greeting.
“We both know this in nothing more than a formality. There is no one better suited to be Lana’s parent, that’s evident to anyone who’s ever seen you two together. Now let’s go and make it official.”
Words I’ve been waiting to hear.
Four
Jessy
Wiping the sweat off her brow, Jessy turned the key and shouldered the door open, stepping into yet another grimy motel room.
This one is even grosser than the last, she mused, scrunching her nose at the greasy-looking bedspread and garish walls.
Yet it still beat sleeping in her car, which she had been doing a lot lately. Subletting her apartment back in Portland helped a little, but her savings were starting to run out, which was why she was unwilling to spend money on luxuries like sleeping in an actual bed.
Another month or two and she’d have to stop her search, at least until she could scrounge up some more cash.
Flicking off her sunglasses, she sat in one of the rickety chairs and picked up a pamphlet for a nearby gas station to fan herself with. Louisiana in the middle of July was no joke, and this heatwave was killing her. That was one of the reasons she decided to cough up the cash for a room – to escape the sun.
That, and for an opportunity to take a cold shower.
Reaching into her backpack, she pulled out a pack of Twizzlers and stuck one in her mouth, chewing on it absentmindedly while she checked the notes on her phone. She was on her way to Abita Springs, following the breadcrumbs Rachel had left behind.
Swallowing down the desperation creeping up her throat, and a mouthful of Twizzler, she focused on the map in front of her, or at least tried to. Without even meaning to, she tapped the screen and went into her contacts list instead.
Rachel’s number was one of the rare ones there that she called regularly. It had remained unreachable since that day almost a year ago, when her sister called to tell her she loved her before disappearing off the face of the Earth. Each time Jessy dialed it, she knew what the outcome would be.
Yet each time, her heart swelled with hope, for that half a second before the automated voice she now knew so well told her that her sister wouldn’t be picking up.
At first, Jessy had trusted the police to handle Rachel’s disappearance. Jones, the detective assigned, was very nice in the beginning, telling her he would do whatever he could to track her sister down. She gave him Rachel’s last known location, and the local law enforcement was contacted.
Days dragged by, but no one reported seeing anyone matching Rachel’s description. All the cops really had as proof of something being wrong was Jessy’s conversation with Rachel and her insistence her sister was in trouble – no wonder they didn’t move too fast.
Jessy also told them she was pretty sure Rachel had had a baby recently, so hospitals were contacted. At least the cops did that much.
It was another dead end. Rachel hadn’t given birth at any of the hospitals in travelling distance from the last town she had called Jessy from.
Days turned to weeks, with Jessy unable to eat or sleep. She hounded the police department, constantly asking for updates and demanding they do more to find Rachel. When Jones started to look at her with annoyance rather than compassion, she decided to take things into her own hands.
She wasn’t stupid, she knew how it looked. Rachel was a free spirit, never in one place for too long, never keeping down a job for more than a month or two. The cops thought she moved on to the next adventure or shacked up with some guy and didn’t feel like answering her sister’s calls.
But that wasn’
t Rachel. They were each other’s only family, all they had left after their parents passed away, and they stuck together. That never changed, no matter how many miles were between them. And from that last call, Jessy knew without a shadow of a doubt her sister got mixed up in something dangerous.
The cops might have given up on her, but I haven’t.
So she set out on this roadtrip from hell, following Rachel’s path and visiting every town she knew Rachel had visited, reconstructing her sister’s movements. Her days consisted of either driving around or showing people Rachel’s picture, in the hopes someone remembered something that could give her a lead.
A couple of people recalled her or someone resembling her passing through town, but those sightings didn’t lead anywhere. She had even been able to track down a few former employers, but none of them had really given her anything she could take to the cops.
One diner owner told her about a guy he saw Rachel hanging out with, heavily tattooed and with bleached hair and a row of piercings in both ears, but couldn’t recall the man’s name. It certainly sounded like someone who would be Rachel’s type, but without a name, there wasn’t much Jessy could do.
Rachel wasn’t the only one she was looking for, though. After replaying that last conversation over and over again in her mind, she was convinced there was a baby with Rachel when she made the call. Jessy didn’t know why Rachel would lie about how far along she was, but she was sure it had something to do with why her sister had vanished in the first place.
Where are you, sis? she thought with a sigh, a question she’d been asking herself and the universe time and time again over the last year.
Since the cops weren’t of much help, she turned to digging around in Safe Haven laws. If Rachel believed she was in danger, she might have left her child somewhere, like a fire station or a police department.