Chapter Five

 

 

 

Stephanie

 

 

 

 

 

 

The following week was insanely busy. I ended going out on a lot more home visits than normal thanks to the upcoming six-month employee evaluations that I had to do. I was putting in twelve hour days at the office and then spending a few hours a night at the hospital. It was probably a good thing that my coffee buddy was out of town because I was stretching myself thin as it was.

Chris had me wrapped around his tiny little fingers. I didn’t know what it was about him but I was completely stuck on that baby. Maybe it was because he didn’t have a family of his own and needed someone or maybe I felt some sort of bond with him after finding him in that pile of trash, but if I wasn’t at work or sleeping, I was at the hospital.

He was doing well for the most part but still wasn’t eating like he needed to be and had ended up with a feeding tube through his little nose. During my visit on Tuesday, Kara had talked me into undoing my blouse and resting him against my bare chest, telling me that skin-to-skin contact could do wonders for him. I felt a little awkward at first but the feeling quickly disappeared when he let out a content sigh. She wrapped a blanket around us both and I spent the rest of my time there with him curled up on my chest.

Valerie and Kevin kept me up to date on everything. They had a hard time getting any surveillance footage that showed anything good and the restaurant Troy and I had been at were giving them a hard time about releasing their video without a subpoena.

The DNA results had come back without any matches and by Friday, I felt like we were never going to get anywhere with the little guy. I was doing what I could to secure a foster home for him for when he was discharged from the hospital but my chest ached every time I thought about how he had been just tossed away.

When Friday arrived and nothing new have been discovered in regards to the baby, I went into work wearing a grey pencil skirt, red blouse, and a pair of matching red heels. I had left my hair hanging straight at my shoulders but put a bit more make-up on than I normally would. The killer outfit didn’t help my nerves, though. I felt like I was going to be sick.

I hated the thought of being on TV.

“Damn.” Keon released an obnoxious wolf-whistle when I walked into the conference room. “You’re dressed to impress, Steph.”

I rolled my eyes at sat down next to where Robin was already settled at the head of the table. “I figured dressing powerfully might hide how badly I feel like puking.”

The crowd of fifteen around the table laughed out loud and Sable, one of the senior caseworkers, leaned over to squeeze my shoulder. “You’ll do awesome, Stephanie, but he’s right- you are working that skirt.”

I offered her a quick smile and reached into the box of donuts at the end of the table when Robin started speaking. The caseworkers all gave us status reports and afterwards I listed off everyone who still had to be shadowed by me before the month was over.

The meeting adjourned an hour later and I printed out the statement Robin had written for me before grabbing my bag. I waved to everyone and walked out of our small suite so I could head to the elevator.

I drove to the police department shortly after ten. After I’d signed in and received my visitor badge, I walked through the familiar building until I found Valerie and Kevin’s desks. They both greeted me enthusiastically and Kevin gave me an approving nod.

“You look really nice.”

I raised my eyebrows at him. “Does that mean sometimes I look less than nice?”

“Women.” He scoffed as he looked to Valerie. “You guys can’t take compliments very well.”

Valerie just laughed. “You’re too easy, Kev.” She gestured me over to the desk. “Just so you know what we’re showing today, you should look at this. We found usable images on the surveillance video from Brimstone’s security camera once they finally ponied it over. One of them pointed at the opening of that patio area, so we can’t see the baby being dumped but we can see this woman going in that general area. She also walked right in front of the doors so we got this.”

Valerie held up a photo of a woman with brownish hair pulled up into a ponytail. She was wearing a really large coat and a pair of sweatpants. Her expression was wild, almost panicked, and I really didn’t like her already.

“You think she left him there?”

“Yeah.” Valerie nodded. “The angle we’re working now is parental abandonment. According to the timestamps, he had been there about three hours before you found him.”

“There weren’t any DNA hits on the baby,” Kevin chimed in as he sat on the edge of Valerie’s desk. “At least no one in the system. We’re just hoping someone recognizes her after this and calls us.”

I held up the statement Robin had prepared and that the department had already approved. “Well, mine’s pretty short and sweet.”

Valerie and Kevin both read over my statement and I sat with them until it was time for us to go to the press room. The commander of the Family Investigations Bureau, Alice Murphy, was going to be giving the statement on behalf of the Phoenix Police Department. She was dressed in her formal blues and smiled when she saw me in the hallway.

“Stephanie, how are you?” Alice was probably in her mid-forties and she was the first female police commander PPD had ever had. She earned the title and I respected her and the job she did.

“I’m great, Alice. How are you?” I replied as I shook her hand. She just let out a long sigh and nodded.

“At least this little guy will be okay. We have a chance at a happy ending.” She gestured to the room. “Just stand next to me and I’ll bring you in to give the DCS update. I’ll speak again after.”

I nodded my head and inhaled a deep breath. When Alice began to walk through the door, she smiled and encouraged me to follow her.

The room was full of reporters and Alice moved to a podium that had microphones set up all around it. I stood behind her, slightly off to the side. The reporters weren’t noisy like I’d been expecting, but instead the quiet hum of conversation filled the room. When Alice stepped up to the microphones, however, silence fell.

“Good afternoon. Thank you all for coming. On Friday, January tenth, a caseworker for the Department of Child Safety discovered a young baby on the patio of the abandoned club, Gold Spirit, on Seventh Street in Phoenix, Arizona. The baby, only identified as Baby Boy Doe, was just hours old and severely hypothermic. We have pulled surveillance footage from the area and are currently looking for this woman as a person of interest.” Alice gestured to the screen off to the side where the photo of the panicked woman was. “Anyone who has any information as to her identity or whereabouts is asked to come forward immediately. For an update on Baby Boy, I bring you Stephanie Gibson, a social worker assigned to Prevention and Support within the Department of Child Safety. She is also the person who made the discovery of the child.”

Alice stepped back and gestured me forward. I cleared my throat and looked to all of the people and cameras nervously.

“Hello, as Commander Murphy said, I am Stephanie Gibson with DCS. At approximately nine in the evening on January tenth, I discovered Baby Boy Doe in a pile of trash outside of Gold Spirit. When he was discovered, the temperature had fallen to forty-four degrees and he was in nothing but an old towel. He was cold, hungry, and weak from exposure. Baby Boy was rushed to the hospital immediately. He has responded to treatment and is considered to be out of danger at this time. It is imperative that we find his parents so we can determine if he has any other health risks we need to take into account at this time. Thank you.” I looked to Alice and stepped back, a rush of air leaving my lungs as I did.

Alice took questions about the investigation and the baby. Someone had asked if he would be placed in foster care, to which Alice looked at me and I nodded. The next person asked if he’d be placed up for adoption after a certain amount of time, and I stepped forward to claim that we’d cross that bridge when we got there.

Alice wrapped up the press conference and I was really happy to leave that room. She pat me on the back and told me that I’d done well, but I wasn’t in a hurry to see myself on TV.

“Okay, I’m going to retreat back to the shadows,” I declared as I grabbed my bag. Both Kevin and Valerie nodded and it was the latter who spoke.

“We’ll let you know if we find anything out.”

I nodded and hugged them both before heading out to my car. It was warmer than it had been the day before, a little more than sixty degrees, and the sun felt good on my face. I went back to work and spent the rest of the day doing welfare checks with Rachel. When we made it back to the office, it was already after five and I packed my stuff up to head home for the night. Instead of actually going home, though, I drove towards the hospital.

Once I was buzzed into the NICU, I washed my hands and left everything outside the door. I pushed open the door and Kara immediately grinned at me.

“I saw you on TV. You did great.”

I chuckled and shook my head. “That was gross. I never want to do it again.”

“You’re working that outfit.” She gave me a once over and winked. “It must be nice to wear clothes that accentuate your shape every day.”

“You look hot in those scrubs, Kara.” I gave her a serious look as I went over to Chris’s bed. His eyes were open as he stared to his left at nothing and I immediately smiled.

“Hey, sweet boy.” My fingertips ran across his forehead and he just wiggled in his bed. “How’s he doing?”

“Great,” Kara said as she tapped a screen next to another baby. “He is eating a little better than he was but still not as well as we’d like.”

The tiny baby let out a small, angry squeak and I looked back down as he scrunched up his eyes. His little face relaxed before he got angry again and I couldn’t help but smile.

I didn’t waste any time scooping him to my arms like I had in the days before. I was careful of his wires and I covered him with a blanket even though the NICU felt like it was ninety degrees already.

His little cheek pressed to the skin above my shirt and he immediately settled down. I bounced on my feet a little and pressed my nose to the top of his hair.

“This child is intoxicating.”

“Why don’t you try feeding him again?” Kara asked as she handed me a small bottle of formula. “The doctor really wants him to drink at least twenty milliliters in one sitting. Even if he doesn’t, the practice is good for his suck reflex.”

I took the bottle from her and settled into the rocking chair. Chris’s deep blue eyes stayed on me as I brought the bottle to his mouth and we rocked together while he attempted to eat. After about twenty minutes, he was completely asleep and I held up the bottle to look at it.

“He drank almost an ounce. What is that in milliliters?”

Kara took the bottle and looked at it herself. “An ounce is thirty milliliters so I’d say he drank about twenty-five. Good job, Steph.”

We kept chatting off and on as she helped parents who came and went. I undid my blouse, knowing damn well I’d picked button-up ones all week because of the baby, and cuddled him up to my chest. His little cheek pressed against my skin and he looked comfortable where he was.

When Kara had a particularly fussy baby, I let her work while I sat in my bubble with Chris. He slept with his little lips parted and I couldn’t help but run my fingers through his fuzzy, blonde hair.

I stared at him for so long, and it was so warm in the NICU, that my eyes began to feel heavy and I blinked several times to wake myself up. Suddenly, someone shook my shoulder gently and I opened my eyes. I blinked again, trying to figure out where the hell I was. I felt something move against my chest and looked down to see Chris shift in his sleep. My grip tightened on him and I looked up to see Kara staring down at me with a smile.

“I fell asleep holding him? I’m sorry. That’s so dangerous.”

She shook her head. “We’ve been here the whole time watching. You were fine. I didn’t want to wake you up but the detectives are here and they wanted to talk to you.” She carefully took Chris from me and I stood up, stretching my stiff muscles as I did.

“How long did I sleep?” I asked as I re-buttoned my blouse, my chest now sweaty from where the baby had been sleeping. Kara let out a small laugh and looked at the clock.

“Over an hour. You must be tired.”

“I’m always tired,” I replied with a yawn while slipping my feet back into my heels. “I’ll be right back.”

I walked through the door of the NICU and spotted Kevin and Valerie sitting in the waiting room. Valerie smiled when she saw me and they both stood to greet me.

“What’s going on?” I asked, rubbing my still-kinked neck as I sat in a chair across from them.

“We’ve received several hundred calls but ten of the tips seem legit,” Kevin said as he handed me a cup of coffee and an unopened bottle of water. I took of drink of the warm, caffeinated liquid and savored it as he continued. “We’re going to run them down tomorrow. We were told to let DCS know that as soon as we have a name, you can begin proceedings to have phantom parental rights terminated.”

I swallowed another mouthful of coffee and nodded again. “Good. I put in the request to have his birth certificate created today, but it’ll be easier if we know who the parents are. We named him Christopher Banner for now.”

Valerie started to say something but someone interrupted us before she could.

“Excuse me. Are you the people working the Baby Boy Doe case?”

The fine hairs on the back of my neck stood on end and when I turned my head, along with Val and Kevin, my eyes widened in surprise.

Standing there, with his blonde hair completely disheveled and in a suit that looked amazing on him, was the man from the coffee shop.

His light green eyes were full of surprise when they locked with mine. “Vanilla Latte?”

“City Roast.” I smiled but it fell quickly and I furrowed my brows. “What are you doing here?”

“I, uh, I needed to…” he stammered, looking completely unsure of himself for a second, and it was Valerie who finally put together a coherent thought.

She stood and extended her hand to the newcomer. “We are the ones working on the Baby Boy Doe case. I’m Detective Valerie Spector and this is my partner, Kevin Pick. How can we help you?”

He shoved his hands into the pockets of his suit pants nervously and looked at me before glancing back to Valerie. “My name is Jared Hart. I, uh, think I may have some information about the baby’s parents.”

A gasp fell from my lips automatically and Jared’s eyes snapped back to meet mine. Kevin must have sensed the tension between us because he gestured for Jared to sit in the chair across from mine. “Please sit. I see you know Stephanie Gibson. She’s the social worker assigned to the case and also the one who found Chris.”

“You found him?” he asked, his voice quiet. I nodded my head but didn’t say anything. My whole body warmed just being in his presence and it was all I could do to keep my hands from reaching out to him. When Valerie cleared her throat, he finally spoke again. “You’re calling the baby Chris?”

I nodded a second time, a nervous feeling in my stomach as our gazes stayed connected. “We wanted to call him something other than ‘Baby Boy Doe’.”

“Chris,” he repeated almost so softly that I didn’t hear him. The stare down between us finally broke when he ran his hand down his face. He looked over at Kevin “I just got back into town and one of my friends sent me the pictures you released. That woman is Angela Roberts.”

Kevin scribbled the name in notebook before looking back up at the man. “Are you sure, Mr. Hart?”

“Positive.” Jared nodded. “She’s my ex-girlfriend.”

“Ex-girlfriend?” Valerie repeated with a raise of her eyebrow. “How recent?”

His face went completely white at the question. “We separated about eight months ago. I think the baby may be mine.”

My heart thudded in my chest as I absorbed his words. Chris, our little Chris who came to us with no family, no name, no love… There was a real chance that he had family out there.

And that family could be the man I had spent the last month flirting with every morning.

“And you didn’t know she was pregnant?” Valerie asked while Kevin stood and pulled his phone out his pocket. Everyone seemed oblivious to my own inner turmoil.

“I had no idea. If I’d known…” Jared looked like he might be sick so I offered him the unopened bottle of water. He accepted it gratefully and took a few small sips before replacing the lid. He didn’t look up as he focused on the plastic in his hands. “He would have died if he’d been out there much longer, wouldn’t he?”

Valerie ducked her head and stared at him until he finally looked up to meet her gaze. “Don’t focus on that. He was found in time and that little guy is thriving.”

“He really is,” I said quietly. Jared turned to look at me again, his eyebrows furrowed in disbelief. I offered him a small smile. “He’s a sweetheart, too. Charmed everyone in the NICU already.”

“Definitely,” Valerie agreed with a laugh. “I don’t think Steph has left his side for very long since she found him. He has her wrapped around his pinky.”

Kevin walked back to us as he tucked his phone back into his pocket. “The driver’s license photo matches the surveillance image. Patrols are heading to pick up Angela Roberts now. We’ll rush a DNA sample from her to compare it against the labs we had done for Chris. Mr. Hart, we’d like to take a sample from you as well to verify paternity. If you are the father, we will work with Ms. Gibson to figure out how to get you and your son together.”

“My son. Jesus.” Jared ran his hand over the top of his head. “I don’t even know where to start. I don’t have anything I’d need for a baby. Where will he sleep? What does he eat? Who’s going to watch him while I’m at work? I just-”

“You’re getting ahead of yourself,” I interrupted, trying to keep my tone as soft and reassuring as possible. “First things first. Let’s do the DNA test and then we can make a plan from there.”

Jared nodded at me and we stared at each other until Kevin mentioned heading to the lab. As we all stood, I offered my hand to him to shake.

When he took it in his own, I had to fight against closing my eyes. Everything about the simple touch felt perfect and I never wanted to let go. I had so much I wanted to ask him, so much I needed to say, but I felt frozen with shock. He opened his mouth to say something but Kevin asked if he was ready to go.

Our hands dropped and I mourned the loss of him immediately but forced a quick smile before quickly hugging the detectives. Kevin promised to call me with the results but warned it wouldn’t be for a couple of days.

I watched the three of them walk towards the elevator and right before he stepped in, Jared looked over his shoulder. He stared at me for a second and I offered him a small wave. He held his hand up to return it and then disappeared from my sight.

I went back into the NICU and said goodbye to Kara and Chris before heading home. It was late, already after ten, and there was no sign of my best friend when I closed myself off in my bedroom. Once I was in bed, my mind began to run wild.

Phoenix was a big city. How was it that the man from the coffee shop could possibly be the father of the baby I had found? The universe had a weird sense of humor.

The thing was, I really wanted him to be the father. I wanted Chris to have a family. I saw so many tough cases in my job and I really just needed a win. I also wondered what that meant for me and City Roast.