Rebecca Winters - The Baby Discovery

This was the crucial moment to practice self-restraint. Otherwise she would be in a much worse condition when child welfare services came to the hospital.

The police report was already in their files. Any day now, probably as early as tomorrow, a social worker would show up to find out how soon the baby could be placed in foster care.

Already the abandoned infant had endeared himself to Meg. Because of Mr. Broderick, she no longer thought of him as Baby Doe. In her heart, he’d become Johnny.

She needed to make the break while she still could. It meant she wouldn’t be seeing Mr. Broderick again, either. He made up the other part of her forbidden list.

“You know what, Shelby? I think I’ll come back when there isn’t a line. See you later.”

Meg left the floor, not interested in remaining there to catch up on hospital gossip. Once she’d reached the ER and had hung up her coat, she plunged into her work with a vengeance.

If there wasn’t anything going on between crises, she took inventory of supplies in the cubicles, anything to keep so busy she wouldn’t think about what was going on upstairs.

“What’s with you?” Julie asked when there was a quiet moment. Meg had been counting boxes of gloves and syringes. Her colleague’s question threw her off.

“Just trying to make myself useful.”

“Well stop it! You’re putting me to shame.”

Meg was still down on her haunches. “Sorry, I hadn’t realized.”

“Hey— I was only teasing. What’s wrong? You don’t seem yourself.”

“Let me get you something for it.”

“I took some tablets while I was hanging up my coat, but thanks anyway.”

“Sure. Did you know Baby Doe was transferred to the nursery?”

“Yes, I heard. I-it’s wonderful.”

“Lucky, too.”

“What do you mean?”

“The police were here a few minutes ago looking for that gorgeous grouch who brought the baby in. At least now they can’t pin a murder charge on him.”

Upon that revelation, Meg dropped the clipboard. After grabbing for it, she got to her feet. “Surely they weren’t here to arrest him!”

“I don’t know. Dr. Parker sent them to the nursery.”

Adrenaline surged through Meg’s body. “Julie— It’s quiet right now. Would you cover for me? I’ll be back inside of ten minutes.”

“Of course. You spelled me off last night when I missed all the action. Give me the clipboard.”

“Thanks.”

She dashed out of the cubicle and ran down two corridors in search of the stairs. Once she’d reached the next floor, she headed straight for the sick baby nursery.

Through the glass of one of the partitioned rooms, she could see Zane Broderick talking to the policemen who’d come to the ER last night. Two other men as tall and attractive as he was stood close by, their expressions equally solemn.

If those officers were reading him his rights…

Heedless of the consequences, Meg marched into the nursery, swept past the staff and opened the door where Mr. Broderick was being interrogated. All eyes swerved in her direction.

“Excuse me for interrupting,” she began, “but if you’re still thinking this man had any knowledge of Baby Doe’s situation prior to his finding the baby and bringing him to the ER, then you’re way off base, gentlemen.

“He’s the engineer who built that track where the baby was found. If he’d had anything to hide, he would never have admitted to finding the child there of all places.”

She struggled for breath. “I was here all night to observe him. He never went home. In fact I had to get him a cot because he was dead on his feet, but that didn’t matter to him. He hovered over that baby, talked to it, touched it— He willed it to live, officers.

“I haven’t seen most fathers show that kind of love or concern or devotion for their own offspring, let alone for a nameless baby someone had left out to die!”

By now she was trembling. “Why don’t you gentlemen get out there and beat the bushes to find the birthparents of that adorable little baby? You’ll probably discover it was a couple of terrified fifteen-year-olds who don’t have a clue about the sanctity of life!

“I’m telling you right now that if you charge this man with the crime, I’ll fight you every step of the way. When you hear what Dr. Tingey, the head of the ER, and one of the most powerful figures in this community, has to say about this matter, he’ll make mincemeat of you in court!”

Silence filled the room.

“Are you quite through?” one of the officers inquired in such a mild-mannered voice she wanted to scratch his eyes out.

“For now.” She was still bristling with rage.

His eyes held a mysterious twinkle. “That’s good, because we came to bring Mr. Broderick his jacket and let him know he’s no longer under suspicion. For one thing, his blood type isn’t the same as the blood type on the blanket.

“For another, fresh horse manure droppings along with the bloody droplets matching that on the blanket, were found in the snow at the end of the track where Mr. Broderick rescued the infant from certain death.

“We’re now looking for someone who rode a horse to that spot. Someone who couldn’t have ridden very far considering the baby had been born within the same hour of his being placed there.

“Don’t worry, Ms. Richins. We’ve been beating the bushes for the last twenty-four hours. Hopefully we’ll discover the person who did this and learn the identity of the mother before too much more time passes.

“Your breathtaking defense of Mr. Broderick has been duly noted and will go in the record.” He cocked his head. “If I’m ever in need of someone to stand up for me, I’ll know exactly where to come.

“Goodnight, Ms. Richins. Gentlemen.” He nodded to the others before he and his partner left the room. The door closed behind them with a click.

Meg wasn’t a person who blushed easily. But she felt heat sweep up her body into her face and hair.

Talk about resembling a red light globe—

The two dark-haired men stood there openly smiling down at her with their eyes as well as their mouths. She didn’t dare look at Mr. Broderick, but she could feel his intense gaze scrutinizing her.

“Ms. Richins.” He broke the silence with his deep voice. “I’d like to introduce you to my best friends, Dominic Giraud and Alik Jarman.”

They shook hands with her.

“It’s a pleasure to meet you,” said the one with the French accent.

“I wouldn’t have missed this,” the other man teased gently. “We flew out from Denver to offer our support.”

Denver? She’d thought these men were part of his crew!

“But obviously none was needed,” the Frenchman added silkily.

She tried looking anywhere else, but ended up meeting Zane Broderick’s penetrating regard. He wasn’t smiling.

“If the officers had come here to arrest me,” he began in a husky voice, “I’m not sure they would have carried out their objective after hearing your testimonial.”

He folded his arms. “You risked having to pay a fine, or worse, for harassing a police officer in the line of duty. A mere thank-you for your sacrifice doesn’t quite cover what you did for me just now.”

“I would have done it for anyone I felt was innocent,” she defended, hoping lightning wouldn’t strike her for that particular white lie. “I’m very glad you’re no longer under suspicion.”

His eyes darkened to an inky blue. “So am I. But until the baby is completely out of the woods, it’s a little too soon for the celebration I have in mind.”

Her heart wouldn’t stop hammering.

“He is improved though. Otherwise Dr. Parker wouldn’t have upgraded his condition. We can be thankful for that much.”