This is unlike any story I've wrote before. I had a dream about a similar scenario, and I had to write it down. Chapters will be short so I can update a few times a week. Hope you enjoy. xx
I stumble home, the wind biting me with each step. The walk from my apartment to the library isn't far at all. I'd decided to forgo my car this morning, opting for a fresh breezy walk instead. I'm regretting that immensely as the weather takes a turn for the worse. It's getting dark now and colder by the second. I can't wait to get in and have some soup, perhaps followed by a hot bubble bath. Saturday night, 21 years old and living the dream. The irony is not lost on me.
Enter Bella Swan, recent art graduate, apartment owner, part time library worker and full time loner. It's okay. Most of the time I don't mind the solitude. It seems to be a mandatory requirement of a person seeking creative pursuits. Plus, I've never been one for 'hanging out' much. A book or a painting can capture my attention just as effectively as a hot guy in a bar or a martini under flashing lights.
I'm almost there now. Just a few blocks away.
I'm walking past the hospital when I pause.
There is a bag on the floor, well, more specifically a carry bag. There is a strange gurgling noise emerging from it and I bend, peeking closer. I almost have a heart attack. Nestled inside the little carry bag, wrapped up tightly, is a living breathing gurgling baby.
Bright hazel eyes stare up at me in wonder and I immediately get to my feet, frantically looking around. The hospital seems busy, why is there nobody outside? Why is this baby outside in the cold all alone? I bend down again to pick her up and see that there is a note tucked into the top of the carry case. I quickly glance over it.
This is Chloe. Please, look after her the way I was unable to. Send her to a loving home. Be everything I never could. Mommy will always love you Chloe. I'm so sorry xx
That's all there is. I flip it over but there is no more. Realisation dawns on me. Somebody, this baby's own mother, left her outside of the hospital. She requests that she goes to a loving home but I know that's unlikely. She will be placed in foster care, years on waiting lists. Possible encounters with bullies, no real family unit. I contemplate taking her inside but a flurry to my side catches my attention. A woman walks toward the doors and before I realise what I am doing, the carry case is in my arms and I'm hurrying down the road.
Upon arriving at my apartment, the seriousness of what I have just done dawns on me. I just stole a baby…
No Bella, you didn't steal her. She was left abandoned in the cold. I've done what any compassionate human being would have. Once I'm in the warmth and safety of my home, I open the carry case fully and lift her out of there. She looks at me with bright eyes and babbles, trying to stick her little fist inside her mouth. She is gorgeous and I sit down with her on the sofa. She's sitting up on her own and judging by her measurements, I guess that she's around five or six months old. I don't know much about babies but I do know that she should probably be chubbier. I then realise that I don't have a bottle for her. Or milk. Or food. Can she eat food yet? Where will she sleep? I have no diapers, no clothes…
The panic starts to wash over me now. God Bella, what on earth have you done? I stand up. I need to take her back to the hospital. Yes, that is the sensible, appropriate thing to do.
She then babbles again and I look into her eyes. I see how vulnerable and innocent she is. Completely unaware of anything. She was left alone in the cold and in this moment, I know I can't possibly leave her again.
Forgetting about my own needs, I bundle Chloe back inside the carry case and walk down to the nearest grocery store. I buy formula, diapers, a pacifier and a bottle. Tonight, I will order a car seat to be delivered tomorrow so that I can go shopping for her properly. These things will have to do for now.
Once I arrive back home, Chloe starts to cry. I suspect she's hungry and so with one hand I try to prepare a bottle whilst my phone gives me instructions. She is in my other arm.
"Shh baby," I coo to her. "I'm going to feed you now."
Finally, I manage to prepare the bottle and I sit down on the couch with her as she reaches for it hungrily. Her little cheeks swell as she feeds, her eyes opening and closing happily. She's so little. Her hair is light, her complexion rosy. I stroke her little face softly with my fingertip. Baby soft skin. She eats until she falls asleep in my arms and a tear leaves my eye. I have no idea who her mother was or why she abandoned her but I'm not sure I'll ever quite understand it.
"I promise I won't leave you," I whisper.
I really am going crazy.
As she sleeps in my arms, I order a car seat online. I realise I haven't eaten a thing all day when my belly starts to grumble but it'll have to wait. I don't have a safe place to leave her yet and so I manage to grab a granola bar and glass of water to take into my room. Once there, I place her carefully in my bed and watch as she brings her thumb to her mouth, sucking softly. Emotions suddenly course through me again and I begin to feel anxious.
What have I done? This is insane. I'm feeling overwhelmed. Sweat falls over me and I feel myself going into a panic attack. What am I supposed to do? I can't take her back, I know that. I also know I can't keep her. I don't know how to take care of a baby…she isn't mine. She belongs to another woman.
A woman that left her alone in the cold…
A million thoughts race through my mind. Two sides, warring and battling with one another. The rational sensible side, and the heart felt emotional side. The decision is which one I choose to listen to.
What side should Bella listen to? I would love to hear your thoughts! Please leave a review and the next update will be tomorrow xxx