It was the police.
More accurately, it was a policewoman, looking sharp in her navy blue uniform, accessorized by a bulletproof vest and a radio just above her left shoulder. Officer 'Peck' read her name tag and I couldn't help but notice how attractive a woman she was. I'd seen her once or twice from a distance at the police station since I'd started working at the 15th Division a few weeks before. But attractive or not, I was convinced she was here (as prompted by Mr. Ewbanks) to register her lack of appreciation for the decibel level or worse lock me up for child endangerment and I was too frazzled to give her a chance, so I launched into my own diatribe.
"Officer Peck." I began. "I know I'm disturbing everyone around here, but that's just the way it is and the way it will probably stay for a while, because as unbelievable as it sounds, I have just inherited a baby. A baby I have no idea what to do with him and I've asked him to just be quiet and go back to sleep but that's not working - at all. So I guess we'll just have to suffer until he wears himself out."
Meltdown.
I was having a meltdown right in front of this woman, but she just stood staring at me with an impressive amount of patience. Then she craned her head enough to look past me.
"May I?"
It took me a while to realize she was offering some form of aid and I stepped aside quickly and ushered her in with an elaborate wave of my hand.
Why did I do that? Goof.
"Be my guest." I said my voice filled with frustration.
"Leave the door open." The officer instructed as she moved further into my apartment. I watched as she unfastened the straps that held Camden in his car seat and lifted him out like a pro. "Diaper." My expression must have told her that I didn't have a clue where to get one of those because then she asked. "Did he come with equipment? Like a bag?"
"Yes, a duffle bag." I said recalling the large bag. "I thought it only had clothes. I'll go get it." I said heading back to the front door where I had deposited the bag earlier.
I felt foolish for not having thought of a diaper change or looking into the bag but who could blame me? It was next to impossible to gather a clear thought with all this noise. Once I'd brought it back, I set it down on the floor and opened it. Sure enough there was a package of disposable diapers on top. I handed one to the officer.
I watched as she laid Camden on the sofa and unsnapped the onesie, making quick work of changing his very wet diaper. A minute later, with a few more items from the bag she was placing a dry diaper on and refastening the snaps on his clothes.
"Is there something in there to feed him? Or at least instructions for it?" She asked amidst Camden's continuing cries.
Again I turned to the duffle. Finding a typed written sheet of paper informing me that about the time Camden was handed over to me, I should have given him an evening meal of strained peas and carrots, followed by a bottle.
Again I felt foolish.
"Let's just try the bottle for now." the officer suggested. I quickly located a Ziploc bag in the duffle that held several bottles, but they were all empty. Further inspection of the side pockets led to the discovery of a tin of baby formula. I was starting to think this bag would be my saviour. "Let's heat some water in the microwave for now, about 30 seconds. Fill the bottle to where the level says eight, then add 8 scoops. Lock and shake. Let's get some food into this baby's stomach."
I did as I was told, like a robot ready to accept and perform commands but with no independent thought process of my own. I returned with the bottle and handed it to Officer Peck without a single thought of feeding Camden myself. Instead I watched as she expertly test the temperature of the milk on the inside of her wrist before she judged it as acceptable. She then settled back onto the couch with the infant in her arms offering the nipple that Camden latched onto as if he was starving to death.
My heart sunk. I had starved the baby.
But like magic, the moment the bottle was in Cam's mouth, silence reigned. I closed my eyes again, only this time it was in sheer bliss. "Nothing has ever sounded as good as that." I said before opening my eyes again. "Thank you."
"Sure." The officer said amiably enough.
I collapsed into the oversize leather chair that sat right angled to the sofa as relief settled over me and took my first real look at my helpful police officer. She had a very distinctive shade of short cropped blond hair, with a face of well-proportioned arches and planes. Her skin was flawless, adorned by long lashes and soul piercing blue eyes. It occurred to me that those scant sightings of her in the past that had calculated her in my mind as attractive hadn't done her any justice. Officer Peck wasn't merely attractive. She was breathtakingly, staggeringly beautiful.
"My name is Holly Stewart, by the way." I finally said, only now just realizing we had not introduced ourselves. Cam's needs had rendered it irrelevant until now.
"Gail Peck." she countered and I was surprised she volunteered her first name.
"I can't tell you how much I appreciate this. I'm in way over my head with this whole baby thing."
I saw Gail smile, a small smile that put a dimple just off the right corner of her mouth. "That's okay. Seemed like the only way to give this apartment block some peace and not arrest you for child endangerment as per Mr. Ewbanks request." she joked a bit warily.
"You're surprisingly good at it though." I said, observing Camden, who was gazing up at her as he took his bottle.
"I'm an old hand." My confusion must have been obvious in my expression because then she said. "That little girl I drag around with me is my daughter, Ella. Her daycare is across the road from the precinct so I do have some on the job experience." Gail finished.
So she had seen me at the station as well … interesting, but if Gail Peck had had a child with her any of the times I had seen her, I hadn't paid enough attention to the child for it to have registered. It was bad enough that I was so inept when it came to Camden, but I didn't want to admit that I hadn't even noticed her daughter.
"Your husband must be happy to have so much help with her, even with your demanding job." I commented, now wondering if I'd encountered the husband and overlooked him too.
"No ... wife." Gail corrected. "It's only Ella and me."
I swear I hadn't been trying to find out if she was a lesbian, like myself or single for that matter, but for some bizarre reason, hearing that she was pleased me. Probably it was just that I didn't want anyone, knowing over 'pillow talk' that I was so lacking in maternal instincts. Certainly it wasn't that I was interested in Officer Peck. There wasn't any more room in my schedule for a relationship than there was for a baby, and no one knew that better than me.
Gail nodded down at Camden then, "Looks like he's falling asleep and we'll be able to put him down for the night." I breathed a sigh of relief at that news. "Is his crib in the other room?" she asked.
"Crib?"
"That's where babies sleep ...in cribs."
"I don't have one." I frowned with a new wave of tension making my relief short-lived.
"No crib?" The Officer's well shaped eyebrows arched slightly at that information.
"No, nothing." I sighed. "Being left as Camden's guardian came without any warning and I couldn't be more unprepared."
Gail shook her beautiful head. "I think as my reward for tonight, I want to hear how you came to inherit a baby and without any warning." She seemed to smile then. "But for now we'd better make sleeping arrangements for him. Do you have a thick blanket you can lay on the floor at least?"
"I can, but that seems so mean." I was horrified. "I don't mind if he sleeps in the guest bed."
Still patient, Gail explained. "Babies at this age roll off regular beds. What I had in mind was you laying out a blanket so I can put him down and I'll go get my portable crib. I'll lend it to you." she explained. "I'm also at the end of my shift, so I'll swing by my apartment and get it. I live about 10 minutes' walk from here."
"Honestly? That's very nice of you."
"No big deal."
But I was starting to realize how terrified I was of Camden waking up and beginning that inconsolable crying again, everything Gail was doing WAS a big deal.
"Blanket." I said reminding myself and to remove my focus off the woman I was having trouble not staring at.
"Blanket," Gail confirmed.
I headed for my linen closet and pulled out a large blanket before I spotted a baby blanket in the duffle. This bag was a life saviour for sure. The baby blanket was soft, blue and yellow quilt with adorable hockey sticks scattered across it. I couldn't help but wonder if Cam would grow up to play hockey someday.
First I doubled my blanket and spread it across thick carpeted floor, then placed the baby's own on it. When I had smoothed it out, Gail set the empty baby bottle on the coffee table, burped Camden and brought him to lie on the blanket. I held my breath in fear that his big brown eyes would fly open and the wailing would begin all over again, but amazingly Cam stayed quietly snoozing.
"You're a miracle worker." I whispered.
"Not quite." Gail smiled. "For the most part babies can be made happy with dry diapers, full stomachs, rest and a little attention." I repeated the four things making a genuine effort to commit them to memory. Something about that seemed to amuse Gail. She looked as if she was fighting not to laugh. Then she leaned in close enough to my ear so that I could feel a warm gust against my skin. "It's not that complicated." she assured.
"Dissecting bodies is not that complicated. Babies are a whole different world to me."
"Peck? Everything sorted here?" another police officer had come to the door, peeping inside as he spoke and we stepped back uncomfortably, as if being caught. "Mr Ewbanks has settled down. We don't have to …" he instantly recognized me and his smile grew. "... take Dr. Stewart in for breach of the peace." There was a hint of laughter behind his comment.
"Thanks, Officer Diaz." I smiled and he tipped his head to me.
"You will get the hang of it. We all do." Gail promised me with a touch of my arm.
I felt goose bumps.
"Famous last words." I muttered, trying not to think about the last time that had been said to me and what had happened to disprove it.
But Gail didn't question my comment. Her radio had buzzed to life and she relayed some information before she headed for the open door. "Let me get that crib." was her parting words before I watched them leave. Which I probably shouldn't have, because not only did watching her go make me very aware how sexy she was with her slender shoulders, narrow waist, curved hips and worse than all that, a great rear end.
A rear end to die for.
Sadly none of which was relevant or should have been distracting me from the major problem of Camden but it was nice to look and just appreciate right?
Right.