Chapter 4

"Which one is she." Randy asked the nurse wearily. It had been a few hours since he had learned of his daughter's death. And though his world had been turned upside down, he still had obligations to fulfill.

The young nurse smiled at him and walked to the back of the nursery looking for the Sullivan baby. She located her and scooped her into her arms.

"Here she is, sir," the nurse said cooing at the baby.

Randy looked down at the sleeping baby girl wrapped in the pink blanket without much interest.

Confused by his indifference, the nurse held out the baby, thinking he would take her in his arms. When he didn't, she cleared her throat expectantly.

Finally understanding, Randy took the baby girl and took another look at her. She really was a beautiful baby. As if on cue, she yawned and opened her eyes.

The nurse seemed delighted by this action but Randy was revolted. The baby had green eyes just like her father.

Unnerved by his reaction to the child, the nurse cleared her throat again and gently asked, "What is her name?"

Randy grunted. "I don't know, we haven't agreed on one yet." Actually they had hardly talked about it throughout Diana's pregnancy. It was as if not talking about the baby made it disappear.

"Well, sir she needs a name, what shall we put on the birth certificate?"

Randy looked at the young nurse. She had on a name tag. Kelly. That sounded good enough to him.

"Kelly." He said. "Her name is Kelly." And with that he turned and walked out of the nursery.

Nurse Kelly frowned. She was unaware of the Sullivan's situation and didn't understand the man's cold indifference to the beautiful little infant. Usually parents were thrilled when picking up their new additions. She had thought it strange that the baby had remained unclaimed in the nursery almost six hours after her birth. She sighed and looked down at her nametag. She had just gotten married the previous summer. Good thing for that baby, she thought to herself. Her maiden name had been Harrison.

Baby Kelly spent the first two months of her life with her grandparents back at their home in Plano.

Randy and Elizabeth went through the motions of being parents all over again. But this time it was different. This baby had been a mistake and had cost their daughter her life, and untold grief to them. They knew that it wasn't the baby's fault, but it didn't change things.

Baby Kelly did her best to spite her grandparents by growing to resemble her father. She not only had his green eyes, but it appeared she had his facial features as well. To add to their pain, she started to sprout dark brown hair. Her mother's dark brown hair.

One night in late February, Elizabeth came out of the baby's room having just fed her. She walked past her husband who was watching television and sat down heavily on the couch. Suddenly, she burst into tears.
Startled, Randy rushed over to her.

"Honey, what's wrong," he asked gently, though he knew the answer.

"I can't take care of her anymore. She looks just like him, and- I just- I ju-" She dissolved into tears again, unable to continue.

Randy nodded. He had had an idea in his head ever since Kelly's birth, yet he had been afraid to mention it. Now, however, he thought it was time. He stood, walked into the baby's room and stopped by the crib. Diana's old crib.

She was sleeping peacefully. He reached in and scooped her up. She gurgled in protest, but luckily didn't start crying.

Kelly in his arms, he walked back into the living room. "Let's go," he said quietly.

Elizabeth looked up, not understanding. She wiped her face with her sleeve. "Go where?"

"Her mother is-" he paused, wondering how to word it, then decided it was best to not even try. "You can't take care of her, I don't want to take care of her, that goddamn boy doesn't want to take care of her." he stopped, noticing Elizabeth's expression of horror.

He gave her an exasperated look. "There's an orphanage in Dallas," he started to explain. "It's run by nuns, someone there will take care of her, and maybe she'll be adopted into a good home. It's for the best."

"You mean just abandon her?," Elizabeth asked her eyes wide.

"No, not abandon her," Randy said quickly, then after thinking for a few seconds changed his mind. "Well yes, but it's not like we're leaving her by the side of the road. They'll take care of her there, they have to."

Elizabeth didn't say anything.

Randy sighed, "They're nuns." he said firmly, as if this explained everything. He wasn't sure who he was trying to convince more, himself or his wife.

Finally, she nodded her head. "Ok, let's go."

The couple drove the forty five minutes to Dallas in silence. Randy drove, while Elizabeth sat in the passenger seat, Baby Kelly wrapped in a yellow blanket asleep in her arms.

They arrived at the orphanage a little after 11pm. It was dark and seemed to be deserted. Randy turned off the car and the couple waited in silence for a few minutes.

"You ready?" he asked looking at his wife.

She responded by opening the car door and stepping out with the baby. Randy got out of the car and went around to open the trunk. He pulled out a small peach basket and a piece of paper. Elizabeth placed Baby Kelly in the basket and gently set her on the ground by the car. Randy handed her the piece of paper and a pen. They had decided that she would be the one to write the note during the car ride.

Sighing, Elizabeth took the pen and wrote in large letters.

PLEASE TAKE CARE OF ME

MY NAME IS KELLY SULLIVAN

Randy leaned over to admire her handiwork. He recoiled when he saw his last name scrawled on the paper.

"What are you doing?! Don't put our last name on there, how many Sullivan's do you think there are in this area.", he scolded as he ripped off the part of the paper bearing his surname.

Satisfied with the new sign, he placed it in Kelly's basket as he lifted it and carried it to the front steps.

It was a cold February night, he could see his breath as it steamed from his mouth. He set the basket down. Hopefully they would find her soon.

He stood, trying to decide what to do. Then he raised his fist and banged loudly on the door.

Motioning frantically for Elizabeth to get in the car, he came jogging back and jumped in the driver's seat. He quickly turned the car on and peeled out of the parking lot. As he drove away, he watched in the rearview mirror, as the door to the orphanage opened, the light revealing the basket with Baby Kelly squealing unhappily from the sudden cold.

Randy sighed in relief. He looked at Elizabeth. She didn't look at him but slipped her hand in his.

Finally, they were free to heal.

Meanwhile, Paul was finishing his first semester at the University of Texas. He had been dating a new girl that he had met in one of his classes. He was playing basketball and generally enjoying the course he had chosen for his life.

Paul was to die in a car accident in 1962. From the day he drove away from Plano, Texas for the last time to the day he died, he never once gave a second thought to Diana and his baby that she carried.