Bye Bye Baby
Chapter 3
Steve sprinted up the steps in mere seconds and saw Mike standing motionless at the top looking at the ground.
"MIKE? What's wrong? You look like you've just seen a ghost."
Unclipping his gun holster as he went, just in case of trouble, he reached Mike's side and looking down at where the older man's eyes were fixed, he gasped, his right hand dropping away from his gun as he met Mike's eyes in astonishment briefly before fixing his gaze back on the new discovery.
"It's ... it's a baby!"
In the very faint light down on Mike's doorstep, just about visible on the ground at Mike's feet was a wicker basket with a small infant asleep inside tucked up in a soft baby blanket. Mike's shoulders sagged at Steve's words and he turned to look incredulously at the young man.
"Well done Steve. It's observations like that that will get you right to the top of the department Buddy boy. I can SEE it's a baby. "
Steve barely registered Mike's sarcasm and instead stuttered once more.
"Well ... where did it come from?"
Starting to be increasingly amused by the young man's shock at the sight of the baby, he threw an arm around his partner's shoulders and spoke again teasingly.
"So now I have to tell you about the birds and the bees too, huh?"
This time Mike's words registered and Steve couldn't help but chuckle.
"You know what I mean ... Who left it here and WHY? "
"Well if I knew all that I wouldn't have called you up here, now would I? See if there's a note or anything on the basket, will you?"
Steve looked at Mike as if he had just asked him to eat a bowl full of anchovies. The panic and discomfort was visible on his young partner's face, even in the half-light.
"Why do I have to check?"
"Because your eyesight is better than mine, that's why. Now quit complaining and just CHECK, will you?"
Steve sighed heavily, aggrieved at having to comply and got down on his haunches. He made two attempts to reach out towards the basket and pulled his hand back both times, eventually whispering up to Mike apprehensively.
"What happens if it wakes up while I'm checking?"
Mike's amusement at Steve's reluctance to handle this situation was wearing thin and this time he spoke more firmly.
"Well it's not going to bite you! Now will you just look for a note, PLEASE?"
"Ok, ok, I'm checking ... " Steve grumbled back, as he took a deep breath to steady his nerves and started searching the basket carefully for a note or clue of any kind, skirting around the sleeping baby as if it were a time bomb ready to explode at any minute.
A sound of paper rustling under his outstretched hand brought a quiet sigh of relief from him as he detached the piece of paper from the side of the basket and squinted his eyes to make out the writing in the dark. Mike saw his discovery and leaned over to look over Steve's shoulder but as he did the baby moved and a high pitched cry filled the air. Steve jumped up almost unbalancing Mike, who had a hand on his shoulder, in the process, and again spoke the obvious.
"Uh, oh. It's crying Mike. "
By now Mike's patience had run out and he swatted Steve's shoulder in annoyance.
"STEVE, I CAN hear you know? One of us has to pick it up."
Steve drew back immediately, rubbing his shoulder and protesting almost as loudly as the small baby's cries.
"OH NO. I'm not picking it up. You're the highest ranking officer here and a father as well so it's all yours. Go ahead, be my guest."
Mike shook his head in frustration.
"Oh for heaven sake Steve. Stop acting like a child. It's just a baby. Here, stand back and I'll get it. "
Steve looked suitably admonished but at the same was relieved that Mike hadn't insisted on him doing it so he gladly stood back and watched as Mike bent over and with relative ease carefully picked up the baby from the basket, nestling it gently against his chest as he did. The baby looked tiny to Steve in Mike's hands and he admired Mike's courage in picking it up at all. The baby stopped crying at first and seemed to fidget against the older man's coat.
"There, there now. Everything's going to be ok. Uncle Mike's got you." Mike soothed as he shot a self satisfied smile at his partner.
"See, there's nothing to it. You just have to reassure them, that's all." Mike said just as the baby started to cry and fuss again uncontrollably.
Mike's smile faded and Steve couldn't help the laugh that burst from his lips.
"It doesn't sound too reassured to me Mike. I guess you must have lost your touch after all these years, huh?"
Mike scowled at Steve as the baby cried even louder and no amount of rocking or soothing helped to placate it.
"Come on, let's just go inside. The poor mite's probably cold. Here take the key and open the door, will you? And take in the basket and that note as well. "
Steve took the key and opened Mike's front door, switched on the lights and held the door open as Mike and the crying baby entered, then bending down he picked up the basket and followed them in. As Steve locked the door behind him, Mike was still trying to placate the baby, rocking it gently and Steve heard him humming faintly, a familiar tune that he vaguely recognized as a lullaby of some sort or other. Now that they were in the house with the lights on, Steve noticed that the blanket in the basket was a pale pink colour.
"Mike, the baby blanket's pink. It must be a girl."
Getting frustrated at not being able to soothe the crying baby in his arms, Mike barked at Steve much to the younger man's surprise.
"Well your detective skills really are second to none this evening Buddy boy."
Steve stood and stared at Mike looking aggrieved and Mike caught his partner's hurt expression and instantly felt remorseful. Pacing again as the baby's distressed wailing continued, he muttered apologetically.
"Sorry Buddy boy... Just read that note will you please?"
Steve nodded solemnly and with understanding as the baby's crying was unnerving him every bit as much as the older man and picking the note up he groaned as he saw the scrawled writing that was hard to decipher. The first thing he made out was "Lieutenant Stone" at the top of the note and he glanced up at his partner who caught the look and looked curiously back at him.
"Mike, it's addressed to you but ... the writing is very hard to read."
"Just do your best ... "
Steve again nodded nervously and holding the note close up to his face he picked his way through it as best as he could.
"Ok ... It says ... Lieutenant Stone. You have always done right by me ... I am in ... "
Steve squinted and frowned as he got stuck on the next word but swallowed hard as the word became clear. He continued trying to decipher the words as the baby's cries echoed around the room and the heart wrenching sound became unbearable.
"MIKE, can't you quieten her down? This is hard enough to try to read. "
With the tension rising in the room by the second, Mike barked back again.
"WHAT do you think I'm TRYING to do? She misses her MOTHER! They don't just come with a volume button for your convenience you know? Just keep READING."
As Mike lost his temper, the baby screamed louder and Mike lowered his voice again and spoke softly to her again, feeling guilty for upsetting the poor little baby more than it already was, but the fact that she wasn't settling was worrying him.
Steve too looked sorry for causing both of them to be more upset and so brought his attention back to the note and he read on, having to project his voice a little louder to be heard over the cries of the infant.
"I am in ... big trouble ... I have no-one else ... to ask. Please can you look after my baby ... Brigitte for me ... I am ... begging you. She is not ... safe with me. I know she will be safe ... with you. I will get her back when I can. "
Steve stopped and looked at Mike apprehensively and dropped the note down onto the dining table.
"That's all it says, Mike ... "
Mike paced again back and forth rocking the baby gently without any effect.
"Did she sign a name?"
"No ... Just the initials L. R. Do you know her Mike?"
"L.R. huh? No, it doesn't ring a bell off hand. But I must, if she said that I did right by her. What did you say the baby's name was? Brigitte?"
"Yeah, pretty name huh?"
"Yes. Well Brigitte Sweetheart ... What are we going to do with you, huh?"
Steve suddenly gasped as a strange realization dawned on him and the gasp that was audible enough even to be heard over Brigitte's distress, drew Mike's attention.
"What? "
"Mike, an abandoned baby! Just as we're about to look for a possible eyewitness to a double murder who was seen carrying a young baby. Is that too big a leap?"
Mike's face fell and he stared at Steve unnervingly for several seconds.
"No, Buddy boy. That's not too big a leap at all. She said she was in trouble in that note. It could just be a very big coincidence but you know how I feel about those?"
Steve nodded.
"That means you know our witness somehow Mike. Could be just the break we're looking for."
Brigitte was inconsolable at this stage and Mike cuddled her tighter in a final desperate attempt to settle her but to no avail.
"Yes, you're right, but first things first. Right now, we have to do something to help this poor little mite."
Turning his head towards the baby's ear, Steve watched Mike speaking softly to her.
"Ok, Brigitte. There, there now. I know you miss your Mommy but me and Steve over there are going to find her for you. I promise you that much. But you're going to have to settle for us in the meantime before I have the neighbors over complaining about the noise. We only want to help you Sweetheart. Steve, see if there's a pacifier in that basket, will you?"
"A what?" Steve asked, feeling a headache squarely manifesting itself deep in his skull and at the same time astonished by the volume of noise such a tiny person could manage to generate.
"A pacifier... Oh for heaven's sake Steve, a soother you put in the baby's mouth to stop it crying" Mike shouted, frustration and exasperation clearly ruling his actions and words.
Steve frowned at Mike's lack of understanding that this was all new to him and again, only slightly more sulkily than before, he rummaged through the basket finally finding the tiny, loose, pink pacifier.
"GOT IT " he called triumphantly and raced with it back to Mike.
Mike tried every trick he knew to get her to take it but each time Brigitte pushed it out and continued crying. At the last attempt she managed to swat at it with her closed fist and the pacifier headed across Mike's arm towards the floor. Steve made a valiant attempt to grab it but failed and was at the receiving end of another rant from Mike.
"Well that's just great. Now it's dirty. We can't give it back to her now. Well, CAN WE? "
"I'm SORRY Mike. What are you yelling at me for? She wasn't taking it anyway. Besides it's ok. I'll fix it. "
Steve picked the soother up off the floor and sucked it to clean it and went to put it back in Brigitte's mouth much to Mike's horror. Before he could get it near the baby, Mike grabbed it out of Steve's hand and lectured the young man once more.
"What do you think you're doing? You really don't know anything about babies at all do you? You can't just put it back in her mouth after it's been in yours like that. It has to be sterilized."
"Well I've seen mothers doing that before. " Steve stammered in his defense.
"Oh you have, have you? "
"Mike, I'm just trying to help. " Steve stated downheartedly, getting fed up with Mike's crankiness and seeing Steve's expression, Mike realized that he was being a bit hard on the young man so he spoke apologetically.
"I know you are ... I'm sorry for being snappy Buddy boy. We just need to stop her crying. Could you please just bring this to the kitchen and clean it in some warm water please?"
"Sure ..." Steve answered, taking the pacifier and doing as he was told but on his return the baby still wouldn't take it. Her cries were not as loud now but she was still crying none the less and was very unsettled. Steve's headache was thumping by now and he groaned at their helpless situation. In desperation, he checked the basket again and found a small cuddly toy just under the blanket.
"Mike, there's a teddy in the basket. Maybe it's her favorite, huh? "
"It's worth a try. Bring it over. "
Steve brought the toy over and Mike took it and chuckled when he saw it.
"What's the matter with you? That's not a teddy. It has long ears. It's a bunny. "
"A teddy, a bunny, what does it matter what it's called as long as it works. Mike, we have to stop her crying. I have a splitting headache."
Mike held the toy bunny up but it didn't settle Brigitte. She fidgeted and wriggled and sobbed even more and then brought her fisted hand up to suck at it. Mike watched her and memories of him holding Jeannie as a baby returned to him and the familiar signs came back to him.
"Are you hungry sweetheart? Is that what's wrong? Steve, I think I know what's wrong with her. Check the basket. See if there's any bottles of milk for her in there please? "
Steve didn't have to be asked twice and rifled through the basket quickly coming across an empty baby bottle and a tin of Enfamil baby formula powder for newborns up to three months old. He looked at Mike and raised them up.
"This is all there is, Mike. "
"Isn't there a bottle that's ready to feed to her?"
Steve shook his head regretfully.
As Brigitte began to cry again in heaving sobs, Mike spoke firmly to his younger partner.
"Ok, I'll have to try and figure it out and make her up one. You're going to have to hold her for a while."
Again Mike noticed the color drain from his partner's face at the mere suggestion and he watched as Steve drew back slightly.
"Oh no, Mike I CAN'T. "
"Steve, now listen. I know you don't feel comfortable about holding her but there's nothing to it. Trust me. You'll be fine. Haven't you ever held a baby before?"
"No and I don't want to start now. Mike, really, I can't do it. She's ... too small ... "
Finally realizing what was worrying his young partner, Mike smiled and spoke sympathetically.
"Steve, she's sturdier than she looks. She won't break. I NEED you to hold her Steve, just until I get her a bottle ready. Please Buddy boy? Huh, what do you say?"
Hearing Mike's heartfelt request and knowing it was necessary, Steve reluctantly agreed and came forward to take Brigitte who was still sobbing, his heart racing and his hands trembling slightly at the unnerving prospect of holding a tiny living person, who was so small.
"Ok, I'll try. How do I ... hold her?"
"Here, just put her up against your chest and make sure you support her head. She looks only about two months old. "
Steve hesitated a moment and looked horrified.
"Against my chest? Wait a minute. I'm not THAT naive Mike. Babies spit up. This is an expensive jacket."
Mike rolled his eyes and grabbed the baby blanket from the basket and laid it up over Steve's right shoulder.
"There, OK? Now I'm going to hand her over now. Just do as I tell you."
Mike laid Brigitte up against Steve's shoulder against the blanket and put Steve's hands in the right positions to hold her securely. One underneath her and one against her back supporting her neck. Brigitte was still sobbing and Steve winced as the cries were close to his right ear, causing his headache to throb again. Mike smiled at how out of his comfort zone Steve looked and while he looked really ill at ease, he was satisfied that at the very least Steve had her held securely so Mike grabbed the bottle and the formula tin and headed quickly for the kitchen shouting back as he went.
"I'll get this ready as quickly as I can. Just walk with her and talk soothingly to her until I get back. Will you be ok? "
Steve looked about as far from ok as anyone could possibly be but he answered more bravely that he felt.
"Yeah, just HURRY, OK?"
As he watched Mike disappear into the kitchen, Brigitte snuggled up against Steve's neck as he paced up and down with her, not used to the sensation of such a fragile little person nuzzling against his neck and wriggling against his chest .
"That's it sweetheart. Shush now for Uncle Steve. Uncle Mike's going to get you some milk. You'd like that, wouldn't you? Everything's gonna be alright. Don't you worry."
Brigitte's fidgeting quietened and so did her sobs as she seemed to settle against the younger man's shoulder. Instead, he heard small baby noises coming from her and wondered how she had stopped crying so suddenly. He patted her back gently and wished that Mike would return soon. He couldn't see the baby's face from the way he was holding her but the sounds she was making seemed contented enough. He was almost afraid to make a wrong move for fear of her starting to cry again so he stayed in the one position and just spoke even more softly to her.
"That's it. Good girl. Your bottle's on the way."
As quiet descended on the Stone household again, Mike came running out of the kitchen fearing that perhaps something was wrong but instead he saw Steve standing in the middle of the living room with the baby sucking it's hand quietly as she lay snuggled up against the young man's neck, her other tiny hand gripping the blanket tightly in her closed fist. Mike looked at Steve in astonishment.
"How did you stop her crying?"
Steve shot a puzzled look back in Mike's direction.
"I don't know. I didn't do anything. She just stopped. Is she ok Mike?"
Mike smiled broadly.
"Well, she looks contented to me. You really are something, you know that, buddy boy?"
Steve looked perplexed at Mike's statement.
"What? What are you talking about?"
"YOU, that's what. Even two month old girls aren't immune to your charms. "
Steve smiled and replied teasingly.
"What can I say Mike? It's a gift ... Is that bottle ready yet? "
Mike smiled again at the audible nervousness in Steve's voice despite his attempt at humor.
"It will be a few more minutes. Just keep your charm working on her until then, ok? "
"I'll do my best." Steve answered as Mike went back into the kitchen and he was left alone momentarily again. Steve reached his hand around to rest on her tiny hand and it felt cool to the touch.
"You feel cold Honey. Here, let's wrap this blanket around you."
Steve took the other end of the blanket that was trailing down from his shoulder and brought it up to snuggle it around her and a strange, familiar perfumed scent wafted towards him. As he remembered the scent vividly, he suddenly called out to the kitchen.
"Oh my God. Mike? I think I saw the mother!"
