Bye, Bye Baby

A/N : As this story is fully complete it gives me the added luxury to treat you the readers to two new chapters today as a special thank you for your support and understanding. I will post one now and then another this evening my time ... Enjoy with my compliments.x

Chapter 4

At Steve's unexpected words, Mike appeared back through the kitchen door, holding the baby bottle now filled, but shaking it slightly to mix it properly, a tea towel draped over his left shoulder.

"What did you just say?"

"I think I just ... bumped into Brigitte's mother outside just after we pulled up." Steve stated ashamedly.

"Go on ... "

"Well, I was getting your dry cleaning out of the trunk like you asked and ... I thought I heard something ... A rustling sound. I looked around and didn't see anything so I thought I was just hearing things and I reached in and took out your clean suits and when I closed the trunk and stepped up onto the kerb ... I ... bumped straight into her. "

"Wait a minute Buddy boy ... You said you bumped into her. Did you get a good look at her?"

Steve sighed heavily and then shook his head

"No, it was dark and well ... when we collided, your dry cleaning fell out of my arms so I hurried to grab it and when I stood back up she had brushed past me and was hurrying off down the street. I'm sorry Mike. I had our witness without my grasp and I just ... let her get away. DAMN!"

Mike could see and hear Steve's annoyance and stepped forward grasping his left shoulder firmly with his free hand.

"Hey, hey come on now. Don't be so rough on yourself. I hadn't even found the baby then. You weren't to know it was her, besides ... how can you be even sure it was her? It could have been anyone."

"No, no it was her Mike. The ... scent on Brigitte's blanket. I smelled the same scent when I bumped into her. "

Mike stood back a little, his hand still firmly gripping Steve's shoulder and looked carefully at his partner.

"Are you sure?"

"YES Mike. She'd obviously just left her. The rustling sound I heard was probably her hiding in the shadows. She was in such a hurry to get away. I thought it was suspicious at the time but then you called me and I ... I forgot all about it until ... now when I got that scent again. OH MAN! "

Squeezing Steve's shoulder sympathetically, Mike spoke agreeably.

"Ok now. Don't worry. We'll find her. At least that explains the mystery as to why she settled with you so well and not me."

Steve looked up curiously and Mike smiled.

"Think about it. She's missing her mother. If you bumped into her mother, she can probably get her scent off your jacket, not to mention that blanket draped over your shoulder. "

Steve looked down at Brigitte and the sound of her hand sucking brought a smile to his face.

"I never thought of that ... "

As Bridget fidgeted again, Steve tensed again and then asked.

"Do babies always wriggle this much?"

Mike laughed.

"Yes ... Jeannie was an expert at it. "

As quickly as it came, Mike's laugh faded and his face grew serious.

"That poor girl must have been very scared though to leave this little cutie behind, huh?" Mike added, letting go of Steve's shoulder to gently stroke Brigitte's cheek.

Brigitte fidgeted again at Mike's touch and Steve looked down nervously at the wriggling baby in his arms. Expecting her to start crying at any minute he sighed quietly as she thankfully settled again and then lowered his voice and continued.

"Yeah ... She never even looked back. Mike, what's the plan?"

"We're going to have to call Child Services. They'll have to be informed. Then we have to find her mother and fast ... "

Mike stopped talking as he noticed Steve's expression change. He watched as Steve looked down at the tiny baby in his arms and then looked dolefully back up to meet his gaze.

"Now don't you look at me like that. You know the rules as well as I do. For an abandoned child with no legal guardian, our first duty is to call Child Services. Now you KNOW that. So what's the matter with you? "

Steve blushed and nodded sadly.

"Yeah, yeah I know the rules Mike but she's different. Any other kid we've ever handed over to them has been at least four or five. She's just a few months old. Besides, isn't the mother going to have a hard time getting her back if there's an abandonment incident chalked up against her? "

"Steve, I don't like it anymore than you do but we're not qualified to take care of her and besides that, if we mind her whose going to find her mother, huh? Unless you're prepared to strap her around your chest for the remainder of this investigation."

Steve frowned and then turned his gaze back to the little person wrapped now carefully in her baby blanket against his chest. Mike could see that Steve was not happy about handing over Brigitte and knew how he was feeling so stepped forward to speak more sympathetically.

"Look Steve, the best thing we can do for that little girl right now is get her taken care of by people who know what they're doing and go and find her mother before something bad happens to her. We can speak for her then when it comes to getting them back together. It's for the best, ok? "

Steve sighed a world weary sigh and then looked at Mike resignedly.

"Yeah, yeah you're right. Sorry ... It's just ... "

"I know, I know ... " Mike answered understanding how torn the young man was about handing the baby over after it had been trustingly placed in their care. Then Mike smiled and chuckled a little causing Steve to look up at him curiously.

"What?... "

Mike laughed even more heartily and Steve stared at him in astonishment.

"WHAT? What's so funny?"

"You ..." Mike answered between giggles, pointing at Steve and holding his stomach from the laughter.

Steve couldn't help but smile at Mike's infectious laughter but still probed further even though he had a bad feeling that he was going to end up the butt of Mike's joke.

"Me? Oh come on Mike, just tell me will ya before you bust a gut."

Mike rubbed at his eyes and stifled back his laughter.

"It's just that for someone who wouldn't even hold her a second ago you sure are beginning to look the part. You know I even have a feeling that this little cutie has managed to do what most women haven't been able to do up to now with you."

Steve raised an inquisitive eyebrow but couldn't help smiling none the less.

"Now what are you talking about?"

"You know what I'm talking about wise guy." Mike said wagging an accusatory finger at his partner as he stepped closer and prodded the young man's chest on the left hand side as he did. " She's managed to wriggle her way past that armor plating of yours and into that closed off heart of yours already. And there's not many of us members in that exclusive club now is there? "

Steve blushed and flustered defensively.

"Aw Mike, lay off will ya. You're the one who asked me to hold her ..."

"Ok, ok ... I think this is about right to feed her now. Here you can give it to her while I make a few calls."

The little color that Steve's recent blushes caused didn't last long as those words reached his ears.

"Oh no Mike. I can't feed that to her."

"Well you said you couldn't hold her and you're managing fine. There's nothing to it Steve. Just sit down and I'll show you how."

" I've got a better idea. Why don't YOU feed her and I'LL make the phone calls." He pleaded desperately but his pleas fell on deaf ears.

"Steve, if I know this girl then I have to make a few calls and find out from where. Besides, she only settles for you. Come on, will you at least just start feeding her and when I've made the calls I'll take over. What do you say? Come on Buddy boy ... STEVE?"

Mike had his pleading look on his face and the older man knew that it could get Steve to do most things that he was reluctant to do so after several seconds he smiled as Steve caved in.

"Alright, alright but just until you've made those calls, ok? " Then with a lengthy groan he sat down on Mike's couch and muttered under his breath to himself. " I just know I'm going to live to regret this. "

Mike positioned Brigitte in Steve's arms and showed him how to hold the bottle. As Steve took it he looked back up at Mike concerned.

"Mike, I think that's too hot. It's going to burn her."

"Steve, I've checked it on my wrist. It's FINE ..."

He watched as Steve offered the bottle to Brigitte who sucked it in and guzzled it hungrily. Steve smiled nervously.

"Whoa ... I guess she really was hungry, huh? "

"Sure looks like it ... Ok, are you going to be alright with that while I go and make those calls?"

Steve looked up apprehensively and certainly didn't look alright at all. As Brigitte made guzzling noises and sucked greedily at the baby bottle Steve panicked slightly.

"Wait Mike. I think she's taking it too fast. What if she chokes?"

"Steve, you're feeding her milk, NOT pizza. Just don't allow her to take it that fast and pull it back a little. See ... like this."

Mike showed Steve what to do and then took great pleasure in telling him the rest.

"Only give her a quarter of it at a time and then you have to wind her in between."

Mike was beginning to find Steve's horrified looks highly amusing and once again Steve didn't let him down.

"WIND her? Oh wait a minute, that's the part where they spit up. No, I don't think so Mike. This jacket cost me half a paycheck. "

Mike giggled much to Steve's added annoyance.

"You and your fancy expensive jackets. Here ... this will save your precious jacket." Mike stated with frustration in his voice, as he grabbed the towel he had been drying the baby bottle with earlier and laid it across Steve's shoulder. Looking at the bottle which was disappearing rapidly Mike spoke urgently.

"You're letting her take too much Steve. Take it out and we'll try to wind her now."

Steve tried to gently ease the bottle out of the baby's mouth but Brigitte wasn't letting go.

"Put your little finger gently into the side of her mouth. It breaks the suction." Mike coaxed.

"YOU put your finger into the side of her mouth. "

"Oh for heaven's sake ... Will you just do what I ask?"

Steve scowled and did what he was asked and as the bottle released he looked back at Mike amazed that it actually worked.

"How did you learn how to do that?"

"It's called fatherhood and it's a hands on learning curve Buddy boy. Now watch and learn."

He placed Brigitte once more against Steve's shoulder like before against the towel and showed Steve how to gently rub and pat the baby's back and after only a few seconds a loud burp left her lips. Steve started to laugh.

"Now that was one Norm would have been proud of ..." he giggled as Mike joined him.

"Ok, I've showed you all you need to know. Now I'm FINALLY going to make those calls."

Steve returned Brigitte to her previous position and gave her back the bottle as he called anxiously after Mike as he left the room to use the phone.

"MIKE? Just don't be long ... Ok?"

Mike shook his head and giggled to himself as he heard the blind, irrational panic in Steve's voice at being left literally holding the baby and he called back encouragingly as he entered the kitchen.

"Don't worry. You're doing FINE ..."

Picking up the phone, first Mike rang Child Services and spoke to his dear friend Annie Nolan but having related their current predicament in detail, the news he got back wasn't very satisfactory. Then he made some phone calls to some of his contacts on the street to see if they had heard any word of anyone putting out a hit on a young girl with a baby but again nobody had heard anything but they promised to ask around and get back to him if they heard anything. Mike hung up the receiver on the last call and rubbed his hand over his face feeling frustrated at having gotten no useful information whatsoever and therefore being no closer to finding the baby's mother despite ringing everyone he could think of. He thought he could hear Brigitte fussing and standing up he hurried back out to Steve. As he entered the living room he saw a frazzled and worried looking Steve pacing up and down with Brigitte up against his shoulder and he smiled as he saw the look of relief cross Steve's face when he saw Mike coming back. Brigitte was fussing and whimpering and Steve looked a million miles from his comfort zone.

"Oh thank God! Mike she won't take the rest of the bottle and she won't settle. "

"Well did you wind her like I showed you? "

"I tried just like you showed me but she didn't give me anything. You don't think she's sick do you? " Steve said putting one hand against her forehead to check for a temperature.

Mike held out his hands.

"Here ... Give her to me. I'm sure she's fine. You were letting her take that bottle too fast. She's probably got wind in her stomach that's all."

Steve scowled at Mike's words and awkwardly transferred her over to Mike.

" You know I didn't want to give her the bottle in the first place. This is not exactly my area of expertise Mike."

"Ok, ok ... Don't get all riled up. Now let's see if I can remember some of the tricks I used to use on Jeannie."

Steve was still pacing anxiously as he watched Mike sit down on the couch and he sat Brigitte on his lap, supporting her head in his right hand as he rubbed her back with the other. Within seconds a huge burp erupted and Mike looked smugly at Steve.

"See ... It's all in the technique Buddy boy."

Before the words left his lips, a deluge of milk erupted from Brigitte soaking Mike's knee, part of the couch and the carpet. Steve gasped at how much liquid one tiny person could spew but seeing Mike's unimpressed face caused him to get a fit of the giggles and he struggled to stop them.

"Very funny laughing boy ... Would you please get me some paper towels from the kitchen please instead of laughing like a hyena?"

"Sure ... I'm sorry Mike ... It's just your face ..." Steve said between giggles and he had to duck as he headed for the kitchen as Brigitte's teddy came flying in his direction.

Ten minutes later they had the mess cleaned and Brigitte had left them a present in her diaper much to Steve's horror. After getting a lecture from Mike about what goes in must come out, he had found some fresh diapers in the basket and had been made help Mike change her. Mike did the worst part of the operation while Steve had assisted, holding his nose with one hand as he did. Mike couldn't help but laugh at Steve's disgusted expression as he gagged several times from the overwhelming aroma that was drifting towards him.

"How can something so cute produce so much of something that disgusting Mike?" he asked, glad when the new diaper was in place.

Wrapping up the old diaper Mike turned and went to hand it to Steve.

"Here, throw this outside in the trashcan will you?"

"Oh no! I'm not touching that. That should be incinerated Mike."

"Just put it OUTSIDE. I did the hard part here. You know when Jeannie was a baby, we used cloth diapers so this was new to me too. The least you can do is get rid of it for me."

Steve picked up the old diaper with two fingers.

"Ok ... But if I throw up it's your fault ... " he spat back as he headed outside with the offending article and placed it in the trashcan.

He then stayed outside for several seconds taking in a few gulps of the fresh night air to settle his stomach before returning back to Mike and the baby. As he returned into the living room he saw Mike settled on the couch feeding the baby the rest of the bottle. His new found energy reserve from finding the baby was starting to wear off and the earlier tiredness was returning quicker than he wanted it to. Between that and his newly upset stomach he sunk down into the armchair and slouched back, rubbing his hands over his face as he did.

"You ok Buddy boy? You look a little green around the gills ..."

Steve lowered his hands and sighed heavily.

"Yeah, I'll be ok but I think that just answered one of my earlier questions. I'm definitely NOT cut out for fatherhood, not if that's what you have to deal with. "

Mike chuckled.

"The first dirty diaper is always a little rough Buddy boy but you get used to them after that. Don't let that put you off. Besides ... when it's your own or when she's as cute as this little sweetheart, it just becomes second nature."

Steve protested again adamantly.

"Oh no, Mike. I don't think I could ever get used to THAT. No, I think I'd prefer to get a cat. At least that comes with it's own litter tray."

Steve shuddered as he recalled the ordeal and rubbed at his still churning stomach while Mike couldn't help but laugh at his partner's reaction. He'd seen Steve deal with a whole lot rougher situations in the course of their partnership and laughed to think that it had taken a baby's dirty diaper to get the better of him. The sound of Brigitte's voracious suckling of the bottle drew Steve's attention again.

"She sure is hungry ..."

"Yes, she is. Speaking of which ... I'm pretty hungry myself. We never did get to heat up that meatloaf, did we?"

At the mention of food, Steve's stomach somersaulted.

"No we didn't but that's ok. I think I've lost my appetite somehow."

Mike chuckled again and added.

"Oh, your appetite will change it's mind when it gets the aroma of Jeannie's meatloaf heating in the oven, don't you worry."

Steve doubted that fact but didn't voice his thoughts. Instead as the tiredness hit, he yawned wearily and then suddenly remembering something he sat up a little straighter and addressed Mike.

"Hey, you never told me how the phone calls went. Any luck from your contacts?"

"No, I'm afraid not. None of them heard anything going down or at least they're not admitting it if they did. But they're going to ask around for me. Hopefully, they'll turn something up."

"That's a pity ... But Mike, you must have had some dealings with the girl. Think about it. Maybe she was heavily pregnant at the time."

"It doesn't ring a bell off hand. Besides you're on every case with me. Do you remember anyone fitting that description recently?"

Steve remained thoughtful for several seconds before wearily shaking his head.

"No, I can't say I do. What about the initials then? Ok, let's see ... Girl's names beginning with " L". You got Lindsay, Lisa, Lucy ... Lynn, Louise. Any of those ring a bell?"

Mike sat back and smiled as he heard Steve reel off a list of girl's names beginning with the letter L.

"No, none of those jump out at me but trust you to be able to recite so many lover boy. I bet you've known each of those personally, haven't you?"

This made Steve laugh and he wagged his finger playfully at his partner. "Ah, ah, now that would be telling Michael. I think I'll just leave you to wonder about that. Oh ... what about Lola? I knew a Lola once ..." Steve added wistfully.

Mike's face fell and he spoke candidly.

"Yes, I bet you did but somehow I don't think I want to hear about it. Anyway Steve, I could be wrong but I don't think we're looking for a Lola somehow. Give me some other names off the top of your head."

Steve smiled at Mike's reaction and found himself enjoying this exercise. It was even managing to make him forget the horrific diaper ordeal.

"Ok, let's see ... There's Laura, Lorraine, Lauren, Lily ..."

"Wait a minute ... Back up a bit. What was the first name you said there? " Mike piped up enthusiastically.

"Laura?"

"YES ... THAT'S IT! I did help a girl who was expecting about five months ago and her name was Laura. But it wasn't in the course of the job. She was an acquaintance of a friend of Jeannie's. Turns out she'd had a rough time. Fell down on her luck. Got pregnant and the parents didn't want to know, a bit like our victim. She was homeless for a while and got into trouble for some minor misdemeanors. Loitering, shoplifting that sort of thing. Anyway Jeannie heard about her over coffee with her friend and well ... you know about Jeannie's big heart? Next thing I knew she was cooking me a pot roast and asking me to help her track the girl down and see what we could do for her."

"I don't remember hearing about that?" Steve added curiously.

"No, I think that was the weekend you were sent on that course Olsen made you go on. What was it again?"

"Crisis negotiation something or other ... Oh man! Will I ever forget? Two full days of tortuous lectures about talking people out of doing something they'd regret. As admirable and rewarding a course as it was, it brought back my Law lectures at Berkley a little TOO vividly and NOT in a good way may I add."

Mike laughed again but his laugh was short lived ... He had managed to get the rest of the bottle into Brigitte and winded her but she was fast becoming unsettled again. She was starting to fuss and sob, so Mike stood up and started pacing with her again, this time continuing the story a little louder above Brigitte's cries.

"Anyway we found her at a soup kitchen across town and after Jeannie's persuasiveness, I managed to hook her up with an old friend of mine Kathy Glenn over at the Homeless Hostel. She got her a room there and promised she'd look out for her for us and that she'd help her out with having the baby and then afterwards. It HAS to be her." Mike stated firmly and then gasped as he added. " Wait a minute ... Didn't you say that cab driver witness thought she had long red hair coming out from under the hood of her sweatshirt?"

"Yeah, that's right. What? Did that Laura girl have red hair?"

"Yes ... The reddest I've ever seen."

"Well then it has to be her Mike. Did you know her second name? Did it begin with an " R"?"

"No, I don't think she told us her second name, just Laura. But Kathy would probably know. "

Having tried everything and failing to quieten the baby down he came over towards Steve and handed her to his partner.

"Here, take her and see can you work those charms of yours on her again while I ring Kathy. With any luck she might be able to tell us where we could find her mother."

Steve frowned at the prospect but didn't voice a complaint and instead placing the baby blanket over his shoulder first, just in case, he reached up and took the baby and settled her up against his shoulder again, the same way as before. Mike smiled at how this time the young man had seemed less nervous about holding her and marveled at how more at ease he looked with her. Within a minute of Steve taking her, she quietened and snuggled against his neck obviously picking up her mother's scent from Steve's jacket again. Mike shook his head in amazement and Steve visibly blushed at his new found skill before Mike headed for the kitchen phone.