Chapter 5

Summer 2007

Carly stood outside the nursery, staring through the glass at the baby.

Jax walked up and said, gently, " I thought I would find you here. You haven't been to work in days."

Softly Carly said, "She's all alone, Jax."

"No, she's not." he tried to comfort her "The whole hospital has fallen in love with Angel baby.

"But she is still without a family to call her own. And it just reminds me of when I was born. I could have been her if my adoptive parents didn't take me in."

"Bobbie made sure you weren't like her though."

Carly finally tore her eyes away from the baby and looked at Jax. "Exactly! So why didn't that little girls mother do the same? Who leaves their baby in a park?"

With tears in her eyes, she asked again "Who does that?"

Jax gave her a hug and then said, "Probably a confused teenager."

"There is not enough confusion in the world to make me do what she did." Carly said "I'm just so angry that a mother could do this. A child needs a mother. And a father. It leaves a huge hole when you don't have that. And Angel baby could really make someone's life better. Someone who longs for a child of their own. Hey! That's it."

"What?"

Carly smiled at him. "You should adopt her."

Emily walked into Wyndermere.Nikolas looked up from his place behind his desk, seeing his ex-wife a smile broke out on his face.

"Alfred let me in." she said "I hope I'm not interrupting your work. I should have called."

"Nonsense. You know I'm here for you whenever you need anything, Em." he stood up and walked over to her.

"I hope you mean that, Nik, because I need some help. There's this baby at the hospital. She was abandoned."

Nik told her, "I saw the news coverage. It's pitiful that a woman would do that. And what about the father? Where was he that she felt so alone?"

"I know. And this child is gorgeous. Everyone who sees her loves her. I can't stand the thought of her going to a group home."

"What are you thinking we can do about it?"

Emily titled her head to the side. "Tell me if I am crazy for thinking about adopting her."

Robin was standing at the nurses station at the hospital. A patient file sat open in front of her but the look in her eyes was faraway.

Patrick came up behind her and said, "Thinking about me? Is that what put that dreamy look on your face, Doctor Scorpio?"

Robin said, "Huh?"

"Have you heard any news?"

"Tell me I did the right thing." she said, her voice a ball of nerves.

"You did the right-"

Before Patrick could finish the sentence Robin spun around and started ranting,

"What was I thinking turning in that application for temporary custody? I'm not prepared to mother a kitten let alone a baby! Why did you tell me I could do this? I should have started with a gerbil or a plant. Yeah, a plant would be about right. That is what people do. They start with something smaller so if..."

Patrick placed a hand on her arm. "You can do this."

She stopped and looked in his eyes.

"You're going to be great at this." he said

A small smile came on her face. But she said, softly, "You could be completely wrong, though."

"I'm never wrong. Haven't you learned that by now?"

"You're ego is out of this world."

"Only slightly smaller than yours, I would say."

"Not hardly!"

"Oh. Poor Robin are you suffering from low self esteem today?"

"I didn't say that. Why do you always twist my words?" She was smiling now and not freaking out just like Patrick had hoped would happen.

A day later, Mrs. Walker was sitting at her desk. Her office had received several calls about adopting Angel baby but only two people filled out the forms.

She looked down at the two applications, studying them in detail. Neither applicant was married. Both had the financial means to care for a child.

She called each person and left them a message to set up immediate home studies. She would stop by each residence this afternoon. And then meet with both perspective families in the morning at 9 am.

By tomorrow night, Angel Doe would be sleeping in her own bed in her new home.