That night it was Laura who insisted on pacing the floor with their colicky charge. When Robbie tried to take her place insisting he could function without sleep she told him to at least rest, "You have work tomorrow."
Robbie gently emptied Laura's arms of the shrieking body and replied, "so do you, taking care of a bairn is work too."
The next day after seeing Robbie off to an early morning task force meeting with Peterson, Laura sat at the kitchen table, her chair back far enough to not squish the snuggler, and her coffee in a spill proof mug. Osborn and Monty finished their breakfasts and circled around the table, the dog obviously interested in the new occupant of the house and the cat pretending not to be.
The doorbell rang and the two humans rose together to admit Mrs. Collinson.
Over Mrs. Collinson's fresh baked award winning strawberry scones, Laura and her old neighbor had a proper chat.
"Thank-you for coming over to rescue me yesterday. I don't know what I would have done without you."
Mrs. Collinson sipped her coffee. "Nonsense, all I did was iron out a few wrinkles. Most women have months or years to plan for this eventuality. You have done splendidly." She put another scone on Laura's plate. "You need more starch to give you the strength to carry that extra person. Remember she is not one of your patients and may put up a fight at times."
"Well, you really saved the day. I told Robbie you came over so I could catch up on all the gossip in my former neighborhood. I didn't want him to feel guilty about going back to work." Laura adjusted her bundle. "And thanks for not asking questions. I wasn't ready to talk about all this yet."
Mrs. Collinson swept up some crumbs and flattened the tablecloth with her hands. "I gathered there were some difficult or unusual circumstances and I didn't want to press you." She reached over and smoothed the hair on the tiny blond head. "That's not to say I'm not curious. Of course I can be trusted not to share any steamy details." She leaned in towards Laura to whisper, " Are there any steamy details?"
Laura shifted in her chair, unsure how much of the load to share, then decided to open the bag.
Mrs. Collinson paid rapt attention as Laura told her how her life with Robbie came to include a baby. In the hospital in New Zealand her niece Caroline suffered a seizure during the delivery and fell into a coma. Brad and Carole had wanted Laura on hand in case of an emergency never expecting something this dire. Laura monitored the care of both Caroline and her newborn daughter. The baby was surprisingly healthy considering the circumstances. Several months earlier Caroline had already asked Laura and Robbie if they would be the Godparents. At first they were unsure as they did not want the grandparents to feel slighted. Brad allayed their fears and said they would welcome them as important figures in their grandchild's life.
The four of them decided it would be best to bring both Caroline and the baby back to Oxford. Laura arranged the medical flight for Caroline who was accompanied by her childhood friend Alyssa. Brad and Carole had bought Alyssa a plane ticket weeks before the birth so that she could visit after Robbie and Laura left. Alyssa and Caroline had been friends since their days in nursery together. While Alyssa knew about and understood Caroline's seizure disorder she never treated her differently, except in those situations where a cool head and warm hand was needed and then she always rose to the occasion.
Laura and Robbie brought the baby home with them fully expecting to have Brad and Carole move her into their home after a few days. When it became clear that Carole had her hands full taking care of her mother and unable to lift the baby herself because of her broken shoulder, she asked Laura if they could keep the baby indefinitely.
Mrs. Collinson asked about Caroline's chances for recovery.
"I won't say no chance...I can't say it." Laura let a few tears rolls down her cheeks before steeling herself. "There are new treatments discovered every day. I am sure Caroline will recover and be able to care for her daughter." Laura gently hugged her grand niece. "We had been taking her to visit at the hospital when we were still in New Zealand. Seeing her mother calms her then she cries when we leave. We will be visiting again tonight after Robbie gets home from work."
The older woman leaned over and patted Laura's arm. "I'm sure she'll come round. In the meantime your niece must be at peace knowing you are taking care of this precious girl." Her face darkened. "The father won't be coming to get her, take her from you?" What little Mrs. Collinson had been able to glean about the paternal parent did not sound good. He was a fly by night who disappeared for weeks at a time.
"I don't know. He hasn't tried to call me since the day we came home. Caroline went to the other side of the world to get away from him. I'm sure he has rights to the child." Laura finished her coffee and the last bite of her scone. "If he is anything like his own father, he won't want anything to do with a baby."
"Perhaps it's for the best." Mrs. Collinson got up and started to tidy up the kitchen when her mobile rang. After listening for a minute she disconnected and told Laura. "Something has come up, I'm sorry I have to go. I'll look in on you tomorrow."
Not long after Laura had seen Mrs. Collinson off, her doorbell was rung by DS Lizzie Maddox.
"Oh, if you are looking for Robbie he is meeting with DI Peterson at the station."
"No ma'am, I have a rather unusual request." She lowered her voice. "It's from your brother."
Laura was used to Brad's game playing and code talking. "What is it this time?"
You are to take your dog for a walk, heading west, then north at the intersection." She pointed down the road. "I'll watch the baby."
The dog walking part was okay but leaving Lizzie to mind the child? "Are you good with babies?"
"I look after Inspector Hathaway don't I?"
Laura had to admit she had a point, Hathaway could be as difficult as an infant at times, and she agreed to the plan.
Lizzie knew nothing about babies. The child was calm as Laura transferred the baby wearing outfit to her, lengthening the straps considerably.
Laura put Osborn on his lead and started down the road. Once around the corner she spied Brad, accompanied by Donald, her neighbor's dog.
"Good afternoon."
Good afternoon?! "Brad, what are-?"
"Shhh, not so loud."
Laura moved closer and spoke softly. "What's going on?"
Brad looked around nervously. "Look Laura, I may be followed and I don't want them to know about my grandchild. Just pretend I'm a dog walker."
Laura bent down to pat Donald on the head as Osborn attended to business.
"I needed to talk to you and I can't trust the phone and don't want them to know about her if they don't already."
Osborn came over for the treat in Laura's pocket. "Who is 'them'?" she asked although Laura had her suspicions.
"You know I can't talk about my work. Just keep the little one out of harm's way for us. Our house may not be safe with carers going in and out. One of them could be a plant." He looked nervously around. "I should get going. Please tell DS Maddox I will meet her at the usual club."
Laura wanted to give her brother a hug but did not. If they were being observed it would seem strange for her to hug Donald's dog walker. On her way home she wondered if Donald's owner was also involved with...Her concentration was diverted as Osborn tugged at the lead to try and chase a squirrel.
Laura and Osborn returned home to find the house empty. Frantic, she was about to call Robbie, then 999, when she heard someone singing about rowing boats and followed the tune out to the back garden where Lizzie was sitting in the canoe with the baby, using her arms to rock the vessel back and forth on the patio while she sang.
