Dealing with dead bodies was not her favorite part of the job. Not by a long shot.
She felt bad that a life had been lost, but she was mentally crossing her fingers that there was nothing more to it than an accidental overdose. She was good at her job, but she mainly handled thefts and crimes against property and persons. Deaths were usually handled by the an actual homicide team and the coroner's office.
Elisa would help out in any way that she could, though. She was a damn good detective, and she would do her best.
Elisa pulled up in front of a small, old, boarded up house in a known drug trafficking area. Elisa sighed, shifting her car into park. She was looking at the officers milling around outside the house, the coroner was leaning against the side of the building smoking a cigarette and his two man team were waiting impatiently outside as well. Knowing that what waited for her inside the house, Elisa resigned herself to the unpleasantness ahead of her and got out of her car.
As she exited her vehicle, a young man walked out of the building, looking a little green. Going on instinct, Elisa walked to the other man and introduced herself.
"I'm Detective Maza from the 23rd, and was told that you might need some help."
"Yeah," the young man took a deep breath of fresh air. "Thank you, detective."
"First death scene?" Elisa asked sympathetically.
The man swallowed hard and nodded. "I'm Travis. Detective Travis."
"Okay Travis," Elisa put a supportive hand on his shoulder. "I was told it was a possible overdose. Did you see anything inside that would suggest otherwise?"
"No," the young detective answered, still looking ill, but sounding a little stronger now.
"Alright," Elisa said, all business now that the detective seemed to get himself together. "Let's go take a look."
She entered the house with the team. She had been assured that no one had touched anything after the body had been discovered. No pulse had been found, and the body had been stone cold in the wintry temperatures inside the house. It was still a few degrees over freezing in the house, but only just barely.
Elisa found nothing that suggested that the overdose was anything other than accidental. Toxicology reports would show more detail, but there was no suicide note, no signs of struggle or foul play.
It was really tragic, Elisa found herself thinking. The woman was young, looking to be in her early twenties. She had the dark complexion and dark hair that suggested that she had a hispanic heritage, but it was hard to tell in the little light that was in the house.
The girl hadn't been dead more than a few hours, but there was enough personal belongings strewn throughout the large living room that suggested that the young woman had been living there for some time.
Elisa phoned the property owners, and they swore that they had no knowledge of anyone living there. The building's water and electricity had not even been activated, so that young lady had been living there with no clean water or heat.
Sad, Elisa thought with a small shake of her head. Elisa was leading the other officers outside so that the coroner could come in and remove the body.
A sound, very faint, caught Elisa's ears over the police chatter in the background.
Elisa stopped in her tracks, and thought she heard it again.
"Quiet," Elisa snapped out.
Silence fell over the small group, all straining to hear anything out of the ordinary. Finally, the faint sound came again.
"What is that?" Travis asked. "A cat?"
"Maybe," Elisa said, slowly. She was sure it wasn't a cat, but couldn't explain what made her think it was otherwise. "Whatever it is, it must be frozen solid. Go ahead and call the coroner in, and I'll take another look around."
The men all nodded, and continued outside.
Elisa walked the house, careful to check every room.
After finding nothing, Elisa made her way back to the living room where the coroner and his two assistants were finishing up.
The two assistants were wheeling out the stretcher with the young woman's body encased in the black body bag.
"Alrighty, detective," the third man said, handing her a clipboard for her signature as the senior officer on the scene. "We're done here. Are you leaving with us, or are you alright locking up after yourself?"
An uneasy feeling had settled on Elisa, and she wanted just a few more minutes to look around. "I got it. Go ahead and send everyone else home. I'll lock up best I can, and the owners will be here in a few hours to file any insurance stuff that needs to be done."
The coroner nodded, taking the clipboard and walking out to join his team beside their van.
Elisa waited until the sound of car engines faded, and silence had once more descended on the house.
She stood still, just trying to figure out what was bothering her so much. The sound had not been heard in a few minutes, so maybe it had been an animal, and it had been scared off.
Elisa was about to give up and leave when the faintest sound came from her left. Elisa was startled to find a nearly invisible door to a coat closet. The door itself had been trimmed in the same moulding as the walls to blend in.
Elisa reached out and found the small latch to open the door.
It looked as if every scrap of clothing that the young woman had owned had been heaped onto the floor of the small enclosure. Elisa put on a pair of rubber gloves from her small cache she kept in her inner coat pocket and began sifting through the articles.
The sound came again, only slightly louder than it had been through the closed door. Locating the direction it had come from, Elisa focused on that corner.
Lifting away a green and black plaid shirt, Elisa uncovered a small body. The baby looked to be only a month or two old, and had a slight bluish tint to his skin.
She didn't think twice. She scooped the small child into her arms. Flinching at the cold temperature of the child, even through her gloves, Elisa unzipped her jacket, and held the small body close to her own body heat.
Once she was certain the baby was as covered as she could make him for the moment, Elisa grabbed her keys from her pocket, and practically ran for her car. She got the door opened, and shoved the keys into the ignition to get the heater going.
Once the temperature began to warm up, Elisa put in the emergency call to the dispatcher.
She relayed her position, asking for ambulance and officer assistance.
The baby was starting to move a little now, but the cries were still pretty weak. Knowing the best way to warm someone up, Elisa laid the baby on the seat long enough to strip out of her black tee shirt. Peeling the soiled clothing from the baby, Elisa put her coat back on, and once more held the child to her chest. She gasped a little at the sudden icy cold of the baby on her bare skin before zipping her coat closed once more.
She heard the sirens approaching, and heaved a relieved sigh.
The police officers made it to her first, but not by much. The ambulance could be seen approaching in the distance.
Elisa cracked her window just enough to be heard.
"Over here," Elisa called out to the approaching pair of uniformed officers.
"Yes, ma'am," the smallish female answered, altering her path from the building to the classic red car.
"Detective Maza," Elisa identified herself. "I was here assisting with an overdose death a little bit ago."
"Officer Green," the female introduced herself. "What's the problem, officer?"
"I found a small child in the building, and he is in need of medical assistance. Can you secure the building, then drive my car to the 23rd? I'll get it as soon as I am finished at the hospital."
"Sure thing," Officer Green responded as the ambulance came to a stop.
Elisa handed the keys to the officer, and ran toward the open rear doors of the emergency transport vehicle.
Once inside, the medical tech inside helped to extract the baby, a boy, from Elisa's coat. At the first blast of the cool air outside of the confines of the warmth he had been in, the baby finally gave a long, loud wail.
Elisa sighed in relief. She watched as the EMTs worked on the baby, hooking him up to an IV line for hydration and covering him in one of those space-age silver warming blankets.
She answered as many of the questions that the techs fired at her, but it was pitifully little. Not sure if it was for the baby's comfort or her own, she reached out and touched one of the tiny fists.
The baby grabbed her finger, and seemed to quiet down a little.
They held on to each other until they were separated at the emergency room.
Elisa knew that it was out of her hands now, but couldn't bring herself to leave.
She took out her small cell phone, and called her partner, Matt. Briefly, she explained the situation, and asked him to keep an eye out for her car.
He sounded puzzled, but told her that he would take care of it.
Elisa terminated the call, and with a lack of anything else to do, she began to pace.
A helpful nurse whom Elisa vaguely recalled seeing before brought Elisa a scrub shirt, making Elisa aware for the first time that she had been pacing the waiting room in her blue jeans, black satin bra and her unzipped red leather coat.
She must have been scaring the others in the waiting area. They probably all thought she was some kind of crazed biker chick.
An hour later, the baby had been seen by the doctors and given fluids. Elisa was allowed to go see him through the nursery window. He was warm and had a healthier skin tone. He had been bathed and was sleeping peacefully in a bassinette in the pediatric ward.
According to the nurse, he was underweight, dehydrated and had a horrendous diaper rash. All things that had taken much longer than the few hours that his mother had been dead.
But he was a survivor. He was lucky he hadn't died sleeping in an unheated house in the winter. On the floor. In a closet.
Elisa was so frustrated over the situation, and the thought that they had almost missed finding that tiny baby made her shake.
The fact that someone had created that tiny boy, and mistreated him so badly just flat out pissed her off.
The doctor who had been treating the baby came out to update Elisa, having recognized her as the officer who had brought the boy in.
"What happens now?" Elisa asked.
"Well," The doctor began with a sigh. "First, we call social services. They will try to get him placed in a foster home for the time being."
Elisa frowned. "How long will that take?"
"It depends," the doctor admitted. "Normally placing a baby isn't hard, but it is the holidays. The group foster homes aren't equipped to take care of a baby, and the families who are available are usually out of town celebrating the holidays. I've seen some babies here for a week over the christmas holiday."
Elisa frowned. She didn't like the situation, but there was little that she could do about it at this point.
As Elisa made her way outside to call a cab, she spotted the small volunteer run gift shop as it was opening its doors for the day.
It was then that she realized what time it was. It was after 8 in the morning, and the sun was rising, painting the sky in it's early morning reds and golds.
Damn. Elisa sighed, bowing her head. She acknowledged the fact that she wasn't going to see her husband until the following night.
A small, colorful display in the window caught her attention, and she swiftly turned towards the small shop. There was an arrangement of baby items on the shelves, most were for newborns but there were a few larger items. On a whim, Elisa entered the shop and bought a soft blue and brown striped fleece onesie sleeper with a small puppy on the front.
Her purchase made, she returned to the nursery. The nursing staff took the small bag and Elisa watched through the window as the small boy was changed into the warm pajamas. The baby was then handed to an intern who sat in a rocking chair to feed the baby from a small bottle.
Watching the scene, Elisa made a snap decision. She dug out her cell phone and dialed a number from memory.
"Maza?" Maria's voice rang through loud and clear. "I thought you were finished a few hours ago."
"Sorry, Maria," Elisa said, sheepishly. "I completely forgot to call in again. I am still at the hospital."
"I heard about the baby," Maria said. "Good work finding it."
"Yeah," Elisa said, once more wondering if what she was about to do was the right thing. "That's why I am calling."
Elisa heard a faint squeak on the line, and could almost picture Maria, her chief and godmother, leaning back in her office chair and bracing for what might come out of Elisa's mouth next. With a steadying breath, Elisa plunged ahead and spilled her idea.
After a moment, Maria softly asked, "Are you sure that this is what you really want to do?"
"I have the next week off," Elisa reminded her. "It might take Child Services that long to find a temporary placement home because of the holidays. The poor little guy has been through enough. He needs to be in a place where he can get some personal attention and more human interaction than just laying in a crib in the hospital."
"Alright," Maria agreed. "I have a friend who is a CPS Liaison. I'll give her a call, explain the situation and see if she can meet you at the hospital."
"Thanks Maria," Elisa said on a wave of relief. She was more thankful that Maria hadn't given her a hard time about it. "I'll wait here."
"Are you at Manhattan General?"
"Yes."
"Good." Maria said, back to business now. "I was just clocking out for the day, but I'll give her a call before I leave. She has an office there at Manhattan Gen, and I'll see if she's working today."
"Thanks, Cap," Elisa said.
"I'll send Bluestone over there with your car, too." Maria said. "That way you won't have to take a cab all the way over here with a baby, then still have to navigate home."
With a final word of thanks, Elisa ended the call. She went back to the waiting area, and poured herself a cup of coffee from the ever present coffee pot there. It wasn't good coffee, but it would help wake her up a bit.
She didn't have long to wait, which was surprising.
Carly Adams, the Child Protective Services Liaison, had been in her office preparing for the day when Maria had called her. Knowing how hard it was going to be to find a placement for the small child over the next few days, she had listened to Maria's proposal.
Carly had then called up to pediatrics to get the doctor's opinion on the baby's health.
Finally, she'd gone up to the pediatric floor to meet with the Detective.
Carly had a stack of paperwork signing over temporary guardianship until a proper foster home could be found. While Elisa was filling out the forms, Carly explained that normally a background check and a home visit was required before such an arrangement could be made. Since Elisa was a police officer, and had been background checked and fingerprinted as part of her job, they could forgo that part and in this case she would make an exception. A home visit would still be required, however, and was Elisa available that afternoon?
Elisa agreed to the home visit at 2:00 that afternoon.
She was just signing the final page of the paperwork, when two nurses entered the waiting area. One held the baby and the other held a large diaper bag.
Smiling, they handed their bundles to Elisa, praising her for her generosity the whole time.
Elisa held the boy to her gently, feeling slightly dazed.
Carly smiled reassuringly at Elisa. "It's a wonderful thing that you are doing. I have someone in mind for him, but she is out of town until the first of the year."
Elisa nodded, hoping that she was doing the right thing.
Carly watched the detective closely, seeming to take in every minute detail of emotion that crossed Elisa's face. Whatever the CPS Liaison found there, she seemed to like. She smiled at Elisa, "Maria told me that she was having your partner come by with your car, and he should be out front right now." Carly took the diaper bag from Elisa's shoulder. "This is a small thing that we do here for any babies that are placed for us. There is a blanket, a small can of formula, a couple of diapers and a bottle." She opened it long enough to remove a thick, crocheted blanket. "Let's get this little guy bundled up and ready to go."
When the baby was wrapped warmly within the blanket, Elisa and Carly headed for the elevator that would take them back to the ground floor entrance. Elisa spotted her car outside and thanked Carly once more.
Carly waved with the promise to be at Elisa's apartment at 2:00 that afternoon for the home inspection.
Shielding the baby's face as best as she could from the cold, Elisa hurried to where her partner was waiting with her red Fairlane.
Matt opened the passenger door for Elisa. He glanced from her to the bundle in her arms and grinned. "I thought I had misheard the Chief when she asked me to pick up a baby car seat from the equipment room, but I guess I understand now."
Elisa had forgotten about that. She'd need a car seat. And a crib. And more than the single bottle that the hospital staff had given her.
Elisa deftly strapped the baby in the rear facing car seat, then climbed into the driver's seat. Matt crawled into the passenger side, and sent Elisa a look.
"I thought that you should know that the mayor's office has already contacted the station. It seems," Matt said, settling into the seat to tell his story. "That their office has been receiving call after call from people about you finding the baby and your efforts to save his life."
"What?" Elisa burst out with an unbelieving laugh. "Are your serious?"
"Scout's honor," Matt said, holding his hand up as if he were taking an oath in court. "From what I heard, the EMTs called first, after realizing that you had saved that baby from freezing by your quick thinking. Something about you stripping half naked and shoving him in your coat so that you could warm him with your own body heat. Anyway," Matt grinned, watching as the embarrassment began to color his hard as nails partner's face. "Next came the doctors and nursing staff when you decided to camp out in the waiting room until you knew he was okay. You were prepared to stay there until you know that he was taken care of. Then Maria's friend, the CPS lady called, commending you for your selfless actions and taking the baby into your home."
"What?" Elisa burst out. "I only just signed the paperwork."
Matt shrugged. "I guess she called as soon as she got off of the phone with the Captain."
Elisa fought the urge to roll her eyes. "You're pulling my leg."
"Nope," Matt said. "Hand to God, I think you're up for an award from the Mayor's office."
Elisa huffed out a breath.
"To top it all off," Matt continued, "Maria has already called and ripped the 19th precinct Chief a new one."
"What?" Elisa burst out. "Why?"
"First," Matt said, holding up a finger, "They requested your help with one of their crime scenes, then left you alone, without investigating the noise that you had heard."
"I told them to go," Elisa protested.
Matt shook his head. "Doesn't matter. It is procedure, if not common friggin' courtesy, to not leave a single officer behind without some kind of backup."
Elisa sighed. Maria was in the right to call them out for what they did, but Elisa wished she hadn't. Elisa had almost given up on finding what was making that sound herself, certain it was a cat or animal of some kind. It was her insistence that sent them away from the scene.
"Good thing I didn't tell her about the coroner's people," Elisa muttered.
"What?" Matt asked.
"Nothing," Elisa said. "Forget it. Do you need a ride home?"
"Nah," Matt said. "My car is still at the station. I can catch a cab from your place."
"My place?" Elisa asked, surprised.
"Well, you're going to need help getting everything up to your place, right?"
It truly hit Elisa then. "I need to make a stop at a store," Elisa burst out.
Matt nodded. "I was wondering when it was going to hit you."
"Matt," Elisa felt panic rise in her chest. "What did I just do?"
Matt began laughing. His partner who had faced down everything from dangerous criminals to insane supernatural beings was about to hyperventilate because she had offered to care for a baby for a week.
Elisa glared at him, "Go ahead and laugh. Just for that," she announced as she pulled into the parking lot of a large shopping center, "I hope you're not tired. I plan on buying a lot of stuff."