Shocking Sapphires

1 Molly I almost couldn’t believe my eyes as I watched my older brother walking toward us after summiting the hill. He was carrying a swaddled baby. Dani stiffened by my side as she processed what we were seeing. If this was Max’s idea of a joke, it wasn’t funny. Dani and I kept our elbows locked together in a sign of solidarity as we bridged the gap between us and Max. It quickly became obvious that what he was holding in his arms was indeed a real baby, not a doll. Questions flooded my brain, but Dani was the first to regain her senses enough to utter a word. Her voice sounded croaky and stunned when she asked him with wide eyes, “Is it yours?” Max gave her a surprised look, then his gaze softened as he realized what she must be thinking. “No, of course not.” His calm reassurance did nothing to answer the multitude of questions that were swirling around my brain, but I felt the pent-up tension immediately release from Dani’s shoulders. A baby from some random hookup would not have made for the ideal start to their blossoming relationship. While the two of them gazed lovingly at each other like they were the only two people in the world, I grew frustrated by the lack of information. Max couldn’t just show up holding a baby and not spill some details. After huffing out a breath of impatience, I asked, “Well, whose is it?” Reluctantly pulling his eyes from Dani, Max turned to me and said, “I don’t have any idea. Someone dumped him at the fire station’s safe haven drop-off box.” My mouth fell open at this news as I rushed forward to gaze at the tiny, helpless bundle being cradled in my brother’s arms. “Come here, you sweet little guy,” I cooed as I eased the soft blanket out of my brother’s grasp. I’d never been much of a baby person, but some ingrained instinct seemed to take over as I lightly bounced and swayed with the tiny cherub. He had the most perfect little button nose, and his soft, pudgy cheeks were bright red. “He’s cold,” I snapped at Max as I pulled the blanket tighter around the infant’s face. Softening my tone to a baby voice that I hadn’t been aware I had, I said, “You’re a cold little man, aren’t you? Yes, you are.” I could feel Dani and Max’s surprised gazes on me. Glaring up at them, I asked, “What? Max didn’t have him bundled up tight enough. It’s freezing out here.” Dani asked, “Don’t we need to take him to child protective services, so they can find him a home that’s prepared to deal with him?” Stunned by her heartless reaction, I gaped at the woman I’d thought I was getting to know. “You want to dump this innocent child into the system? He’s already been abandoned by his parents, and now you want to let some agency deal with him? What kind of monster are you?” I could immediately tell that I’d gone too far when Max took a step forward and said, “Hey, now.” Dani’s eyes registered hurt feelings before she justified her previous statement. “There are policies and procedures in place to ensure what’s in the best interest of the child. We can’t just take him home with us.” I could have kissed my brother’s cheek when he said, “Actually, I already reached out to the proper authorities. They are still swamped from dealing with the recent ice storm. The shelter is located on the outskirts of town, so their electricity hasn’t yet been restored. They aren’t equipped to handle an extra infant right now, so they asked me to either find someone to watch him or to drive him to the social services office in Bangor.” Dani looked uncertain when she asked, “Are the highways clear enough to be safe to drive between here and Bangor?” The road crews had done a decent job on our local streets, but rumor had it that areas surrounding us had been hit much harder than we were with ice, and they were still dealing with the fallout. Max shook his head, “I doubt it.” I couldn’t believe the two of them were standing there discussing this. “What is wrong with you two? We are not taking this little angel to Bangor. Who knows what kind of dreadful living situations might exist in a shelter orphanage.” I practically shivered at that last word. It was surprising how protective I already felt of the little guy, but the thought of sending him off to some dark, dank ward where he wouldn’t be loved and properly cared for was chill-inducing. “You’re making it sound worse than it will be. They’ll probably place him in a foster home.” Max said in an obvious attempt to appease my worries. “With how many other kids? And for how long?” I shot back. Max shrugged. “I don’t know, Molly. But we have to follow protocol. It’s what’s best for the baby.” “Is it?” I asked, furrowing my brows into a deep vee, making it obvious that I didn’t think it was. “Maybe we could watch him, just until social services here in town is ready to take him,” Dani suggested. I knew she was trying to make me feel better, but it wasn’t working. “What do you two know about watching a baby? Besides, every sick person in town comes to see you at your medical office. Who knows what kind of nasty germs you’d bring back to him?” “What is it that you’re wanting to have happen here, Molly?” My brother asked, sounding perturbed. What did I want? I didn’t really know. I pondered the question for a long moment. When the answer came to me, I couldn’t quite believe it myself. “I want to take him home with me,” I answered, lifting my chin. “Absolutely not,” was Max’s immediate, bull-headed response. His strong, negative reaction only served to make me more determined. Something deep inside my chest was telling me this was the right thing to do. I was a big believer in trusting that intuitive nudge when it happened. “Why not?” I demanded. “First off, you’re all alone in that tiny apartment. What if something goes wrong? Or he gets sick? What are you going to do?” “I’ll figure it out,” I answered, feeling petulant about his lack of confidence in me. He stared at me, seeming to expect more of an answer than that, so I finally said, “If all else fails, I’ll call you guys. Dani is a doctor, so she’ll know what to do.” I darted my gaze to Dani, hoping to sway her over to my side. My pig-headed brother would listen to her. When the bundle in my arms made a mewling sound, I tipped him up on my shoulder and began patting his back. After watching me closely, Dani finally weighed in, “She does seem to be a natural with him.” Max’s eyes softened when he said, “You’ll end up getting too attached. He’s not yours, Molly.” “I know that.” I could tell by his unsure expression that Max was thinking about the lost gray kitten I’d found when we were kids. I had cried for days and moped for weeks when the cat’s family came to claim their pet. Wanting to reassure my brother, I said, “I know it’s temporary. I’ll just keep him safe and give him the attention he needs until the right entity comes along to provide him a permanent home.” From my years of practice at badgering him until he caved, I could tell that Max was starting to waver in his conviction. Going in for the kill, I added, “My life is completely empty right now. I’m between dead-end jobs and my dating life is non-existent. This little guy needs someone to shower some love on him. He needs me. Let me help him, until something better comes along for him. I promise I won’t stand in the way when we figure out a better situation for him.” After I finished speaking, I leaned down to smell the baby’s head and gave him a kiss on top of his light blue, knitted hat. “You don’t even have any of the stuff required to take care of a baby,” Max tried, but I could tell I’d almost won him over. Pointing to his shoulder, I said, “I bet that bag has some supplies to get me started, and I’ll go to the store right now to get the rest.” Not giving my brother the opportunity to devise any further excuses, I leaned in to take the blue diaper bag from him. He helped me heft it onto my shoulder. “It will be fine,” I promised him as I turned to leave before he could change his mind and stop me. Walking quickly, I smiled down at the sidewalk when I heard him say to Dani, “Famous last words.” With my heart already overflowing with love for this sweet little bundle, I snuggled him closer to me to help ward off the brisk wind. After looking both ways, I started across the road. One quick glance up the street told me that Max and Dani were already headed back to his truck. I’d won this round. I was mentally scanning through my favorite boy baby names, when I heard the rumbling noise. It was much too loud and much too close. In an instant, the speeding car crested over the top of the hill and barreled down toward us. I stood frozen in the middle of the road. It was too far to leap to safety in either direction. I spared a quick glance at my brother and saw his horrified, helpless gaze as the car sped directly toward us. The piercing squeal of the tires on the slick pavement broke the silence of the evening as the driver slammed on the brakes. The world seemed to move in slow motion as the car skidded sideways on the ice directly toward us. I only had time to whirl around and present my back to the oncoming vehicle as I curled my body around the precious bundle, in the frantic hope of protecting the innocent baby from the impending impact.