Invisible string
Misty was walking through the corridors of the nursing home where she worked as a nurse, as she did every day, heading towards the cafeteria, already used to the judgmental looks she received from the other nurses because of her unique ways. It was an ordinary day - she had already taken care of her usual ladies, skipped the medication for the uneducated ones, and was counting down the minutes until she could go home and enjoy her evening with Natalie.
The two were now publicly a couple, and although they weren't officially living together yet, Nat spent almost every night at Misty's house, which she loved. Seeing her outside the “hotel” where she was staying gave Misty a sense of inner peace. They had slumber parties almost every night (Nat hated to admit it, but she was starting to like it), slept cuddled up, and were obviously trying out every position they knew in bed. Misty always woke up before the alarm clock and watched the brunette sleep until it was time to get up. They had agreed that Nat would stay at home, waiting for Misty in her best lingerie while she worked. They were happy, learning to live together, getting to know more about each other—their tastes in music and movies, their skills in the kitchen. Now, in a house and not in a forest, nothing could interrupt Misty's dream coming true.
"Good morning, ladies!" Misty said with a smile to the two other nurses as she opened the fridge in search of her container. Usually, she was ignored, but this time, it was different. They were looking worried and whispering to each other in such a nervous way that the blonde followed the impulse to sit at the table and ask:
"Did I miss someting?"
There was a quick exchange of glances, and finally, with a frightened and worried tone, one of them answered:
"You didn't know?"
Of course not. Misty never found out anything through gossip, she always had to play detective and find out for herself.
"No, what happened?"
She didn't want to make it obvious, but she was nervous. Had someone found out about the drugs she was skipping? She forced a smile and blinked repeatedly, trying to disguise the fear creeping up her body.
"Someone left a baby here. A newborn, probably only a few weeks old. It was wrapped in some blankets, and the cameras couldn’t capture the face of the person who left it."
"Oh my God." She slouched in her chair, almost instinctively.
Misty loved children. As a teenager, she had babysat to earn her own money, and during university, she had taken advantage of an internship in a maternity hospital. But there was one difference: she had help delivered a baby before - in the forest, without any assistance. She admired the beauty of a child discovering the world and had even thought about being a mother one day, but after everything that had happened since she was seventeen, the idea had been left behind.
"Can I see it? What are you planning to do?"
She was taken to a staff rest room at the back of the asylum, where she saw the little baby, wrapped in shabby blankets, from a distance. It was tiny, probably not two weeks old, but it already had bright eyes that melted Misty's heart instantly. She moved closer and smelled the newborn scent, which made her smile and her eyes sparkle - she was in love with the baby.
“Misty... you're the only one of the nurses who isn't married and has children, what do you think about, you know, taking her home for a night? Just until we're sure what to do”
She gave a slight smile and thought for a moment. Natalie would freak out, but just for one night, what's the harm? They both knew what it was like to have neglectful parents, she couldn't let that happen to some poor creature who didn't even know where she was.
“Sure, it'll be a pleasure!”
–
Since they had started their relationship, Natalie's life had changed completely. She was practically living at Misty's house, still not working, just looking after the house and waiting for the blonde to arrive in the evening wearing only a thin black lace camisole to give her a proper rest after an exhausting day at work. The two of them were going out more, Nat was getting back into guitar practice and Misty loved watching her play anything she came up with, and despite several failed attempts to get her to stop smoking, Misty only managed to restrict her cigarettes to outside the house. That's what she was doing, smoking a cigarette on the balcony of the house, when she received a message from her girlfriend
“Hi, I had to take a cab home, I've got some news for you!”
Misty Quigley and news could mean anything - literally - which made Nat slightly nervous. She stubbed out her cigarette and went into the house, sitting on the sofa with her hands on her knees. Okay, she was very nervous, Misty was unpredictable, why had she come by cab? Why didn't she ask for a ride? When I heard the sound of the car and the keys opening the door, her mind was racing with ideas of what the fuck she could have come up with
“I'm home!” - Misty walked into the house holding her purse and a large bag in one hand, and in the other several wrapped blankets. No, she it wasn't a child, she wasn't that crazy, was she? - “Look, before you say anything, let me explain myself,” she dropped the bags on the floor and held the baby so that Nat could see its face.
“Fuck Misty! You brought a child home? Where did you get it from?” - Nat stood up almost as a reflex and put his hands to his face - “My God, you didn't steal him, did you?”
“Of course not! And it's not him, it's her, a little girl” - she said smiling and playing with the girl's fingers -” And I didn't steal it, Natalie, someone abandoned it in front of my work, and since I'm the only one without children, why not for one night?”
Nat threw herself on the sofa and threw her head back - “What the fuck Misty, why didn't you talk to me? We're together now, remember?” Misty sat down next to her and cradled the baby in her arms - “I know, I'm sorry, but what did you want? For me to leave her lying around until we find a home? I've already bought everything, I'll take good care of her and you won't have any trouble, and I promise I'll find a family for her tomorrow, please, nat?”
Natalie looked at Misty's poor face, her eyes shining at the baby, but she was afraid. Not that they didn't know how to fix everything, and Misty was great at taking care of others, maybe a - big - part of this feeling was Misty's jealousy, having other people have her attention drove her crazy, she had been like this since before they got together, almost possessive. Misty was hers; it was her Misty, she hated sharing her with anyone, regardless of age “You know what Misty? If that's what you want, then fine, whatever” - she turned her face away and crossed her arms - ‘Just don't ask me to help you with anything’ she stood up, grabbed a cigarette and went out onto the balcony.
Misty sighed and took a minute to think. It really wasn't the best idea to take a child home unannounced, but it was like an instinct, she'd been through so many situations of abandonment that she couldn't bear the thought of seeing someone else go through it too. She looked at the delicate face of the little girl in her arms and felt a warm tear run down her cheek - “It'll be okay, I promise. She's difficult, but we'll take good care of you and then we'll find a home for you”.