Chapter 5
Steven Howell was an employee at the group home in Springfield, New Jersey. He felt like he was about to pass out from exhaustion after having to deal with several of the more rambunctious occupants of the facility as well as a few former parents who decided that they didn’t want the trouble that came with the kid they had adopted, it made the man sick. The facility was packed with kids waiting for a home and starving for resources that they just weren’t able to provide with their limited funding. Add to the already overflowing rooms, the government had recently decided to use the group home as a rehabilitation center and foster care placement. Steven would have not hesitated to deny Uncle Sam the service if they hadn’t offered the much needed funding.
Crash! The sound of something being broken in the east wing where they kept many of the older boys shook the worker from his rest but didn’t prompt him to stir much more. He had learned long ago that it was pointless to go up and try to break whatever fight had been started. If someone got hurt, undoubtedly one of the assistants would come down and get him. The ruckus continued on and it made Steven even more grateful of the new boarding school in Westchester that had agreed to take a few of the kids. Many of the ones that had been admitted to the school were the quiet ones that usually tried their hardest to stay out of trouble, though trouble tended to find them anyways.
“Howell” boomed the stern voice of his boss which shook the man.
“Yes, sir?”
“Have you finished the report?”
“No, sir” Steven scrambled, shuffling through the paperwork on his desk. “I’ve gotten through most of the departures but haven’t taken…”
“I want that on my desk by morning!”
The head of the group home stormed out leaving Steven alone once more. The man turned back to the papers and began to rearrange them. He pulled out a list of the current occupants and began to highlight the ones that were about to age out of the system. With each squeak of the marker, he felt another step closer to crying at the thought of the children who will be adults solely in the eyes of the law forced to face the world.
It was the sudden sound of a baby that broke Steven out of his work. It was quite the peculiar thing to hear. Looking out the window that bared him inside, the luminance of the late night moon glimmered in his eyes. He got up and slowly crept towards the sound. It wasn’t coming from the front door like most people who choose to leave their infants. Trying to recall if they were expecting any children from one of the girls but they had been clear for the past few years. There was no way one could have hidden one.
The crying continued to ring through the empty halls of the group home leading Steven farther and farther from the front door. The wailing of the infant took him to a closet near the back of the building, an area he had never been before. He fumbled with his keys trying each one of the dozens that were on the ring before he heard the soft click and opened the door. Slowly, he pulled the door open which was followed by an eerie creek and released a musty smell that tickled his throat.
The claustrophobic musty room was more of a cupboard than a closet. It had shelves that hosted dozens of sketchy looking jars and bottles that were blanketed in cobwebs, mold, and dust. There was no room for anyone to step into the cramped space, well, anyone except for the squirming moth eaten blankets. Steven reached in and gently pulled the bundle off the shelf and held the baby to his chest. Peering through the rags, Steven’s eyes locked with a pair of bright emerald green ones that looked at him curiously. The crying ceased as the baby seemed to scrutinize the stranger with disdain.
“Hello, buddy” Steven smiled, gently brushing the baby’s wispy silver hair. “What are you doing in there?”
Dr. Richard Englehart looked down at the frail corpse that was the child of his colleague. Tears were threatening to fall from the physician’s eyes as he thought back at all the excitement his old friend was filled with since his wife had shown him the pregnancy test. The nursery in the Kaplan’s house and the big baby shower Rebecca had thrown plagued his mind as the pit in his stomach widened. None of this should have happened. Jeff and Rebecca had done everything right, following the right diet and exercise routine. They had rushed to Richard's house whenever she had so much as coughed and made sure to get second and third opinions before taking any medications.
“Should I tell them?” a nurse asked, putting their hand on the doctor’s shoulder.
“No,” he shook his head, “I’ll do it. I owe them that much.”
The nurse nodded solemnly and moved so Richard could pick up the stillborn baby and cradled it in his arms. This should be how this was supposed to be. It should be Jeff or Rebecca holding this child and smiling down at their living kid. The couple had been trying for a child for years.
Richard closed his eyes and tried to compose himself to tell his friends. Just as he was about to take a step towards the hospital room, the soft whimper of a newborn caused his heart to leap. His eyes snapped open and looked down at the baby in his arms but felt his hopes be crushed by the lifeless form.
“S-Sir” the nurse stammered, their eyes wide and staring past him as if they had seen a ghost. “I don’t k-know, they j-just appeared out of n-nowhere.”
Richard turned and nearly dropped the baby at what he saw. There on the counter, another baby lay still covered in blood and amniotic fluid. The baby trembled from both fear and absence of warmth and let out a pitiful whimper. Richard shoved the deceased baby into the nurse’s arms and rushed to the living one. He carefully brushed his hands across the baby’s soft olive skin and silky black hair. The baby went silent upon the contact and looked at him with soft brown eyes full of curiosity and fear.
“Hello, little one” the doctor cooed, picking the baby up and moving to clean him up.
The baby remained silent but nuzzled into the man’s chest. Richard carefully cleaned the baby and wrapped him up in a soft blue blanket.
“Take that one to the morgue” he ordered the nurse.
“What?”
“Take that one to the morgue and tell them that someone had left it at the door”
“But the Kaplans”
“They don’t need another heartbreak”
“Surely they’ll know”
“Go!” Richard snapped.
The nurse scurried away with the corpse and Richard made his way to Jeff and Rebecca’s hospital room. He examined the baby. His brown eyes were the same shade of Jeffs but shaped similarly to Rebecca’s. Neither of them had black hair but he vaguely recalled seeing a picture of Rebecca’s cousin or something with dark hair. He began to think of various excuses and explanations but wasn’t able to finish any before walking through the door.
“I-Is my baby okay?” Rebecca asked, tears on the brims of her eyes.
She had gone into labor six weeks before her due date. Jeff had rushed her to the hospital as quickly as he could while she cried as blood rushed down her leg. Rick had tried to calm her down but she saw it in his eyes that her child’s life was hanging in the balance. They had performed an emergency c-section and whisked away her child before she or Jeff even had a look at them.
“He’s right here” Rick said, relaxing his arms and showing a tiny baby bundled in a blue blanket.
Rebecca felt her body relax with relief and sobbed as she felt the weight of her child in her arms.
“Everythings alright, Becca,” Jeff whispered, petting her hair and beaming down at their little miracle.
Rebecca planted a soft kiss against her baby’s face who let out a soft laugh.
“He’s about five pounds eight ounce and fifteen inches” Rick said, standing at the foot of the bed.
“Does he need to stay in the NICU?” Jeff asked, not taking his eyes off their child.
“Probably not but it would be good for you two to stay a few days to ensure no further complications”
“Thank you, Rick” Jeff held out his hand which his old friend seemed strangely hesitant to shake.
He pulled the physician into a tight hug which wasn’t returned.
“Is everything alright?” he asked.
“Yes,” Rick nodded, wiping sweat off his brow. “I’ll leave you two to bond.”
The man rushed out of the room but Jeff was not focused on his friend’s nervousness. No, he was too enamored with his beautiful wife who was holding their baby.