Temptation - Brenda Jackson [15]
He nodded. “No problem.” He began rolling up his sleeves. “You wouldn’t happen to have a beer handy, would you?”
She smiled. “Yes, I’ll go grab one for you.”
And then she took off and he was left standing while wondering why he couldn’t stop thinking about the time he had kissed her.
“We’re glad you’re here,” one of the nurses in Pediatrics said anxiously. “We have her packed up and ready to go,” she added, smiling brightly.
“She’s been expressing herself again, eh?” Zeke asked, chuckling.
Sheila glanced over at Zeke, wondering why he was there. It hadn’t taken him any time to put up the baby bed, and he’d taken the time to help with the other things as well. Except for the fact Sunnie was a girl and the room was painted blue, everything else was perfect. By the time they’d left, it had looked like a genuine nursery and she couldn’t wait for Sunnie to see it.
That brought her back to the question she’d wondered about earlier. Why was he here? She figured he would drop her off and keep moving. She had a baby car seat, so as far as she was concerned, she was ready to go. But she couldn’t dismiss the nervous tension in her stomach.
Sunnie had clung to her earlier today when the police officers had first brought her in. What if she no longer had that attachment to her and treated her like the others and continue to cry all over the place? She drew in a deep breath, wanting to believe that that special connection between them was still there.
“Where is she?” she asked the nurse.
“Down that hall. Trust me, you’ll hear her as soon as you clear the waiting area. You won’t be able to miss it. All of us are wearing homemade earplugs.”
Sheila knew the nurse had said it as a joke, but she didn’t see anything funny. She was ready to get Sunnie and go home. Home. Already she was thinking of her place as the baby’s home. Before tonight, to her it was just a place to eat and sleep. Now, taking Sunnie there had her thinking differently.
True to what the nurse had said, Sunnie could be heard the moment Sheila and Zeke passed the waiting room. He put his hand on her arm for them to stop walking. He studied her features. “What’s wrong? Why are you so tense?”
How had he known? She released a nervous sigh. “I’ve been gone over eight hours. What if Sunnie isn’t attached to me anymore? What if she sees me and continues to cry?”
Zeke stared at her. The answer seemed quite obvious to him. It didn’t matter. The kid was going home with her regardless. But he could see it was important for this encounter with the baby not to constitute a rejection. He wondered why he cared. He reached out and took her hand in his and began rubbing it when it felt cold.
“Hey, she’s going to remember you. She liked you too much not to. If you recall, I was here when she was clinging to you like you were her lifeline, her protector and the one person she thinks is there for her.”
He saw the hopeful gleam in her eyes. “You think so?”
Hell, he wasn’t sure, but he’d never tell her that. “Yes, I think so.”
She smiled. “Thanks, and I hope you’re right.”
He hoped he was right, too. They began walking again and when they reached the door to the room where Sunnie was being kept, he watched her square her shoulders and walk in. He followed behind her.
The baby was lying in a crib on her side, screaming up a storm, but miraculously, the moment she saw Sheila, her crying turned to tiny whimpers before she stopped completely. And Zeke wasn’t sure how it was possible, but he wouldn’t believe it if he hadn’t seen it for himself.
The abandoned baby she’d named Sunnie smiled and reached her chubby arms out for her.
Four
The alarm went off and Zeke immediately came awake. Flipping over in bed, he stared up at the ceiling as his mind recalled everything that had happened the night before. Sunnie was now with Sheila.
He had hung around long enough to help