Where is the Baby? Read Free Page A

off?’
    â€˜Not one bit. You’re doing great, and nobody’s going to hurt you anymore. You’re going to be looked after now.’
    â€˜Unh-hunh,’ she said disbelievingly, looking at him thoughtfully, as if trying to make a decision. ‘Mister Brian,’ she said cautiously, ‘I’m very hungry. Nobody gived me any food today ’cuz they said I was bad yesterday when I holded the baby until she went asleep. They telled me to put her down but I wouldn’t. But I’ll be good now. I promise.’
    â€˜I’ll get you something to eat as soon as the officers get here for the baby.’
    â€˜Okay,’ she said, gazing at the partially open window of the van. The baby. Even when she cried and screamed, it felt good holding her, especially when the baby was all heavy, asleep. She liked the baby better than anything, ever. But she didn’t want Toadman and Wolf to hurt the baby . . . no cigrets or other bad stuff. She gave her head a little shake, thinking about that.
    â€˜What would you like to eat?’ the officer asked, drawing her eyes back to him.
    â€˜A cheese burgler an’ fries,’ she said in a rush. ‘An’ a chocolate shake?’
    â€˜Whatever you want, honey. Anything at all.’
    â€˜Thank you very much, Mister Brian,’ she said softly, keeping her eyes on the van, wondering if he’d get on top of her after he gave her the food.

TWO
    O n his way back from a quick trip to the men’s room, Brian Kirlane heard one ER nurse telling another that she planned to give that revoltingly filthy child in cubicle two a bath before she was examined. Overhearing this, Brian marched over to the woman and said, ‘Hey! You
do not touch
that kid! The chief wants photos and someone’s on the way. So until the photographer gets here nobody goes
near
that little girl.’ He paused to draw in an uneven breath – the anger was like some weird kind of animal, crawling around under his skin – then he said, ‘You’re
supposed
to
know
that. Is this your first day on the job or are you just generally clueless?’
    â€˜Well, excuse me all to hell!’ the young woman snapped.
    â€˜There’s a protocol,’ he said, brimming with anger. ‘Or did you wake up today and decide to ignore all the rules?’
    â€˜What’s biting
your
ass?’ the young woman shot back, her round flat face now red.
    â€˜Right now, it’s you. You don’t
ever
clean up a victim. It’s SOP.’ Insults crowded into his mouth and it took every bit of his self-control not to let them out. At that moment he wanted to annihilate her, rid the world of her.
    â€˜I was just about to tell her that,’ the second nurse interjected quietly.
    â€˜Oh, screw you both! I don’t need this shit!’ The flat-faced nurse whirled around and flounced off. Brian watched her bustle away, then turned to look at the second woman.
    â€˜She’s down from pedes ’cause we’re short-staffed. There was no one on to handle the kid. I’ll call up and get them to send somebody else. Sorry about that,’ she said, reaching for the phone.
    â€˜She’s an
idiot
,’ Brian said, unwilling to let go of his anger. It was keeping his attention off more dangerous emotions roiling in his chest: violent feelings he’d never had before. Altogether he felt barely in control, as if the smallest thing would send him over the edge.
    â€˜Let’s bring it down to room temperature now. Okay, Officer? I wouldn’t have let her get that far. So she’s not the sharpest knife in the drawer, but cut her some slack. She’s from another world. Upstairs, if they need it, the kids get washed on admit.’
    â€˜It’s her goddamn attitude I can’t take. Nobody can tell her anything. I wouldn’t want her around a kid of mine, pedes or wherever.’
    â€˜Have to agree with you on that,’