Baby Talk

“On its own,” Neal mumbled. If Annie didn’t leave the car out of park and the emergency brake off, and nobody had tried to steal it, then the car had just magically started moving on its own...

Or...

“Here she is!”

A slender, brown-haired nurse had just entered the room, carrying Natasha in her arms. An orderly was on her heels, lugging the car seat with him. He set it on the floor, at the foot of the bed, and sauntered back out of the room.

“You’ve got a serious infection, friend,” the doctor said.

Neal looked back down at his foot. Dr. Rayson gently turned it sideways, so Neal had a better view. “Those red streaks on your ankle...it’s not a good sign.”

“Oh, shit,” Neal muttered.

“Yeah,” the doctor said sympathetically. “Are you on any antibiotics?”

“No.” Neal glanced at Natasha, who was still in the nurse’s arms. She was wearing the orange jumper that Annie’s mother had made. Her little eyes were open, staring at him. There seemed to be a smile on her face.

“You need to be put on something immediately,” Rayson said, “before this infection gets any worse.” He motioned to the pudgy nurse. “Get a wheelchair and take Mr. Becker down to ER.” The doctor turned back to Neal. “They’ll fix you up down there, and then you can take your daughter home.”

“Who...me?” Neal said.

The doctor and the nurses exchanged glances.

“Yes, you. You are the baby’s father, aren’t you?”

Neal looked at Natasha, at the smile on her little face. “Yeah, but...”

They were all watching Neal with interest, waiting for him to continue..

“I...I mean, my foot. How can I take care of her with an infected foot?”

The doctor sighed. “You’re not dying, Mr. Becker. After you’re on antibiotics, you just need to stay off your feet as much as possible, keep your right leg elevated. But you can certainly stand up long enough to heat formula and change diapers.”

Neal groped for some other excuse. The last thing he wanted was to be left alone with Natasha.

The nurse who was holding the baby said, in a soft voice, “Is there anyone who can help you out? Your mother, sister, somebody?”

There was a page over the intercom for what sounded like “Dr. Rayson.”

The doctor glanced in the direction of the hallway, then looked back at Neal. “Well? Is there?”

Neal did a quick inventory of anyone who might be able take Annie off his hands. But he drew a blank. Neal’s own mother was out of the question—he couldn’t ask her to come all the way from Louisville. And his sister lived in Detroit. Except for Annie’s mother, that was it.

Dr. Rayson turned impatiently to the nurse who was holding Natasha. “Did you get a hold of the grandmother yet?”

“No, doctor, she’s still not answering.” The slender, soft-spoken woman had moved a little closer and Neal could read her name tag—SUSAN MATLOW, it said.

“Well, keep trying to call her.”

Neal wasn’t surprised they couldn’t reach Annie’s mother. She was never home, always running around with one of her boyfriends.

The doctor looked at Neal. “You don’t have any idea where your mother-in-law might be, do you?”

Neal shook his head, though he was distracted by Natasha. The baby was watching him intently. The smile on her face seemed to be widening.