Finding Baby J
Excerpt:
Shana pushed the trash cart out through the back door of the cafeteria kitchen, her final chore as she finished her shift. In the normal quiet of the alley behind the hospital, she heard a pathetic mewling. The sound seemed to be coming from somewhere near the dumpster. "Here kitty, kitty!" she called softly in response, continuing to slowly push the cart closer without scaring the stray.
Okay, she thought, how do I stretch my budget to include adding another feline to my menagerie of injured and abandoned animals? But Shana knew she couldn't pass up any opportunity to help the less fortunate. And since she, herself, was at the bottom of the economic food chain, animals were the chosen beneficiaries.
Why do I want to be a physical therapist? I might as well be a vet, she thought with a touch of humor. As she came to a stop beside the dumpster, the mewling continued.
"Poor baby, got yourself stuck in the dumpster and can't get out, can you?"
Shana stood on tiptoes to peer over the lip of the huge can and in the fading light of early evening what she found shocked her motionless for a moment. She clutched her chest in a shock so deep it took her breath. There, laying in the filth, was a baby boy!
"Dear God! Who would do such a thing?"
Shana hurriedly scaled the side of the dumpster and reached in to lift the tiny infant into her arms. The night wasn't overly cold but he needed to get warm, fast. There was no telling how long the baby had been lying there. She cuddled him close to share her body heat and climbed back down to the ground, scanning the surrounding area to see if the mother was skulking nearby. Not wanting to waste any more time, she turned to go back inside; needing to get him fed and checked out. His head was rooting around her breast instinctively seeking nourishment.
"I've got nothing but love for you sweetheart, but I bet one of the nurses in maternity will have just what you need," she crooned.
She left the trash cart where it was, no one in their right mind would steal it, rushed in through the kitchen door and straight to the towel cupboard.
"Shana! Is that one of your strays?" The cook waved a large wooden spoon at her as she raced across the kitchen. She didn't pause in her headlong dash to answer, "Yes, but..."
"Well get it out of my kitchen!"
Shana swiped a large towel from the shelf and said, "Yes, Ma'am."
Wrapping her bundle as best she could on the move, she ran across the lobby and up the stairs to the second floor where she'd seen Dr. Daniels only moments before. The baby's body was icy cold and the little mite was barely breathing, not making any sound at all. Dr. Daniels would know what to do.
She'd gathered quite an entourage by the time she reached labor and delivery, where the neo-natal unit was located. Cook, as she found out later, had notified security of Shana's 'germ-infested stray' and they were waiting for her at the top of the staircase.
"Miss Davis, pass over your stray. You know we don't allow them in the hospital," said a big, burly guard as he reached for the baby.
"Dr. Daniels! I need Dr. Daniels," she hollered, clutching the baby to her chest, panicked at being surrounded by so many people.
Dr. Daniels broke through the crowd. "What's going on here?"
Shana spoke fast and loud to be heard above the din. "I found a baby crying in the dumpster outside the kitchen. He's cold and barely breathing."
"Bring him in here." He motioned toward one of the delivery rooms. Shana wasn't going to let the infant out of her sight until she was sure he was all right. She already felt attached to the little guy somehow.
"It's a boy," she said as she laid her precious bundle down in a bassinet. The doctor checked vitals and grabbed a newborn bulbous syringe to suction the mouth and nose. The baby cried out and his color started to return to normal.
"Is he going to be okay?" Shana asked as the minutes ticked by and no one spoke to her.
"Yes, he's only an hour or two old at most. He'll be fine once he's fed." Dr. Daniels fitted a diaper over the littlest bum she'd ever seen and swaddled him in a blanket.
Shana pushed the trash cart out through the back door of the cafeteria kitchen, her final chore as she finished her shift. In the normal quiet of the alley behind the hospital, she heard a pathetic mewling. The sound seemed to be coming from somewhere near the dumpster. "Here kitty, kitty!" she called softly in response, continuing to slowly push the cart closer without scaring the stray.
Okay, she thought, how do I stretch my budget to include adding another feline to my menagerie of injured and abandoned animals? But Shana knew she couldn't pass up any opportunity to help the less fortunate. And since she, herself, was at the bottom of the economic food chain, animals were the chosen beneficiaries.
Why do I want to be a physical therapist? I might as well be a vet, she thought with a touch of humor. As she came to a stop beside the dumpster, the mewling continued.
"Poor baby, got yourself stuck in the dumpster and can't get out, can you?"
Shana stood on tiptoes to peer over the lip of the huge can and in the fading light of early evening what she found shocked her motionless for a moment. She clutched her chest in a shock so deep it took her breath. There, laying in the filth, was a baby boy!
"Dear God! Who would do such a thing?"
Shana hurriedly scaled the side of the dumpster and reached in to lift the tiny infant into her arms. The night wasn't overly cold but he needed to get warm, fast. There was no telling how long the baby had been lying there. She cuddled him close to share her body heat and climbed back down to the ground, scanning the surrounding area to see if the mother was skulking nearby. Not wanting to waste any more time, she turned to go back inside; needing to get him fed and checked out. His head was rooting around her breast instinctively seeking nourishment.
"I've got nothing but love for you sweetheart, but I bet one of the nurses in maternity will have just what you need," she crooned.
She left the trash cart where it was, no one in their right mind would steal it, rushed in through the kitchen door and straight to the towel cupboard.
"Shana! Is that one of your strays?" The cook waved a large wooden spoon at her as she raced across the kitchen. She didn't pause in her headlong dash to answer, "Yes, but..."
"Well get it out of my kitchen!"
Shana swiped a large towel from the shelf and said, "Yes, Ma'am."
Wrapping her bundle as best she could on the move, she ran across the lobby and up the stairs to the second floor where she'd seen Dr. Daniels only moments before. The baby's body was icy cold and the little mite was barely breathing, not making any sound at all. Dr. Daniels would know what to do.
She'd gathered quite an entourage by the time she reached labor and delivery, where the neo-natal unit was located. Cook, as she found out later, had notified security of Shana's 'germ-infested stray' and they were waiting for her at the top of the staircase.
"Miss Davis, pass over your stray. You know we don't allow them in the hospital," said a big, burly guard as he reached for the baby.
"Dr. Daniels! I need Dr. Daniels," she hollered, clutching the baby to her chest, panicked at being surrounded by so many people.
Dr. Daniels broke through the crowd. "What's going on here?"
Shana spoke fast and loud to be heard above the din. "I found a baby crying in the dumpster outside the kitchen. He's cold and barely breathing."
"Bring him in here." He motioned toward one of the delivery rooms. Shana wasn't going to let the infant out of her sight until she was sure he was all right. She already felt attached to the little guy somehow.
"It's a boy," she said as she laid her precious bundle down in a bassinet. The doctor checked vitals and grabbed a newborn bulbous syringe to suction the mouth and nose. The baby cried out and his color started to return to normal.
"Is he going to be okay?" Shana asked as the minutes ticked by and no one spoke to her.
"Yes, he's only an hour or two old at most. He'll be fine once he's fed." Dr. Daniels fitted a diaper over the littlest bum she'd ever seen and swaddled him in a blanket.