Chapter 1 - The Baby in My Father’s Arms
“You have three babies. Your brother has none. It’s only fair that you give him one.”
For several seconds, I thought the anesthesia was still inside my head.
I had been awake less than four hours after an emergency C section.
Three bassinets stood beside my hospital bed.
Noah.
Caleb.
Grace.
Three babies born at thirty four weeks after a pregnancy that had frightened me almost every day.
Three babies breathing.
Three babies stable.
Three babies David and I had waited years to meet.
And my father had just spoken about Noah as if he were an extra chair.
I stared at Richard.
“What did you say?”
Dad stood in his white formal jacket beside the first bassinet.
My mother Eleanor remained near the window.
My younger brother Daniel stood by the door.
His wife Jessica watched Noah.
Not me.
Noah.
Jessica stepped closer.
“You can’t seriously believe you’ll be able to handle all three.”
I pushed myself higher.
Pain tore across my abdomen.
“Get away from him.”
Jessica’s mouth tightened.
“We’re trying to help.”
“No.”
Richard lifted one hand.
“Maya.”
“No.”
“You have not even heard the proposal.”
“There is no proposal involving somebody else raising my child.”
Daniel looked at floor.
That scared me.
“Daniel.”
He did not answer.
Jessica did.
“We have tried for seven years.”
“I know.”
“You know what infertility does to people?”
“Yes.”
“Do you?”
Her voice cracked.
“You get pregnant once and suddenly you have three.”
I stared.
“I am sorry you are hurting.”
She almost laughed.
“I don’t need pity.”
“Then don’t ask for my baby.”
Richard reached into Noah’s bassinet.
My heart stopped.
“Dad.”
He slid both hands beneath my son.
“Put him down.”
Noah woke.
Started crying.
Richard lifted him.
Everything inside me became animal.
“PUT MY SON DOWN!”
I swung my legs over the bed.
The room tilted.
My incision burned.
A nurse had told me not to stand alone yet.
I did not care.
I reached.
Richard stepped away.
“Stop behaving hysterically.”
“Give him to me!”
I moved again.
He shoved my shoulder.
Hard.
I fell backward against the bed rail.
Pain exploded across my abdomen.
My head struck the pillow.
Grace began crying.
Caleb followed.
Noah screamed from Richard’s arms.
Eleanor moved between Daniel and the bed.
“Stay out of this.”
Daniel stared at her.
“Mom.”
“You wanted a family.”
His face changed.
Jessica reached toward Caleb’s bassinet.
That was it.
I slammed my palm onto the emergency call button.
Once.
Twice.
Three times.
The alarm sounded.
Jessica spun.
“What did you do?”
I dragged Caleb’s bassinet against the bed and pulled Grace closer with my other hand.
“You are not touching another one.”
Richard barked:
“Turn that off.”
“No.”
“You are embarrassing this family.”
“You’re holding my baby.”
“He is my grandson.”
“He is my son.”
The door burst open.
A nurse ran in.
Behind her came two hospital security officers.
The nurse stopped.
“What is happening?”
Richard immediately changed tone.
“Family misunderstanding.”
I pointed.
“He took my newborn without permission.”
Richard laughed.
“She agreed to this months ago.”
My blood went cold.
“What?”
Jessica went pale.
Daniel whispered:
“Dad, stop.”
Richard turned toward him.
His phone slipped from his jacket pocket.
It hit the floor.
The screen lit.
A voice recording was already open.
Daniel lunged.
The nurse kicked the phone away before he reached it.
“Don’t touch that.”
Then the recording began playing through the speaker.
Jessica’s voice.
Quiet.
Recognizable.
“Once David’s flight leaves for London, Richard takes the baby before Maya can stop it.”
No one moved.
I looked at Jessica.
Her face went white.
Then another recording began automatically.
My mother’s voice.
“If she fights us on this, sedate her before David gets back.”
The room became so quiet I could hear Noah crying in my father’s arms.
Then the security officer moved.
“Sir, give me the infant.”
Richard stepped backward.
“No.”
The officer’s voice hardened.
“Now.”
Richard tightened his arms around my son.
And Daniel whispered:
May you like
“Oh God.”
Continue to the next part: Daniel admits he already knew about the recordings, but the reason they were on Richard’s phone is almost as disturbing as what they contain.
