Page 40 of Only in Our Dream (Moonflower Cove #15)

Melanie

I ’m never picking up a double again.

Melanie yawned as she sat at the desk and stared blankly at the computer screen.

The Taylor Memorial Hospital logo slowly bounced around on the screen, hypnotizing her as she sipped on the last of her sodas from lunch.

Her eyes were dry and scratchy as she reached into the desk drawer for her bag.

Applying hand sanitizer first, she took out her contacts and replaced them with glasses.

She rarely wore them, but the last few hours had called for them.

Although she’d been working as a labor and delivery nurse for most of her life, there were still days that took more from Melanie than she wanted to give.

Her patient the night before had been that way.

Melanie had instantly connected with Leah and stayed with her through her entire labor.

She helped Vera get the baby’s shoulder unstuck and cut the cord after Leah said she didn’t want to.

Even hours after the birth, Melanie couldn’t get the distant look in Leah’s eyes out of her mind.

She hadn’t seemed interested in holding or ever seeing her baby after he was born.

When they took him to the NICU, she looked relieved.

Melanie couldn’t understand. She might have never birthed a baby on her own but she’d seen thousands of births before.

It took some women time to bond with their baby but most at least acted like they wanted to see their baby.

But not Leah.

Melanie couldn’t shake the sinking feeling in her stomach.

Leah was young, only twenty, and didn’t have anybody to help her raise the baby.

She’d told Melanie she was in college and her family lived out of state, but she hadn’t elaborated on where or what her support system was like back home.

Although she normally wouldn’t have even considered overstepping, Melanie had been contemplating dropping off adoption information to Leah’s room before she left for the day.

Closing her eyes tightly, Melanie sighed as she logged into the computer.

She’d spent so long with Leah or thinking about Leah and her baby that Melanie knew she needed to just distance herself from her.

At least Leah was now in postpartum, which meant she was no longer Melanie’s patient.

The baby was in the NICU, more as a precaution than anything due to his shallow breathing after birth.

He had been the cutest little baby. Melanie loved all babies, but something about the bright-eyed boy caught her attention.

The baby looked at her as if he fully trusted her and knew she would keep him safe.

When she’d sat him into the warmer for the baby nurses to assess, he wrapped his fingers around Melanie’s and wouldn’t let go.

“Does he have a name?” Palmer asked.

Melanie shrugged. “I don’t know. She hasn’t said.”

“Luca,” she answered, staring up at the ceiling disinterested in anything as Vera cleaned her up.

“Luca,” Melanie repeated, cooing at the minutes-old infant. “It’s going to be okay, Luca. I promise.”

Melanie smiled at the memory of his little fingers wrapped around hers. But the memory was quickly shattered when the doors from the postpartum area of the floor swung open as Palmer ran through them. She looked as white as the bedsheets as she ran straight toward Melanie at the desk.

“Have you seen Leah?”

“What?”

“Leah. The mom you were with earlier today.” Palmer held up a ripped hospital armband that they put on Leah after Luca was born. “She’s gone.”

“Gone?” Melanie felt her stomach drop to the floor. “Like missing?”

“Yeah,” Palmer took one second to catch her breath. “I went into her room and all her things were gone and she was gone and this was in the trash can.”

“Shit.”

Grabbing the bracelet from Palmer’s hand, Melanie sprinted to the room where she’d left Leah only a few hours ago.

It looked as if they had just discharged a patient but Melanie knew there was no way in hell they’d discharge Leah or anyone hours after a delivery.

The cut wristband in her hand proved that much.

Melanie angrily knocked the pillow off the bed to get out the emotions building inside of her.

“She didn’t sign an AMA or anything.” Palmer sounded as confused about the whole situation as Melanie did. “I checked all the bathrooms on the floor and nothing. I called the number on her chart and it was disconnected. She just left.”

“Without her newborn that’s in the NICU.”

Melanie resisted the urge to get angrier than she already was. None of the alarms had gone off indicating someone had taken a baby off the floor, but Melanie had to see for herself that Luca was okay. She stormed toward the nursery like a woman on a mission with Palmer trailing behind her.

Luca was crying in the warming bassinet as Melanie approached him. He only had on a diaper and a monitor on his foot for his heart rate and oxygen, so Melanie carefully lifted him out and put him on her chest. The baby instantly settled down as Melanie felt herself grow calmer as well.

“Who just up and leaves their baby?” Melanie cuddled the newborn as she gently rocked him. It wasn’t until then she felt the hot tears rolling down her face. “He’s five hours old.”

“I know.”

“And she’s five hours postpartum. Why would she just leave?”

“I don’t know.” Palmer looked simultaneously scared and angry. “What do we do now?”

Melanie tried to rack her brain on the proper procedures. She hadn’t dealt with a mother abandoning their child before, so she was relying on her brain to recall the protocol.

“We need to call Vera and security.” Melanie squeezed her eyes shut trying to focus. “I think Angela is the caseworker on call today.”

“What’s going on?” Another nurse, Melissa, walked over to them. “Is everything okay?”

“His mom left.”

“Without him?” Melissa’s shock was apparent in her voice. “What the hell? Who does that?”

“I don’t know,” Melanie tried to keep her anger at bay. She knew how their emotions could upset Luca, which was the last thing Melanie wanted to do. Melanie patted the newborn’s bottom as Melissa put a blanket over him to keep him warm. “Thanks.”

“You’re welcome. Here,” Melissa pointed to a nearby rocking chair, “sit. His monitor will reach.”

“Thanks.” Melanie carefully sat in the rocking chair as she adjusted Luca on her chest. Melissa made sure his monitor wires weren’t tangled before tucking the blanket in around him. “Can you call Vera? I left my phone at my desk.”

“We got this, Mel.” Palmer put a hand on her shoulder and gently squeezed. “I’ll call Vera and security.”

“And I’ll call Angela and Dr. Gilmore.”

Melissa nodded as she and Palmer left Melanie alone with Luca to make their calls. Adam Gilmore was the hospital’s neonatologist and Luca’s doctor in the NICU. Melanie squeezed her eyes shut tightly as more tears ran down her cheeks and onto the top of Luca’s head.

“I’m so sorry, Luca.” Melanie kissed her soft head as she whispered. “You don’t deserve this.”

The next few hours were beyond a whirlwind.

Security and doctors descended on the NICU to take statements from everyone.

They were all interviewed separately in the boardroom before Melanie was shown the security footage of Leah leaving.

Melanie felt her anger bubble up again as she watched Leah walk out of the hospital as if nothing was wrong.

She got into a black car before disappearing forever.

One of the police officers assigned to the case ran the plates on the car but it had been stolen.

They found the car abandoned off the highway to Portland with no sign of Leah inside.

Leah’s name was also fake as they had no record of her anywhere.

Melanie’s heart broke and sank as she tried to imagine who could birth a baby and then leave them within a few hours.

Her thoughts kept going back to Luca as the hours ticked by slowly while they tried to figure out the next steps.

Angela, the hospital’s case worker, wanted to get Luca set up with a foster family as soon as possible.

“Let me talk to Cam.” Melanie didn’t hesitate to interject as she stood in the hallway with Vera, Angela, and Palmer discussing their plans for Luca. “We’re certified fosters.”

“Mel,” Vera had an inquisitive look on her face, “you don’t have to do that.”

“I know. I want to, though. If Cam is on board.”

Vera nodded, knowing there would be no talking Melanie out of her decision.

As the group finished their discussion, they decided to leave Luca in the NICU for the night while the details were worked out.

It was getting late in the day anyway and Melanie was hours late from getting home.

She reached in her pocket for her phone only to realize she’d never picked it back up from her desk.

Melanie went back to the desk and grabbed her phone.

After not checking it for hours, she felt insanely guilty when she saw the number of missed texts and calls from Cameron.

She tried to call Cameron twice but she didn’t answer.

Sending her a text to call her when she could, Melanie headed back to the NICU.

Luca had eaten recently and was whimpering in his swaddle.

Melanie hated the thought of him spending his first night on earth alone in a sterile hospital room.

After checking with the nurse in the room, Melanie took off her scrub top before picking up Luca.

Melanie carefully sat on the rocking chair as she laid him on her chest. The nurse helped her with his monitor and got them a blanket. She tucked it in around them before leaving them to attend to another baby.

In her arms, Luca settled down and fell asleep as she rocked him.

He had his little mouth open slightly as he slept and Melanie couldn’t help but feel a connection with him that hadn’t been there before.

Was it because she had offered to foster him?

Or was it something more? All Melanie knew was that a piece of her heart already belonged to the baby in her arms.

“Mel,” Cameron rushed into the NICU and over to Melanie. She dropped a duffle bag to the ground as she knelt beside her, putting one hand on her arm and the other on Luca’s back. “I’m glad I finally found you.”

“I’m sorry.”

“It’s okay.” Cameron kissed her forehead. “I saw you were still at work and assumed you either had fallen asleep or got pulled into a c-section. Then Vera called and told me what happened and I came right over.”

Holding back the tears was useless. In Cameron’s presence she was safe to cry about the entire situation. She recounted everything to Cameron as Cameron continually wiped Melanie’s tears from her eyes as she spoke. All the while, Cameron’s hand never left Luca’s back as she gently rubbed it.

“I’m so sorry you’re dealing with this, Mel. I know you and Leah bonded during her labor.”

“Well, I’m done getting close to patients.”

“Don’t let one person ruin it for you.”

“How could she just leave him, Cam?” Melanie knew it was the lack of sleep mixed with the emotional day that was making her cry.

“I don’t understand how someone could look at this precious baby and walk away.

Not even just walk away but leave him in the NICU alone.

I couldn’t stand the thought of him being alone here tonight and I’m not his mother. ”

Cameron gently caressed her cheek. “Honey, it’s okay. Everything you’re feeling right now is valid. You’ve had a hard day and need some sleep.”

“I know, but I don’t want to leave him.”

“Then let’s have Vera set us up in a room here tonight.”

“Can we do that?”

“Why not?” Cameron shrugged. “We’re not at capacity. I’m sure Vera wouldn’t mind. They’re not going to make any decisions tonight, are they?”

Melanie shook her head. Looking down at the baby in her arms, Melanie felt the love she had for Luca grow. She didn’t know if Cameron knew she’d offered to foster him, so it was time to have that conversation. No matter the outcome.

“Angela wants to get him set up with a foster family tomorrow.”

Cameron’s eyes softened as she smiled at Melanie. “Then it’s a good thing he can have one with us.”

“Seriously?”

“Absolutely,” Cameron winked at her. “I knew from the moment I saw you two together that we’d be fostering him.”

Something in Cameron’s eyes changed, and Melanie tried to read it.

There was no way Cameron was thinking the same thing that Melanie had been refusing to let herself wonder.

Because if Leah never came back, Luca would need a forever home.

And Melanie wasn’t sure she could let him go if that home wasn’t with them.

“What?” Melanie giggled as Cameron leaned down to kiss Luca’s head. “Just say it.”

“Because you are thinking about it too?”

Melanie nodded, smiling as Cameron gently traced her finger over Luca’s cheek while he slept. When their eyes met again, Cameron could tell they were on the same page.

“I think we have a lot to talk about with the kids this weekend when Jonah comes home.”