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She signed the papers and squared her shoulders, knowing she’d be the one to wade through the bureaucracy to get the baby covered under Medicaid or any option available until Brittany could find a job or go back to college or a trade school.
Whatever choice Brittany made, she couldn’t go off half-cocked. She had a baby to consider. Her days of being a rolling stone were over.
Jenna shook her head as she headed for the elevator. She wasn’t sure Brittany would rise to the challenge of being a mother to that sweet little infant, which meant her big sister would have to make sure the baby was cared for properly. They’d also have to come up with the money to pay back the man who’d funded Brittany during the last weeks of her pregnancy.
In the meantime, Jenna had to get her home ready for Brittany and her infant daughter. Didn’t babies need a lot of stuff like a crib, diapers, bottles and so much more?
Jenna’s gut clenched. More than likely, she’d help Brittany care for the babe. She wasn’t ready to take on a newborn. What did she know about babies?
Nothing.
Holy hell. Her simple, single life just got a whole lot more complicated.
Back up the elevator to the third floor, Jenna breathed in and out, willing her heartbeat to slow before she had a full-blown panic attack.
Having an infant in her house would take some getting used to, but she could do it.
As the elevator reached the third floor, Jenna drew in a deep breath and let it out slowly. The doors parted, and she stepped out.
The hallway was empty except for the janitor in the gray coverall at the far end, pushing a large yellow mop bucket through the door to the stairwell.
Jenna pasted a smile on her face and strode toward Brittany’s room. She could do this.
They could do this.
Together.
Before she reached the door, it swung open.
“Help!” Brittany clung to the door, blood dripping from a wound on her temple. She spotted Jenna and lurched toward her. “Help! Oh, dear God. Help!”
She fell into Jenna’s arms.
Jenna staggered backward, taking her sister’s full weight. “What’s wrong?”
“My baby,” Brittany cried. “He stole my baby!”
Jenna’s heart thudded against her ribs. “The baby?” She steadied Brittany and held her at arm’s length. “Where’s the baby?”
Tears streamed from her eyes. “The janitor. He came into my room while I was in the bathroom. When I came out, he was leaning over the bassinet. I…I asked him what the hell…” She shook her head from side to side. “He grabbed my dinner tray and came at me...and hit me.” She touched a hand to her temple, coming away with blood. “I fell, but he kept hitting me. I…must’ve blacked out. When I got up, he was gone…” Brittany stared into Jenna’s eyes. “And so was my baby. You have to catch him.”
Jenna remembered seeing the janitor pushing a mop bucket through the stairwell door. She hadn’t seen the man’s face. “What did he look like?”
“I don’t know. One moment he had his back to me, and the next, he was pounding me with the tray.”
“Was he young? Old? Facial hair?”
“I…I…” Tears slipped down Brittany’s cheeks. “Can’t remember. Maybe a mustache? I mostly remember the tray coming at me. Then he was gone.” Her breath caught. “With my baby. Go after him!” Brittany pushed away from Jenna. “Go before he gets away.”
She swayed and would have fallen if Jenna hadn’t stepped forward and wrapped an arm around her. “I can’t leave you like this.”
“I don’t care about me,” Brittany cried. “Save my baby!”
Angie Smalls, the nurse on the night shift, emerged from a room down the hallway, a frown creasing her brow. “What’s going on?” She rushed forward. “What are you doing up?”
“Did anyone come to collect my sister’s baby?” Jenna asked, hoping Brittany was wrong and this was all a mistake, though her gut told her it wasn’t.
Angie shook her head. “I didn’t. She said she wanted to keep her in the room a little longer.” Her brow dipped. “Why?”
