29. Laney
29
Laney
My phone rang incessantly, jolting me awake. I glanced at the clock—4:30 in the morning.
“Hello?” I answered groggily.
“I’m so sorry to bother you,” a woman said apologetically, “but I can’t get Lily to stop crying. She keeps asking for her ‘Bubber.’ Can we come for a visit? Maybe seeing Ryan will make the transition easier for her.”
“Of course,” I replied. “Hold on—I’ll get Ryan on the phone so he can sing to her. What time should we expect you?”
“We’re already on our way.”
“That’s great,” I said. “This is hard on Ryan, too.”
I knocked on Ryan’s door. “Hey, sweetie. Someone wants to hear your voice—it’s Lily.”
As I returned to my room, I overheard Ryan talking to Lily, his voice gentle as he sang to her. Smiling, I got dressed and took Bear out for a run along the beach. We covered a few miles before heading back home, where I found Ryan already up and making coffee.
“Are you excited to see Lily today?” I asked.
“Yes,” he said with a sigh. “I feel terrible for her, having to live with strangers. They told me she cries for me all the time. How long do you think it will take before she stops?”
I hesitated, then asked, “Did I ever tell you about my childhood?”
“No.”
“My mom died when I was eight, and I ended up in the foster care system. It’s a broken system. There are so many kids in this country who have no one. The younger ones cry for their families for about a week or so. They’ll miss you for much longer, but eventually, the crying stops. It’s the confusion in their eyes that bothered me. They don’t understand what is going on. I was always trying to comfort the babies.”
Ryan’s face softened. “I’m sorry you went through that. I’m glad you have a big family now. And I’m happy you’re here with me through all this.”
I’m happy I am, too. Let’s focus on breakfast—Jeramy will be up soon. Do you think we’ll ever find his parents?”
Ryan paused, his brow furrowed. “I don’t know. I hope so. They deserve to have their son home, and Jeramy deserves his family too. They’ve been suffering for a year and a half.”
“I’m glad you’re part of our family,” I said, smiling. Just then, I heard a vehicle at the gate. “That must be them. Let’s go let Lily see her ‘Bubber.’”
As Shirley and her husband arrived, Ryan immediately went to Lily, holding her close and playing with her while her parents stayed nearby, fully involved. It was clear he was making every effort to ease the transition for Lily.
Jeramy toddled over to Lily and planted a kiss on her cheek. The sight of the two of them made us all laugh.
“They’re so close,” Shirley said, her voice thick with emotion. “Ryan, we can never repay you for how well you cared for our baby.”
“You don’t need to repay me,” Ryan said sincerely. “I love Lily and am thankful for the time I got to spend with her.”
Shirley hesitated, then said, “I think I might know who Jeramy’s parents are. If I’m right, he was taken from a grocery cart, and his parents never found him. They live in Chico, California. I just remembered it on the drive here. You might want to look it up online and see if he’s their baby.”
Ryan’s face grew serious. “Have you checked to see if Jeramy looks like their child?”
“No,” Shirley admitted. “I didn’t want Jeramy taken away from you so soon after losing Lily. I know how much you love these kids. It’s up to you to decide what to do.”
“Thank you,” Ryan said. “I’ll call Kat to help me look into it. Do you remember their names?”
“I’m sorry, no I don’t,” Shirley said.
Ryan gently picked up Lily, who was starting to drift off to sleep. “This is a good time to put her down,” he said. “She likes it when you hum to her while rocking her.”
As Lily’s parents took her, Ryan turned to me. “Jeramy and I are going to see if Kat’s home. We won’t be long.”
Shirley watched Ryan kiss Lily on the head before leaving with Jeramy. She turned to me, her eyes glistening. “I feel so bad for Ryan. He was innocent in all of this.”
“Have you heard if Brenda’s been charged?” I asked.
“Yes,” Shirley said with a small, grim smile. “They’re going to lock her up and throw away the key.”
“Good,” I said, walking them to their vehicle.
Haley and I walked down to see if Kat had found anything about Jeramy’s family. Ryan was pacing with one of the twins, gently patting the baby’s back while Jeramy watched him curiously. Kat was checking the other twin’s temperature.
“She doesn’t have a fever,” Kat said, frowning slightly. “What do you think could be wrong?”
Ryan glanced at the baby chewing on her hand. “I think her gums might be sore. She could be teething. Do you have any of those soft rubber gloves?”
Kat nodded. “Yes. Good idea.”
“Put some ice in one of the fingers and let her suck on it,” Ryan suggested. “If she’s teething, it’ll soothe her.” Then he turned to me, his eyes wide with excitement. “I’m going to be a pediatrician.”
“Yes!” I said, my voice thick with emotion. “You’ll be the best doctor any kid could ever have. That’s amazing.” A tear slipped down my cheek as I smiled at him.
Kat beamed. “You’re already a pediatrician, Ryan. How often have I asked you questions about these babies?” She held up the glove and smiled. “Look, it’s working. I didn’t even know babies could start teething this young.”
Ryan chuckled. “I guess no one really knows when it’ll happen. I read a story once about a baby who was born with teeth.”
Kat shuddered. “That’s too creepy to think about.” We all laughed.
I turned to Ryan. “Did you ask Kat about Jeramy?”
“Lily’s mom said she thinks Jeramy was taken from Sacramento,” Ryan said. “When the twins go down for a nap, can you look into it for me?”
“Of course,” Kat assured him. “How long have you had him?”
“About a year and a half,” Ryan replied. His face clouded. “Do you think Brenda might’ve stolen other babies and just... left them somewhere? I can’t stop worrying about that.”
Kat placed a reassuring hand on his shoulder. “Don’t worry about things you don’t know for sure. Focus on what we can do now. And I can’t wait for you to be a doctor.”
She walked to the computer while holding the baby. She was only on it for five minutes when something popped up.
Kat pulled up a picture of a missing baby, and as soon as we saw it, we knew it was Jeramy. His father held him in the photo, and the baby was smiling. As we looked through more pictures, we saw Jeramy surrounded by his parents and siblings. In every photo, he was a happy, loved child.
“I’ll call the police and take care of everything,” Kat said. “You can go home and wait for his family to come.”
Four hours later, the doorbell rang. The police stood on the porch with Jeramy’s family. As soon as they saw him, tears streamed down their faces. Ryan gently handed Jeramy to his mother, who kissed him repeatedly before passing him to his father.
We gave them some time alone to reconnect with Jeramy, then joined them in the kitchen. Jeramy’s mother put her arms around Ryan and sobbed into his shoulder. One by one, the family embraced Ryan, tears flowing freely.
Jeramy, who was in his father’s arms, leaned over and gave Ryan a loud, sloppy kiss. Everyone turned to look, and Jeramy did it again, laughing joyously.
Ryan smiled, though his eyes glistened. “I’m so relieved to see Jeramy has a family who loves him as much as I do. He’s incredible. I’m not just saying that because he’s was my brother... I guess he isn’t my brother after all.”
Jeramy’s father stepped forward. “He’ll always be your brother, Ryan. You’re welcome to visit him anytime. Our home is open to you.”
“Thank you,” Ryan whispered.
The father smiled. “We have more family waiting at home to see Walker.”
“I like his name,” Ryan said softly. “You might want to call him Jeramy sometimes until he gets used to it. Goodbye, Jeramy. I love you.” He handed them a small suitcase. “These are his things—he loves Spiderman.”
After they left, Ryan, Haley, and I sat in the living room. Haley sniffled quietly.
“Why are you crying, sweetheart?” I asked gently.
She wiped her eyes and looked at Ryan. “I just feel sad... but I’m happy you’re staying here.”
“Me too,” Ryan said with a small smile.
“How about we order pizza?” I suggested.
“Pizza sounds great,” Ryan agreed.