Birdie
My feet moved cautiously through the tall grass of the fields just down from our house.
No matter how hard I tried, I couldn’t stop thinking about Alexis.
Her baby was just a few weeks old when she was taken away from her.
If things had gone differently that day, I would have been the one to help her come into the world.
I wouldn’t have been there when Juniper first came home.
But maybe there was something else I could have offered her.
A different resource. A different path. I should have followed up. I should have done more.
My stomach cramped. The thought of going back to work at the hospital scared me. Even when the investigation completed and my privileges were back in place, I wasn’t sure I wanted to. That doubt had been there even before, with the pull to be with Beau and Juniper as much as possible, undeniable.
I couldn’t quit, though. There was still so much need in the community, but my heart hurt over the way the hospital was treating me, the lack of resources available to the patients who needed us the most. There was a glaring gap in our county, and I knew that if I just put my mind to it, I could figure out how to help.
Beau left before the sun was even kissing the horizon. And as much as I tried to listen to his order for me to go back to sleep after I made him breakfast, I couldn’t.
So I waited for Juniper to get up, and I got the both of us dressed.
We’d been walking along the trail that looped behind our house, up to the barn and main house, then down to the well house across the street.
We didn’t need any water, but there was the cutest little spigot on the side of the building that I could crack open and we could dip our toes in it.
With the heat already climbing with the rising sun, it would be good to let her cool down a bit before we walked back to the house.
Just as the well house came into view, a sleek, silver car pulled into the parking lot beside the building. I smiled as I watched Nate step out of the car.
“Hey, Nate.” I raised my hand to wave at him as I got closer.
“Hey, Birdie! Have you met my girlfriend before?”
I shook my head. “I don’t think I have.”
“Birdie, this is Isla. Isla, this is Birdie, Colt’s sister-in-law.”
“Oh, it’s so nice to meet you.” Isla smiled and held out her hand. I shook it before returning to pat Juniper’s back through the carrier. “Is this your daughter? She’s so precious.”
For half a second, I froze. Beau and I hadn’t really talked about how I should or shouldn’t introduce myself in relation to Juniper. In the end, I opted to skip past the title and just jump straight into chattering away about the baby.
“This is Juniper! We were just getting some morning exercise in before it got too hot, but it’s already starting to feel like the sun might melt us on the walk back.”
Nate laughed. “It really just jumped right from spring to summer, didn’t it? There was no gradually warming us all up to it.”
“No, certainly not.” My eyes dropped to the jugs in their hands. “I don’t want to hold you up, if you’re heading in to get water.”
“It’s the only water we’ll drink. A bit of a hike out from Bell Ridge, but Nate told me about the water here a few months ago, and I just can’t get enough of it. I swear, my headaches are almost non-existent anymore.”
“That’s wonderful. I’m a big believer in the magic of the water.”
Juniper’s fist went to her mouth, a little grunt of exasperation filling the air. My body started swaying on instinct, but I knew our time out and about was going to be cut short. She must have hit a growth spurt…up at weird hours last night and now wanting a bottle so shortly after her last one.
“I don’t want to hold you both up, but would you mind if I borrowed Nate for one minute?”
Isla smiled at her boyfriend. “Not at all. I’ll start filling these up.”
“Leave them on the ground so I can carry them out to the car, okay?” he instructed.
She laughed, rolling her eyes. “What? Just because you’re a big, strong deputy, you think I can’t do it on my own?”
“I didn’t say that at all,” Nate defended. “I just don’t want you to have to do it.”
“Very chivalrous of you, babe. Don’t worry, I’ll leave the jugs on the ground. Birdie, it was so nice to meet you!”
“You too, Isla.”
I watched as she turned and disappeared into the small building.
“What’s going on?” Nate snapped into deputy mode almost as quickly as Colt would have if I was talking to him instead.
“I just was wondering if the missing baby from Lark Lake was found.”
His face fell. “No, she hasn’t been. There haven’t been any updates in days. We’re trying everything we can, but even his family is saying they haven’t been around him in months, if not longer.”
“It’s just terrible. I can’t sleep. I’ve been thinking about you and your mom a lot. There should be a place here in Clarence County for women to go to.”
Nate nodded. “A safe haven. Someplace quiet, and protected. I hate that it’s needed, but God, it would be nice to have some place like that.
Then when we get called to the same house for a fifth domestic that year, we could actually offer some sort of real solution and support, instead of just telling them to go to Dallas. Makes my stomach hurt every time.”
I bit the inside of my cheek. “If I started a non-profit, would you want to help?”
Nate’s eyes went wide. “A non-profit to…”
“To help women in Clarence County, who might need a safe place to land. I have no idea how or where to even start. But I’ll try. I have to try. For women like Alexis, and your mom.”
Nate didn’t hesitate. “Yes. Yeah! I’m in! Definitely. Just tell me what you need and we can figure it out. Someone to hammer nails? Okay. Someone to balance the books? Eh, on second thought, you might want to handle that yourself.”
I danced on my tiptoes as I laughed, a move that got a squeak of delight from Juniper.
“Thank you. And if it’s ever too much—”
“I can’t think of a better thing to be doing. It’s going to be great to honor my mom this way,” Nate sighed, his hand rubbing the back of his neck. “Look, there is something I want to mention since I have you here.”
Juniper let out a squeaky cry as she chomped down on her hand, and I patted her bum, trying to soother her. She wasn’t going to wait much longer to get that bottle. “Okay.”
“I was the deputy who went to the hospital after you talked to Colt, to get the footage and your official report from the assault that happened with our suspect.”
I nodded, happy that Colt hadn’t waited to move on what I told him. “Oh, I hope they were helpful.”
“That’s just it.” Nate continued to palm the back of his neck, his face filling with regret.
“There wasn’t any record. Not of the guy being trespassed out of the hospital by security.
Not of you filing anything against him. The security footage from that night was gone.
Some sort of glitch in the system. The person I talked to was apologetic, but said there was nothing they could do to get it back. ”
My mouth dropped open. “I…I don’t know how that could be.”
“Look, I’m not giving up on it. There will be a lead that pops up, and we’ll follow every single one we get, until that baby is found.”
I nodded, swallowing past the lump in my throat. “Please let me know if there is any way I can help. I feel like I let her down. I knew he was dangerous and still…I didn’t think…”
“Hey. There was nothing more that you could do. Colt said you were the reason the nurses gave her information on the resources available. It sounds like she kicked him to the curb. There just wasn’t a safety net for her between the two of them, and that’s where the community failed her.
It’s not on you. Just like my mom’s death wasn’t on me. ”
I held my arm open, Nate sliding in to give me a side-hug while he patted Juniper’s back.
“Let me know more about that non-profit when you’re ready.”
“Yeah, I will. Please tell Isla it was so nice meeting her. You need to bring her out some time for family dinner.”
He smiled before turning toward the well house. “Yeah, I will. See ya around, Birdie.”
“Bye.”
My brain was running a mile a minute, trying to think of where to start first. Beau had supported the idea, but Nate being willing to help felt like it was just the push I needed to get started.
“I think this is going to be perfect, Juniper. It’s going to be so much work. And I’m going to need a ton of investors. I honestly don’t know if it’s even possible… But it sure is fun to dream.”
A happy little babble streamed out from the bundle of joy tied tightly around my chest.
“What do you think?” I asked. “Do you want to go see the horses and tell them all about our plans? I don’t think they’ll care at all, but they might give us some good advice if we listen closely and offer them a sugar cube or two. Plus, it will give me some time to practice my pitch to Daddy.”
“Hey, girls. What are you doing over here?” Danny smiled from behind the desk in the small office as I walked in.
“Hey, Juniper, look! Is Grampy out here?”
He stood up, walking out into the room, his arms raising out toward me. “Hand her over, Birdie.”
I laughed, helping Daniel scoop her from the carrier.
If you had asked me a few years ago how I thought he’d take to being a grandparent, my confidence would have been shaky.
But it was clear to see that he not only loved his kids, but that love extended to his grandchildren, too.
He’d made a mistake with how he treated Hawk and Jessie when they were expecting Beckett, but I’d watched him work every day to not let that mistake be his legacy.
“You know,” he winked at me, “I was just about to walk over and see you two. Doll and I were thinking we could have Juniper for the night, give you and Beau a break and get some cuddles with Juniper before we take off for our road trip. We’re taking Beckett tomorrow, and Connor the next night.”
“That sounds great. I can’t imagine Beau will have a problem with that.”
“Perfect. I’m all done in here, why don’t I take her up to the main house now?”
I hesitated. “Oh, I don’t have any of her stuff with me…”
He raised his hand. “We have a stash of stuff up at the house. Dolly got a few canisters of her formula the last time we were at the store, and some outfits for her to use whenever she’s with us. She’ll be fine.”
“I’m sure Beau will want to stop in just to say goodnight to her, at the very least. She wasn’t up yet when he left this morning.”
“That’s fine. Why don’t you both plan on stopping over for supper? We’ll feed you and send you on your way.”
Laughter bubbled out of me. “Sounds like the kind of deal I can’t refuse.”
“Dang right, it is! Alright, Juniper. Say bye-bye to Birdie.” He picked up Juniper’s hand, waving it up and down at me before blowing raspberries into her chunky cheeks.
“Love you, berry girl. See you soon!” I called after them, pulling my phone out to text Beau about the plans with Juniper.
“Oh, hey Emmett.” Danny’s faint greeting reached my ears. If Emmett, who I still hadn’t managed to meet yet, was outside, maybe that meant they’d finished their work faster than they’d planned for. Maybe Beau was on his way back, too.
My heart skipped a beat as I looked out the office window, trying to see if I could catch a glimpse of the other guys riding in.
My phone rang, and the phone almost slipped through my fingers.
“Hello?” I answered, not recognizing the number.
“Bernadette Calloway?”
“Yes. How can I help you?”
“Hi. It’s Elizabeth Greene, I was wondering if you had a moment to talk about the paperwork you sent over to my office?”
Oh! I’d almost completely forgotten about the phone call I’d had, after Juniper’s party, with the law firm she worked for.
“Of course. Have you heard from the board? Or the hospital?”
“That’s just the thing. We heard back from the state board this morning and…
well, they were just as confused as us about what was happening.
They have no record of any complaints made against you.
I reached out to the woman whose name was listed in the file as the point of contact for the hospital, but couldn’t get a hold of her.
When I finally got through to someone, they didn’t have you on an administrative leave.
They had you processed through as Family Medical Leave. ”
“I don’t understand…”
“I know it’s difficult to piece together, but the short of it is, no one registered a formal complaint against you with the state, and you’re not under any sort of investigation through the hospital.”
“You’re sure?”
“Very.”
“Well, thank you for letting me know. I guess…I need to figure out what happened.”
“I would recommend taking the paperwork you have and filing a police report. There’s fraud at play here, not to mention the emotional toll I’m sure this entire situation has taken on you. Something like this could have legal implications.”
“Really?” I asked, still buzzing over hearing that I hadn’t actually been reported for misconduct.
“Yes. Please don’t be afraid to reach out to our office if you need any help in the future, Ms. Calloway.”
“Thank you for calling to let me know, I’m sure I’ll be in touch.”
We ended our conversation, and all I wanted to do was call Beau. I needed to hear his voice. I needed to tell him what the lawyer had said!
I clicked around my screen, bringing up the number I had for his satellite phone.
“Finally.” The familiar voice made my stomach sink, but it was the next sentence from over my shoulder that made my blood run cold. “Turn around. Now, you fucking bitch.”
I heard the line ring, praying he would answer as I slipped my phone into my bra and turned around.
“Ms. Wittaker? What are you doing here in the barn?” My eyes immediately dropped to the gun she was holding in her hand. Nausea swelled and my head was pounding so hard I thought I might be sick.
“We have some unfinished business, Ms. Calloway. Why don’t you step out here and we’ll take care of it?”
I nodded, stepping out of the office. My eyes flashed over to the door I knew Daniel had just walked through. A flood of relief washed through my body so strongly, knowing Juniper was safe, that I felt my knees try to give out.
I needed to know what was going on. I didn’t understand.
Not until I saw someone step out of the shadows.