Chapter 3

• Liam was woken by the sound of someone knocking at his door, he didn't bother to go check who it was because he already knew he won't meet anybody there, it has happened for the past two days he had been here and each time he goes to see who it was no one is always there, he knew this won't be different, he checked the time and it was two am, he tried to go back to sleep but couldn't so he got up from bed, got himself a glass of water and went to the sitting area where his laptop was, as he opened it, he had the sound of cracking, not cracking it was the sound of a crying child, he wondered who was out at this time of the night with a baby, he continued with what he was doing but the crying became louder instead of it to go away.
• "Maybe the neighbors have a newborn kid,"
• He said to himself, he had seen the light at the next apartment on, this evening when he got back, he has still not met the person in the house but twice he could have sworn he saw a woman leaving but he has never seen her face, maybe she worked always had only come to the house to either rest or sleep, the other apartment occupant were nurses who were not always at home, he had met them once and they said they worked at the local clinic.
• The child kept crying and at a point, he felt like the child was crying at his front door, giving in to the urge to go check his front door, he pulled up his robe already cursing himself for being paranoid and thinking the baby was crying at his doorstep, but when he opened the door, his eyes collided with the basket before anything else, he looked around to make sure he wasn't seeing things or his mind wasn't playing tricks on him when he looked back in the direction of the basket, it was still there and the wailing was coming for inside, he quickly rushed to the spot and looked inside the basket, a baby was inside wailing his or her eyes out, he couldn't make out the gender.
• He carried the wailing child out of the basket, the crying stopped a little only for it to hit another high, he stepped down from his apartment and looked around For the baby's mother, but she wasn't anywhere around, he ran around the area with the crying child in his arms hoping to catch a glimpse of her, even went as far as going to the next apartment where he saw the lights on earlier but it seems no one was home.
• "They may have left again."
• He thought going back to his apartment with the crying child in his arms, he wondered what he was going to do with the child, he knew a little about babies because he has babysitted his sister's kids several times, but that didn't mean he was ready to do that, he looked at the child who looked so red from crying, why would it mother drop it off and just run away? Why give birth to a child and just abandon it?
• He didn't have a baby formula or any baby food, but he had cornflakes and some milk, so he took the child into the house with him and tried to make it stop crying, he fed it some of the corn flakes and milk but the child didn't want food so he abandoned the food and try to make it stop crying but the baby was obviously in distress because no matter what he did, it didn't stop crying, after trying to calm it down for long without succeeding, he decided to try and remove the kid's diaper when he did remove it he found out not only her gender but also that the diaper was soaking wet, which might be the reason the child was wailing nonstop.
• After successfully cleaning up the child, he found himself in another dilemma, what was he going to wear her, he went back to his doorstep and collected the basket which the child had been brought in, thankfully there were a few clothes and diapers.
• "Thank God,"
• He said running back inside, he dressed her up and she calmed down for the first time in over one hour, she had round pretty eyes and curly baby hair, she was pretty, one of the prettiest babies he might have seen, despite all the crying, her baby beauty couldn't be hidden. what would have made a mother abandon such a beautiful child? He couldn't get answers, he hoped she would return for her because he didn't know what he will do with the child, he hasn't even gotten to know the island fully yet, and also the reason he came here, he hasn't found anything, the locals he asked questions seemed not to want to talk to him, even when he talks to them in their local language, seeing as there was no letter attached to the child may be the owner will come back for her at dawn, he hoped she does.
• He didn't sleep throughout the night, because each time he drops her, she starts wailing, he sang all the lullabies he knew and she finally fell asleep at five am in the morning, he dragged his sleep-deprived self into the shower and took a cold bath, coming back to the room, he looked at the sleeping child, she looked so peaceful.
• "I hope your mom turns up this morning,"
• He said while making an early breakfast, he waited for the mom to come back for her daughter but by three pm in the afternoon there was still no sight of her, he really began to panic, what was he going to do with her? So far, he fed, and she has been a good girl, she only cried when she needed to either eat or when she wanted her wet diaper gone, he even went to the local convenient store and got more baby supply including baby formula, the kid looked about two or three months old.
• When he still didn't hear from her mom at four pm, he decided to take the child to the local clinic and leave her there with the nurses since the clinic also had a place where kids stay, there wasn't a police station that he could report the abandoned child to so it had to be the clinic, at least they might have a clue as to who the child's mother was.
• "Hi, "
• He greeted the nurse at the front desk hoping she could speak English, he wasn't in the mood to speak his broken language, he was still learning to speak the island language and couldn't carry on a full conversation yet.
• "Hello, sir, how may I help you? Did you bring your baby for a check-up? The children ward is that way,"
• She said pointing him in the direction.
• "She is not my kid, I found her on my doorstep in the early hours of today, I have been waiting for the mom to show up and she didn't which is why I am here, who can I report to?"
• "Sorry sir, but I don't think we can help you, all our babies are accounted for and I don't think anyone is missing,"
• She said looking at him with suspicious eyes.
• "Is there no one I can talk to?"
• He asked looking around, he spotted one of the nurses he had seen at his apartment the other day, hoping she would remember him.
• "Can I talk to her?"
• He asked the lady who looked like she wasn't ready to call the nurse, thankfully she walked in their direction.
• "Hey, nurse,"
• "Oh, hi, Liam right?"
• "Yes, Liam,"
• "You brought your kid for a checkup? Nurse Sara is around she is best at handling babies aside from the doctor,"
• "Hmm, not really a the check-up, the baby isn't mine,"
• He said and her expression changed completely.
• "I'm sorry let me get the head nurse,"
• She said heading off and leaving him standing there with the kid, he turned to face the other nurse who still had the same look on her, he couldn't understand why they thought the baby was his.
• The nurse came back with a much older-looking nurse, she would be around her late thirties or early forties.
• "Good day nurse,"
• He greeted. as she came close to him.
• "Yeah good day, mister, how may I be of help to you?"
• "Aha, thank you, this kid, was left at my doorstep in the early hours of today, let's say by two am, I tried waiting to see if the mom would return for her but she didn't and I am new around here and haven't seen any police station that I can report to, so I brought her here since I have seen a few other kids here too."
• He explained, even as he talked he could sense that the nurse didn't believe what he said.
• "I am sorry mister, but you can't leave your kid here, we can only do a former check but that's all, there is no evidence that the kid is indeed abandoned or you are about to abandon her for us, all our newborn are accounted for and no one is missing,"
• "Why will I abandon my kid? She isn't mine,"
• "And where is your proof? Any letter or anything?"
• "I searched the basket she was brought in with and there is no letter, but I can go get the basket if you want,"
• He said getting frustrated, the baby was starting to feel uncomfortable.
• "Can you hold her for me? I need to prepare her formula,"
• He said handing her over to the nurse, but as soon as she held her, she started crying and didn't stop until he carried her back.
• "And you say she is not your kid? This is proof that she is though, mister I would advise you to take your child home, we are already short on supplies and we can't help her here,"
• "For Christ sake, she is not mine,"
• He barked, startling the baby, he smoothed her back, while giving the nurse dead stares.
• "Ruby should handle this, I can't anymore,"
• She said, leaving him with the first nurse and walking off.
• "Where is she going to?"
• "To get the doctor, I think,"
• "Aha, better,"
• He replied. he hoped the doctor would be someone who will listen to him because he couldn't keep the baby...