Page 58 of Gideon

“Does her brother know she’s alive?” I asked.

“I’m her brother,” the officer said, his voice low and angry. “And I want this bastard locked up for life.”

“We’ll do our best to get him to talk,” I assured him.

“Thanks,” he said grimly.

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.”

---