Page 59 of Gideon

“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.”

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