Page 32 of Baby Blue
Blue didn’t know what that meant. “So what do we do?”
“That means she needs the rest of her immunizations,” she told him.
“But what if she was just taken to another doctor and already got them?” he asked, unsure about doing the same thing twice. That sounded dangerous.
“Oh, no. That’s not the case. There are multiple entries on these records where she was brought in for sniffles, a rash, things like that. At every visit, her guardian was told she needed immunizations. And at every appointment, they declined them. Matter of fact,” she said, looking at the form, “the physician made a note to contact child protective services if they were declined one more time.”
“Wow.” Blue was appalled. Cindy had taken her to the doctor but not bothered to get her shots? Who would do that? “Okay, so what is this going to cost me?” he asked, determined to find a way to get what she needed.
“Nothing. Anne told you I’m a friend of hers,” she said, reaching for her tablet to make a note for the nurses, telling them what to bring for the immunizations.
“But I don’t want charity,” Blue said. “I’d like to pay for them.”
“You have.” When she turned to his confused face, she smiled. “Look, less than two weeks ago you didn’t even know youhada child. Now you’re here in my office, trying to do what’s right for her. Honestly, I admire you. A lot of guys would’ve just turned her over to social services and walked away.”
Before he could stop himself, Blue said, “That’s what I was going to do at first.”
The doctor gave him a soft smile. “What stopped you?”
It was hard to say the words. He hated for people to know, and he hated the looks they gave him when the found out, but he decided honesty would probably work well in that situation. “I grew up in foster care. Never knew my parents. I didn’t want that for her.”
“Mr.Wallace, my services are free for her until she no longer needs a pediatrician. No strings attached. You gave her a chance at a life with someone who’ll love her. That’s worth something to me,” Dr.Malone said, turning back to look at the chart the nurse had handed her.
The words hit Blue square between the eyes.With someone who’ll love her. He turned and looked at the baby on the exam table, her eyes bright, one foot pulled up to her mouth and chewing on her toes like a demon. Did he love her?
He could barely breathe as one thought ran through his mind:With all my heart. He loved that baby lying there on thetable. He hadn’t wanted her at first, or anything to do with her. But in the brief time she’d been with him, she’d changed his life completely, and it was all for the better. He had friends he hadn’t had before, and his house had become a home. The entire thing was nothing short of amazing, and he had that tiny human to thank for it. She’d begun to teach him about life and love and letting people help him when he needed help, people who were trustworthy, whose word was their honor. In barely more than a whisper, he said, “Thank you. I appreciate it.”
“You’re welcome. You won’t be thanking me tonight when she’s fussy and won’t sleep because of the shots,” Dr.Malone said and laughed. “Here we go!”
By the end of the visit, Indigo was screaming bloody murder and Blue was frazzled from listening to her. “She’s probably going to run a fever for a day. Here’s some infant pain reliever to give her. It’ll drive the fever down. Do you have a thermometer?” Blue shook his head. “Okay, here.” She handed him one of the little devices she had in her office. “Roll it across her head and it’ll tell you her temperature. Call me if it goes above one hundred and one. And bring this back to me next time you come. They’re expensive, but I don’t mind loaning it to you. Let Anne help you find something that will work and not be so expensive.”
“Thank you. Thank you so much. I really, really appreciate all of this. I really do. Thank you,” Blue said over and over.
“You’re welcome. If she starts running a fever, just give her clear liquids until it goes down a bit. Anne lives next door, right?”
“Yes.”
“Then ask her if you have questions. Otherwise, I’ll see her back in three months. Just make an appointment before you leave,” she told him. “Good to meet you, Mr.Wallace.”
“And you too,” he said as the nurse helped him get Indigo back into her little carrier.
He got home in time to change clothes and take Indigo next door before he had to go to play with the band. He called at every break to check on her, and each time, Anne told him she was fine. When the bar closed at two o’clock and he headed home, he hated to wake Anne, but he wanted to pick up the baby and go to bed.
His front door opened and he was shocked to find Polly asleep on the sofa. “Hey! What’s going on?” he said, squatting by the sofa and whispering to her.
“I asked Mom if I could come over and put her to bed so you didn’t have to take her out. She said that was fine,” she said, still groggy with sleep. “Guess I should go home.”
“You’re welcome to sleep out here if you want,” Blue told her.
“I should go. But thanks for letting us keep her,” Polly said. “We love having her around.”
“Thank you. I appreciate you. Let me watch until you get in the house, okay? I don’t want you going across the yards in the dark alone.”
“Sure. Thanks. See you tomorrow,” Polly told him, and Blue watched her cross the yards and disappear into their house.
He couldn’t help himself?he wandered into the little nursery and looked down at Indigo. The baby slept soundly, her little lower lip quivering from time to time. She was so precious. God, he wished he had enough money to take her and have pictures made! She wouldn’t be little much longer and he wanted to remember every minute.
Dear god, I sound like a parent!he laughed to himself. The next day would be one week, and he’d survived it. That had to be the greatest accomplishment of his life.
