Callie was born a bit after midnight on New Year’s Day. She had bright blue eyes and jet black hair. From the moment she was born, she let her voice be heard. It is said that everyone in the hospital had heard her cry that night. For that night, Callie was all alone in the world. Her mother, a black-haired, blue-eyed stranger had been brought in from off the street the night before; bruised, bloody, and unconscious with no personal identification. She slipped into a coma and after an emergency caesarean section to deliver the baby, the mother made her way into the next world. “What do we do with the baby?” asked Rita, the head nurse to the attending physician, Doctor Blake. “Call Child Protective Service (CPS), the news, and the police.” Dr. Blake said, “Maybe we can get an ID of the deceased mother with the autopsy or maybe someone will recognize her.” Rita held the infant close and took her off to the nursery and then she went into her office to make the necessary calls. It wasn’t like this was “big city” Dallas. This was Stamford, Texas; most people either were born here or were known of by you because they know somebody you knew. There were never any cases of Jane Doe’s here, ever. This was a real mystery with a brand-new baby thrown in the mix.
Baby Callie was hardly ever in the nursery the next few days, either the nurses were holding her at the desk or the volunteer for the maternity ward was rocking her. She wasn’t crying anymore, but not quiet either. She had an intense gaze and looked very alert for her age. She would make little sounds with her lips, or suck her thumb so loudly, the nurses would giggle. Callie also had her share of news time; she was on the news at 7:00 a.m., 5:00 p.m., and 10:00 p.m. She even had an appearance on national television. As hard as they tried, the autopsy and publicity yielded no clue as to who was the deceased woman. On the birth certificate, the mom was listed as “Jane Doe”, the father’s name left blank. The baby was named Callie to honor the girl that had found her mother on the street and called the ambulance.
Soon, it was time for Callie to find a home. A nice, older couple with six children of their own agreed to become a foster family for Callie, just until the CPS agency knew what to do next. The couple, Sarai and Joe picked up Callie from the hospital seven days after she was born. The nurses all waved goodbye to the couple, gave them bags of clothes and bottles, and kissed Callie on the check. Rita said a prayer as she watched the van slip out of sight, “God, please take care of this baby, please help baby Callie to find a place for her to call home.”
Sarai carried baby Callie into the house with Joe hovering close behind. “We’re home!” Sarai announced, cheerfully. A sound that sounded like a herd of elephants ensued as the six children all clambered down the stairs. “Oh, she is so cute!” squealed Rachel, the middle child. “May I hold her?” asked Michael the oldest. “Me, first!” shouted May, the second oldest. Callie looked at all the noise and action around her with those big blue eyes. She started sucking her thumb more intently than before. “Let me get her a bottle first, then we will take turns with holding her,” Sarai said as she handed Callie off to Joe. Sarai got Callie her bottle and each child, even Max the youngest at five, took a turn holding Callie.
That evening, the house finally settled down into some semblance of order, with May taking charge of Callie and issuing orders to the other siblings. Sarai, breathed a sigh of relief as she looked into the living room. The fighting from earlier over Callie had turned into a game of house, with May as mom and Rachel as her babysitter. Max was playing the older brother and everyone could tell he was enjoying his new status in the family. The only event that shattered the peace was the sharp sound of the telephone ringing. “Hayes residence,” Sarai answered. “Hello! This is Rita, the head nurse from the hospital,” the voice replied. “I have some more items that were donated for baby Callie. I was wondering if I could drop them by tomorrow on my way home from my shift at the hospital?” “That would be great,” Sarai said. “Come anytime.” “See you tomorrow!” Rita said as she said her good-bye and hung up the phone.
Rita looked at the phone that she had just hung up, thinking of the events that had happened in Callie’s young life. She shivered and placed her hand on her own growing baby. How scary to think of leaving your child alone in the world like that; the nightmare that must have been the last few minutes of Callie’s mom’s life. She shook the dismal thoughts out of her head and smiled as she felt a strong kick against her hand, it wouldn’t be much longer, she had only two months left until her own little bundle of joy came into the world. She got the basket of clothes for Callie and headed out into the cold, wet night. The rain was falling fast and hard as Rita ran to her car. She sighed as she remembered that she still had to go by the grocery to grab some last minute items for supper. She pulled out and headed for the nearest store. As she pulled in to the grocery, she slammed on her brakes quickly! A car had blindly pulled out of its spot nearly missing slamming into her. Her heart rate went up and her hand flew to her tummy. “People are driving stupid tonight.” She thought aloud. Rita grabbed her umbrella and list, then quickly completed her shopping. She hurried to her car and got in. Her phone rang and she answered cheerfully, “Hello honey,” she said, “I’m on my way home right now.” “Good”, said Tom her husband of seven years. “I was starting to worry about you.” “Nope, I’m fine,” Rita replied, “Just wet as a dog and not smelling much better.” A baby had gotten sick on her smock at work and her stomach was starting to turn at the smell. “I’ll be right home,” she assured Tom as she hung up the phone.
Just then, Rita looked intently through the window and saw something crossing the road. She swerved and moved into the oncoming lane of traffic. The car moved wildly as she tried to quickly straighten the vehicle into her lane. She pulled the wheel sharply to the right and felt the car bump the side of the road. The next few minutes were only a blur as the car flipped over the embankment and landed on its roof. The car slide forward upside down, stopping only from the force of hitting a big tree. Rita’s head slammed into the dashboard and her lower body rammed into the steering wheel. Rita screamed as she felt searing pain rip through her whole body. “My baby!” she screamed, “My baby, someone help me!” She was suspended in the air, hung by her seatbelt and stuck by the front of the car that had been caved in from the tree. She tried to move and screamed again as she felt a fluid coming out between her legs. “No, dear God, no!” Rita yelled. She saw lights moving toward her from the direction of the road and yelled even louder, “Help me, I’m having my baby, and I’m stuck!” Rita started feeling pain in her stomach and felt fear rise up her throat, she knew the danger she and her baby were in, she reached down between her legs and saw blood and amniotic fluid mixed together. Sobs racked Rita’s body. She screamed, yelled, and banged her hands against her door crazily. “Miss, we’re going to get you out, everything is going to be okay,” a nice calm voice said. “No,” Rita said sadly, “Nothing is ever going to be okay again.”
The paramedics freed Rita and loaded her into the ambulance. They drove as fast as the wet roads would allow them. The pains came and went in Rita’s abdomen. Rita breathed through each one as she tried to make her body relax. They rushed her to the emergency room where the emergency room doctor took one look at Rita and sent her to a birthing room. “Rita,” Jenny, a new nurse Rita had hired recently said calmly as she lubed Rita’s stomach for an ultrasound, “It doesn’t look good and I’m not going to sugarcoat it,” she said. Jenny searched Rita’s stomach with the ultrasound wand as the doctor came into the room. “Let me see that,” growled Dr. Blake. “How you doing, Rita?” Dr. Blake asked quietly as he led the wand expertly over Rita’s stomach. He didn’t wait for an answer but continued, “You are definitely in active labor and I can’t find a heartbeat.” Tears welled again in Rita’s eyes as silent sobs racked her body. “Call Tom.” She finally got out. “He is on his way,” said Jenny, “I called as soon as I heard the paramedics were bringing you in.”
Tom walked in and ran to Rita. “Oh baby, I am so sorry!” Tom cried. He and Rita had tried for five years to have this baby and they had both agreed that this time was the last. Luckily, it had worked and they had both been so happy and excited. Tom cried into Rita’s hair as she held him tightly. “The doctor told me, I have to finish this. I have to give birth to our dead son.” Rita cried. The next ten hours were a mix of tears and pain as Rita gave birth to her baby. The nurses all hovered around her, trying to make her pain lessen with their hugs and loving words. Rita finally fell into a medication induced sleep and was out until the next morning. When she awoke, Tom was sleeping in the reclining chair by her bed. She touched his hand lightly. Tom startled and woke, starting to smile at her and then the smile paused on his face. “Are we going to be okay?” he asked softy, “We could always adopt.” Rita looked at him sadly and gave his hand a squeeze, “Not today, not tomorrow, but maybe someday,” she said honestly.
In the days that followed, Rita found life hard to accept. She felt dazed as she tried to go through her daily activities. A week after the accident, Rita received the items that had been recovered from her car. Among those items was the basket that was supposed to go to the foster family that had fostered Callie. Rita decided to drop them off at their front door; she didn’t feel up to talking with anyone, especially not sweet Sarai who had mothered six children and countless others. She pulled up to Sarai and Joe’s house, noting the nice, big porch with the white porch swing. This was definitely a home, she thought to herself. She heard laughing as she walked up the steps to the porch and realized it came through the screen door. So much for just dropping off, she thought. As soon as Sarai saw her walk up the porch, the laughter stopped and Sarai came forward with concern on her face. “Rita?” she asked patting her own stomach. Rita shook her head as tears came to her eyes. “Oh, you poor sweetheart,” crooned Sarai as she moved Rita into a big, motherly, bear hug. Just then, crying came the little bassinet in the corner, startling Rita into reality. “I brought you the basket,” she said. Sarai went over to the bassinet and lifted up little Callie. “Oh, I had forgotten how cute she is,” Rita said. “The agency called this morning and they are putting her up for adoption,” Sarai stated. “Adoption, already?” Rita asked as her heart skipped a beat. “Yes,” continued Sarai, “There are no new developments and we are to receive another toddler tomorrow, there is no way we can keep her. Do you want to hold her?” Rita reached out her arms wordlessly as Sarai placed baby Callie in her arms. Rita looked into baby Callie’s face, Callie was gazing up at her as if she remembered her and began to move her hands about wildly. Rita’s heart swelled and she felt a tear drop from her eyes onto Callie’s cheek. “I may not be ready but she needs a home and I need a baby,” Rita said softly, “Together, we could heal and Callie will finally have a home.”