Lone Star Christmas Rescue. Margaret Daley
baby?”
“Maybe when I see him and hold him, I’ll remember something.”
“Let me check if you can as soon as possible. I’ll talk with the head nurse.” He walked toward the door.
“You’re leaving?” Her voice cracked on the last word.
The sound shivered down him, and again he found himself wondering what it would feel like not remembering who you were—alone, everyone a stranger. “Only to talk with Rosa Martinez. I’ll be right back.”
In the hallway, Drake quickly located the head nurse and requested the baby be brought to Kay when possible.
The nurse glanced at the door to Kay’s room. “She remembered her name?”
“Not exactly, but the locket she’d been wearing had an engraved K on it and two photos inside—one of Baby Doe and the other of the woman I brought in.”
“I like the name. I have an aunt Kay. It sounds like she might be the child’s mother after all. Seeing her baby might help with her memory. I’ll check on the little boy and personally bring him to Kay as soon as possible. After the doctor deals with an emergency, he’ll be here to check Baby Doe for possible release later today.”
“Thanks.” As Drake made his way back to the hospital room, his cell phone rang. Noticing it was from the El Paso Texas Rangers headquarters, he quickly answered it. “Jackson here. What’s up?”
“The park ranger at Big Bend National Park called. A murdered couple has been found.”
“And he wants us to handle the case rather than the FBI or their own investigators?” He’d rather stay and be here for Kay. She didn’t have anyone else.
“It was Park Ranger Calhoun who asked for you.”
The guy he’d dealt with after bringing Kay to the ranger’s station at the park. “Is this tied to the woman I rescued?”
“Possibly. The couple killed was Clarence and Susan Moore.”
A chill streaked down his spine. “Tell him I’m on my way.” Now he had to tell Kay he was leaving. He knocked, then pushed open the door.
As he entered, she glanced his way. “Will she bring the baby to me?”
“Yes, as soon as possible.”
Kay—having a name felt so much more normal to him—wadded the blanket in her fists. “I’ve been trying to remember while you were gone. Nothing. Now I’m not even sure about what I thought I dreamed. I tried to picture that last image, and I can’t.”
She looked lost. He hated to leave. “I never recall my dreams after I wake up.” He cleared his throat. “I have to leave for a while.”
“I was hoping you could be here when I see the baby.”
“I wish I could, but—” he left his card on the bedside table “—the nurse is waiting on the doctor to check the little boy. If you need to talk with me, call me. There will be times the cell reception won’t be good, but leave a message and I’ll call back when I can. I should be able to return by early evening.”
“That long?”
“It’s important, or I wouldn’t leave.” He didn’t want to tell her anything else. The couple’s murder very likely didn’t have anything to do with Kay—at least he hoped. She didn’t need to worry about that on top of all she had to deal with. He turned to leave, stopped and looked back at her, so alone in the hospital bed. “I’m here to help you.”
She smiled, her eyes brightening for a few seconds. “Thank you.”
When he left the room, the urge to remain stayed with him the whole way to his car. But a stronger pull drew him back to Big Bend.
* * *
With her eyes closed, a dull pain throbbing against her temples, Kay reclined at a sixty-degree angle in the hospital bed, trying to recall anything that could help her remember who she was. Memories had been stripped from her mind as though this were the day she’d been born.
A few minutes ago, she’d known how to do things like walk into the bathroom and wash her face. She even brushed her teeth and relished the peppermint flavor. She could read the label on the toothpaste, and when she went back into the main part of the room, she noticed it was two o’clock.
So why can’t I remember my name? Where I live? How I ended up in the park—with my child?
Still, no answers flooded her.
She slid farther under the top sheet and blanket, wishing she could pull it up over her and hide under the covers. The sound of the door opening caused her to tense each time she heard it. When the head nurse entered the room, cradling a baby against her, Kay exhaled her held breath. At least Rosa Martinez wasn’t another stranger coming in. There had been a parade of them in the past hours when all she wanted to see was the Texas Ranger or the baby found with her. Kay hoped she could find some answers to all the questions swirling around in her head.
“The doctor is releasing Baby Doe later today,” Nurse Martinez said, stopping next to her bed.
“To who?” Kay asked as she peeked at the dark-haired little boy.
“That depends on what the State decides. A case worker will be here around five.”
Case worker? How was she going to prove she was the child’s mother? Would the photos in the locket be enough?
“Do you want to hold him?”
“Yes.” Kay sat up, her heartbeat pounding as she waited to take the child, who cooed and smiled at her. Did the baby know her?
When Kay settled the little boy against her, she knew it hadn’t been the first time. The baby reached up and explored Kay’s face, continuing to grin, his eyes bright, as though he was used to touching Kay and interacting with her.
“I see he knows you. I’ll leave you two to get reacquainted. If you need me, just push the button.”
“Thanks,” Kay said, her attention riveted to the boy’s adorable oval face, his sun-kissed skin, as the head nurse left the room. “How are you, sweetie? I wish I remembered your name. I can’t call you Baby Doe.”
The child babbled, with “Mama” the only recognizable sound in the string.
Mama. Kay’s throat tightened with conflicting emotions—from awe to fear—that she’d tried to hold at bay. How was she going to take care of this child when she didn’t know who she was? Three hundred dollars wouldn’t go far. If she was this child’s mother, then where was the father? Kay held up her left hand, staring at her third finger, which gave no indication she’d worn a wedding ring recently. On her right middle finger, she wore an opal one.
Suddenly more questions deluged her. Was she divorced? Or widowed? What if she never married the father of—again she stared at the baby, willing a name to pop into her head.
Kevin? Kyle? No! Another name surged to the foreground. “Kaleb,” Kay said out loud, and the little boy giggled, touching Kay’s mouth. “Is Kaleb your name?”
The little boy caught sight of the hospital ID bracelet around his wrist and began playing with it.
Kay sighed. If only you could talk. The child’s reaction to the name confirmed what Kay would call him until she discovered otherwise. Kaleb.
The past hours’ exertion crept through Kay’s body. Her headache kept demanding her attention, but she refused to let it get in the way of her time with Kaleb. Kay lounged back and cuddled the baby against her while he played with her curls. The feeling of Kaleb’s fingers combing through her hair stirred a protective instinct—not an unfamiliar feeling.
She hugged Kaleb. “Sweetie, I won’t let anything happen to you.”
The door swung open,