Chapter 4 - The Warmth of the Rover
The baby’s feeble cries cut through the freezing morning air, sending a wave of profound relief crashing over Graham. He immediately pulled the infant tight against his chest, wrapping his wool coat around the child to trap his own body heat.
“He’s breathing,” Graham breathed out, his own voice trembling. “He’s breathing.”
The little girl collapsed to her knees in the snow beside him, sobbing hysterically, her tiny hands clutching at the baby’s blanket. “Toby... Toby...”
In the distance, the wail of approaching sirens echoed off the brick buildings, growing louder with every passing second. But looking at the shivering girl and the blue-tinged baby, Graham knew they couldn't wait three minutes on the freezing pavement for the ambulance to navigate the clogged street. Hypothermia was taking hold fast.
“Up. Both of you,” Graham commanded gently.
He stood up, cradling the tiny baby securely against his ribs with one arm. With his free hand, he reached down and scooped up the little girl by her forearm, lifting her off the slush-covered street. She was impossibly light, as if she hadn't eaten a proper meal in weeks.
“My candy!” she cried, looking back at the cheap bars scattered in the snow. “I need to sell the candy!”
“Forget the candy,” Graham said firmly. “I’m buying the whole box. Right now.”
He carried her swiftly across the street toward his black Range Rover. Leo was already standing at the rear door, whining loudly, his tail swinging in anxious, short arcs. Graham unlocked the vehicle with his key fob, pulled open the rear passenger door, and ushered the girl inside the heated leather interior.
“Get in, climb over to the middle,” he ordered softly.
He placed the baby gently into her arms once she was seated, then stripped off his heavy wool coat and wrapped it entirely around both of them like a thick, warm cocoon. He turned the car’s engine back on, cranking the heater to its maximum setting. Blasts of hot air began to fill the cabin, melting the frost on the windows and warming the freeze in their bones.
Leo carefully pushed his golden head into the backseat, resting his chin on the girl’s knee, letting out a soft, reassuring breath. The girl instinctively pressed her face into the dog's soft, warm fur, her body shaking with uncontrollable sobs of exhaustion and relief.
An ambulance pulled up to the intersection, its red and blue lights flashing against the snow. Two paramedics jumped out with medical bags.
Graham flagged them over. “In here! They’re hypothermic, the baby stopped breathing—I did CPR, he’s conscious now!”
The paramedics moved with practiced efficiency. The female paramedic, a woman with a stern face and gentle eyes named Sarah, climbed into the back seat beside the children. She immediately hooked a tiny oxygen mask to the baby’s face and placed a heated blanket around him.
“Good work, sir,” the second paramedic said to Graham after checking the baby’s vital signs. “His lungs are clear, but his temperature is dangerously low. We need to take them to Colton Regional right away.”
“Where are your parents, sweetie?” Sarah asked the little girl gently, checking her pulse.
The girl tightened her grip on the baby, her eyes darting around the interior of the car in sudden panic. “No! Don’t take him! They’ll take him away from me!”
“Honey, we just want to help him,” Sarah said softly. “Where is your mom or dad?”
The girl bit her cracked lower lip, tears welling up in her red-rimmed eyes. “My mom died in the spring. And... and my stepdad told us to go sell candy or don't come back. He said if Toby dies, it’s my fault.”
Graham felt a surge of cold, dark fury rise in his chest—a feeling he hadn't experienced in two long years. He stepped closer to the open car door.
“What’s your name, kiddo?” Graham asked, his voice softening.
May you like
“Lily,” she whispered. “And this is Toby.”
“Alright, Lily,” Graham said, looking into her terrified, dark eyes. “My name is Graham. I’m coming with you to the hospital. Nobody is taking Toby, and nobody is hurting either of you. I promise.”
