The Baby Snatchers by Chris Taylor Read Free Book Online Page A

sorry, I shouldn’t have said that. I
was out of line. I—”
    “No,” he said, cutting her off. “I’m glad
you did. I… I probably needed to hear it.” He blew out his breath
on a heavy sigh and once again turned away. As if unable to stand
still, he began to pace the small room.
    “When my colleague first mentioned Cynthia
last night and the fact that she’d just had a baby, I was shocked
and angry. I’m eleven years older than my sister. I left home when
she was a small child and she was still in the care of our parents.
Discovering she’d become a mom at sixteen confused the hell out of
me. I was bombarded with questions, but had no answers.” He shook
his head and Georgie felt his frustration.
    He spun on his heel and planted his hands on
his hips, staring at her. “Where were my parents when this was
happening? How did my baby sister come to be in Sydney, miles from
home, pregnant and alone? I couldn’t help but think maybe, just
maybe they’d treated her as poorly as they’d treated me and the
guilt of that possibility has been eating me alive.” His breath
came harsher and his hands clenched into fists. Renewed anger
flashed in his eyes.
    “The very thought that Cynthia’s been forced
out on the streets makes my blood boil. I don’t want to believe it,
but nothing else makes sense. If they were supporting her through
her pregnancy, they’d be here, to support her through the birth.
Wouldn’t they?”
    Once again, he turned his fierce gaze on
Georgie and she could barely manage a nod. She was trying to keep
up with the outpouring of past anger and hurts. She could
understand his reaction. She’d feel the same way if this happened
to one of her sisters.
    “I-I probably shouldn’t tell you this,” she
started hesitantly, “but you’ll find out soon enough. If I had to
guess, I’d say your sister’s been living on the streets. She was
very evasive about her living arrangements, apart from saying she
lived on her own and there are other signs—physical signs that
she’s been doing it rather tough.”
    “ Fu —” His jaw clenched and Georgie
could see the effort it took him to control his temper. “I’m going
to kill him. I’m going to track down that cowardly, sorry excuse of
a father and kill him with my bare hands.”
    The coldness in his voice sent a shiver up
Georgie’s spine. She could only hope it was anger and desperation
talking, and that he didn’t really mean it. Dismissing his
declaration, she turned the conversation back to the matter at
hand.
    “Let’s talk about Cynthia. Is there
somewhere she can stay? Do you have room at your place? I think it
might be best if someone keeps a close eye on her for the next
little while. It’s hard to know how she’ll react or if she’ll be
debilitated by her grief. Everyone’s different, but there’s no
doubt she’ll be grieving for a while. I can recommend a counselor
at the hospital who specializes in this kind of thing, but there is
a rather long waiting list, unless you can afford to have her see
someone privately.”
    “I live alone in a three-bedroom
condominium. I’ll do and provide whatever Cynthia needs. Just tell
me what that is, and I’ll make sure it happens.”
    Georgie held his gaze and in that moment
believed the integrity and determination she saw in his eyes. She
hid her relief. So many of her patients had no one to turn to for
support. Even those who left the hospital with their newborn in tow
still worried her when she knew they’d be battling with the
hardships of child rearing on their own. She’d never raised a
child, but she knew enough to know it wasn’t easy and was made
harder still when you were running solo.
    “Cynthia’s lucky to have you,” she said and
meant it. Her first impression of Cameron hadn’t done him justice.
It was obvious there was more substance to him than that of the
self-absorbed, arrogant ladies’ man he portrayed.
    He shrugged off her praise as if it were
unnecessary