"Well, would you look at that," Anna muttered, pointing her spoon at the two-minute-read section of the morning paper she was holding out. Anju nodded sleepily as she sipped on her scorching hot tea, courtesy of Charini, the maternity ward nurse she'd made fast friends with. After fighting tooth and nail with the doctors to let Anju and Anna stay there for a while, she provided them with breakfast too. Right now, she was busy doing her rounds but that didn't stop Anju from pacing the corridor with paper cup in hand in hopes of more news of the baby.
The sharp clicking of heels on the freshly mopped tiles, along with Anna's little yelp of surprise, caused her to turn on her heels only to find Mr. Irani, the policeman in charge of this investigation, standing right in front of her in all his infamous pot-bellied khakhi glory.
"So you two are the ones who found the baby."
Anju nodded, unsure of whether he was asking them a question or stating a fact. The monotonous of his voice was a better lullaby than her math teacher from ninth grade. Anna, however, jumped to her feet.
"Yes sir. We found him lying very still on the back steps of the Starlight Diner, where we were heading for an interview. He was wrapped in a purple blanket and judging by the necklace around his neck I think his mother—"
"I think that that is for us to judge, Miss ... ?"
"D'souza. Anna D'souza, double N in Anna. Make sure you get that right when the media approaches you!"
Anju cringed at Mr. Irani's subtle head shake. Man, he reminded her so much of her ninth grade math teacher that his disapproval sent chills down her spine. Also, she wanted to punch the living daylights out of him (come on, it was math, after all). He turned towards Anju, and adjusted his glasses.
"Where has the baby been taken? May I know who the doctor in charge is?"
"We don't know the name of the doctor, but I'm sure Nurse Charini does. She's the one who told us to wait here. The baby's in intensive care. She says we aren't allowed to visit him yet." As soon as Anju finished, the police officer began to move toward the general direction of the ICU. Anju raised her voice.
"But sir, what about us? When will we be allowed to see the baby? I'm really worried about him! Also, I still have the blanket and necklace that was on him when we found him," she said, pointing to the items wrapped up in Anna's scarf, placed carefully on a chair.
"Madam, please wait patiently. Ms Kapoor will be arriving soon enough to record statements. We will also need those items as evidence," he said, briskly rounding the turn in the corridor.
"But wait! We're missing a test in college! Can't we come back later?" Anna shouted after him, but he was already gone.
"Ugh," exclaimed Anna eloquently as she sank back into the chair with a thump.
"Tell me about it. I'm so worried about the baby! How can they let that idiotic officer have a look when they didn't even let us in? That's so stupid! Plus, what will he gain by looking at the little boy anyway? Babies can't talk. He can't tell Mr. Irani what happened to him," ranted Anju.
"Um, actually, I was referring to class. I'm missing that huge test, and the media people aren't even here! And of course they'll let him in, he's the police. Also, he's Irani. Haven't you read the newspapers lately? He's, like, a hound or something. Not very bright, but very media-savvy."
"Oh. Okay. But if they didn't let us see him for medical reasons, surely they'll stop Mr Iran—"
Anju was cut short by woman, also in khakhi uniform and with a black pixie cut and a silver nose ring.
"Are you the girls who called us? The ones who found the baby?"
"Yes, we are, as a matter of fact. We just talked with Mr. Irani and he told us to wait here for you ... Can we go now?" Anna asked. 'I mean, unless the media's showing up any time soon," she added quickly.
"I'm sorry for the inconvenience caused, but please cooperate. I just need to ask you two a few questions, and then you can go," said the policewoman, pulling out a notepad and pencil from her pocket.
"I'm going to be interviewing you two separately, so I need one of you to come with me first", she said, adjusting the tape recorder strapped to her belt. Anna immediately got out of the chair and followed her into the hall. Anju was left alone in the corridor, still holding the now empty paper cup in her hand. She walked toward a bin to discard it, and as she returned to her seat, she saw the Nurse Charini round the corner.
"Good news, Anju!" she exclaimed.
"Nurse! Is the baby okay? I couldn't bear it if anything happened to him ... "
"The baby is completely fine now. He was starving, and had to be given glucose as soon as he was brought in. Also, he was dehydrated. At such a young age — we think him to be of about two weeks? — all of this could be fatal. But anyway, he's stable now."
"Then can I see him?"
"No, I'm afraid not. The only person who was allowed to see him was Mr. Irani, and he too only spent a maximum of two minutes with him. He interviewed me and the doctors that brought him in, and then left. He said that a Ms. Kapoor would be coming here shortly? Did you see her?"
"As a matter of fact, she arrived just a few minutes ago. She's currently interviewing Anna. But what will happen to the baby now?" Anju asked, worriedly.
"Oh, I don't know the legalities of it, but I reckon he'll end up in an orphanage somewhere. Hundreds of kids are abandoned everyday, and usually the police doesn't even get involved. It's quite normal. In fact, we saw a premature baby girl left on our reception desk just a couple of months ago. The poor thing didn't survive, bless —"
"Yes, but what will happen to this baby?" insisted Anju, frantic now.
"I told you, he'll end up in an orphanage. Don't worry! It'll be fine!" The nurse said, sensing Anju's tension.
"No, but that's exactly what isn't fine with the entire thing!" exclaimed Anju, tears close at hand. To save her the embarrassment, Charini gently maneuvered her over to the chairs and gestured for her to sit, then sat herself down next to Anju.
"Look, I can understand you're a little high-strung. You've had a tough morning, and anyone can see you've attached yourself personally to the baby. Don't worry so much. He's in good hands. He's the police's responsibility now. They'll take care of him. Nothing's concrete yet. Calm down,"Charini said in a soothing voice, rubbing Anju's arm in relaxing motions. Anju, meanwhile, had lost color from her face and her pupils were fixated on her shoes, just staring. At the sound of footsteps, Charini and Anju both looked up to see the policewoman return with a beaming Anna.
"Thank you for your bravery and quick-thinking, Ms. D'souza. It is only because of you and your friend that this baby is still alive right now," said Ms. Kapoor, smiling placatingly at Anju's roommate. Ms. Kapoor then turned her gaze to Anju's slumped figure in the chair and motioned towards the corridor.
"Miss ... Anjali, was it? Please come this way."
"She's actually Anjana. But everyone calls her Anju," pipes up Anna, still smiling.
"Well then, Ms Anjana, your cooperation is much appreciated."
Anju got up from the chair and shrugged off a concerned look from Charini and walked down the corridor with Ms Kapoor.
