The Midwife's Christmas Miracle (Lakeside Mountain Rescue 5)

‘Miranda, I’ve told you that we need to—’ He broke off as he saw what she was holding. ‘Oh, my God.’ His voice hoarse with disbelief, he dropped to his knees beside her. ‘Is she breathing?’

Choked with horror, Miranda cuddled the tiny baby against her. ‘Yes, but she’s blue with cold. Oh, Jake, someone’s just left her here.’

‘And quite recently, too, by the looks of it.’ Jake’s expression was grim as he glanced around them. ‘She can’t be more than a few minutes old.’

‘We need to look for the mother.’

‘We need to get that baby to hospital,’ Jake said immediately, standing up and punching a series of numbers into his mobile phone. ‘Put her inside your clothes, Miranda, next to your skin. Then go and sit in my car. I’ll turn the heater up.’

Her hands shaking, Miranda did as he instructed, tucking the tiny baby against her chest and then closing her cardigan and her coat around her. ‘She’s freezing, Jake.’

‘I’ve rung Special Care—they’ll have a cot ready if we take her straight there.’

Miranda glanced back over her shoulder towards the darkness of the stairwell. ‘But the mother—’

‘The baby has to be the priority. Once she’s safely in the hands of the paediatricians, we’ll worry about the mother.’ Jake slid the car into gear and drove quickly but carefully towards the hospital.

In no time at all the baby was in an incubator, surrounded by skilled staff all assessing her condition and speculating on her identity.

Miranda and Jake retreated to the tiny staffroom and were in the process of warming themselves up with hot coffee when the police arrived to take statements.

Jake spoke to them and then the consultant paediatrician walked into the room. ‘She’s very cold and dehydrated. It’s a miracle you found her when you did. Any longer and she would have died of hypothermia without any doubt at all.’

The policeman frowned. ‘She wasn’t wrapped up at all?’

Miranda shook her head. ‘Just inside plastic bags.’

‘On a night like this?’ The man’s mouth tightened with disapproval. ‘What must the mother have been thinking?’

Miranda put her coffee down on the table. ‘I don’t suppose she was thinking at all,’ she said quietly, her voice shaking slightly. ‘I expect she was too busy panicking.’

‘Miranda’s right.’ Jake rubbed a hand over the back of his neck, his eyes tired. ‘Whoever the mother is, she was obviously terrified and completely alone. I’m guessing that we’re talking about a teenager and she needs help, possibly urgently. We must try and find her.’

The policeman blinked and then cleared his throat. ‘Of course, yes. You’re right. We’ll arrange for house-to-house enquiries and we’ll contact the news stations and broadcast an appeal.’

The paediatrician looked at Miranda. ‘The nurses wondered if you wanted to give her a name.’

‘Me?’

‘Yes. You found her.’

‘Oh…’ Miranda thought for a moment and then gave a faint smile. ‘Bonnie. She’s such a pretty little thing.’

‘Bonnie, it is.’ The policeman scribbled on his pad. ‘I’ll be in touch. If there’s any change in the baby, give us a call.’

He left the room and Miranda turned to Jake, her expression urgent.

‘We have to try and find her. The mother, I mean.’

His eyes met hers. ‘Miranda, the police are going to do house-to-house enquiries and—’

‘And the police have absolutely no idea what it’s like to be a terrified teenager.’ She glanced towards the paediatrician. ‘Bonnie’s in good hands now. We can’t do any more here.’

Jake’s eyes slid to her abdomen. ‘It’s late, you’re tired—’

‘I couldn’t possibly sleep knowing that a poor teenager is out there somewhere, terrified and possibly bleeding.’ Her hands clenched into fists and Jake’s eyes rested on her face.

‘You don’t know it’s a teenager.’