Scrambled Babies Read Online Free Page A

she saw the cabby’s ears change color.  He certainly was listening, but she couldn’t hold it back from Fred any longer.
    Madison looked up from her video game. “That’s the very big secret, Uncle Fred!”
    “It’s not Kelsey?  What do you mean ‘It’s not Kelsey?’  Then who is it, for heaven’s sake?”  He studied the baby.  He looked back at Paeton.  “Of course it’s Kelsey.  Paeton, to say I’m totally confused is an understatement.  Please explain what you are talking about.”
    “Fred, this baby is not Kelsey.  Kelsey is a girl, and this baby is a—a boy!”  She choked on the word “boy.”
    “Well, if it’s not Kelsey, who is it, and what the hell are you doing with a boy baby that looks exactly like Kelsey?”
    “That, Fred, is our problem.”
    “It’s also our very big secret.”
    “Kelsey’s with too-tight-vest, Fred.”
     “Who?  Too-tight-vest?  Who the hell is too-tight-vest, Paeton?”  Fred sounded edgy.
    “He’s the gentleman I mixed up the babies with.  I know she’s safe.”  She shuddered and swallowed back tears.  “It’s that she’s—”  Paeton formed two fists.  “She’s on her way to Hong Kong!”
    Fred spit out his breath as if he’d been socked suddenly in the stomach.  “She’s what?”  He waved his arms around.  “Son of a bitch!  She’s with who?  And how—I mean, what—I mean, jeez, Paeton, how the hell did this ever happen?”
    Paeton proceeded to explain, halting for control as she spoke:  the airport switch, too-tight-vest, and how the last thing she saw was this guy walking off with all the people going on flight something to Hong Kong.  She added in a hoarse whisper that she was certain Kelsey was safe with him.
    Fred sat in a stupor, shaking his head and saying “Jesus Christ” over and over again.  Paeton had lost the will to tell him to watch his language.
    “The thing that baffles me is that he hasn’t called the authorities.  At least if he has, we don’t know about it,” Paeton offered.
    “And that’s a good thing.  A good thing.  Jesus Christ!”  He turned to Paeton.  “Why didn’t you?”
    Paeton felt dazed.  She laughed weakly.  “Because I thought he would, I guess.  I wasn’t excited to have the world know I got on an airplane with someone else’s baby.  People are starting to recognize me.”
    Fred looked dazed too.  “I agree with you there.  Talk about bad publicity!  Talk about explaining to the world.  This is incredible!  This is insane!  This is—” 
    Paeton studied him intently.  “Well, what is it, Fred?  When the world finds out I boarded my plane with the wrong baby, will it be good or bad?”
    Fred was shaking his head.  “Jesus Christ.  Yeah, I guess people have to find out, don’t they?”
    “Fred, please.  Madison’s with us.”  Paeton renewed her clean-language-around-the-children credo.
    “Sorry.  But you two don’t know your own kids?”
    Paeton was getting flushed.  “Come on, Fred.  I told you about the identical seats and blankets from Bloomingdale’s.  The blankets were covering their faces just before the flight. And I already told you, we collided and set our babies down. In the confusion we each picked up the wrong kid.”
    “Paeton, we have a real problem here.”
    The cab driver turned around again, ponytail bobbing.  “I’ll say!”
    “Will you mind your own business?”  Paeton put out her hand to smack the frolicking hair, but thought better of it.
    “Okay, okay.  It’s that I thought I’d heard ‘em all, but this is a lulu!”  Fred folded his arms tightly across his chest.
    “Hey, you!  Watch where you’re going!  You went past our hotel,” Paeton shouted, leaning into ponytail’s ear.
    “Sorry.  A quick U-turn, and we’ll be okay.”  The driver spun the cab into a pitching U-turn.
    “Not listening!  Right!”  Paeton muttered under her breath, holding onto the strap above the door.
    To Paeton’s