The Baby Snatchers Read Online Free

tension in her shoulders and neck.
Cheryl wasn’t telling her anything new. She saw the same on Ward
Seven every day.
    “If everything’s fine, this girl will be
discharged tomorrow or the next day,” she said. “We’ll lose any
chance we have of helping her and her baby.”
    “Yep, I know how the story goes.” Another
heavy sigh and then, “What’s her name? I’ll see what I can do, but
it won’t be before tomorrow.”
    “Cynthia Dawson. I’ll do my best to keep her
here until you arrive, but please put her on the top of your list.
We’re short of beds and if someone else comes in overnight, I’m not
sure there’ll be anything I can do.”
    “Yeah, yeah, yeah. Same shit, different
day,” Cheryl muttered. “I’ll do the best I can.”
    After thanking her, Georgie hung up the
phone and made a record of the conversation in Cynthia’s notes.
She’d looked in on the girl a few moments earlier and had been
pleased to see both Mom and baby were asleep.
    “How did things go with Cynthia Dawson?”
    Georgie looked up from the desk and
acknowledged her mother’s question with a nod. “I got onto FACS.
They’re overloaded, as usual, but they’ve agreed to come and see
her tomorrow.”
    Marjorie grimaced. “Let’s hope she’s still
here. We have a full house at the moment.”
    Georgie compressed her lips in silent
agreement. “Let’s pray we don’t get anyone else in.”
    “How did things go with locating the
brother? Did you find him?”
    “I’ve made some calls. I’m waiting to hear
back.”
    “What are the chances you’ll locate
him?”
    Georgie shrugged and refused to acknowledge
the wave of despair that threatened. “Who knows? But I have to try.
That poor girl won’t cope on her own. It’s a simple fact.”
    Her mother’s expression softened. “Don’t
take it personally, Georgina. You’re doing the best you can.”
    Tears pricked Georgie’s eyes. She hurriedly
swiped them away. “Why does it feel like I’m never able to do enough? ”
    Marjorie patted her gently on the back.
“What’s enough? When is it ever enough? We can’t blame
ourselves for the situations these girls find themselves in.
They’ve made bad choices. They have to live with the
consequences.”
    Georgie stared hard at her mother and shook
her head. “It’s not always that easy, Mom. Don’t you
remember—?”
    “Of course I remember!” her mother snapped.
“But your situation was different.”
    “How?”
    “You weren’t living on the streets, for one.
And that boy took advantage of you. He—”
    “Jason didn’t take advantage of me, Mom. I
know you find that hard to believe. I wanted it as much as he did.
We were in love. It was as simple as that.”
    Her mother’s expression hardened. “You were
a child, Georgina!”
    “Mom, I was seventeen!”
    “And he was twenty-three! He took advantage
of you, Georgina. Fair and square.”
    Georgie opened her mouth to protest again
and then closed it. There was no use arguing with her mother. Not
about this. She’d learned that a long time ago. With a sigh of
resignation, she pushed away from the desk.
    “I’m going to head home and put my feet up.
It’s been one hell of a long day and I’m on again first thing in
the morning.”
    Marjorie nodded and offered her a tight
smile. “I’ll see you then.”
    * * *
    Georgie tucked an errant strand of
chestnut-colored hair behind her ear and headed for the staff
parking lot. The rustle of dried leaves beneath her feet reminded
her they were well into the fall. Winter would be upon them any
minute. Georgie didn’t mind. She loved the cold.
    Not that it got really cold in Sydney. Not
like when she was young, tucked away in a cottage in the Upper Blue
Mountains. She had fond memories of drinking hot chocolate by the
open fireplace at the cottage, and having snow fights with her
sisters. Though it only snowed about a week a year there, it was
more than what fell in Sydney. As far as she knew, Sydney had