The Light at the End of the Tunnel Read Online Free Page B

page from behind his shirt and handed it
to, “Honey, look for Gardenia Boulevard, the hos— it , it’s
1430 Gardenia Boulevard.”
    Leslie took the sheet and said, “You tore out
the page.”
    “I couldn’t exactly ask for directions, and
give the clerk reason to remember me. We don’t need any witnesses
that we were ever here.”
    “You’re right, dear.” She quickly scanned the
page, then watched house numbers and signs “Here, turn left up
here, go about six blocks and we should get to the right street.
I’ll keep watching the house numbers.”
    A few minutes passed.
    “Is…he…all right…?”
    “I think so…one thousand…,” she began
reciting, “Hard to see the numbers this time of day…1101…” Another
moment passed. “1214…Gardenia, yes, keep going, a couple more
blocks.”
    A few moments later they approached a large
four-story building, with lights on every floor, but not shining
from every window. “Right there, Evan,” Leslie pointed, “That must
be the emergency entrance and it’s quiet, and dark.”
    Evan guided their car into the narrow lane,
and began feeling warm in his chest area, not sweaty but much
warmer than usual, like the inside of his body soon would start
steaming. He felt a strained breath leave him, and another one—
    “Stop the car,” Leslie said, “But let it run.
You get the basket ready, and I’ll….” She then flipped her door
handle and said very quietly, “Hurry.”
    Carrying the basket Evan stopped at her door
and waited. Carefully, Leslie swung her legs out and glanced at her
husband. He looked back but said nothing. Hanging onto the child as
a loving mother would, she stood, “I’ll carry him.”
    Together they moved to the barely-lit door. A
barely readable sign said ‘Emergency Entrance’ so they knew
they had come to the right place. Evan stopped. At the same time
his head clanged. He had never before felt such emotions running
through his body. When he leaned over with the basket he feared he
would keep going and fall right onto his face. When the basket
stopped he held on for a few seconds, then stood up and felt his
head whirl, and looked at his wife only with peripheral vision.
    She stood holding the child and looking at
it, her face emotionless, then she leaned and kissed the child’s
forehead but left her eyes open— I’ve never seen anybody, ever,
leave their eyes open for a kiss— then she leaned down and
placed the child in the basket and tucked the blanket around him,
then stood.
    For another moment they stood there. Then the
child’s eyes opened, and it moaned. Evan heard his wife gasp, and
saw her start to reach for him, “No!” He grabbed her arm and spun
her around, then grabbed her waist and hurried them to the car. Her
door was still open. He pushed her in, “Don’t slam it!”
    Evan then hurried to the driver side and
thanked God they had left it running. Quietly they backed to the
street, onto it, then back the way they came.
    “What if they don’t find him?” Leslie’s hands
went up on her face, “Oh my God, Evan, what have we done?”
    “What was necessary, Leslie. They’ll find him!” Strangely enough, until that very last second,
Leslie had been in charge, brutally, maybe, but in charge, the one
leading the way and telling him—her loving husband—what to do, and
he had done everything she said. But the child had begun acting
like a normal baby again, but even so, Leslie had kept up her
front…the inner strength that must have taken. He reached to her
arm, “My darling, we did the right thing. They will find him, and
take care of him, and he will act like a normal baby until their
guard is down, and then….”
    “Then what?” She put her hand on his hand on
her arm, “Then what , Evan?”
    “I don’t know. He won’t stay at the hospital,
not for long, not once they determine his health, then he’ll go…to
foster care, I suppose.”
    “Until the foster family doesn’t want him
either, then