You Make It Easy

Even Numbers Are Better.

"I cannot do that."

She starts walking around the counter, "You cannot come back here."

Memorize what she looks like, Maya. Protect the baby. That's all you have to do. I glance down at Christian as he's clearly concerned. When she turns the corner, I see the switchblade in her hand. "Okay. Okay. Put it down. There's no need for that. You will make it worse for yourself and you may never get to hold your baby again. Don't come any closer."

I get close enough to the wall where I can push the silent alarm that notifies the police. Thank god there is a station around the corner. "Just hand me the baby and I'll leave."

"I can't do that. You have an open switchblade pointing at me."

"Give me the baby."

I keep walking backward, hoping I can make it around the station to see when somebody is coming. "Why don't you leave?"

"I'm not doing that until I have her."

"I can't do that."

I see many police officers out of the corner of my eye. She moved too quickly for me, to the point I didn't realize she was rounding the station. I put my phone in my pocket to maybe give me some sort of advantage.

She's quick to realize the ER is surrounded. "You're surrounded. You chose this. Put down the knife," I tell her quietly.

"What! Ugh!"

She lashes out at me, swinging her hands, reaching me with the knife. The metal clatters on the ground as I hear the Taser go off. She screeches in pain, falling to the floor.

"What the fuck?" I say to myself, backing against the wall, and letting law enforcement do their job.

I slide down the wall. I pull my phone out of my pocket and look at Christian. "What the fuck?" I repeat.

I look up at one of the officers coming over to me, "Are you okay?"

I look at it, "I'm fine."

"Maya, no," Christian tells me.

I watch one of the social workers come through the doors, "What's going on?"

"You couldn't have come by ten minutes earlier?" I ask.

"Traffic was bad."

I stand up, hand her the baby, and leave the area. Never thought I'd get a knife pulled on me while working yet here we are.

"Let me call Bridget."

"I already texted her. Don't hang up. I'm going to come out," he tells me.

"You don't need to."

"You're not changing my mind. I'm doing it."

I lean onto the countertop, "People are fucking crazy."

"I think it's different when it comes to their kids."

I shrug, "She made the decision to hand off her kid and I'm sure it was difficult. But I don't believe she can assume that it would be that easy to get the kid back. I don't have much sympathy right now so if that came off really bitchy, sorry."

"Are you going to be off tomorrow?"

"I probably don't have a choice."

"So if I get on the next flight to Milwaukee, you won't be pissed if I show up?"

"You told me I didn't have a choice."

"I mean, you don't."

"But?"