#guest ch: morris tahlberg;

[fantasycorrupted-a]

“Shh... sorry, honey. I know it hurts. Sometimes it will hurt a little so the pain goes away, you know?” Lovisa kept talking to the little girl, her arms holding it close to her chest now. “Ahh. Right. This was expected.” Both she and Morris chuckled when the baby left saliva on her shoulder, but they didn't get angry - how could they? She was just a baby. Babies did this. It was perfectly normal.

As Morris wiped her shoulder, the detective felt the little girl holding onto her. “Morris... you don't have to stay here with us.” Lovisa's tone wasn't harsh; far from that - but there was a light note of insistence to it. “I will look after her.” “I have nothing better to do, anyway.” He shrugged. “Besides, I've started to feel drawn to both of you.”

As he said those words, he turned around to rummage in the box of baby things he had bought, and came back with a stuffed toy; it had parts with rubber on them so the baby could safely chew on it, as well as a bell inside that made the toy jingle when shaken. “Here, pretty. I'm not sure what animal this is, but I hope you like it.”

Lovisa shook her head, but it was clear from her smile she was grateful for the help. “I hope you're ready. It's going to be a long night...”

@arianatheangel-girl from here.

Quitting detective work was easy; detective work quitting her however was not. And Lovisa had gotten to find it out… albeit in an easy way. After she had become more of a private eye than a part of a team, she had realised that this, paired with her library work, was still her dream job.

The case at hand was far from what she had thought she would have to go through, though. Still, she had responded to the call first. The place hadn’t been too far from where she had been stationed, and she gave her colleagues a sign to follow her. “Let’s check this out.”

After a gesture of gratitude to the neighbor who had given them the tip, the four detectives knocked on the door. The possibility that they had to break in was there; though it did not look entirely abandoned, the house did not make Lovisa believe anyone truly lived in it.

“Hello?” she and one of the two men with her, Morris, called out. Morris rapped his fist against the door. “Is anyone in here?” As soon as the baby started crying, Lovisa got a tap on her shoulder from her other female colleague.

“We’re not leaving her inside,” Marvina said, shaking her head with an exasperated face, in part sad and in part angry. “The poor thing. Who knows if they haven’t just put her in a corner and forgotten about her…”

Lovisa caught herself shrugging along with their fourth colleague, all of them quiet in the meantime, ears pricked for any sounds that could mean the baby wasn’t alone – and that maybe its parents or caretakers were inside somewhere.

[fantasycorrupted-a]

@arianatheangel-girl from here.

Quitting detective work was easy; detective work quitting her however was not. And Lovisa had gotten to find it out... albeit in an easy way. After she had become more of a private eye than a part of a team, she had realised that this, paired with her library work, was still her dream job.

The case at hand was far from what she had thought she would have to go through, though. Still, she had responded to the call first. The place hadn’t been too far from where she had been stationed, and she gave her colleagues a sign to follow her. “Let’s check this out.”

After a gesture of gratitude to the neighbor who had given them the tip, the four detectives knocked on the door. The possibility that they had to break in was there; though it did not look entirely abandoned, the house did not make Lovisa believe anyone truly lived in it.

“Hello?” she and one of the two men with her, Morris, called out. Morris rapped his fist against the door. “Is anyone in here?” As soon as the baby started crying, Lovisa got a tap on her shoulder from her other female colleague.

“We’re not leaving her inside,” Marvina said, shaking her head with an exasperated face, in part sad and in part angry. “The poor thing. Who knows if they haven’t just put her in a corner and forgotten about her...”

Lovisa caught herself shrugging along with their fourth colleague, all of them quiet in the meantime, ears pricked for any sounds that could mean the baby wasn’t alone – and that maybe its parents or caretakers were inside somewhere.

[fantasycorrupted-a]

“There are two bottles of it.” Morris watched his colleague feed the little girl, both serious and thoughtful. If Lovisa had had the time to look at him more carefully then, she would notice his face barely changed. Except when he was around her, that was. The time spent around her was the only time he felt more comfortable showing his feelings and letting both his worries and his joys be visible on his face. “Here.” Once the first bottle was empty, the second one came.

“Sheesh. We will have to keep feeding her around the clock...” Lovisa shook her head. “Not that I wouldn't love to. I love kids. Still... there's plenty of other work that probably needs to be done. What if...”

“Hey, it's okay. We will find out if our assistance is needed anywhere,” Morris joked, wiggling his eyebrows as he held the formula bottle for the baby to drink from. He focused on her again, reaching out with his free hand to caress the baby's face. “Is this tasty, little one?” As he reached out to touch her, so did Lovisa, and both of them ended up caressing the baby's tiny, soft cheek. Even through horrible neglection like this, the child was adorable, and they knew she was weaseling her way into their hearts for sure.

“Oh. Uh-oh. It's change time.” Now both adults rose to their feet. Morris, having managed to find a changing table earlier, brought it over and quickly cleaned it so Lovisa could lay the baby down on it. She took off the old diaper, and, with Morris handing her a new one, wiped the baby's bottom with a few wet wipes once more. “Sh, sh, sh... it's going to sting a little now, honey, I'm sorry...” she whispered softly to the baby as she put on more of the rash cream on. “Here... here... we're done now.” At last, with the cream gently massaged into the baby's skin, Lovisa secured the diaper on it and hugged it close.

@arianatheangel-girl from here.

Quitting detective work was easy; detective work quitting her however was not. And Lovisa had gotten to find it out… albeit in an easy way. After she had become more of a private eye than a part of a team, she had realised that this, paired with her library work, was still her dream job.

The case at hand was far from what she had thought she would have to go through, though. Still, she had responded to the call first. The place hadn’t been too far from where she had been stationed, and she gave her colleagues a sign to follow her. “Let’s check this out.”

After a gesture of gratitude to the neighbor who had given them the tip, the four detectives knocked on the door. The possibility that they had to break in was there; though it did not look entirely abandoned, the house did not make Lovisa believe anyone truly lived in it.

“Hello?” she and one of the two men with her, Morris, called out. Morris rapped his fist against the door. “Is anyone in here?” As soon as the baby started crying, Lovisa got a tap on her shoulder from her other female colleague.

“We’re not leaving her inside,” Marvina said, shaking her head with an exasperated face, in part sad and in part angry. “The poor thing. Who knows if they haven’t just put her in a corner and forgotten about her…”

Lovisa caught herself shrugging along with their fourth colleague, all of them quiet in the meantime, ears pricked for any sounds that could mean the baby wasn’t alone – and that maybe its parents or caretakers were inside somewhere.

[fantasycorrupted-a]

Before the two fell asleep at last, Morris felt his phone vibrate; it wasn’t with a loud noise by any means, but it was enough to keep him awake for another few seconds. “Looks like this kid is important somehow,” he whispered. “They’re telling us we can stay and look after her for a while. The others are on their way to cracking the case.”

“What, really?” Lovisa whispered back, then looked down at the baby, now sleeping peacefully. “Well, this is unexpected. But I do like her a lot. I’ll be glad to just rest and look after her.”

“Yeah, me too.”

“And besides... I’m only staying until the end of the week. I submitted my resignation, y’know. And some folks from the library said they were happy to take me in.”

Morris chuckled quietly. “You’re full of surprises.”

The two then snuggled together and into the baby and closed their eyes, sleep taking over them.

@arianatheangel-girl from here.

Quitting detective work was easy; detective work quitting her however was not. And Lovisa had gotten to find it out… albeit in an easy way. After she had become more of a private eye than a part of a team, she had realised that this, paired with her library work, was still her dream job.

The case at hand was far from what she had thought she would have to go through, though. Still, she had responded to the call first. The place hadn’t been too far from where she had been stationed, and she gave her colleagues a sign to follow her. “Let’s check this out.”

After a gesture of gratitude to the neighbor who had given them the tip, the four detectives knocked on the door. The possibility that they had to break in was there; though it did not look entirely abandoned, the house did not make Lovisa believe anyone truly lived in it.

“Hello?” she and one of the two men with her, Morris, called out. Morris rapped his fist against the door. “Is anyone in here?” As soon as the baby started crying, Lovisa got a tap on her shoulder from her other female colleague.

“We’re not leaving her inside,” Marvina said, shaking her head with an exasperated face, in part sad and in part angry. “The poor thing. Who knows if they haven’t just put her in a corner and forgotten about her…”

Lovisa caught herself shrugging along with their fourth colleague, all of them quiet in the meantime, ears pricked for any sounds that could mean the baby wasn’t alone – and that maybe its parents or caretakers were inside somewhere.

[fantasycorrupted-a]

“Hey, what’s wrong, sweetie? Is everything okay? Hmm?” Lovisa eased her grip on the baby to lower it in her lap and look at it, caressing its cheeks. This seemed to be the first moment she could actually take a proper look at the child. Aside from the fact that she was very young, and that she needed lots of nutrition to catch up on – something that would likely be fixed over tome – the detective couldn’t help but notice the baby was very cute. Like all babies, really. Although she had never considered having one of her own, too busy with work, taking care of one made her feel better somehow.

“Do you like it?” For a moment Morris seemed to get excited like a child himself. “It’s an octopus. They live deep in the sea, with all the fishes and corals! And it makes sounds...” The adults exchanged a glance and chuckled together. It seemed having a child was making them go back to their own childhoods. “Mm? You want me to hug you, too?” Morris pointed at himself when the baby reached out, then shrugged and sat next to Lovisa as she held it. “Guess three’s a family.” “Not a real one. But any is better than none,” Lovisa hummed thoughtfully, and he nodded.

@arianatheangel-girl from here.

Quitting detective work was easy; detective work quitting her however was not. And Lovisa had gotten to find it out… albeit in an easy way. After she had become more of a private eye than a part of a team, she had realised that this, paired with her library work, was still her dream job.

The case at hand was far from what she had thought she would have to go through, though. Still, she had responded to the call first. The place hadn’t been too far from where she had been stationed, and she gave her colleagues a sign to follow her. “Let’s check this out.”

After a gesture of gratitude to the neighbor who had given them the tip, the four detectives knocked on the door. The possibility that they had to break in was there; though it did not look entirely abandoned, the house did not make Lovisa believe anyone truly lived in it.

“Hello?” she and one of the two men with her, Morris, called out. Morris rapped his fist against the door. “Is anyone in here?” As soon as the baby started crying, Lovisa got a tap on her shoulder from her other female colleague.

“We’re not leaving her inside,” Marvina said, shaking her head with an exasperated face, in part sad and in part angry. “The poor thing. Who knows if they haven’t just put her in a corner and forgotten about her…”

Lovisa caught herself shrugging along with their fourth colleague, all of them quiet in the meantime, ears pricked for any sounds that could mean the baby wasn’t alone – and that maybe its parents or caretakers were inside somewhere.

[fantasycorrupted-a]

As unused as she was to looking after children (and it caused her to worry more than usual), Lovisa didn’t mind it at all; in the peaceful moments like this one, it felt like it was all worth it, like everything had been meant to be this way.

Though she had had to grow up fast, turning her back on her childhood and quickly picking up all the judgment and prejudice that came with an adult’s experience, she felt herself missing the time when she was a bit older than the baby. Her first steps, her first words. Her mother’s stories would forever press those memories into her mind. What if Ari learned to talk while they were around? That would mean they’d spend so much time with her...

When the baby grabbed her nose, she laughed, giving its smaller nose a boop. “Aha! You got my nose! And I got yours! Yes! You have such a cute little nose...” Morris, in the meantime, decided to gently tickle the baby’s feet, laughing himself. “Tickle-tickle-tickle! Who’s a happy little girl? You? Yeees, you!” He gasped dramatically when she handed him her toy. “Ah! For me? You shouldn’t have! So kind of you! Look here now...”

Taking the toy from the baby, he went to his knees so the baby could only see his face and started making the octopus ‘swim’ through the air, softly jingling it. “This is how they swim! And when they see a fish they want to eat... nom!” Morris pretended to ‘catch’ the baby’s little hand with the plush octopus’s tentacles, and he and Lovisa both laughed.

@arianatheangel-girl from here.

Quitting detective work was easy; detective work quitting her however was not. And Lovisa had gotten to find it out… albeit in an easy way. After she had become more of a private eye than a part of a team, she had realised that this, paired with her library work, was still her dream job.

The case at hand was far from what she had thought she would have to go through, though. Still, she had responded to the call first. The place hadn’t been too far from where she had been stationed, and she gave her colleagues a sign to follow her. “Let’s check this out.”

After a gesture of gratitude to the neighbor who had given them the tip, the four detectives knocked on the door. The possibility that they had to break in was there; though it did not look entirely abandoned, the house did not make Lovisa believe anyone truly lived in it.

“Hello?” she and one of the two men with her, Morris, called out. Morris rapped his fist against the door. “Is anyone in here?” As soon as the baby started crying, Lovisa got a tap on her shoulder from her other female colleague.

“We’re not leaving her inside,” Marvina said, shaking her head with an exasperated face, in part sad and in part angry. “The poor thing. Who knows if they haven’t just put her in a corner and forgotten about her…”

Lovisa caught herself shrugging along with their fourth colleague, all of them quiet in the meantime, ears pricked for any sounds that could mean the baby wasn’t alone – and that maybe its parents or caretakers were inside somewhere.

[fantasycorrupted-a]

“Hehee. You like Mr. Octopus, don’t you?” For a moment, both adults sat in silence with the baby lying there, so close to both of them... and yet so far. They could see it on her face; she was getting sleepy. Whew, thank goodness. Now they’d have some peace and quiet and a chance to talk about what the hell they had seen in the house they’d saved her from.

It was just another case among the many they had seen. And yet it had struck the duo silent, and their colleagues had sounded ashen and sad – although it was such lovely news that the baby had survived. Who would abandon a child in a house like that? Most people just left them at orphanages, or to stay with a temporary someone.

The more they thought about it, though, the less they figured it out. Best to not try and wreck my brain over what was and could’ve been right now. They did need this information; it would help them try and track down the parents of the child, and they would suffer the consequences of having been terrible parents. It was horrible, both the fact that they’d abandoned a baby, and the fact that they’d had little enough heart to do it. But that was just how some things worked.

“Let’s go sleep, hm?” Lovisa whispered. “And you’re coming with us, chipmunk,” she said softly to the baby and kissed its face. “Okay?” Morris picked her up while they took turns brushing their teeth and getting ready for bed, and once they were both done they took to Lovisa’s double bed in the bedroom. “Stay with me,” she begged Morris. “I’m worried I’ll freak out and forget what I should do to take care of her... I’ve never had kids...”

“Okay. I will.” Morris put on his pajamas and wiggled closer to her and the baby on the bed. They wouldn’t fall asleep immediately like the baby probably was about to do. But soon enough, as they talked, they, too, drifted away.

@arianatheangel-girl from here.

Quitting detective work was easy; detective work quitting her however was not. And Lovisa had gotten to find it out… albeit in an easy way. After she had become more of a private eye than a part of a team, she had realised that this, paired with her library work, was still her dream job.

The case at hand was far from what she had thought she would have to go through, though. Still, she had responded to the call first. The place hadn’t been too far from where she had been stationed, and she gave her colleagues a sign to follow her. “Let’s check this out.”

After a gesture of gratitude to the neighbor who had given them the tip, the four detectives knocked on the door. The possibility that they had to break in was there; though it did not look entirely abandoned, the house did not make Lovisa believe anyone truly lived in it.

“Hello?” she and one of the two men with her, Morris, called out. Morris rapped his fist against the door. “Is anyone in here?” As soon as the baby started crying, Lovisa got a tap on her shoulder from her other female colleague.

“We’re not leaving her inside,” Marvina said, shaking her head with an exasperated face, in part sad and in part angry. “The poor thing. Who knows if they haven’t just put her in a corner and forgotten about her…”

Lovisa caught herself shrugging along with their fourth colleague, all of them quiet in the meantime, ears pricked for any sounds that could mean the baby wasn’t alone – and that maybe its parents or caretakers were inside somewhere.

[fantasycorrupted-a]

“Doesn’t sound like there’s anyone inside at all, if you ask me. I’m going in.” Lovisa felt her hands itching. She had never had children of her own – but she loved kids, and had looked after neighbors’ children as a teen. Of course, this could not prepare you for all the surprises a kid could bring... but if the team decided to watch after the child before they brought her to the child protective services, she’d volunteer to take care of her.

“Coming with you.” Morris nodded at the other two, who responded with nods of their own before falling back, taking over the outer exploration of the house. “Sheesh. You’d think someone left that poor little angel here on purpose...” he mused, shaking his head as he and Lovisa checked in each and every room.

Upon entering the room, from which the sounds seemed to be coming, they coughed; a layer of dust rose in the air as the door was opened. “No bloody wonder the baby is crying,” Lovisa murmured as she walked over to the baby, nearly running, and picked her up, starting to rock her gently. In the meantime Morris plucked out his water and poured it in the bottle’s cap, carefully lowering it to the baby’s tiny mouth.

“Here, sweetie... here’s some water... you must be thirsty...” Once the baby was with them, the two felt relieved, like a weight fell off their shoulders. “We found a baby in the... uh... I think this should have been a kitchen and a living room in one once upon a time,” Morris reported to his colleagues through his portable radio. “She must be starving sick and all. I know this isn’t our job, but...”

“One of you can go get her food,” they heard Marvina reply. “Or both of you, actually. Doesn’t matter. We might be inside here awhile, anyway. As long as you do come back and check out this chaos eventually, do go and take care of her.”

“I’m shocked the kid was alive at all,” the fourth colleague chipped in. “But also very relieved.”

“Yeah, so are we,” the other three said, and Lovisa and Morris shared a look. “Okay. Here’s my jacket,” Lovisa said, taking it off and wrapping it around the baby. It was thick and warm and she hoped it would get the baby to warm up. “Water and warmth... alright...” They headed towards the front door. “We should get her some food too.”

“I can do that,” Morris said. “The nearest convenience store is around the corner. The others asked me to pick them up a few sandwiches, too, and some water. I’ll do the shopping,” he joked.

“And diapers, and wet wipes, and baby food, and one of those plastic spoons if you can find them,” Lovisa counted on her fingers. “We’ll give her a nice shower after, but wipes should help for now, I hope.” They exchanged nods, and Morris left. While he was gone, Lovisa kept rocking the baby in her arms, singing her a little song.

@arianatheangel-girl from here.

Quitting detective work was easy; detective work quitting her however was not. And Lovisa had gotten to find it out… albeit in an easy way. After she had become more of a private eye than a part of a team, she had realised that this, paired with her library work, was still her dream job.

The case at hand was far from what she had thought she would have to go through, though. Still, she had responded to the call first. The place hadn’t been too far from where she had been stationed, and she gave her colleagues a sign to follow her. “Let’s check this out.”

After a gesture of gratitude to the neighbor who had given them the tip, the four detectives knocked on the door. The possibility that they had to break in was there; though it did not look entirely abandoned, the house did not make Lovisa believe anyone truly lived in it.

“Hello?” she and one of the two men with her, Morris, called out. Morris rapped his fist against the door. “Is anyone in here?” As soon as the baby started crying, Lovisa got a tap on her shoulder from her other female colleague.

“We’re not leaving her inside,” Marvina said, shaking her head with an exasperated face, in part sad and in part angry. “The poor thing. Who knows if they haven’t just put her in a corner and forgotten about her…”

Lovisa caught herself shrugging along with their fourth colleague, all of them quiet in the meantime, ears pricked for any sounds that could mean the baby wasn’t alone – and that maybe its parents or caretakers were inside somewhere.

[fantasycorrupted-a]

“Shh, sweetie... It’s going to be okay... I just want to make sure you’re clean and warm. You’ve been dirty and cold for much longer than you should’ve been,” Lovisa whispered softly to the baby as she took care of her. When the little girl had giggled, she had felt herself smiling. The feeling of actually being useful, or maybe rather of having saved someone’s life in a moment she did not expect to achieve such a feat, brought her great relief. And, she thought while the child was snuggled close to her, in her arms while she dried its little legs and arms, she hadn’t thought she was any good with children or babies, either. The truth was... she hadn’t tried. There was no way to know.

While she put on the baby’s clothes – bought along with some food, toys, baby soap and a handful of other supplies – the detective couldn’t help but notice the bruises. Once the baby was dressed and warm, wrapped in a fuzzy blanket with animals on it, she whipped out her notebook to scribble something down. Female, age 3 or 4, name unknown, discovered in the house, signs of physical abuse, neglect and malnutrition. While the milk was being warmed she took a few photos of the baby; they were going to need solid proof, though the truth was already as horrible as it was.

“I can keep feeding her if you’re not done,” Morris said, keeping the bottle steady for the baby to feed from. Lovisa pushed her notebook aside, shaking her head, and gestured for him to hand her the bottle. Once it was full once more, she gave it to the baby, holding it from the other side to let the little girl feed. “So hungry... Will the formula be enough?” she said, half-joking and happy that the child showed appetite, half-worried. There was some more for another refill, and then they’d have to make some more. And that’d take a few minutes...

@arianatheangel-girl from here.

Quitting detective work was easy; detective work quitting her however was not. And Lovisa had gotten to find it out… albeit in an easy way. After she had become more of a private eye than a part of a team, she had realised that this, paired with her library work, was still her dream job.

The case at hand was far from what she had thought she would have to go through, though. Still, she had responded to the call first. The place hadn’t been too far from where she had been stationed, and she gave her colleagues a sign to follow her. “Let’s check this out.”

After a gesture of gratitude to the neighbor who had given them the tip, the four detectives knocked on the door. The possibility that they had to break in was there; though it did not look entirely abandoned, the house did not make Lovisa believe anyone truly lived in it.

“Hello?” she and one of the two men with her, Morris, called out. Morris rapped his fist against the door. “Is anyone in here?” As soon as the baby started crying, Lovisa got a tap on her shoulder from her other female colleague.

“We’re not leaving her inside,” Marvina said, shaking her head with an exasperated face, in part sad and in part angry. “The poor thing. Who knows if they haven’t just put her in a corner and forgotten about her…”

Lovisa caught herself shrugging along with their fourth colleague, all of them quiet in the meantime, ears pricked for any sounds that could mean the baby wasn’t alone – and that maybe its parents or caretakers were inside somewhere.

[fantasycorrupted-a]

Once Morris was back – enough time for Lovisa to make her way out of the building with the child in her arms, despite the entire clutter that was inside, threatening to swallow the whole team – they stood together again. “You wanna go to mine to clean her? It’s just fifteen minutes by car, anyway,” Lovisa offered. “She might get worse if we don’t...”

Morris patted the seat next to his own in the car. “Needs no asking. Hop on in.” Once Lovisa had her seatbelt on as well, they drove off. “Whatever you said you needed is on the backseat in the paper bag. I’m just hoping we won’t be too late and she isn’t sick already.”

“There is a chance,” Lovisa murmured grimly, hugging the little child close still. “She’s probably been left this way for four weeks. Call it a month. Not many children would survive anything like this. She’s a little hero, this one.” That was the first time they actually smiled at the baby. There had been no time for anything of the sort before that. And, technically, there still wasn’t any. There was plenty of work to do after they took care of her...

It wasn’t long before they arrived at Lovisa’s – and though the place had tiny signs of a mess here and there, it wasn’t dirty. “Yeah, um, do ignore all the clean laundry over the place,” she gestured as Morris took the baby from her so she could take off her shoes. “I was in a rush this morning.” They took the baby straight to the bathroom to clean her, one of them holding her, the other using a gentle stream of water and a mild soap to wash her body.

The moment that was over with, Lovisa put some cream on the baby that someone from the hospital had suggested they use over a quick phone call. So much had happened the past few hours that the duo was starting to show signs of exhaustion. But they did not give up – not until the little girl was wearing clean diapers, a pair of tiny light pink pants and a blouse and even a little hat, and milk was being warmed for her on the stove. They had picked up a new bottle for her to drink from, too, and once warm – not too warm, of course, the milk was carefully poured inside.

“Okay, do you wanna feed her or should I?” Morris asked. Lovisa shrugged, “We can take turns.” He nodded and picked up the bottle and tested the milk’s temperature on his hand. “This should be good enough.” He let the baby drink, supporting the bottle with a hand. “Poor angel. You must be starving... but we got you more milk, don’t worry. You are safe now. Okay?” There was at least another bottle’s worth of it left.

@arianatheangel-girl from here.

Quitting detective work was easy; detective work quitting her however was not. And Lovisa had gotten to find it out… albeit in an easy way. After she had become more of a private eye than a part of a team, she had realised that this, paired with her library work, was still her dream job.

The case at hand was far from what she had thought she would have to go through, though. Still, she had responded to the call first. The place hadn’t been too far from where she had been stationed, and she gave her colleagues a sign to follow her. “Let’s check this out.”

After a gesture of gratitude to the neighbor who had given them the tip, the four detectives knocked on the door. The possibility that they had to break in was there; though it did not look entirely abandoned, the house did not make Lovisa believe anyone truly lived in it.

“Hello?” she and one of the two men with her, Morris, called out. Morris rapped his fist against the door. “Is anyone in here?” As soon as the baby started crying, Lovisa got a tap on her shoulder from her other female colleague.

“We’re not leaving her inside,” Marvina said, shaking her head with an exasperated face, in part sad and in part angry. “The poor thing. Who knows if they haven’t just put her in a corner and forgotten about her…”

Lovisa caught herself shrugging along with their fourth colleague, all of them quiet in the meantime, ears pricked for any sounds that could mean the baby wasn’t alone – and that maybe its parents or caretakers were inside somewhere.