Free Some kind of wonderful by Maureen Child, Copyright Paperback Collection (Library of Congress) DLC

singing. But even she couldn't relax when she was singing, so she stopped that pretty damn quick.
    Liz's cries continued, as if she were an opera singer trapped in a time loop, stuck singing the same aria over and over again.
    She was really out of ideas.
    The baby's face was now beet red and that couldn't be a good thing, right? Couldn't babies have strokes or something? And if not Liz, Carol was pretty sure she was close to a stroke.
    "Oh, I so suck at this," she whispered, her words getting lost in the storm of Liz's screech. Shaking her head, Carol reminded herself just how many times over the years that she'd dreamed of this. Of having a child, building a family. Who knew that she had, apparently, no talent for child care?
    Carol glanced at her phone, sitting silent and useless on an end table beside the overstuffed floral-fabric

    couch. She couldn't call Phoebe—the one person she would ordinarily turn to in a crisis of this magnitude— because Phoebe had deserted her in her hour of need. Instead of being in Carol's apartment watching the Star-gate marathon on the sci-fi channel and eating buckets of popcorn, Phoebe was out having sex. Yes, sex.
    Carol's back teeth ground together. Whether the flash of emotion that shot through her body and was gone again in an instant was self-pity or envy didn't really matter. The point was, Phoebe had thrown her best friend over for a chance at mind-boggling sex with a gorgeous carpenter.
    Some people, Carol thought, had absolutely no loyalty.
    Although, she really couldn't blame Phoebe any. Cash Hunter, the carpenter in question, filled out his Levi's in such a way, he could melt the resistance of a nun—much less that of an overworked doctor.
    Sadly, it had been so long since Carol had had sex herself, she was pretty sure she wouldn't remember what to do if the opportunity presented itself. Which she really didn't have to worry about, since the chances of that opportunity popping up were slim to none. Especially at the moment. A screaming newborn was a better birth control device than a condom.
    "Come on, Liz," she murmured, softly stroking the baby's stiffened spine, "give me a break here, okay? I'm doing the best I can." And her best was apparently pretty pitiful. Carol's ears rang with the echo of the baby's screams and her heart ached for the poor little thing. Something was obviously wrong and Carol obviously had no idea how to fix it.
    Nothing like a baby to make you feel completely inadequate.
    Lizardbaby had her own issues and seemed, Carol

    thought as the headache behind her eyes cranked up another notch, able to go without breathing for exceptionally long periods of time. The baby's wails went on as one, long howl, unbroken by gasps for air.
    The Alien Baby thing flitted through her mind again, but she let go again almost instantly. Carol was just too damn tired to play the game.
    "It's okay, sweetie, honest." If her voice sounded a little strained, she was hoping the baby wouldn't notice. "You're safe. You're warm and dry and ... really cranky." She blew out a breath that ruffled the fringe of bangs over her forehead and did nothing to ease the frustration simmering inside.
    Quinn sat down in front of her and his big head nearly reached her waist. He looked up at her, watching, clearly offering silent doggie support.
    Carol hardly noticed.
    Cranky.
    That one word echoed over and over again in her brain until it finally rang a bell.
    Maybe you had to fight cranky with cranky.
    And she had the veritable king of cranky living right across the hall.
    But was she desperate enough to go to him for help? Was she really willing to swallow what was left of her pride and admit that she couldn't handle a six-pound shrieking baby?
    Another screech sounded in her ear and rattled through her brain.
    Yes, she thought. Yes, she was willing to ask for help. She was willing to baiter or bribe to get it.
    So there was nothing else to do.
    She had to admit defeat.
    Hey, if Mr. Charm was