Free His Bundle of Love / the Color of Courage by Patricia Davids

couldn’t remember. What kind of mother forgets the birth of her own child?
    No! She couldn’t think like that. She was going to be a good mother. Sitting up, she ignored the pain and dizziness that came back as she swung her legs over the edge of the bed. “I have to see her.”
    “Whoa!” He grasped her shoulders. “You almost wound up on the floor the last time you tried this.”
    She struck his arm away. “Get your hands off me.”
    “Hey, I’m trying to help. Do you want to fall on your face?” His voice rose in response to hers.
    “What I want is for you to get away from me,” she shouted.
    The door opened and the nurse entered, followed closely by the doctor who had examined Caitlin earlier.
    “Oh, no you don’t,” the nurse chided. She quickly slipped her arms under Caitlin’s legs, lifted them back onto the bed and pulled up the rail, killing Caitlin’s hopes.
    Angry and frustrated by her own helplessness, Caitlin shook the bed rails again. “Put this thing down! You can’t keep me away from my baby!”
    The doctor spoke up. “Ms. Williams, you must calm down.”
    Mick listened to the outburst that followed in stunned disbelief. Sleeping Beauty was awake, but this was no princess. And she wasn’t behaving the way he had imagined Beth’s mother would act. He should have known better. The woman had spent her life on the streets. Why had he expected something different?
    The doctor grabbed Caitlin’s swinging arms and held them still. “Nurse, give her ten milligrams of Valium IV, stat .”
    “No!” Caitlin’s voice rose to a shriek. The fight drained out of her. “No drugs. Please—I’ll be good. I will. Only, no drugs,” she pleaded.
    Her gaze fastened on Mick. Those wide, beautiful, tawny-gold eyes begged for his help again, he knew it without her saying a word. How did she do it? When her defenses were up, he couldn’t read a thing in her eyes, but now they spoke volumes, like the time he’d found her in labor.
    Mick laid a hand on the doctor’s shoulder. “Sedating her won’t be necessary.”
    Releasing his grip on her now limp hands, the doctor straightened. Caitlin remained quiet. Staring at Mick, she nodded slightly then closed her eyes in defeat.
    “Outbursts like this can’t be tolerated,” the doctor began.
    Mick spoke up. “Don’t worry, it won’t happen again. Will it, Caitlin?”
    Her eyes snapped open and for a moment, defiance glared out at him, but it quickly disappeared. “No, it won’t happen again,” she answered meekly.
    What a chameleon she was. He almost laughed. Instead, he said, “Ms. Williams is obviously distraught over her desire to see her daughter. I’m sure she would rest better if she could see her baby, even for a few minutes. I could take her.”
    Rubbing his arm where Caitlin had landed a blow, the doctor considered the request. “I’m not insensitive to her concern, and she certainly appears stronger than I expected. I’ll have one of the nurses accompany you. But just for a brief visit, then she comes directly back here.”
    “Understood,” Mick agreed. Caitlin remained silent. Did she have enough strength to tolerate the trip? Perhaps it wasn’t wise to risk taking her to the NICU.
    Suddenly, her hand shot out and gripped the doctor’s arm. “Thank you,” she whispered hoarsely. Her eyes brimmed with unshed tears as her gaze fastened on his face.
    The doctor patted her hand. “You win this round, but don’t expect to win every one. I pack a mean left hook, myself.”
    A slight smile trembled on her lips as she nodded.
    With Betty’s help, Mick swaddled Caitlin in a blanket and carefully lifted her into a wheelchair, then with the two of them managing the IV pole and pumps, they made the trip down the hall to the elevators. He watched with renewed concern as Caitlin slumped lower in the chair when the elevator door closed. He touched her shoulder. “Are you okay?”
    Caitlin battled the nausea threatening to overwhelm her as