Broken Descent (Bruno Mars)

Human Touch

"Holy shit," Phil gasped.

The baby started to whine, cry, and fidget again. Bruno looked down at her and couldn't believe how tiny her fingers were. He couldn't believe how cold they were.

"It's okay," Bruno whispered, before turning to Phil. "Who would do something like this?"

"She's really young," Phil said.

"I know," Bruno agreed. "She's so little...like a little peanut. We gotta get her to the hospital. She's freezing."

Bruno and Phil made their way to the hospital. The baby girl was immediately put into the newborn intensive care unit. Phil urged Bruno to leave. Bruno sat next to her as she laid in the glass enclosure, fighting for her life.

"Dude, it's really late. We should head back to the hotel."

"You can go."

"Bruno you're attached to her aren't you?"

"No," Bruno said defensively. "I just don't want her to spend her first night here alone. Look how scared she is."

Phil went back and Bruno, of course, stayed the entire night. One of the doctors came by.

"You don't have to stay here, you know." The doctor said.

"I want to. Have the police figured anything out yet?"

The doctor began to explain the details of what they knew."

"We've estimated that she's 3 or 4 days old. We couldn't find a name or anything and there's no evidence yet. We're currently working with the cameras in the alley to see what we can find. Because of the condition she was left in and because her life was threatened, the police are labeling this a Baby Doe case until we find her parents or her actual name."

"She's not going back to her parents right?"

"No, no. They would just use the information to find more about her like her real name."

"What's going to happen to her?" Bruno asked nervously, looking at all the tubes and monitors connected to her.

"Bruno she's going to be okay. She's taking all the medicine well. She's warming up a little. It could've been much worse if you hadn't found her. You saved her life. She's a lucky little girl. Most of the time unwanted babies get dropped off at hospitals and firehouses. It's unbelievable that they have so many options and this kind of thing still happens."

"Lucky? Hardly," Bruno thought to himself.

"What happens when she gets out of here?"

"She'll go into the foster system and then hopefully someone will adopt her."

Bruno smiled down at her, thinking about what he should do. The doctor left and Bruno's heart melted as she smiled back at him.

"Who wouldn't want you?" Bruno smiled.

The baby girl was in the hospital the entire next week, as was Bruno. Phil came to his hotel room on the last day.

"Alright, I'm going back to L.A today. Need to spend time with the family before we leave again."

"Alright," Bruno replied.

"Bruno, man, I'm serious. Kids are a lot of work. It's not like picking up a puppy at a pet store; she's a human being. You literally just got acquitted for the bust, man. Are you even thinking clearly? They might not even let you, man, after the dumb shit you did in Vegas."

Bruno's heart broke at the thought. The consequences of his actions became even more real for him.

"Maybe we found her for a reason, Phil."

"What are you saying? That her only purpose in life is to help you get clean and straightened up."

"No of course, not. I just...it doesn't make sense to me. She gets saved but then sent to a foster home where they might not even love her. You've heard those stories, Phil. Right? People become foster parents for the benefits and then the kid gets hurt or not cared for enough. I don't...I don't want that to happen to her. That's a big risk man."

"You're just starting your career though. You're traveling the world. It's a big risk for you too...and a huge responsibility."

"I'll take her with me when I tour. Someone can watch her when I'm doing the shows. I'll be around more than parents who have nine to five jobs."

Bruno knew exactly what he wanted to do and although he understood how a big part of his life would change, he was sure of his decision. He made up his mind. Of course he knew she was a human being. He felt such a love and connection to her from the moment he picked her up and held her in his arm for the first time. Bruno stayed an extra couple of days beyond Phil. The doctor came by.

"She'll be ready to go tomorrow. I have to tell you that it probably would have been longer if you weren't here with her all this time."

"It's really no problem," Bruno smiled, rubbing her chest. "Hey so if I wanted to...adopt her...how would that work?"

"Unfortunately it's a very long process, and very hard. That's why a lot of people adopt overseas."

Bruno's face dropped and his heart sunk.

"However," the doctor continued, "there's usually an exception to Baby Doe cases since she would require extra care that some foster families can't give. Because you found her it might be easier for you to adopt her, if that's what you decide to do. The system is very filled up as it is and the state might be relieved that one less child is in the foster care system."

"Is she in pain right now?" Bruno asked as he watched the fidgeting baby girl.

"She's experiencing a little bit of discomfort. Yes."

"Is there anything I can do right now? She hasn't slept all day. She's so quiet too."

"They say that human touch can speed up the healing process. If you want to hold her, just ask one of the nurses and they'd be more than happy to let you hold her."

"Yeah," Bruno said. "I'd love that."

Bruno waited for the nurse, but in the meantime he rested his hand on her chest. She turned her head to face him. He smiled at her and she started cooing. He was afraid to hold her, even though he held her before. His heart fluttered as the nurse placed her in his arms. Her little hand wrapped around his thumb.

"You're so tiny, little peanut."

Her eyes started to close. She had a little smile on her face. She was so warm this time. She was brought back to life. There was just one piece left of the puzzle.

Bruno felt some relief. The idea and disappointment of him not being able to adopt her consumed his mind for hours. He was in love with her.

After just a couple of hours, Bruno got an important phone call from the police department on behalf of the state of North Carolina.

He went up to her crib the next day, her last day. She was out of ICU. Bruno picked her up as he looked at some of the adoption paperwork on a nearby table that he already filled out.

At the top of the paper, he saw the words Charlotte Hospital. She was no longer alone. She was no longer "Baby Doe." Bruno brushed his fingers over her warm cheeks. She was about to fall into into another comfortable sleep.

"I'm your Daddy... Charlotte...and I love you very much. Let's go home," Bruno said softly.