Chapter 2 - THE ADDRESS SHE WOULDN'T GIVE
Daniel bought the formula himself.
Not with a corporate gesture.
With his own card.
Then he asked the store manager to bring:
warm water,
a clean seating area,
and someone trained in first aid.
Lily resisted.
“We have to go.”
“Where?”
“Home.”
“Who’s home?”
“My mom.”
The answer came too quickly.
Daniel did not accuse her of lying.
He asked:
“Can we call her?”
Lily hugged the babies tighter.
“She’s sleeping.”
“Can we call another adult?”
“No.”
Daniel looked toward store manager Kelly Ross.
She understood.
This was no longer a customer-service problem.
A ten-year-old was responsible for two infants on a winter night.
Daniel asked gently:
“What are their names?”
“Owen and Noah.”
“How old?”
“Four months.”
“Are they your brothers?”
Lily nodded.
Then one baby rooted against the blanket, crying.
Lily’s face crumpled.
“They haven’t eaten since this afternoon.”
Daniel felt anger rise.
He pushed it away.
Anger was not useful yet.
Kelly prepared a bottle using sealed water and the formula according to the can’s instructions while Lily watched every movement.
The twins drank.
Slowly.
The crying stopped.
For the first time, Lily’s shoulders dropped.
Then Daniel asked again:
“Where is your mom?”
Lily stared at the floor.
“At Mercy.”
“The hospital?”
Silence.
Then she nodded.
“What happened?”
“She got sick.”
“Who’s staying with you?”
Lily’s lips trembled.
“My dad.”
Daniel waited.
She looked toward the glass doors.
Outside, snow had started falling.
“Where is he?”
Lily whispered:
“I don’t know.”
Kelly quietly stepped away and called the county child crisis line.
Daniel stayed with Lily.
Then she suddenly grabbed his sleeve.
“Don’t call anybody.”
“Why?”
“They’ll take them.”
“Who told you that?”
Lily began crying again.
“My dad.”
Daniel felt cold.
“What exactly did he say?”
Lily looked down at the twins.
“If people find out he left, they’ll split us up.”
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That was when Daniel realized someone had not merely abandoned three children.
Someone had frightened a ten-year-old into helping hide it.
