It was supposed to be a routine day. Patrol the streets, respond to calls, do my job. But nothing prepares you for the moments that break your heart.We were called to a hospital after reports of a distressed woman wandering near the entrance. By the time we arrived, she was gone. But what she left behind… that was worse.

A baby.
Tiny, frail, wrapped in worn-out clothes. His cries were weak, desperate. A nurse said he hadn’t stopped wailing for hours. No food. No mother in sight.
I felt my chest tighten. I knew that cry. I’d heard it before—at home, from my own child.
My instincts took over before I could even think. I found a chair, adjusted my uniform, and held the baby close. He latched on almost immediately, his little hands grabbing onto my vest.
People stopped and stared. Nurses. Patients. My fellow officers. But I didn’t care. This baby needed food, warmth—comfort. And at that moment, I was the only one who could give it to him.
I stroked his tiny back as he fed, my heart aching with questions. Where was his mother? Was she okay? Would she come back?
And if she didn’t… what would happen to him?
The days turned into weeks, and no one came forward to claim the baby. Social services named him Oliver—a name they pulled from some list of common names. It suited him, though. He had these big, curious eyes, like he was taking everything in, trying to understand this strange world he’d been dropped into.
Every shift, I made sure to check on him. At first, it was just part of the investigation—making sure there weren’t any leads or clues about his mom. But soon, it became something else entirely. Something personal.
Oliver wasn’t like other babies. Most kids cried when you picked them up wrong or changed their diapers too slowly. Not Oliver. He seemed grateful just to have someone around who cared enough to try. When I held him, he’d relax in a way that made me feel like maybe, just maybe, I was doing something right.

At home, my wife, Lila, noticed the change in me. “You’ve been spending a lot of time at the station,” she said one evening while we folded laundry. Our daughter, Mia, played quietly on the floor nearby, stacking blocks and giggling to herself.
“I’m just following up on the case,” I told her, avoiding her gaze. The truth was harder to admit: I couldn’t stop thinking about Oliver. About how alone he must feel. About how much he reminded me of Mia when she was small.
Lila gave me a knowing look but didn’t press further. She never did. That’s why I loved her so much.

One night, after an especially long shift, I stopped by the hospital again. It wasn’t technically protocol, but nobody questioned it anymore. They all knew by now that Officer Carter had a soft spot for the abandoned baby.

When I walked into the nursery, something felt different. The room was darker than usual, lit only by the dim glow of a nightlight shaped like a crescent moon. Oliver lay awake in his crib, staring up at the ceiling. As soon as he saw me, his face lit up. He started kicking his legs and cooing softly, reaching out for me.