The day started as I expected. Mom called me first thing this morning to sing "Happy Birthday" to me - that much hasn't changed! I got up, showered, puttered around the house, made myself a flower arrangement then decided to do a little shopping close to home. I had a coupon for the GAP Outlet store. I got to the store, found what I wanted, tried it on and made my purchase...easy peasy, right? WRONG!
I came out of the store and stopped to look for my keys in my purse. A woman walking towards me asked me if I heard a baby crying. Yes, I could hear the baby. The two of us tracked the baby's cries to parked SUV. The baby (about 3 months old) was strapped into a car seat in the back seat of the car. The windows were open about 4 inches, but it was about 77 degrees out today. The baby was crying loudly. We both looked around and saw no potential parents standing around. My first thought was to try to open the car, but the other woman thought that was a bad idea. I asked her to watch the car while I went back into the GAP to ask for security or 911. The clerk in the store called 911 and the police came pretty quickly. Two police cars, an ambulance and a fire truck showed up with sirens blaring and lights flashing! I waved them down and showed them where the baby was. One of the police officers was able to put his arm through the open window and unlock the door. He took the baby out of her car seat, walked over to the shade, held and comforted her until one of the EMT's from the ambulance took her from him. It was such a relief to see the baby girl in the officer's arms! I got a big lump in my throat. But still no mother. It occurred to me that if the police could get into the car so easily, someone else could have as well and maybe taken the baby...
The other woman was on her lunch break and had to get back to work - she saw that the baby seemed ok and left. I was asked to wait so the police could take a statement. I waited. I watched as the police went into the nearby stores asking for the workers to call the parents' names over the store intercoms. They must have gotten the parents' names from the license plate registration. From the time I found the baby until the time the police brought the mother out of the Marshall's store, 20 minutes had elapsed. I just wonder how long she would have kept shopping if the police hadn't found her.
One of the police officers finally came over to me and took my statement. He then asked to see my ID to get my information and noticed that it was my birthday. He thanked me repeatedly for taking action and said "You saved a life on the day you were given life." Another lady that had been watching the whole event take place came over and gave me a hug also thanking me for taking action. The officer told her that it was my birthday and the woman said "You were meant to be here today! Happy Birthday and God bless you!" I thanked them both and asked if the officer if the baby girl was ok. Yes, she's going to be fine. I asked if mother would be charged. Yes. The mother would be charged. I can't imagine what was she thinking leaving her baby in the car to go shopping...
I wanted to get another look at the baby, but she and the mother were inside the ambulance. It was enough to know that she was ok and that the police had responded so quickly. It was time for me to go home. I needed to have a little cry.
I might have saved a baby's life on my 51st birthday...What a day...
2 comments:
Amen that you were there to make sure this baby girl was found. There is a great present! What was this mother thinking.....apparently she wasn't,
Oh, wow! It's folks like you who make a positive difference in this world! What was that mother going to say? "But I was only gone a few minutes." "But I left the window open..." Blah, blah, blah. Oh, yes, and Happy Birthday!
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