Zeke Estrella sat in his patrol car with his brother and partner, Micah, watching the traffic go by as they both ate their dinners. 

 

They sat in silence since Zeke was not one for words and Micah hated small talk. This was part of what made them such a good team. They weren't crazy about being paired up at first, but Micah understood Zeke in a way that the other police officers couldn't. He knew that Zeke had a hard time coming out of his shell and he did his best to respect that instead of trying to "fix him". 

 

However, Micah remembered something and asked, "So, are you really okay sharing a house with Amos and Dan?"

 

Zeke shrugged as he picked through his box of take out. 

 

He swallowed and finally said, "It's the only way I could afford the house. Plus, they're not so bad."

 

"I thought you wanted to move out so that you could have more privacy," Micah said. 

 

Zeke shrugged again, "It is what it is."

 

Their conversation was interrupted by a call on the radio. Apparently, there was suspicious activity at an abandoned house in a sketchy neighborhood. 

 

So much for dinner. 

 

**********
 

When they arrived at the house, they realized what bad shape it was in. 

 

"Judging by the graffiti on the walls and the broken door, it looks like a squatter situation," Micah said.

 

He knocked on the door, waiting for a response, but when there was none, he called, "Riverton Police!" 

 

With this, he slowly entered the house followed by Zeke. The inside of the house somehow looked worse than the outside. The walls were stained and the furniture was broken. The house reeked of urine and something else that made Micah and Zeke uneasy. They decided to split up as they searched the house, looking for the squatters. Micah looked downstairs while Zeke went upstairs. 

 

Zeke was slowly creeping up the stairs when he heard a strange noise. 

 

It almost sounded like...crying?

 

He rounded the corner and saw a long hallway with three different doors. The noise seemed to get louder. He tried to quietly tip-toe down the hallway, but he stepped on a creaky board. 

 

Suddenly the crying stopped. 

 

"Riverton police," he called, "Come out, we just want to talk."

 

He waited, but there was still no response. His heart began to beat wildly as ideas began flashing through his mind. Zeke had realized that in these situations, silence was not always a good thing. He took a deep breath as he slowly withdrew his weapon. 

 

He turned and entered the first room; all he saw was a broken bed frame with no mattress. He squinted and made his way to the second door, quickly discovering that behind it was a small bathroom. 

 

He finally walked to the third door; his heart pounded in his ears as he turned the knob. 

 

He was surprised to see a baby sitting in the middle of the room in what looked to be a baby car seat. He quickly lowered his weapon and the child realized that they did not recognize him which caused its face to scrunch up and a loud eruptive cry to burst from its lips. 

 

Zeke looked around the room, making sure that there was no one else, before he approached the child. 

 

"Uh...shhh...hey it's okay," he whispered. 

 

The baby continued to cry, despite Zeke's desperate attempts to calm the child. 

 

He fumbled with the car seat buckles and straps, but at last managed to pick the baby up. 

 

Zeke's nose was overtaken by a very bad smell. He deduced that this must be why the baby was crying. 

 

That's when he saw that there was some paper stuffed into a crevice in the seat. He set the baby back down so that he could get a better look at the paper, hoping that it was some kind of clue. 

 

Upon unfolding the paper, he realized that it was a note. 

 

 

 

 

Zeke's heart sank as he looked back at little Ali. 

 

 *********
 

Micah had just finished checking the first level of the house when he heard Zeke's footsteps coming down the staircase. 

 

His mouth fell open when he saw Zeke holding a baby, "What is that?"

 

Zeke looked at Micah and with a straight face said, "A baby."

 

*********
 

After a much-needed diaper change and a bottle of formula, Zeke found himself holding Ali and sitting in an uncomfortable chair in a social worker's office. 

 

Violet Amaya, said social worker, peered at Zeke over the case file that she was reviewing. 

 

He shifted awkwardly and looked down at Ali, thankful that she had finally fallen asleep. 

 

Violet sighed and lowered the file, "I'm sorry, Zeke, but there's just no where for Alice to go. I mean the holidays are right around the corner and our foster families are already maxed out."

 

Zeke cleared his throat, "It's Ali."

 

"What?" Violet asked. 

 

"Her mother wanted to call her Ali," Zeke said slowly, "And I just...think that we should honor that."

 

Violet paused and took a good look at Zeke. He was a big man in stature, and he was easily the tallest man on the force. Not only that, but he clearly worked out by the look of his broad shoulders and strong arms. If Violet was being honest, she would admit that he had always intimidated her in the past because he was built like a wall and seemingly had the personality to match. In fact, this was the most she had ever heard him talk and they had worked together for years. 

 

Yet, she noticed that his eyes were locked onto little Ali's face. A small smile played on his lips as he watched her sleeping in his arms. 

 

"You know...you could take her," said Violet as if thinking aloud. 

 

Zeke's expression changed to one of horror and his attention snapped back to Violet. 

 

"Just until we can find a foster family for her. I mean, you've already changed her diaper and fed her, so clearly you have experience. I'll just need you to fill out some forms and go to a few classes just to make sure everything is aboveboard and legal," said Violet as if the matter were already settled. 

 

Zeke shook his head, "No, n-no, wait...I can change diapers and prepare a bottle because I have a lot of siblings, but I don't...I can't take care of a baby."

 

Violet laid her arms on her desk and leaned forward a little, "Zeke, most single guys don't even know what a diaper looks like- for Pete's sake most of the guys that I've dated don't even know what a diaper looks like. You can do this. Just keep her clean and fed."

 

Something sparked in Zeke's eyes, as if there was a flicker of recognition and he said, "Okay...let's say I go along with your plan, what about work?"

 

Violet leaned back and sighed, "Well...you'll have to get a babysitter for during the day, but that shouldn't be hard. What about your mom?"

 

Zeke shook his head, "Mama broke her arm, she's still recuperating."

 

Violet frowned, "Oh, well, I'm sure you'll figure something out."

 

She looked at the clock on the wall and quickly hopped up from her chair and said, "I've got to get down to the courthouse for a parental rights hearing. Listen, here's my number, call me if you need anything, okay?"

 

After thrusting a piece of paper at him, she rushed out the door, leaving Zeke feeling as if he had just been hit by a train.