Mark stepped out of his car and adjusted his blue coat against the morning wind.
He had left for the airport two hours earlier to catch an important business flight across the country.
A sudden cancellation at the gate forced him to turn around and return to his suburban house.
He pulled his keys from his pocket and unlocked the heavy front wooden door.
The house was unusually quiet as he set his leather briefcase down near the foyer table.
He expected to hear soft music or the quiet murmur of the television downstairs.
Instead he heard a faint cry echoing from the upstairs master bathroom area.
His heart rate began to pick up speed with every step he took up the stairs.
Little Owen was only six months old and rarely cried like that unless something was terribly wrong.
Mark walked down the hallway with light footsteps so he would not startle anyone inside.
He noticed the bathroom door was cracked open just a tiny bit.
A bright strip of light poured out onto the dark hallway carpet floor.
He pushed the door open and stopped dead in his tracks.
Evelyn was standing near the back wall wearing a heavy dark coat and a pale surgical mask.
She was holding a large gym bag and reaching toward the crib setup near the counter.
Owen was crying hysterically inside his padded carrier on the marble floor.
Mark: What are you doing in here right now?
Evelyn jumped back in shock and dropped the bag onto the cold tile floor.
Evelyn: Mark you startled me so badly!
Mark: Why is my baby crying on the floor like that?
Evelyn: I was just getting him ready for a quick walk outside in the sun!
Mark: You were holding a gym bag over his carrier!
Mark stepped forward and snatched Owen up into his arms securely.
He patted the baby's back until the loud crying settled into small hiccups.
His eyes narrowed as he glared at the older woman standing near the vanity.
Mark: Who told you that I was going to be out of town today?
Evelyn: Your wife mentioned it yesterday when she hired me for the morning shift!
Mark: My wife is out of state until tomorrow afternoon!
Evelyn backed away until her heels pressed against the baseboards.
Evelyn: I must have confused the days on my work calendar!
Mark: You are lying to my face right now!