The morning began like any other—soft sunlight filtering through the nursery curtains, the faint hum of the baby monitor on the nightstand, and the reassuring rhythm of baby Emma’s breathing echoing through the speaker. Sarah stirred awake, stretching as she blinked the sleep from her eyes. It was 6:32 a.m., the same time Emma usually began fussing for her first feeding. But the monitor was strangely quiet.
Still half-asleep, Sarah pushed back the covers and padded down the hallway. Maybe Emma was having an unusually peaceful morning. Maybe.
She nudged open the nursery door with a gentle smile already forming—until her eyes fell on the crib.
Empty.
The blanket was tossed aside, the stuffed giraffe rested where it always did, but there was no baby. For a full second, her mind refused to understand what her eyes were screaming. Then her heart plunged into panic.
“Emma?” Her voice cracked. She tore open the closet, checking behind boxes, under the rocking chair, even though she knew—babies couldn’t just climb out. Not on their own.
Her hands shook as she searched the hall, then the bathroom, then every room in the house. No cries. No movement. Nothing.
Sarah grabbed her phone, but stopped before dialing. A sudden thought jolted her memory: her brother Mark had come by late last night to drop off borrowed tools. He had teased her gently about how exhausted she looked, how she should “sleep in for once.” She had laughed at the time, too tired to notice anything strange.
Her breath caught. Would he…? No… but maybe?
Before fear could completely swallow her, the front door creaked open.
“Sarah?” Mark’s voice carried through the entryway. “Don’t freak out!”
She bolted toward him, but froze when she saw what—or rather, who—he was holding.
Emma, wrapped snugly in her pink blanket, blinking up sleepily at the light.
“I’m so sorry,” Mark said, raising one hand defensively. “You were passed out last night. She woke up again at three, and I didn’t want to wake you. I thought I’d take her for a morning stroller walk, but your phone was on silent and you didn’t hear me leave. I should’ve left a note. I know. I know.”
