"Lady, you can't just leave him!" the first objector said, grabbing her arm. "You're like that sick lady who put her kid on a plane to Russia 'cause she don't want him no more!"
"How could you leave him on the train? What's wrong with you?"
There were three then five voices with a sixth calling the police and the seventh hugging the sobbing kid.
"He's not mine!" she insisted, unable to break away from the mob. She protested until the cops came and took them both to a police station.
Too surprised to understand what exactly was happening, she obeyed the police officer's instructions to sit down and shut up and sat in the quiet police station reception area. The kid sitting beside her made smacking sounds as he chewed on a huge wad of gum. She rubbed her face, certain the mistake would be clarified soon and she'd be released with an apology the size of a bottle of painkiller she desperately needed.
"Fill this out," a dour black lady said, handing her a clipboard. "C'mere, honey."
Katie ignored the glare leveled on her while the woman cooed to the little boy. The woman and boy left while she filled out the paperwork and then set it on a counter of what looked like an abandoned reception area. There was no computer, no office supplies on the other side. A single bell sat on the counter. She rang it. When nothing happened, she rang it again.
She looked around her, flustered. The waiting room consisted of two chairs, an empty magazine rack, and a potted plant in the corner. It resembled a doctor's waiting room rather than any police station she'd seen.
She rang the bell again.
"Please have a seat, Ms. Young," an irritated voice announced over the intercom.
She obeyed. Another hour of silence passed, and she started to pace. Her cell phone had no signal, her head throbbed, and the coffee pot was empty. When she felt ready to snap, the black lady returned with the little boy in tow. His dark eyes were glowing, and syrup was on his face.
"Officer David will see you now."
Katie grabbed her purse and walked quickly down a pristine hall to a placard that read Officer David. The little boy followed her. She knocked and entered with a smile that faded.
Officer David gave her the same glare.
"Have a seat, Ms. Young," he said. "You too, Toby."
"Officer, this has been just a horrible morning," she started.