Investigators later located the birth mother, a frightened teenager who had given birth alone and panicked; she has since been connected with counseling and support services through social workers handling the case. The authorities treated the situation seriously but also sought options that would protect the baby’s well-being while addressing the mother’s needs. Meanwhile the infant — called Grace by the team who first cared for her — remained under hospital care until a foster placement could be arranged. I visited every day, learned how to change tiny diapers and how to soothe a newborn’s cries, and by the time she was ready to go home the social workers were surprised to find that the man who’d ridden through a storm with a baby against his chest wanted to give her a permanent home.