On the other side of the room a baby broke into a wail. Several others joined in. Daniel, clucking Chinese sounds to the girl he was holding, tied the ends of the folded diaper around the protruding little belly, then left her with Nola and went to speak to the cleaning woman. Nola fashioned another cloth into a top, crossing it around the baby’s chest, and carried her back to the crib. The body, larger than Lulu's, was warm as she held her close. If only she could fly this baby to America, one of her foundation’s doctors could fix her. For now, all she could offer was a fleeting hug.

The moment she placed the girl in the crib, the large, slanted eyes showed the hurt of disappointment, the misshapen mouth contorted, and she began to cry. The babies on the other side of the room continued their concert of wails. Nola looked around, powerless against the urgency of the need tearing at her from all directions. At the door, Daniel handed the old woman some yuan.

“She’s confirmed that the night staff has left. They must have paid off the city supervisor,” he said when he caught up with Nola.

“This is hard to believe.”

He glanced at his watch. “Wade must be looking for my ransom note.”

As Nola turned to walk out, short gasps like quick whistles made her stop and look down.

The exposed ribs of an almost naked baby fluttered like those of a frightened chick that had fallen out of its nest. The face was of an aging ape. The cloth diaper, soaked in brown liquid, had come loose. The swishing breathing bubbled its way through fluid. Nola overcame her revulsion at the stench of excrement and touched the child’s chest. The skin felt hot and dry.

“This one should be in a hospital,” Nola said, indignation consuming her. “She still has enough lung power to push air. She can be saved.”

“By whom?” Daniel asked.

Nola was afraid to pick up this fragile creature, but asked Daniel to tell the woman to bring water.

The water the woman brought over in a wooden bowl was ice cold.

Nola raised her head toward the ceiling. “There must be two more floors like this one. No heat, no blankets, no warm water—” she stopped.

Daniel moved on from crib to crib, touching the babies, separating those who were tangled, or rubbing a baby’s back. Nola hesitated for a split second, then gathered the flouncing hem of her gown and tucked it into the back of her panty hose. She removed the soiled diaper. Careful not to move the baby, she wiped the skin. The bed, too, was soiled. Nola stripped one side of the sheet, wiped off the vinyl mattress cover, fashioned new bedding, and slowly pulled the baby to the clean part before she cleaned the other side.