nothing to be done

 There is a couple there, on the path. The woman is holding an infant, wrapped in a blanket, keeping her face close to the tiny bundle. The man is talking and talking and seems to be being ignored.

The woman avoids passers by, turns her face away. She is not in any way old, and the man is young too. Greet the man in passing, and he returns a friendly greeting. Listen to their discourse from further on the little woodland path.

The path goes by behind the hospital, it is in fact right next to the children's hospital. There is a side entrance here, and in large lettered signpost pointing to the "Babyklappe". This is German for "baby hatch", and that is what is to be seen a little further on. A door with a hatch on it, the hatch leads to a small space with blankets, and a light, and peaceful colours. 

The purpose of this is that women who have no other choice but to give their infants away after birth. They cannot keep them for whatever reason. To save the infants lives, to save them from being left on strange doorsteps, this service is run by the hospital. As soon as the outside hatch is shut, a nurse will take the child inside the hospital and see that it receives the care that it needs, and as much of the love and attention as possible that it deserves.

The sight of the young couple and the mother with the infant causes a strange chain of ideas, and is the reason for a long rest on a park bench further down the path. Just thinking about what might have been taking place just then is worrying.

It might have been nothing but a couple with their new born child who happened to be walking just there.

It might have been the end of a terrible situation and the beginning of a lifelong of recriminations for the mother and the father.

It might have been a number of other things.

But there was nothing else to do but to continue with the walk, and to take a long break on the park bench beside the path.