Chapter 10

CHAPTER TEN

Aaron called Officer Thomas to let him know that Oliver Chism was a patient after collapsing outside his son's room. Thomas agreed to meet him down in the emergency department where the medical staff was still working on him.

He and Maggie had done everything they could to save this guy, but in the darkest corner of his brain, he silently acknowledged that if Chism didn't make it, Maggie's life would be much easier. He and Maggie shared the Hippocratic oath of do no harm . Their quick response had hopefully saved Chism's life.

And if he had overdosed on drugs as he suspected based on his response to the Narcan doses, that should be enough for a judge to decide that Chism was not capable of caring for his son.

As he took the stairs down to the emergency department, he made a mental note to talk to Adam later. He hadn't realized his brother had passed along Maggie's desire to be a foster parent for Joey to his wife, Krista. And that Krista had taken it upon herself to find Maggie and Joey on seven south, offering her assistance in placing Joey in her care.

The part that bothered him was Maggie's apparent willingness to walk away from Joey, leaving the boy with Adam and Krista. From what he'd witnessed over the past three days, Maggie had been determined to take on the role as Joey's mother.

What had changed?

Disheartening to realize he still had trouble reading Maggie's feelings, much like when they were married. He shook off the troubling thoughts as he waded into the chaotic environment of the emergency department.

He found Oliver Chism's room without difficulty. To his surprise, the guy was awake but appeared groggy. As if he still had drugs in his system.

Aaron hovered in the doorway, hoping the team was aware of the possible rebound effect of a narcotic overdose. There had been cases where the Narcan wore off and the drugs still in the patient's system rebounded to previous levels.

Some patients didn't survive the second overdose.

When he saw the nurse hanging a Narcan drip, he realized there was no need to be concerned. The medical team were experts in pediatric care, not necessarily for adults, yet he was glad the doc at the bedside had the situation under control.

Despite his apparent overdose, Oliver Chism would not die here today.

"Dr. Aaron Monroe?" He turned to see a uniformed cop walking toward him. He recognized Officer Thomas from his earlier visit. "What's going on?"

"Thanks for coming." He gestured to the skinny guy stretched out on the gurney. "I believe you know Oliver Chism."

Thomas's eyebrows shot up. "Yeah. What happened?"

"Maggie can probably tell you more than I can; she was standing outside the room when he showed up. I came upon them as he collapsed to the floor. His pupils were dilated, so we treated him as a narcotic drug overdose."

Thomas's expression turned grim. "Any idea what he took?"

"No, but I'm sure they'll run a tox screen." He nodded to the medical personnel in the room. "Maggie performed CPR while I administered the Narcan. The antidote worked; he started to come around after the second dose."

Thomas sighed. "There are days I wish I wasn't so good at my job. At least this latest stunt should prevent Chism from obtaining custody of Joey."

"I hope so, but that's why I wanted you to be aware of this latest incident." He scowled. "Especially since this is the second time Chism has shown up here at Children's Memorial. The previous attempt to see his son he mentioned having a lawyer."

"How did Chism get a family lawyer on the weekend?" Thomas asked.

"We suspect Chism has a personal injury lawyer; he mentioned getting money because of the truck that plowed into the bus, causing Joey to require surgery on top of losing his mother."

"Chism can probably recover some money on behalf of Joey," Thomas admitted. "But I would like to think the judge would find a way to make sure some of that money would be held for Joey's future, not for Chism to buy drugs."

He was no legal expert, but that sounded good to him. "Anything you can do to help with that would be great."

"When can I interview him?" Thomas asked, jutting his chin toward Chism.

"Let me check with the medical team." Aaron eased into the room, listening to the brief conversation between the nurse and the resident.

"His vitals are stable, but his pulse oximeter readings could be a little higher," the nurse said. Then she leaned in closer to her patient. "Mr. Chism, I need you to take a deep breath."

Chism's eyelids fluttered open, and he tried to do as the nurse asked. On the monitor over the patient's bedside, Aaron could see the pulse oximeter reading was hanging in the low eighties.

"Again," Aaron ordered in a strong, firm voice. "You need more oxygen going to your brain, so take another deep breath."

Chism did so, and his oxygen reading improved. The nurse shot him a look of exasperation, but then continued speaking to her patient. "Mr. Chism, I need you to keep taking deep breaths."

Chism nodded, his eyelids drifting closed.

He turned away and caught Officer Thomas's gaze. "Not sure he's in any condition to talk yet."

"I understand." Thomas glanced at his watch. "I can hang around here for a while."

"Great." He was relieved to hear Thomas wasn't giving up so easily. He was humbled by how people had stepped up to rally around Joey. "Would you like some coffee? I can get decent stuff from my office." He knew the emergency department had a coffeepot in the break room but figured it was old and stale by now.

"I'd appreciate that, thanks," Thomas said.

After brewing a cup of coffee from the machine in his office, he returned to the emergency department to hand the mug to Thomas. Then he debated the wisdom of heading back up to the seventh floor to talk to Maggie.

If his ex-wife really was heading back to Boston soon, he couldn't wait any longer to talk to her. Ever since they'd responded to the bus crash, their conversations had been interrupted. His work, mostly, he was forced to acknowledge.

He frowned, remembering how she'd told him to go ahead and take the call because patient care was a priority. Words she'd said many times before.

But for the first time it occurred to him that her saying the words didn't mean he should have responded the way he had. Why hadn't he made their marriage a higher priority? It wasn't as if physicians could ignore their patients, but he tended to keep a close eye on the care provided by the residents.

Some might even accuse him of micromanaging them.

This weekend, he shouldn't have been on call in the first place, but he had ended up responding to calls and taking Grace to surgery. Yet now that he was looking back, he realized he could have asked another colleague to help cover Fullerton's case.

But he hadn't. In truth, the thought hadn't even occurred to him.

He turned and headed back to his office, feeling sick with the realization that he owned a bigger piece of their failed marriage than he'd previously accepted.

And worse, he was pretty sure that it was too late to do anything about it.

* * *

"Ms. Dall?" A petite blonde poked her head into Joey's room. "I'm Rochelle, the social worker for this unit."

Maggie glanced at Joey who was once again engrossed with the television. She moved toward the doorway, not sure it was smart to have this conversation in front of the little boy. "Please call me Maggie," she said with a smile. "Is there someplace we can talk?"

"Ah, sure. Let's go down to the lounge." Rochelle led the way down the hall. "I understand Joey's father has tried to see him a few times."

"Yes." Maggie dropped into the open seat beside Rochelle. "Unfortunately, he collapsed in the hallway. Dr. Aaron Monroe and I initiated CPR and emergency treatment for what we suspected was a narcotic overdose."

"Yes, I heard all about it from Tina, Joey's nurse," Rochelle said. "I just checked with the emergency department social worker; Luanne has informed me that Mr. Chism's condition has been stabilized."

"That's good to hear." Maggie had wondered how Oliver Chism was doing. It had taken so much Narcan to reverse the effects of whatever drugs he'd ingested, so she knew the outcome could have been much different.

"He owes his life to you and Dr. Monroe," Rochelle said.

Maggie shrugged. "Anyone else would have done the same. I just happened to be the closest provider." She didn't add that the main reason she'd been standing there in the first place was to make sure Chism didn't get anywhere near his son.

"Well, you did great work." Rochelle glanced at the tablet on her lap. "As you know, Joey's mother passed away in the bus crash."

"Yes, I was there. Aaron—er—Dr. Monroe tried to save her life." Maggie remembered how he'd called the code after several rounds of CPR and shocking Joey's mother hadn't worked.

"I see. I also understand you've stayed at Joey's side since the accident," Rochelle continued. "The nursing staff have been very impressed with your dedication to Joey."

"Again, I happened to be the person Joey latched onto." Maggie knew that if someone else had gone into the bus with Aaron, she wouldn't be sitting there. "Once I took him from his mother's arms, he wouldn't let me go."

"One of the Children's Memorial nurses, a Krista Monroe—wait, is she a relation to Dr. Monroe?" Rochelle asked, interrupting herself.

"Yes, she's married to Adam Monroe, who is a pediatrician on staff. Adam and Aaron are brothers." The two eldest Monroe sons also looked very much alike, although in her humble opinion, Aaron was more handsome.

"Very interesting. That information certainly helps her case," Rochelle said as she made a note on her tablet. "I received word that Krista Monroe is requesting Joey be placed with her and her husband on a temporary basis. I'm not sure how familiar you are with the family court system, but it will take time to work through temporary and permanent guardianship."

So far, Rochelle wasn't telling Maggie anything she didn't already know. "Mr. Chism, Joey's father, has made it clear he would like to have custody of his son." Maggie forced the statement past her tight throat. "He made that statement again, shortly before he collapsed in the hallway outside his son's room."

"I see." Rochelle's expression turned grim. "Well, if he overdosed on drugs, he'll need to prove he's clean before the judge will consider him as a viable guardian."

"Clean for how long?" Maggie asked, battling a wave of anger. "He overdosed here at the hospital. Surely that proves he's not fit to take care of a four-year-old child."

"That's true, but Oliver Chism has the right to prove he's capable of getting clean." Rochelle's smile was sad. "Even if that takes six months to a year, the judge will be willing to hear the case once he's completed a stint in rehab."

Maggie tried not to let her frustration show. Logically, she knew that Rochelle was only being honest about a foster family getting custody long term, but the thought of Oliver Chism taking Joey home even a year from now, only to fall off the wagon to the point he might overdose in front of his own son, was horrifying.

She linked her fingers together in her lap. "I know it's probably too soon, but I completed the online application to be a foster parent too. I did that specifically for Joey, as we've bonded over the weekend."

"Really?" Rochelle looked surprised. "I only heard about Krista Monroe, nothing about your application. I can check into that for you, but the process of becoming a foster parent takes time. It's rarely approved any quicker than six weeks."

Tears pricked Maggie's eyes, but she brushed them away. "I understand. I just hoped that for Joey's sake…" What could she say? That she'd hoped being an anesthesiologist would send her application to the top of the pile? That she believed she was more qualified than any of the other foster parents out there?

Not just because of her medical background but because she already loved the little boy like a son?

"Ms. Dall, I can appreciate how you feel," Rochelle said gently. "I'll mention your application to the caseworker, but in my humble opinion, Krista and Adam Monroe have a better chance of getting emergency placement for Joey. Especially since they both have medical background and can deal with his recent surgery."

She hadn't corrected Rochelle in using the title of Ms. instead of Dr., but it was tempting. "I'm a physician too," she said. "But I understand what you're saying. I will, of course, abide by the CPS caseworker's decision of where to place Joey after his discharge."

"Great." Rochelle looked relieved.

"Maggie! Maggie!" Hearing her name, Maggie jumped to her feet and ran out of the lounge toward Joey's room. She barreled inside, her heart wrenching when she found him sobbing. "I thought you left me."

"No, Joey, I'm here." She gathered him close. "I'm sorry I was gone longer than I expected."

He wrapped his arms tightly around her neck. "You'll stay wif me, right?"

"Yes, Joey. I'm staying." She couldn't bring herself to let him know that he'd be going home with someone else. Thankfully, Krista had agreed she could accompany the little boy to help him make the transition.

But for how long? That was the most important question. She didn't care how much of her vacation time she'd have to burn or how many favors she'd need to call upon to help cover her shifts.

But even as that thought formed in her mind, it dawned on her that Joey might not accept Krista's role in his life as long as Maggie was there to comfort him. He'd keep leaning on her rather than establishing new bonds.

She pressed a kiss to the top of Joey's head, deciding she needed input from the child psychologist now more than ever. The little boy's hysterical meltdown at being left alone reminded her of post-traumatic stress syndrome.

Something no child should have to suffer.

Then again, as much as Joey had lost, other kids suffered worse at the hands of their parents or guardians. Closing her eyes, she lifted her heart in prayer.

Please, Lord Jesus, keep Joey safe in Your care. Let Thy will be done. Amen.

Joey relaxed against her. She rocked him back and forth, murmuring words of comfort. After fifteen minutes, he turned his head so that he could continue to watch the children's movie that was playing on the screen. Another one she'd never seen before. Then again, other than caring for kids in a hospital setting, she hadn't cared for them at home.

No doubt, she had a lot to learn.

She consoled herself with the thought that most new parents had to learn the best way to handle taking care of their kids too. No child came with an instruction manual.

"Maggie?" She glanced over to see Aaron standing in the doorway.

"Hi." She had expected him to show up sooner or later. "I heard Chism's condition has been stabilized."

"Yep." Aaron moved into the room, his green gaze softening at the sight of Joey snuggled in her arms. "I hate to bother you, but he wants to talk to you."

"Who? Chism?" She frowned. "Why on earth would he want that?"

Aaron shrugged. "Not sure. But I told Officer Thomas I'd come up to ask if you'd mind going down to see him." When she didn't immediately answer, he added, "It's up to you, but I think it's worth it to hear what the guy has to say."

"You do?" She shook her head. "I don't know if that's a smart idea."

"I doubt he'll be disrespectful with Officer Thomas hovering nearby," Aaron said.

"He's not the one I'm worried about." She held his gaze for a long moment. "I may say something I'll regret. Well, to be honest, I wouldn't regret it, but my comments might come back to haunt me."

The corner of Aaron's mouth kicked up in a smile. "I share your sentiments, but I'll make sure no one records the conversation."

She glanced down at Joey, loathe to disturb him. But a sense of obligation nagged at her. "Joey, will you be okay here if I have to run downstairs for a few minutes?" She smoothed his hair away from his forehead. "I won't be gone long, and I'll come right back here when I'm finished."

Joey lifted his head to look at her. "You won't leave without me?"

She knew he was afraid she'd leave him alone in the hospital. "I promise I won't leave without you."

He nodded slowly. "Okay. I'll watch my show while you're gone."

"Thank you." She eased from his bed, straightening her badly wrinkled clothes. "I'll be back as soon as possible."

"Have you eaten breakfast?" Aaron asked. "I can grab something for you if needed."

"There hasn't been time for me to eat," she admitted. She hoped he hadn't heard her stomach growling. She hadn't felt right accepting a free parent tray from the kitchen as she technically wasn't Joey's legal guardian. "I'll swing by the cafeteria on my way back up to Joey's room."

"Did you hear that, Joey? Maggie needs to stop and get breakfast too," Aaron said. "She'll be back very soon."

Joey nodded. "Okay."

Maggie frowned as she followed Aaron down the hall toward the elevator. "I hope I don't miss the child psychologist."

"I hope not, too, but if so, we can ask the doc to swing by again." He pushed the button to summon the car. "You need to eat, and this meeting with Chism shouldn't take too long."

"Did you call Officer Thomas?" she asked as they rode down to the emergency department.

"Oh yeah. I wanted him to know what happened." Aaron shook his head. "I really hope the court doesn't give Chism custody of Joey."

"I hope not too." She remembered the layout of the emergency department from those hours she spent holding Joey. Finding Oliver Chism's room wasn't difficult, and Officer Thomas gave her a nod when they walked in.

"Dr. Dall. Thanks for stopping down." Thomas looked toward Oliver. "Mr. Chism, you remember Dr. Maggie Dall."

"Yeah." Chism shifted on the bed. She stepped closer, raking her gaze over the monitor readings. He played with the pulse oximeter on his finger, then lifted his head to flash her a chagrined look. "I heard you saved my life."

She nodded slowly. "You almost died."

"I know." He put a hand to his chest, and she wondered if her chest compressions had cracked a couple of his ribs. That was always a possibility, even if they were done correctly. "The doc said if you hadn't been there, I woulda died."

That was probably stretching the truth, as anyone could have done CPR. However, she decided not to quibble. "But I was there, and you survived. That's what's important."

"I want you to have custody of Joey," he said. "I know I got problems, and I can't take care of my boy. I want you to be the one to take care of him."

Stunned, she wasn't sure what to say. As touching as Oliver Chism's statement was, the situation was more complicated than he seemed to understand.

A parent couldn't just hand over their child to another adult. But she was glad Oliver wouldn't stand in the way of Joey being placed with a foster care family he deserved.

Maybe this was God's way of answering her prayers.