Chapter 12

CHAPTER TWELVE

Hovering in the doorway to Joey's room, Adam's heart squeezed at how the little boy clung to Maggie. Glancing at the caseworker, he realized she was frowning.

What did she expect from a traumatized child? Of course, he's going to seek comfort and support from the one consistent adult who had been there for him since he'd tragically lost his mother.

"Please, Ms. Douglas," Maggie said. "Please consider placing Joey with Krista and Adam Monroe. I know Krista, and she will allow me to help Joey transition into his new home."

"Don't wanna," Joey muttered against her neck.

"But I'll be with you at Krista and Adam's house." Maggie smoothed a hand down the child's back.

Joey lifted his head, his gaze hopeful. "You will?"

"Yes." Maggie shot a quick glance at the caseworker who hadn't said anything yet. "I will stay with you for as long as you need me."

Ms. Douglas's frown deepened. "I'm not sure that will be in Joseph's best interest."

Maggie looked as if she might cry. Aaron took a step into the room. "It might be best to check with the child psychologist on staff to get a professional opinion on that. After all, Joey has been through several traumatic events. A little stability would likely help him cope."

Ms. Douglas turned to look at him. "Who are you?"

"Dr. Aaron Monroe. Adam is my brother and a pediatrician as well." Aaron couldn't imagine a better placement for Joey than with his brother and Krista. "And his wife, Krista, is a pediatric nurse. Do you really have any other foster families more qualified to care for this child? I understand there's a severe shortage of foster parents out there. I'd like to think you'd jump on the chance my brother and his wife are offering."

The caseworker sighed. "Okay, I will see what we can do about placing Joey with Krista and Adam Monroe."

"Thank you," Maggie said. "And if you could ask your supervisor to review my application, too, I would be grateful. I would like to take Joey in on a permanent basis."

"I'll make a note of that too." Ms. Douglas didn't seem overly happy, but her gaze softened when she looked at Joey. "He does seem content with you."

"Yes, he is." Maggie's smile lit up her face. "Thank you so much. I promise to take excellent care of Joey."

"I would like to see the child psychologist's report, though," Ms. Douglas said.

"Of course." Maggie glanced up at the clock on the way. "I asked for a referral yesterday, but obviously, I don't know how many patients they need to see. If someone doesn't swing by soon, I'll ask the nurse to page the psychologist on duty."

"As a physician, you understand how the system works," Ms. Douglas said.

"Yes, I do." Maggie looked determined. "And that's why I think I'm the best option for Joey."

"It's nice to know Krista and Adam Monroe have already been approved. That should make things easier." The caseworker turned to leave. "I'll be in touch soon," she said over her shoulder.

"I don't like her," Joey said. "She's mean."

"She's not mean, she's doing her job, and it's not a very easy one. You need to treat her nicely," Maggie admonished. "I don't want to hear you say anything bad about her."

Joey ducked his head. "Okay."

Aaron fought the urge to smile. Watching Maggie and Joey only reinforced what he'd always known. Maggie would be a wonderful mother. To Joey and other children too.

And he very much wanted to be her partner in that endeavor.

"Maggie, would you please have dinner with me?" She'd refused his offer to have lunch together, but he was determined not to let her go without a fight.

The way he should have fought for her prior to their divorce.

"I'm not sure what time Joey will be discharged or if he'll really get to go to Krista and Adam's home." Her gaze clung to his for a long moment. "I'll probably need to stay close to Joey."

"I understand." He tucked his hands into the pockets of his lab coat. "I'll check back with you later. If Joey does get discharged to Krista and Adam's, maybe I can bring dinner to you."

She tilted her head to the side, eyeing him curiously. "Are you sure?"

"Yes." He looked at the little boy. "Joey, do you like spaghetti?"

Joey nodded. "Meatballs!"

"I like spaghetti and meatballs too," he assured the boy. "How about if I bring that over for dinner later?"

Joey nodded, then glanced up at the television. "Can I watch my movie now?"

"Of course." Maggie settled the boy back in his hospital bed. She lifted the edge of his gown to double-check his incision, then smiled. "I'll restart the movie Cars for you."

"Goodie," Joey said, reclining on the pillows.

Maggie played with the controls, then moved toward him. "Let me guess, takeout spaghetti and meatballs?"

"Yep, from Giovani's," he said with a smile. "Better than anything I can make."

"Oh, I'm well aware of your lack of cooking skills," she said dryly. "Nice of you to offer to bring dinner."

"Maggie, I'd really like some time to talk." He had to restrain himself from reaching out to draw her into his arms. "I know I made some mistakes, but I don't think I'm solely responsible for our breakup."

He half expected her to argue, but she nodded thoughtfully. "No, you're right in that we both share that responsibility." She tucked a wayward curl behind her ear. "I'd like to make sure Joey is settled in before leaving him, though."

"I know, that's why I figured I'd bring dinner. Maybe after he falls asleep?" Hope swelled in his heart. "I'll wait as long as it takes."

"Okay." She managed a smile. "I'll let you know if anything changes with Joey's condition or his discharge plan."

"Great." He wished he could kiss her but settled for returning her smile. "I'll see you and Joey soon."

As if reading his mind, she leaned in to give him a quick kiss on the cheek. "Thanks for your support with Ms. Douglas."

"Anytime." He had to force himself to turn away. "Later, then."

"Later." He sensed her watching him as he left the room. Reaching for his phone, he called his brother Adam to fill him in on the plan. Adam didn't answer, likely seeing patients, so Aaron sent a quick text indicating Adam should call him.

Thirty minutes passed before Adam returned his call. Aaron was back in his office after checking in on Grace. "I just heard from Krista. Sounds like Joey is coming home with us and your ex-wife."

"For sure? Krista heard that from CPS?" Aaron asked.

"Yes, less than five minutes ago," Adam said. "We're thrilled, but I know Maggie is the one Joey has bonded with."

Aaron winced. "I know, and I'm sure that will make things difficult for you and Krista. I mean, I know how badly you want a family of your own."

"We do," Adam said. "But that's the thing. Krista took a pregnancy test earlier this morning, and it's positive." His brother sounded thrilled. "We're going to have a baby in roughly seven months."

"That's wonderful news," Aaron said, even as he felt a strange twinge in the region of his heart. Once he'd hoped to hear those words from Maggie.

But maybe it was time to accept that God had other plans for them.

"Thanks, we're thrilled. And hopefully, Maggie's application will get approved too," Adam said. "It sounds like she really wants to care for Joey."

That was putting it mildly. "She does."

"We'll pray for the two of them to stay together," Adam said. The sound of a baby crying came through the phone's speaker. "That's my cue. I have to go; my next patient is here."

"One more thing, I'm bringing dinner tonight from Giovani's," Aaron said quickly. "You and Krista won't need to do anything."

"Great, I'll let her know. Bye." Adam disconnected from the call.

Aaron sat back in his desk chair for a moment, then fired off a couple of emails to make sure he was not on call for the evening. Then he glanced up at the ceiling. He couldn't see the sky overhead, but that was okay. He knew God was up there looking down at him.

Drawing in a deep breath, he closed his eyes and prayed. Please, Lord, grant me the wisdom to make things right with Maggie! Amen.

* * *

The rest of the day passed quicker than Maggie could have imagined. Kyle Flores dropped in to see Joey. After a thorough exam, Kyle declared him medically stable for discharge. The child psychologist came through as well, spending a solid forty-five minutes with Joey. Maggie was impressed by how Dr. Starland asked probing questions and managed to get key information from the little boy.

Like the fact that his mother was taking him to get food the day of the bus crash.

From what Maggie gathered, Pamela was barely scraping by. Joey said they didn't always have milk for his cereal in the morning. And that he usually had a half of a peanut butter and jelly sandwich for lunch because he and his mom shared it. The more she listened to the child, the more she was irked by how Joey's father hadn't provided any financial support.

Yet she was humbled by how much Pamela seemed to care for Joey, traveling by bus to various food pantries to obtain badly needed groceries. From what Joey described, a longer bus trip offered the best items.

"One time, we got a bag of mini chocolate chip cookies there!" His eyes gleamed with excitement. "That was my favorite."

Maggie made a mental note to provide a financial donation to the food pantries in the city in honor of Joey's mom.

When the psychologist was finished, Maggie followed her out of the room. "A Ms. Francis Douglas from Child Protective Services would like a copy of your report on Joey. I've applied to be a foster parent, but there's another couple, Krista and Adam Monroe, who are already approved as foster parents, and I've requested Joey be placed with them so that I can be there to help with the transition."

"I saw the note from the social worker related to his situation," Dr. Starland said. "I think Joey is doing remarkably well considering the trauma he's been through. It's obvious he's become very attached to you. He's viewing you as his surrogate mother, the woman keeping him safe now that his mother isn't there to do that for him. My professional opinion supports keeping you involved in his care as much as possible, and I'll be happy to add that to my report."

Tears of gratitude pricked Maggie's eyes, and it was all she could do not to throw her arms around the woman. "That would be wonderful. Thank you."

"He's a bright and well-adjusted little boy," Dr. Starland said. "Much of that is thanks to you choosing to be there for him. I'm not so sure anyone else would have done the same."

"I'm sure they would if they could," Maggie said. "Thankfully, I was able to get off work to stay with him." She understood her role as an anesthesiologist gave her a privilege many others couldn't afford. She could use her vacation time and had plenty of money saved up for additional expenses she might have. And she had a career that enabled her to relocate to Milwaukee without difficulty. Most health systems were hiring, and she was confident she'd be able to secure another position.

Most people, especially those outside the medical field didn't have that flexibility.

"I'm glad." Dr. Starland patted her arm. "It was nice to meet you."

"You too." Maggie turned to head back inside Joey's room. Now that things were moving in the right direction, it was time to clear the rest of her schedule back in Boston.

And submit her resignation.

It was a huge step, but one that was necessary. She wanted to fight for the right to be Joey's foster mother with the hope of adopting him. She couldn't do that from a thousand miles away.

It wasn't until almost four o'clock in the afternoon that Joey's discharge from Children's Memorial was finalized. Krista had arrived once Ms. Douglas approved the Monroes as Joey's temporary foster family. And shortly after that, Aaron strode in.

"What can I do to help?" he asked.

"I purchased a child safety seat, but it's still in the box," Krista said. "If you could unpack it and get it set up in the back seat of my SUV, I'd appreciate it."

"Of course. Where is your car?" Aaron held out his hand for the keys.

"I'll reimburse you for the child safety seat," Maggie said, after Aaron had left to do Krista's bidding.

Krista shook her head. "Not necessary. We'll need it eventually anyway."

"What do you mean?" Maggie didn't follow.

"I'm pregnant," Krista confided. "But it's early, so we're not going to announce to the rest of the family yet."

"Congratulations." Maggie braced herself for the twinge of envy, but it didn't come. "Does Adam know?"

"Yes, he was there this morning as I took the test," Krista said with a smile. "And I think he told Aaron too." She wrinkled her nose. "I guess our plan to keep the news a secret isn't working out too well."

"You make the announcement when you're ready," Maggie said. "Having been through many miscarriages, it's probably better to wait."

"Oh, I'm sorry. I didn't realize." Krista caught Maggie's hand. "That must have been difficult."

"It was, but I've come to accept God's plan for me." She bent to help Joey into the new clothes she'd bought from the gift shop. They were pajamas, but she thought the elastic waistband was the best option considering his incision. "I'm at peace now."

Leaving the hospital with Krista and Joey felt surreal. She glanced at Krista as they hiked toward the employee parking structure. "I should have asked if you're sure about this. And about me staying with you."

Krista waved that off. "We're sure. And I offered, remember? I heard Aaron is bringing dinner tonight too." She hesitated, then asked, "How are you and Aaron doing?"

"He wants to talk later tonight, after Joey falls asleep." Maggie sighed. "I guess we should have a conversation about how things went wrong. But I don't want him to feel like he owes me something because of Joey."

Krista was quiet for a moment. "Adam and I have only been married for six months, but we've known each other longer than that. One thing I've learned is that the Monroe men tend to hold back their feelings. It often takes them time to verbalize them in a way that makes sense." She shrugged. "I'd say give Aaron a chance. Maybe he's learned from his mistakes."

Maggie nodded. "They're not all his mistakes; I made them too."

"Ah, the hallmark of a true relationship," Krista said in a light tone. "Accepting that it takes two to make things work is more than half the battle."

That was more difficult under the stress of infertility, but Maggie kept that to herself as they reached the parking structure. Aaron backed out of the SUV, a large grin on his features. "It was like putting a complicated jigsaw puzzle together, but I did it!"

"Yeah, I'm pretty sure there were instructions in the box," Krista said. "Thanks, though."

"I'll head out to grab the food and meet you back at your place." Aaron stepped back so that Maggie could get Joey into the safety seat.

"Sounds good." Maggie found herself looking forward to seeing Aaron later. A vastly different feeling than she'd had on Friday at the medical conference when he'd come outside to talk to her. A reunion that seemed like weeks ago rather than days.

Adam and Krista lived in a beautiful home in Brookland, which wasn't that far from where Aaron lived. There were four bedrooms, but one wasn't furnished yet. "This is going to be our nursery," Krista confided. "You can have one guest room, and we'll put Joey in the other."

Joey seemed disappointed there was no television in his room like there was at the hospital, but he was easily distracted by the very large television in the living room. Maggie knew she'd have her work cut out for her, getting Joey outside to play rather than staying inside to watch television.

When Aaron arrived with dinner, they all took their seats at the kitchen table. Maggie propped pillows on a chair situated between her and Aaron.

Adam said grace, and she was surprised at how Aaron bowed his head and joined in. They hadn't prayed before meals when they were together, but she remembered his parents had done that at holiday gatherings.

Believing in God was one thing; practicing your faith on a daily basis was another. A practice they could have done better during their marriage.

Later that night, once she'd gotten Joey to fall asleep in his new room, she joined Aaron, Adam, and Krista in the living room. Aaron jumped to his feet.

"Let's take a walk."

She flushed and nodded as Krista and Adam cuddled close. No doubt they were basking in the news of their pregnancy.

"This is a really nice neighborhood," Maggie said as they strolled down the driveway. "I can see why you and Adam have chosen to live here."

"And it's not that far from our parents," Aaron agreed. Then he caught her hand in his. "I want you to know I plan to resign my position as Chairman of Pediatric Cardiac Surgery."

"What?" She stopped, staring at him in shock. "Why would you do that?"

"Because I want a second chance with you, Maggie." He turned so they were facing each other. "I've been miserable in the two years since we split. Seeing you again has made me realize how much I still love you."

She gaped, unsure what to say. "Aaron, I can't give you a baby."

"I handled it badly when you mentioned your test results, but that was partially because I had already assumed we'd adopt. I shouldn't have been texting about my patients during our conversation, and that's something I promise to work on." His gaze was earnest. "That's why I plan to resign from the chairman position. I don't want that additional responsibility. Not when I need to be there for you and Joey."

"I still love you, too, Aaron," she said, feeling as if the weight of the world had rolled off her shoulders. Why hadn't she realized it before now? "I love you very much. And I should have handled things better back then too. I should have told you how I felt rather than expecting you to read my mind. I told myself you deserved to father the next generation of Monroes. But I realize now that I used that as an excuse to leave."

"Ah, Maggie, we're a pair, aren't we?" He drew her close, and she willingly went into his arms. "We both made mistakes, but I know I need to make some changes in my life. Starting with you, Maggie. I never stopped loving you."

"I never stopped loving you either," she whispered. Then she reached up and pulled his head down so she could kiss him.

The familiar heat and desire flared as if they had never been apart. Maybe even more so now that they were back where they belonged.

With each other.

After a long kiss, Aaron finally lifted his head. "Do you think God sent Joey to bring us together?"

"Yes." She stared up at him. "I think God knew that we needed Joey as much as he needs us."

"We'll have the family we always wanted." Aaron spoke with confidence. "Because love heals all wounds."

"Yes, it does." She shivered in the chilly autumn air, moving closer to his warmth. "It's always been you, Aaron." She looked up at him. "I've always loved you."

"And you have my heart too," he said. "Always and forever."

She couldn't help but smile. He was right about God bringing them together.

"Maggie, will you marry me again?" he asked. "Not just for Joey, but for us?"

It was a serious question. She pulled out of his arms so she could see his expression more clearly. "I can't lie, Aaron. I'll be devastated if we don't get to have Joey. But I have learned that we are stronger together. And if God has another plan for Joey, then we'll focus on the next child in need. We can do anything as long as we're committed to each other."

"Eloquent, but is that a yes?" he teased.

"Yes." She wrapped her arms around his neck. "That's a resounding yes."

As Aaron kissed her in the moonlight, Maggie knew she was right where she belonged. In Aaron's arms.

And God willing, Joey would be a part of their family too.