Chapter 6

CHAPTER SIX

After dawdling over his coffee and fighting a wave of despair over his broken relationship with Maggie, Aaron had left the cafeteria, intending to head up to the PACU to check on Grace. Granted, Jamal would have let him know if something was amiss, but the idea of heading home didn't hold much appeal.

As pathetic as it sounded, he had to force himself not to go up to Joey's room to see Maggie. And to check on the child's progress.

When he ran into a police officer standing near a skinny, disheveled man at the elevator, he slowed his pace. A quick glance at the officer's uniform confirmed the cop's last name was Thomas. He frowned, thinking back over the events of yesterday. Hadn't Maggie mentioned an Officer Thomas coming in to interview her and Joey? He hung back, waiting for the cop and skinny guy to get into the elevator first. When Officer Thomas pushed the button for the seventh floor, a sick feeling settled in his gut.

Was this Joey's father?

Rather than pressing the button for the third floor where the PACU was located, Aaron rode with the pair to the seventh floor, hoping and praying he was wrong.

While instinctively knowing he wasn't.

Officer Thomas and the skinny, disheveled man left the elevator first. He let them get several steps ahead of him in case he was wrong. Looking over the skinny guy's shoulder, he saw Maggie striding purposefully toward them with a stern expression etched on her features. When she stopped, blocking the doorway to Joey's room, he almost smiled.

"Officer Thomas." Maggie's voice was ice. "What brings you here this morning?"

"Dr. Dall." The officer gave her a nod. "This is Oliver Chism. He is listed as Joseph Johnson's father on his birth certificate."

"I see." Maggie crossed her arms over her chest and gave the skinny guy a piercing look. "Does that mean he's been paying child support for the past four years? Visiting the boy on a regular basis? Been supportive of Joey in any way since his birth?" Her gaze narrowed. "Has he ever seen his son before today?"

There was a long silence. Aaron could tell Officer Thomas was trying to figure out how to approach the situation. He felt sorry for anyone who was in an adversarial relationship with Maggie. She was one tough cookie.

He should know. She walked away from him with the same disdain emanating from her eyes now.

"I wanna see my kid," Oliver said in a whiny voice. "I got rights."

Maggie didn't say a word, waiting for Officer Thomas to answer.

"No, he has not been doing any of those things," Officer Thomas admitted. "But now that Joey's mother is dead…"

From where he stood several paces behind the officer, he could see the horror and dread flash across Maggie's features. This was her worst fear.

And he wasn't sure there would be anything she could do to prevent Oliver Chism from taking custody of his son.

"Joey has undergone surgery, and I will not allow him to be upset by being confronted by a stranger." Maggie's gaze pleaded with Officer Thomas to support her in this. "If Mr. Chism is ultimately granted custody of Joey, then obviously we would try to make this as smooth a transition as possible."

"You can't keep me from my kid," Oliver protested.

Maggie ignored him. "Furthermore, I would expect the court to complete a DNA test along with a drug and alcohol assessment of Mr. Chism to make sure he's actually Joey's father and fit to take care of a young child."

The back of Oliver's neck flushed red with anger, or embarrassment. Aaron quickly moved forward to help defuse the situation.

"I agree that Child Protective Services will need to vet Mr. Chism prior to his taking custody of the child," Officer Thomas said. "However, I wasn't sure if Joey needed someone to give consent to medical care. I didn't want there to be a delay in the child getting the care he needs."

Maggie looked as if she might answer, but he stepped in. "Hello, I'm Dr. Aaron Monroe. Unfortunately, Joey's condition took a turn for the worse yesterday," he explained. "The trauma surgeon feared for Joey's life and decided to take him to the operating room after deeming the procedure emergent. He drained the internal bleeding the boy suffered as a result of the bus crash, and he left a drain in place in case more blood accumulated in the area. Joey is also getting IV antibiotics to ward off an infection."

"And that's why I'm not willing to have Joey disturbed at this time," Maggie added. "He's in pain, and we don't know for sure if he'll need to have another procedure. This is not the time for him to meet his— father ." The subtle distasteful emphasis on the last word was impossible to ignore. Although Aaron wasn't convinced Oliver Chism was smart enough to pick up on it.

"That is helpful information to know," Officer Thomas said with a nod. "We appreciate the update on Joey's condition. I'm glad to know Joey has been well cared for. And since parental consent is no longer needed, I'll escort Mr. Chism home."

Aaron wondered where the guy lived and made a mental note to call Alec to have him dig into Oliver Chism's background. The guy appeared sketchy, but that didn't mean he had a criminal past.

He had to assume the police wouldn't have brought Oliver Chism to the hospital if he was a felon.

Then again, he wasn't necessarily up to speed on the rules and regulations of family law. Plenty of criminals had kids. The courts didn't intervene unless there was a proven case of neglect or abuse.

The thought of Joey suffering made him angry.

"I'm not leaving till I've seen my kid," Oliver protested. He tried to shake off Officer Thomas's hand.

It didn't work.

"Oh yes, you are," Officer Thomas said. "I'm sure you want to do whatever is in the best interest of your child. Don't you?"

That statement gave the skinny guy pause. As if he was realizing for the first time that his ability to win custody of his son depended on his actions. It was not a guarantee.

"Yeah, sure," Oliver mumbled, hunching his shoulders. "Whatever."

Aaron stepped to the side, giving Officer Thomas and Oliver Chism room to leave. He caught the apologetic expression on the officer's face and knew the guy would be an ally for Joey.

Yet he also knew that the legal system didn't always act in the best interests of the public. If Oliver really was Joey's biological father, the judge might be inclined to place Joey in his custody. Keeping families together was always a top priority.

A soft cry from inside Joey's room had Maggie spinning in the doorway and disappearing inside. He followed, watching as she drew the child into her arms, whispering reassurances.

As before, Joey clung to Maggie like a lifeline. It made sense that the child had gotten so attached to her; she'd barely left his side since the bus crash. When Joey settled back down, she lifted her head to look at him.

"I know," he whispered, easily reading her thoughts. "I'll talk to Alec, see what he can dig up on Chism."

"I'm sure Officer Thomas did that too," she said in a low voice.

"Probably. But Alec is a detective, he may be able to find out more about this guy." He needed to do something to ease the strain on her features. "Let's hope for the best, okay? Maybe he's not as bad as we're assuming he is."

"Maybe." She scowled. "Although I have to believe his mother kept him away from the guy for a reason."

He nodded and pulled out his phone. It was early, but Alec was likely up. He had a seven-year-old daughter named Shannon, and his wife, Jillian, was pregnant again, after suffering a miscarriage. Jillian was fourteen weeks along now, and everyone was praying she would carry this baby to term.

"Hey, Aaron, what's up?" His brother's voice sounded cheerful.

"I need a favor." He turned from the doorway so he wouldn't disturb Joey's sleep. "Remember the work you did last Christmas in finding Joy's mother?"

"Yeah, of course," Alec said. "Do you have an abandoned baby at the hospital again?"

"A little boy has lost his mother in a bus crash," he said. "Joey Johnson is about four years old, and we just got a glimpse of his biological father, Oliver Chism. We're not impressed."

"We?" Alec asked. "Are you working with one of the social workers on the unit?"

"Maggie is in town; we both responded to the bus crash," he said. "She's been with Joey since it happened. He had emergency surgery yesterday and is currently an inpatient here at Children's Memorial."

"Okay." Alec drew the word out. "I'm surprised to hear Maggie is in town, but I'm happy to look into this Oliver Chism character."

"Thanks, Alec. Do you know an Officer Thomas? He was the one who found Oliver Chism listed on Joey's birth certificate."

"Doesn't ring a bell," Alec said. "But I can reach out to him."

He figured it couldn't hurt. "That would be great. Thanks so much. We're really worried about this little boy. He's still struggling with his mother's death."

"I can imagine," Alec murmured. "I'll do my best. I don't suppose you have a middle initial or date of birth for this guy?"

"No. His age is hard to gauge, but I'm assuming midtwenties? He looks older, and I wouldn't rule out drug or alcohol abuse."

"Got it. I'll see what I can come up with." Alec paused for a moment, then added, "Is Maggie sticking around for a while?"

He turned to look at his ex-wife, snuggled on the hospital bed with Joey as they watched an animated movie. He knew what Alec was really asking. "We're not getting back together or anything, we just want to make sure Joey gets the care he needs."

"Okay." Thankfully, his brother didn't push the issue. "I'll be in touch."

"Thanks." He was about to shove the phone in his pocket when it vibrated with a text message from Jamal.

Grace is being discharged from PACU.

That was his cue to get back to work. For now, he'd done everything he could to help Maggie and Joey.

He could only pray his brother came through for them.

* * *

Maggie had felt oddly bereft when Aaron gave her a nod and walked away. No doubt he needed to follow up on his tiny patient.

As much as she appreciated his calling his brother Alec, she doubted there was much that could be done. Oliver Chism would be considered a suitable custodian for Joey.

Or he wouldn't.

She had been granted a bit of a reprieve but suspected it wouldn't be long until she was forced to introduce the child to his father.

The breakfast she'd shared with Aaron churned in her stomach. But she did her best to stay positive. Joey seemed to be feeling a little better, but when he began to whine, she called the nurse for more pain medication.

The good news was that the little boy was lasting a bit longer between doses. She knew that after the first twenty-four hours, Kyle would likely cut back on the prescribed dose.

And Joey would need to start moving around more too.

"I have'ta go to the bathroom," Joey said.

"Okay, let's go." She helped him into a sitting position, then stood and picked him up from the bed and set him on his feet. During the night, she'd carried him to the bathroom, but now she said, "You know where it is."

He nodded and walked under his own power while she brought the IV pole along. If all went well, the catheter would be removed later that day after his last antibiotic infusion.

Maybe she should feel guilty over the way she'd played up Joey's illness with Officer Thomas, but she didn't. In less than twenty-four hours, the child had lost his mother and had undergone abdominal surgery. Two major life events that were more than enough for the little boy to deal with for now.

Adding a father he'd never met would not help his healing. If anything, she felt certain the little boy would suffer a setback at the thought of being placed with a stranger.

"Hurts," he said, pressing a hand to his side.

"I know." She glanced at her watch, expecting the nurse to arrive with more pain medication any minute. "When you're finished here, I'll check with the nurse."

After going to the bathroom, he frowned, shooting her a resigned look when she made him wash his hands. By the time she had him up in the bed, his nurse had arrived.

The rest of the morning passed slowly. At least for her. She'd been given a small paper box called a parent pack from the nursing staff. Inside, she'd found basic toiletries, which had enabled her to wash up and brush her teeth without having to return to the hotel. The nursing staff had treated her with a sweet respect, even though they must have known she wasn't Joey's guardian.

Things could have been worse. Yet as much as she intended to stick to Joey like glue, lying stretched out on the hospital bed with the little boy and watching animated movies gave her far too much time to think.

About Aaron. Their failed marriage. And their all-too-civilized divorce.

Odd really, how easily Aaron had given in to her request to separate. At the time, she figured he'd fully intended to move on with some other woman who could give him the six Monroe kids he'd wanted, but he hadn't.

Maybe he was more married to his career than she'd realized. After all, the way he was constantly texting with the residents during their time off work had been incredibly annoying.

It didn't matter, so why was she ruminating over those last few fateful weeks in her mind?

Because seeing Aaron again after two years had reminded her of the good times they'd shared, more so than the bad times.

She still couldn't quite figure out why Aaron was still single. Or so she assumed since he hadn't mentioned he was seeing anyone.

Just like she wasn't seeing anyone either.

Would Aaron come and find her when he heard from his brother Alec? She knew without hesitation he would. And thinking of Alec made her wonder how the rest of his family was doing. Tragic to hear how Andrea had lost her husband, but knowing the others were all married was interesting. She had no doubt they were all starting families of their own.

A family she and Aaron could never have.

Enough. There was no point in thinking about what might have been. Better to stay focused on why God had put her outside the Pfister Hotel as the truck had plowed into the bus.

If not for that, she wouldn't be sitting here with Joey now. Contemplating how she could finagle a way to become his temporary, then permanent guardian.

Rather than his father. The thought made her wince. Did she really think she was that much better than Oliver Chism?

Yeah, she did. But that wasn't fair. It was entirely possible the guy hadn't known about Joey. His mother may have decided to keep him a secret.

But then why list him on the birth certificate?

Thinking about Oliver Chism made her head hurt.

"Dr. Dall?" A pretty woman poked her head into the room. "I'm Eloise from social services. I understand you requested a consult?"

"Yes." She glanced down to see Joey was still awake, albeit focused on the television screen. "I need to talk to Eloise for a few minutes, okay?"

"'Kay," Joey said with a yawn. Clearly the pain meds were keeping him mellow.

She slipped from the bed and stretched before moving toward the door. She was not accustomed to sitting around all day, and her muscles were starting to scream in protest. She stepped out into the hall so Joey wouldn't overhear.

"I understand you're interested in becoming a foster parent for Joseph Johnson," Eloise said.

"Yes, I am." She had asked for this meeting yesterday, before she'd known about Oliver Chism being Joey's biological father. Still, she wasn't about to simply hand the child over without a fight. Or at least knowing Oliver would treat the boy well. "I was hoping you could help me navigate the process."

"I can, but you know it takes time. And you don't live in Wisconsin anymore, is that correct?" Eloise glanced at the tablet in her hand. "I don't know that any judge will approve a foster mother from out of state."

"I grew up in this area and can move back easily enough," she said. "That's not important. Finding a proper guardian for Joey is all that matters."

"Yes, of course. That's what we want too," Eloise hastened to reassure her.

Maggie sighed and knew she couldn't keep crucial information from this woman. It wasn't as if she wouldn't find out sooner or later anyway. "You should know that police officer Thomas came by earlier with a man by the name of Oliver Chism. It's possible he's Joey's father."

"Oh, I see." Eloise's glance was sympathetic. "That changes things."

"Only if a DNA test proves he's Joey's father and if he is deemed fit to care for a young child," Maggie said. "Getting those results back will likely take time, which is why I would still like to begin the process of being a temporary foster parent for Joey."

"Hmm." Eloise didn't look convinced.

"I have been at his side, holding and caring for him since the accident." She tried not to sound as desperate as she felt. "He trusts me and has been leaning on me for support. Don't make him start over with someone new. Not yet. Not until we know for sure Mr. Chism is his actual father and capable of caring for him."

Eloise sighed and nodded. "There's no reason you can't start the process by filling out the paperwork online." She handed Maggie the tablet. "You can use this. I have the site bookmarked for you. However, you have to understand that today is Saturday. No one will even look at this application until Monday. And even then…" She shrugged. "You know how government stuff works. Nothing moves at warp speed. You'll have to make some phone calls if you want this to be treated as a priority."

"I understand. Thank you." She clutched the tablet to her chest. "I'll get this back to you as soon as possible."

"I'm here until three o'clock this afternoon." Eloise offered a gentle smile. "I hope this works out for you."

"Me too." And wasn't that the understatement of the year? She turned to head back into Joey's room. Then she settled on the bed next to the little boy to begin filling out the government form. She shouldn't have been surprised that the entire process took well over an hour to complete.

And even then, she went back through the form to make sure she hadn't missed anything.

She pressed submit, then let out a soundless sigh. The first step had been completed.

All she could do now was wait.

And pray.