Chapter 8

CHAPTER EIGHT

Lingering in Joey's room wasn't smart, especially watching Maggie and Joey interact as if they were mother and son when that wasn't the likely outcome here. Yet Aaron was loath to leave.

"Kyle came by and removed Joey's drain." Maggie offered a sad smile. "Joey's recovery is going well. And while that's good news, it looks like Joey will be ready for discharge on Monday."

He nodded thoughtfully. "That's not a lot of time to get a foster parent arranged."

"Tell me about it." She grimaced. "I filled out the application, but I'm sure there's no way I'll get approved that quickly."

He wasn't surprised she'd filled out the application, although he didn't understand why she even tried. "You don't live here, Maggie. I can't imagine a judge is going to approve you taking him to Boston."

"I know, I thought I could get a rental property for a few months while I look for a job here in the Milwaukee area."

Wait, she was planning to move back here? He stared at her for a long moment. "I don't know what to say. That's a huge move when you don't know for sure how this will turn out." This being Joey's biological father.

If Oliver Chism was, in fact, Joey's biological father. He'd want to see the DNA results for himself before letting that guy near the boy.

Then again, if Chism was able to get a lawyer, he and Maggie may have little say in the matter. Joey's mother did list the guy as the father on the birth certificate. Seems unlikely she would have done that if it wasn't true.

"I know it's a big move, but I need to try." Maggie glanced at Joey who licked his popsicle while watching television. The boy didn't seem to be paying much attention to the adults in the room. "I can't just walk away."

"You walked away from us," he said, before he could check himself.

She flushed and crossed her arms over her chest. "You let me. And besides, you know I can't give you the family you wanted."

He was about to point out that all he'd wanted was her and to maybe adopt when his phone rang. Seeing Jamal's number on the screen, he groaned. "Sorry, I have to take this."

"I know." Maggie turned her attention to Joey while he walked out of the room to take the call.

"What's going on with Grace?" he asked.

"She's got some bleeding, and I thought you'd want to come and see for yourself." Jamal sounded more concerned than panicked, but he trusted the resident's judgment.

"I'll be right over." He lowered his phone, wishing he could stay and finish this conversation with Maggie. "My post-op patient is bleeding. I'm sorry. I need to go see her."

"Don't apologize." Maggie said the words casually, but her expression was tense. "I know patient care comes first."

Did she? He hesitated, then forced himself to turn away. Their relationship was over, and covering old ground wouldn't change anything.

No matter how much he wanted it to.

As he headed to the pediatric ICU, he quickly called Alec. "Hey, Oliver Chism showed up here at Children's Memorial to see his son despite being told not to."

"You want me to follow him around?" Alec asked. "Maybe I can catch him in the act of committing a crime."

That sounded drastic, and while it was tempting, he knew it wasn't fair. It was Saturday, and Alec had a family of his own. "No, I guess I was looking for advice. Not sure what we can do to keep him out of the hospital while Joey recovers from his surgery."

"I can talk to a friend of mine who happens to work in the police district where Chism lives," Alec offered. "Cops often know the troublemakers who ride the line in their district. Maybe he has some ideas."

"Thanks. Whatever you can do that doesn't take you away from Shannon and Jillian is great."

"You got it," Alec said. "Later."

"Later." He pocketed his phone as he entered the intensive care unit. Jamal was standing at Grace's bedside, his expression somber. The six-month-old baby girl was connected to monitors, but he looked at her first, looking at her cute face and the way her chest rose and fell with each breath before lifting his gaze to the blood pressure and heart rate readings across the screen.

"She's tachy, and her BP is low," Jamal said, stating the obvious. "I've been watching her closely but wanted to make sure you were in the loop."

"I appreciate that." From his perspective, the baby's condition was stable, but if the bleeding didn't slow down soon, she'd fall into the critical category. "I'll stay here for a while if you have other patients to see."

Jamal hesitated, then nodded. "Thanks. You know how weekends are. My pager has been going off a lot. I've done most of the troubleshooting over the phone, but there are a couple of patients I should see in person. Although none as sick as Grace."

"Go ahead, I'll watch Grace." He frowned. "If she needs to go back to the OR, I'll let you know."

Jamal looked relieved until his pager went off again. With a sigh, the resident left the PICU, no doubt needing to check on yet another crisis.

He settled in beside Grace, debating the pros and cons of giving the baby a blood transfusion. Normally, he avoided going down that path. In his experience, kids typically recovered fairly well without them. And transfusions were not without risk; he'd seen his share of transfusion reactions. He'd had one young patient who'd nearly died after experiencing a transfusion reaction. It was a case where he'd decided at the last minute to stay in the room to watch over the patient himself. If he hadn't? He was convinced the little boy wouldn't have survived.

Hence why he tended to wait before ordering what some surgeons considered a routine treatment. Yet he didn't like how pale Grace was. Or the way her vitals teetered on the verge of crashing.

He settled in to wait and watch. He'd give her another thirty minutes before making his decision. Unless her condition changed to the point he had no choice.

At times like this, he wondered why he'd become a pediatric cardiac surgeon.

This level of responsibility—holding the life of a six-month-old baby in your hands—was not for the fainthearted.

* * *

Maggie didn't see Aaron again for the rest of Saturday night, which ironically bothered her. Not that she'd wanted to rehash the circumstances of their divorce, but the fact that he'd accused her of walking away stung.

She hadn't seen it that way. She'd told him to move on and to have the family he deserved. He hadn't, and now she wanted to know why.

Did he still have feelings for her?

The way she still loved him?

Sleep didn't come easy. By Sunday morning, she would have given a lot for a giant cup of coffee. Joey was doing better, but he still woke up crying in pain when the medication wore off. She was exhausted yet relieved to see Joey was eager to try some pudding. He'd handled the Jell-O and popsicles well last night, which enabled him to move on to a full liquid diet. Hopefully by dinner time, he could try solid foods.

She'd tried to get him to eat the oatmeal, but he was not having it. Hard to argue, as oatmeal was no match for chocolate pudding.

When he was finished with his breakfast, she stood and stretched her sore muscles before setting the empty tray aside so he could color. It was nice to see him doing something other than watching Disney+. With a yawn, she blinked the exhaustion from her eyes. She'd slept on the cot in the room between rounds of holding Joey in her arms to help him drift off to sleep.

She'd always known the hospital setting wasn't the best place to get rest. Frequent interruptions during the night prevented that. Experiencing it firsthand was a whole new level of frustration. She'd finally convinced the nurse to not wake Joey to take vital signs, but to wait until he needed more pain medication. If it wasn't exactly every four hours, too bad. The nurse had reluctantly agreed. That one change had provided her almost three full hours of sleep.

Not great, but better than nothing.

"Where's my mommy?" Joey's innocent question was like a knife slicing through her heart. She'd explained this several times, but he was only four and likely couldn't comprehend the concept of death.

"Your mommy is up in heaven with God and Jesus," she said.

"When is she coming back?" Joey asked, glancing up from his coloring book. "I want her to come see me."

This was the hardest thing she'd ever done, and no matter how she tried to say the words, she couldn't soften the blow. "Your mommy can't come back, Joey. She's in heaven forever."

His lower lip trembled. "I want my mommy."

"I know, sweetie. I know." She sat on the edge of his mattress and cuddled him close. Now that the IV tubing had been removed, he could move more freely. He wrapped his arms around her neck, holding on tight. "Your mommy loved you very much," she whispered.

He didn't say anything in response but buried his face against her chest. This was why she'd submitted the paperwork to become a foster parent. And why she'd uproot her life and her career to relocate here to Milwaukee if that helped her get custody of Joey.

This little boy needed her in a way no one else ever had.

Not even Aaron.

Comparing a child's need for a mother figure wasn't the same as the bond between husband and wife, but Aaron hadn't really needed her. Maybe it was his being the oldest sibling, but he always seemed to be in control, taking charge and rarely showing signs of weakness. The day she'd sat him down to explain her most recent fertility testing results proved she'd never have a child, he'd offered up the idea of adoption while texting his colleagues at the hospital about a patient.

And like today, he'd had to leave before things could be resolved. She'd known then that Aaron hadn't really wanted to adopt. He'd only mentioned it to make her feel better. His focus had been on his career.

His skilled hands had saved countless children's lives. He was probably the best pediatric cardiac surgeon in the country, but she'd wanted more from him. She'd hoped he'd feel the loss of never having a child together as acutely as she had.

But he hadn't. He'd moved onto the next task, his next patient, the next crisis, leaving her to realize their marriage was over. He'd thought walking away had been easy for her.

It hadn't been easy by any stretch of the imagination. But after she'd moved out, he'd agreed to her request for a divorce without an argument.

Whatever. She gave herself a mental shake. Seeing Aaron nonstop over these past two days had drudged up the old anger and resentment. Useless emotions that were not a part of her future.

And not part of Aaron's future either.

When Joey finally fell asleep, she'd taken advantage of the time to grab coffee and a breakfast sandwich from the cafeteria. She'd half expected to run into Aaron, but she hadn't. No doubt he was at home, or maybe up on one of the patient care units seeing patients.

She ate the sandwich in record time, then carried her coffee back to Joey's room. He was still sleeping, zonked from the pain meds, so she curled into the recliner.

She must have dozed herself, despite the caffeine, because she heard a soft voice asking, "Maggie? Are you Maggie Dall?"

"Hmm?" She opened her eyes to find a beautiful woman with long dark hair pulled into a ponytail, big brown eyes, and wearing teddy-bear scrubs hovering in the doorway of Joey's room. Glancing at the child to make sure he was still sleeping, she nodded and rose from the recliner to meet with the woman she assumed was one of the nurses who worked there. "Yes. I'm Maggie Dall."

"I'm Krista Monroe, Adam's wife." She gestured for Maggie to step outside the room. "Adam suggested I stop in and chat with you while I was on break."

"Ah, okay." She was still sleep deprived, so it took her a minute to put the puzzle pieces together. Adam was Aaron's second oldest brother who was also a pediatrician. She had never met Krista and didn't know anything about her. "Do you work here? On this floor?"

"I work on six south," Krista explained. "That unit handles babies up to two years old."

"I see." She was at a loss as to what Krista wanted. It would be one thing if she and Aaron were still married, but they weren't. "That must be challenging. At least older kids can tell you when something hurts."

"Very challenging, but I love it." Krista smiled. "That's one of the reasons I wanted to stop by."

"Oh?" Maggie tried to follow her line of thought. "If you're worried about Joey Johnson, there's no need. He's doing much better today."

"I understand he lost his mother in the bus crash," Krista said. "And that you're interested in being his foster parent."

For a moment, she was struck by a flash of annoyance. Did the whole hospital know about her? Then she realized Krista was here because Aaron had spoken to Adam. She managed a smile. "Yes, that's true. Unfortunately, I don't think I'll be able to make that happen. For one thing, Joey's biological father wants custody. Besides, I haven't moved back to Milwaukee yet, so I don't know that the family court judge would agree to providing me temporary guardianship."

"His dad, huh?" Krista frowned. "Is he able to care for Joey?"

"That's the million-dollar question," Maggie said with a sigh. "I have my not-so-favorable opinion as he's never been involved in Joey's life, not even in making child-care payments to Joey's mother. Yet I'm aware that judges often lean toward keeping families together." It pained her to speak the truth. "Unless Oliver Chism has done something terrible, I suspect he has a good chance of getting custody of his son."

"I see." Krista pursed her lips. "One good thing about your situation is that it takes time to work through the legal system. I think the court will err on the side of caution when it comes to placing a child who recently had surgery with a man who's never been a part of his life."

She wanted to hug Krista for saying that. "I would like to think so too."

"I have already been approved as a foster parent," Krista said. "Adam and I can take Joey in while the process plays out."

"You are?" Maggie was shocked to hear it. Then she remembered Aaron saying something about his brother Adam and a safe haven baby. She had told him she planned to apply to be Joey's foster mother, yet it was humbling to know Krista was here offering to help. "I—don't know what to say. That's very nice of you and would be very helpful as far as making sure Joey is placed with good people who will care about him."

"Exactly," Krista agreed. "We would be happy to welcome Joey into our home."

It was the perfect solution, but Maggie couldn't seem to grasp the opportunity with both hands. Maybe it was selfish of her, but she wanted to be Joey's foster mother.

And possibly his permanent mother, if Chism wasn't Joey's biological father.

"My biggest concern for Joey is that he's become rather attached to me." Maggie tried to put her feelings into words. "I realize that is only because I happened to respond to the bus crash," she admitted. "I've stayed with him from the scene of the crash, getting him through surgery, and now his recovery. But he hasn't warmed up to the other nursing staff."

"I understand. I had a very similar experience last Christmas with baby Joy." Krista smiled gently. "I was thrilled that Joy was able to be reunited with her mother, but I can't deny it was hard to let her go. Watching Joy's mother hold her close helped make the transition easier for me."

There was a vast difference from what Krista was describing and her situation. She couldn't even imagine Oliver Chism taking Joey in his arms and holding the boy while he fell asleep.

"Anyway, I just wanted to let you know that I'll reach out to the department of Child Protective Services first thing on Monday morning," Krista said. "I'll get the ball rolling. And you are, of course, welcome to stay with me and Adam to help care for Joey. We have plenty of room in our new home."

"I—okay." She managed a wan smile. As painful as it was to admit, this was probably the best solution for Joey's future. Far better than leaving the little boy with a stranger. "That's very kind of you."

"We're happy to help." Krista looked over Maggie's shoulder toward the sleeping boy. "I'm sure that poor boy has been through a lot. He deserves all the love and support we can provide."

Maggie nodded because Krista was right. She couldn't let her personal feelings get in the way of whatever was in Joey's best interest. "I don't know much about how kids his age process death, but I have been thinking of asking a child psychologist for advice. I figure there must be one on staff here that I can reach out to."

"That's a great idea," Krista agreed. Her gaze was somber. "What have you told him so far?"

"Just that his mother has died and went to heaven to be with God and Jesus." She grimaced. "He's only four years old, and from what I can tell, he hasn't grasped the concept of his mother never coming back."

"We definitely need input from a child psychologist," Krista said with a sigh. "I honestly don't know how else to tell him about his mother either."

"I was thinking that maybe we could get some pictures of his mother from their apartment, if the police will allow it." Maggie had intended to ask Officer Thomas about that, but his showing up with Joey's father had caused her to forget. "At least the pictures might help him remember her."

"Maybe it's better he doesn't remember her," Krista said. Then she winced. "I don't mean to sound harsh, but it might be easier for him to accept a new mother figure so he can move forward with his young life than to ruminate on his loss."

Maggie nodded. It was nice to have another person to share ideas with about the best way to approach Joey's care. "I'm open to whatever the child psychologist recommends."

"Tell Joey's nurse to put in a consult," Krista advised. Then she glanced at her watch. "Sorry, but I need to get back."

"Of course." Maggie knew hospitals remained busy on the weekends. Sometimes more so than during the week. "Thanks for coming by."

"Why don't you give me your phone number?" Krista pulled out her cell. "That way we can keep in touch."

Maggie gave Krista her number, then took hers, too, bemused at how quickly she'd bonded with her former brother-in-law's wife. "Thanks, Krista."

"See you tomorrow," Krista promised, before hurrying away.

Maggie returned to Joey's room as the little boy was waking up from his nap. As she helped him walk to the bathroom, she couldn't help feeling as if a huge weight had been taken off her shoulders.

Krista and Adam were good people. And if she couldn't be Joey's foster mother, Krista was the next best thing.

Yet somehow it made her sad to know she probably wouldn't have to move back to Milwaukee after all.

Sad to know that once she returned to Boston, she wouldn't see Aaron again.