Page 20 of Fractured Reunion

Or the steps she would have to take to become the boy’s guardian if there were no family members to be found.

The latter wasn’t likely. Over the nighttime hours she’d spent in his room, she’d steeled herself for the inevitable. Joey’s mother had parents or siblings. Someone would step forward to care for the little boy.

But if they didn’t? It was hard not to let the hope build in her heart.

Before she could try to change the subject, his phone beeped. He pulled out the device and glanced at the message. “Grace is doing well. They just removed her breathing tube.”

“That’s wonderful.” She had to give him credit where it was due. Aaron was an excellent surgeon. One of the best she’d worked with. “I’m sure the little girl’s mother will be relieved she’s going to make a full recovery.”

He nodded, and they ate for a while in silence. She quickly finished the rest of her meal, anxious to bring an end to the awkwardness between them. “I need to get back upstairs before Joey’s pain meds wear off. I don’t want him to wake up alone.”

“Maggie.” He grabbed her wrist as she stood to leave. “I know it’s probably too late, but you shouldn’t get too emotionally attached to him. I don’t want to see you get hurt.”

She bit back the urge to snap at him. “I don’t care if I get hurt. That little boy has just lost his mother. He needs me to be there for him.”

“I know that, but…”

“But nothing,” she interrupted, tugging her wrist free. “I understand he may have family members out there. If so, that’s fine. I still intend to be there to help Joey transition to his new caregivers. The fact that he doesn’t know anything about a father or aunts, uncles, or grandparents isn’t a good sign. Even if he has relatives, they will be strangers to him.”

“Yes, that’s true,” Aaron murmured. “I understand your attachment to him.”

Did he? She wasn’t so sure. She managed a reassuring smile and picked up her tray. “Take care of yourself. And little Grace.” Without waiting for him to respond, she dropped her tray of dirty dishes on the conveyor belt that would carry them around back to the dishwasher, then headed out of the cafeteria. She remembered passing a coffee shop in the lobby, so she headed there for a quick refill before taking the elevator back up to the seventh floor.

Sipping her coffee, she poked her head into Joey’s room. He was still sleeping, so she walked down to the small lounge located at the end of the hall.

She imagined this space was used for smaller patient and family gatherings, but it was empty now. Tired of sitting, she stood off to the side, absently watching some cartoon show on the television. Disney+ was a big hit here.

Smiling, she remembered how Joey had loved watching the television in his room. She didn’t know much about Joey’s mother’s financial situation, but from what she could tell, Joey hadn’t been exposed to many Disney or other animated movies. It was a good way to distract him from the pain.

After finishing her coffee, she headed back down the hall to Joey’s room. And stopped abruptly when she saw a familiar police officer walking toward her. Officer Thomas wasn’t alone; he had a skinny tattooed man with him. The guy’s pale and sunken features along with the ratty and stained long-sleeved shirt he wore with equally stained and holey jeans did not portray a man of confidence. Quite the opposite. She wished she could see his arms because his twitchy movements and shifty glances from side to side made her think he might be a drug addict.

A sense of dread washed over her. Please, Lord, not this man. Please don’t let this man be Joey’s father.

But based on the grim expression on Officer Thomas’s face, he was.

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.

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