Page 27 of Fractured Reunion

“Thanks, Kyle. You’ve been great through this.”

“You’re welcome. I’ll see you again in the morning,” he promised, before heading out of the room.

She smoothed Joey’s hair back from his forehead, her thoughts whirling. She’d need to request a personal leave of absence from work so she could stay in town longer. At least she had the hotel room, but depending on where Joey was placed on Monday, she may need something different.

Either a rental house where she could have a bedroom for the little boy to use or another hotel closer to wherever his foster parents lived.

Was she crazy to be doing this? Kyle was a decent guy, and he wasn’t getting all wrapped up in Joey’s future the way she was.

Yes, she’d taken him from his dying mother’s arms and held him close. Yes, he’d bonded with her—out of necessity as he was injured too. Yes, she’d stayed the night with him to make sure he didn’t have a relapse.

But right now he was content watching cartoons. And one thing she’d learned during her years of being a pediatric anesthesiologist was that kids were incredibly resilient. Joey was only four years old; he may not even remember his time with her once he was placed in a loving home with parents who adored him.

She was the one making a bigger deal out of his future. As if becoming Joey’s foster mother was the only acceptable option.

How many other kids in this hospital didn’t have parents? Probably more than she wanted to know. If circumstances were such that she couldn’t be there for Joey, there was nothing to stop her from returning to Boston and going through the process there to become a foster parent. The hoops she’d need to jump through couldn’t be that much different.

Yet somehow Joey had taken hold of her heart.

“Hey, do you want to try a popsicle?” she asked.

Joey glanced at her and nodded. “I like purple the best.”

“I’ll see what I can do.” She slid from the bed and walked out into the hallway. There was no sign of Joey’s nurse, so she found the kitchenette and peeked into the freezer. Just as she’d suspected, there were plenty of popsicles inside. Although finding a grape one wasn’t as easy. It must have been a popular flavor because she had to dig way down into the plastic bag to find one.

On her way back to Joey’s room, a familiar man stood in the hallway. Her stomach clenched as she hurried forward. “Mr. Chism? What are you doing here?”

“I deserve to see my son.” He sneered, bolder now that Officer Thomas wasn’t standing beside him.

“I’m sorry, but that’s not possible.” She kept her voice even with an effort, hoping she wouldn’t have to get into a physical altercation with the guy. A quick glance confirmed they were alone in this section of the hallway.

As if sensing her fear, Chism took a threatening step toward her. “Who’s gonna stop me? You?”

“If I have to,” she said calmly. “But I don’t think you want me to call Officer Thomas to let him know that you are not acting in your son’s best interest. Something I’m sure the judge in family court would not like to hear.”

His narrow gaze pierced hers for a long moment as he seemed to consider what she’d said. She hoped he’d turn and walk away, yet the fact that he’d even shown up in the first place was concerning.

She could only imagine he’d thought he could bully her into allowing him to visit, or he’d assumed she wouldn’t still be there.

Wrong on both counts. She edged closer, putting herself between Oliver and Joey’s door.

Where were the nurses? Or better yet, a security guard? Surely, Children’s Memorial had them the same way they did in Boston.

“I talked to a lawyer,” Chism said.

Already? She wondered what kind of lawyer he could get calling on a Saturday. “I’m sure you have. But you shouldn’t be here now. Joey needs his rest.”

“You can’t keep me from getting my kid,” Chism sneered. “My lawyer says we’re getting big bucks from the bus accident.”

He’d spoken to a personal injury lawyer? She wasn’t sure if she should laugh or cry. The lawyer handling the bus crash would not be the same one to represent Oliver Chism in family court.

But it made sense now why he’d risked coming back to the hospital. Oliver was seeing Joey as his payday.

“Maggie? Is there a problem?”

She turned to see Aaron striding toward them, concern etched on his features. She smiled in relief and quickly nodded. “Mr. Chism seems to think he can see Joey whenever he wants. I’ll need you to reach out to Officer Thomas. I know you have his phone number.”

“Absolutely,” Aaron agreed. “I’ll call him right now.”

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