Page 45 of Fractured Reunion

“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.

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