Page 11 of Fractured Reunion

Would a court-appointed guardian sit at the little boy’s bedside? Make sure he was comfortable and call the nurse if his condition changed?

Probably not.

“Mommy,” Joey whined, still half asleep.

She pulled the chair closer to his cot and leaned over to stroke his back. “It’s okay. You’re fine. I’m here,” she whispered.

The little boy moved restlessly but then quieted under her soothing touch.

She wondered if Aaron was getting anywhere with the hospital administrators. He hadn’t called her, but she belatedly realized she’d put her phone on silent during the conference. Reaching into her bag, she pulled out her phone and turned the ringer back on but then made sure to lower the volume so as not to disturb Joey.

No missed calls from Aaron, she thought with a sigh. Although to be fair, he hadn’t been gone for long. She tucked the phone beneath her thigh so it was well within reach before resting her hand on Joey’s back.

Then she frowned. Was it her imagination, or did the little boy feel warmer than before?

Concerned, she reached for the wall thermometer. Hoping he wouldn’t wake up, she gently placed the tip of the ear probe into his ear. A moment later, a reading popped up on the screen.

His temperature was 100.8 Fahrenheit.

When Rachel had first taken Joey’s vital signs, his temperature had been normal. While this temperature reading wasn’t scary high, it could mean the child’s body wasn’t responding well to the hematoma.

If the pocket of blood became infected, the issue of parental consent would be moot. The surgery to remove it would be considered an emergency.

She would rather they didn’t wait for that to happen. She grabbed her phone just as it rang. Seeing Aaron’s name on the screen, she didn’t hesitate to answer. “This is Maggie.”

“I’ve asked the hospital administrator to get the lawyers on the phone with the judge about an emergency guardian hearing,” he said. “I’ll be honest, Maggie, it doesn’t look good that this will happen today. They’re talking about having the hearing on Monday morning.”

“Joey’s running a fever of 100.8,” she said, keeping her tone low so as not to wake the child. “I think Kyle Flores needs to get down here to look at him. In my medical opinion, we can’t wait until Monday.”

“I’ll call Kyle and be right down.” Without saying anything more, Aaron ended the call.

Reassured that Aaron was doing his part, she sank into the chair at Joey’s bedside. She hadn’t brought her stethoscope to the conference but wished she had it now so she could listen to the little boy’s heart and lungs. Since she couldn’t do that herself, she pressed the call button to summon the nurse.

“Maggie?” Aaron entered the room, his expression full of concern. He’d gotten down there quicker than she’d expected. “Kyle’s on his way. His previous case took longer than he’d expected.”

“Good.” She pressed the call button for the nurse, stood, and crossed over to join him. “What do you think? Will Kyle take him to the OR?”

“I’m not sure.” He surprised her by wrapping his arm around her shoulder. “We’ll do our best to talk him into it.”

That made her smile. “Works for me.”

Rachel hurried into the room. “Is there a problem?”

“I’d like a full set of vitals,” Maggie explained. “I’m concerned Joey is running a fever.”

“Of course.” Rachel appeared flustered but quickly went to work. Joey didn’t appreciate being woken up and began to whine again about his tummy hurting.

“It’s okay. I’m here.” She bent over the little boy, smoothing his dark hair from his forehead. His skin felt warmer now, and she glanced at Aaron in concern. “I hope Kyle gets here soon.”

“He will.” Aaron came over to stand beside her. Rachel removed the stethoscope from her ears, glancing at the two of them. “His blood pressure is much lower than it was before, and his pulse is higher.”

“Double-check his temperature,” Maggie said.

Rachel did so, then turned so they could read the screen for themselves. Joey’s fever was now 101.6 degrees Fahrenheit.

Not her imagination. She exchanged a concerned glance with Aaron as Rachel entered the readings into the computer.

She was about to ask Aaron to call his colleague again when Kyle hurried into the room. He glanced from Joey to her and Aaron and finally addressed Rachel. “What’s going on? What’s changed?”

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