Page 88 of Finding Mercy

She smiles, “Thank you, doctor.”

Thirty-One

MERCY

I’m sittingin Maria’s office while she tries to get me to come back full-time.

“I can’t. We have Ivy now; she needs me home with her after school.”

She sighs, “So, if I tell you the only way you can come back is full-time, you’d say no?”

I nod, “I would. It’s not an option for me right now. Ivy has to come first, no one has done that before. It’s what she needs.”

“What hours can you work then?”

She sits with a scowl on her face, her hands tapping on her desk as if there are a million other things, I’m keeping her from.

“Nine until two.”

She sighs, “Fine. Can you start tomorrow?”

Oh boy. This isn’t going to go well. I can feel it.

“Rather than asking for time off right away, I thought it best to start after our honeymoon.”

She rolls her eyes, “Right. Just let me know the date you can start, and I’ll get the paperwork ready.”

I smile sweetly, “Thank you so much, Maria. I’m excited.”

As I stand to leave, she says, “Ivy’s mom knows you and Liam have her.”

I snap my head back towards her in surprise, “What?”

She nods, “She called and asked me for your address, which obviously I did not give her.”

Shit. Why does she want to know where we live? She’s not allowed to see Ivy. We are in the process of her losing her parental rights so we can adopt her.

I sigh, “Thank you for telling me.”

She smiles, but it doesn’t reach her eyes, “Have a nice day.”

I text Liam as I leave her office.

Me: I’m done with Maria. Ivy’s mom contacted her to find out our address.

Daddy: What? Tell me she didn’t give it to her.

Me: No. She didn’t. But what does she want?

Daddy: Meet me in the coffee shop. I’ll be there in ten.

I make my way to the coffee shop, grab a cup for both of us, and sit at the table waiting for Liam. I’m freaking out inside. Is she going to try to challenge us? The thought of Ivy going back to her makes me feel sick to my stomach. Surely, they wouldn’t give a child back to an abusive parent, right? Wrong. I saw it more than once during my internship with CPS. Frequently, what’s easiest for the people involved, rather than what’s best for the child, is what’s done. This is what you get with an overworked system. And case workers with caseloads far larger than they should ever have.

Liam comes in with a concerned expression on his face. He walks over to me, kisses me on the forehead, and then sits down at our small table.

“Coffee,” I hand him his cup.

“Thank you, baby girl. Are you okay?”

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