Arms of Grace

by Eleanor Chance

  I was too overwhelmed to speak.

  Alec squeezed my hand. “What about Jay and his cronies? Do they just walk away now, unpunished for what they did?” she asked Paul.

  “I’ll do whatever it takes to make them pay for their crimes, but that comes later. I heard on my way in that the hospital is holding a press conference this afternoon. They’ll probably twist things around to come out looking like heroes,” Paul said.

  “Nothing matters to me but being with Johnny. Promise that you’ll do what you can to keep us out of the limelight. I’d hate to see Johnny become a circus sideshow,” I said.

  “I’ll do my best to protect you, but you need to be prepared for the worst. Johnny’s a major headline again. It’ll be impossible to avoid the media forever.”

  Johnny squirmed. Paul held up the empty bottle before handing him back to me. “Now that this fellow has a full tummy, I’ll place him in your capable hands. I need to find out the latest anyway. I’ll let you know about the press conference.”

  Brad walked in as Paul was about to leave. “I came to warn you to expect company. The judge, someone from DSS, their lawyer, and a neurologist from another hospital are on their way over. I guess they want to see Johnny for themselves. I’m amazed that they’re coming so quickly.”

  “Sure, now they come,” I said and rolled my eyes. “I’m glad, though. I want to get this over with so we can get the adoption started.”

  “I think I’ll stick around to watch the circus. This should be good,” Paul said and leaned against the windowsill.

  I showed Brad the empty bottle. “Alec and I couldn’t get him to take it, but Paul got him going. He’s a pro. Johnny seems to be taking all this in stride.”

  “We’ll have to see how he tolerates the formula. We’ll start him on soft solids after that,” Brad said.

  The door opened, and the legal entourage walked in. Serena came in last and winked at me.

  “Let me introduce Judge Brackman; Mr. Gains, legal counsel for DSS; and Dr. Foster,” Serena said.

  We all squeezed against the wall in the small room and introduced ourselves too. I laid Johnny in his crib, and he started to whimper as soon as I stepped away. The judge moved closer and asked Serena to verify that he was Baby John Doe.

  “Yes, your Honor. That’s him,” Serena said.

  Johnny started to cry and flail his arms. I tried to comfort him. He quieted down after a few seconds and smiled at me. Judge Brackman raised her eyebrows.

  “Dr. Carter,” Judge Brackman said, turning to Brad, “it seems I should have paid closer attention to your findings. I’ve learned something valuable today. Please reexamine the child and submit your results to me. Dr. Foster, do you concur with that decision?”

  “I’ve seen all I need to. It’s obvious this child isn’t clinically brain-dead. He’s not even in a vegetative state. I’ll gladly defer to Dr. Carter,” Dr. Foster said.

  Judge Brackman turned next to the DSS lawyer. He nodded. “Very well,” she said. “Pending submission of Dr. Carter’s findings, I’ll assume that the Department of Social Services will withdraw its petition. This child will then be under its jurisdiction again. Since I’ve seen what I came for, I’ll be going now.”

  She left the room, and Mr. Gains and Dr. Foster followed.

  Serena said, “Go ahead without me. I’ll join you shortly.”

  We waited until the group was out of earshot to begin celebrating. Alec picked Johnny up and squeezed him tightly, scaring him into another round of crying. Brad and Paul patted each other on the backs, and Serena hugged me.

  When Serena caught her breath, she said, “I need to drag Johnny’s case folder out of the closed file. Hurry up with those tests, Brad. Your report is the one thing holding us back.”

  “I promise to set speed records on this one,” he said as he left to schedule Johnny’s tests.

  Serena told me she’d be in touch, and she and Paul followed Brad out.

  “It’s happening, Alec,” I said. “Everything I’ve wanted. Tell me I’m not dreaming. I’m afraid I’ll wake up.”

  Johnny lay quietly in Alec’s arms, following her with his eyes. She sat with him in the rocking chair and said, “It’s real, Grace. Soon you’ll be taking this sweet boy home as your son. Last night when I couldn’t sleep, I was thinking about what you told me in the parking lot the night Johnny was admitted to the ID unit. It was the first time I started to believe you could be Johnny’s mother someday. Then Jay came along with the mess with Kinsley, and Judge Brackman issued her ruling. I was confused and hopeless and had a mini-crisis of my own last night. It wasn’t as dramatic as yours, but it was just as real. You and I just gave up too soon.”

  Alec’s words reminded me of Ryan. “I have to call him. He doesn’t know about Johnny,” I said and got up to find my phone. I stopped before I reached my purse and turned to Alec. “What if Ryan hadn’t been at the river? What if I had—”

  “Don’t say it,” Alec said, holding up her hand. “No ‘what ifs.’ Focus on what’s happening now. You’re here with Johnny. He’s going to live. Just be grateful for that.”

  I took a deep breath. “You always know what to say. I won’t allow myself to think that way.” I fumbled in my purse for Ryan’s card. “Can I go to your office to call him?”

  “It’s weird to hear you call it my office,” she said and crinkled her nose. “It’ll always be your office to me, so you don’t even need to ask.”

  I laughed. “Thanks, and please stay with Johnny until I get back. Promise?”

  “You couldn’t tear me away,” she said.

  I went to my old office to call Ryan. It felt like a hundred years had passed since I’d been there, instead of just a few days. I couldn’t bring myself to sit at the desk and went to the sofa.

  When Ryan answered, I said, “This is Grace. I have unbelievable news.” I told him about Johnny and asked how soon he could come to the hospital.

  “It’s incredible, Grace. More than incredible. What’s the word for more than incredible?” he asked.

  I laughed and said, “There aren’t words.”

  “Well, I’m thrilled! I’ll come after dinner and stay as long as you can put up with me.”

  “Thank you. Stay as long as you’d like,” I said, strangely pleased at the thought of seeing him again. “The hospital’s holding a press conference this afternoon, but I don’t know the time yet. Will you be able to watch it?”

  “I’ll record it if I’m not home in time. I can’t get over this. It’s the last news I expected today.”

  “It’s a miracle. There’s no other way to describe it. You’ll see for yourself.”

  “You don’t have to convince me. I already know,” he said.

  The line went quiet for a few seconds, and I thought the call had dropped. I was about to see if he was still on when he said, “I’m looking forward to seeing both of you. Until then.”

  The line clicked, but I stared at the phone for a while longer. I was baffled at how he could be looking forward to seeing me. The guy had stopped me from killing myself only one day earlier. In the end, I decided that he was just being polite and that I’d probably never see him again, even though I secretly hoped that wouldn’t be true. I wondered again at this enigma of a man who had come into my life. I smiled as I slipped my phone into my pocket and went to be with my son.

  Johnny wasn’t in his room when I got back from calling Ryan. Alec had waited for me and said they’d taken him to begin the tests. I was disappointed. I wanted to stay with him through the ordeal. I started to go find out where Johnny was when Paul came in and told us that the press conference was starting in fifteen minutes.

  “Adam has gone down to save seats, so we should go,” he said.

  Since I wouldn’t be allowed in if Johnny was getting an MRI, I reluctantly followed Paul and Alec to the first-floor conference room. Adam had grabbed four seats near the front.

  “This is where I saw you for the first time,” Alec
told me. “You intimidated me. I never would have imagined that we’d end up as best friends.”

  I smiled and nodded. I’d been remembering the same thing and marveled at the changes in our lives since then. I wouldn’t have traded it for anything.

  A door opened at the front of the room, and Brad walked in with Kinsley and the hospital’s public-relations rep. They took their seats at a table behind the microphone. Brad looked like he’d rather be under the table. If Jay had been there, he’d be eating up the attention. Brad did anything he could to avoid it. Brad’s wife is a fortunate woman, I thought. I smiled at Brad to encourage him, and he winked at me.

  The PR rep stepped to the microphone and said, “I’ll make a brief statement before I take questions. A child known as Baby John Doe, who is under our care and is a ward of the state, has been in a persistent vegetative state for approximately eight months. After intense and lengthy medical examinations and treatments, a neurological specialist determined that he was, in fact, brain-dead. Based on those findings, and after much deliberation, the Department of Social Services and this hospital concluded that the most humane action would be to remove him from life support rather than keep his body alive. This was an extremely difficult decision to make and was not taken lightly.”

  I huffed at that and poked Alec in the ribs with my elbow. Alec rolled her eyes.

  “Consequently,” he continued, “the DSS filed a petition to gain permission to remove him from life support. Yesterday, Judge Beatrice Brackman approved that petition, and we received the order to remove the child from life support this morning. At approximately twelve thirty this afternoon, a nurse on staff entered the child’s room to comply with the order. It soon became clear to her that he was fully conscious. She carried out her duty before contacting Dr. Bradley Carter, seated here behind me.”

  Brad gave a weak smile and nodded.

  “Dr. Carter has directed the child’s care since he arrived here. He examined Baby John Doe and concluded that he had, in fact, regained consciousness.”

  The reporters gave a collective gasp. Several raised their hands.

  The PR rep motioned for them to lower their hands. “I’ll begin taking questions when I conclude my statement. I’m aware that many of you came here expecting the news that the child had passed away. It’s with great relief and pleasure that we announce that not only is he alive and conscious, but his prognosis is positive. Judge Brackman visited him a few hours ago and has dismissed the DSS petition. We’ll now take questions.”

  He took his seat next to Brad. Almost every hand in the room went up. Kinsley randomly picked a reporter to ask the first question.

  “You’re saying this child is fine after almost eight months in a coma?”

  “I’ll ask Dr. Carter to answer that question,” Kinsley said.

  Brad cleared his throat and leaned into the microphone. “Johnny, as we call him, is not fine. He’ll most likely suffer lifelong complications due to his time in a comatose state. However, he is fully conscious and aware of his surroundings. Chances are good that he’ll live a long, if not challenging, life.”

  The reporter raised his hand again and said, “I have a follow-up question. How is it possible that you declared him brain-dead a few days ago and now he’s fully conscious?”

  Brad sat up straighter, and the color returned to his face.

  Here we go, I thought.

  “Let me make it clear to you all that I was not the physician who declared Johnny brain-dead. Dr. Jay Morgan, a leading pediatric neurologist, was the doctor who made that declaration.”

  “Where is Dr. Morgan?” the reporter asked.

  Several others nodded.

  “I’m unaware of Dr. Morgan’s whereabouts. I haven’t seen him for three days,” Brad said.

  “Let’s keep the questions focused on Johnny’s recovery,” Kinsley said.

  He called on another reporter who said, “But how could two neurologists come to two completely opposite conclusions?”

  Brad said, “I can’t speak for Dr. Morgan, but these cases are often subjective.”

  “Well, you obviously got it right,” the reporter said. “Maybe Dr. Morgan isn’t as big an expert as he’s made out to be.”

  Several reporters laughed, and I was the loving the direction the discussion was headed.

  Kinsley spoke up. “You’re free to contact Dr. Morgan and ask him these questions. We’re here to take questions solely about Johnny’s recovery.”

  I cringed at hearing him use Johnny’s name. He had no right. He was responsible for sending Johnny to Jay to seal Johnny’s death warrant. No wonder Kinsley wanted to dodge their questions.

  Another reporter asked, “What happens to the child now? How soon will he be released from the hospital?”

  “I’ll take the first question, and Dr. Carter can address the second,” Kinsley said. “He remains a ward of the state. When we release him from the hospital, the Department of Social Services will place him in foster care. Our hope is that his parents will hear the news of his recovery and step forward to claim him. If that doesn’t happen, he’ll remain in foster care unless he’s adopted.”

  I wanted to grab the microphone and strangle Kinsley with the cord. He knew perfectly well that I was trying to adopt Johnny.

  Alec squeezed my hand.

  I took a deep breath, forcing myself to be patient. He’ll get his, I told myself.

  Several reporters raised their hands again, but Kinsley ignored then and motioned to Brad to answer the rest of the question.

  “It’s far too soon for us to know when Johnny will be able to leave the hospital. I’ll do everything in my power to make sure he’s strong enough before he’s released.”

  A reporter raised his hand and said, “What can you tell us about Grace Ward? There are reports that she’s trying to adopt Baby John Doe.”

  “Please refer to him as Johnny,” Brad said, and the reporter nodded.

  Before Brad could answer, Kinsley broke in and said, “We’re not authorized to answer that question. She’s here if you’d like to ask her yourself. Grace, will you come forward, please?”

  I glared wide-eyed at Kinsley and shook my head. Paul had promised to protect our privacy, but Kinsley didn’t care in the least about that. The reporters were looking around, trying to find me, and I wanted to crawl under my chair. Paul leaned over and whispered that he’d handle it. He walked to the front of the room.

  “My name is Paul Pierno,” he said. “I’m an attorney representing Ms. Ward. You may address your questions to me. Ms. Ward was in the process of adopting Johnny when the DSS filed their petition. She intends to continue with those plans now.”

  Every hand in the room went up. Paul called on a reporter near the front. She said, “If Ms. Ward was trying to adopt him, why did the DSS file the petition? Why not let her do it and remove him from their responsibility?”

  “I can’t speak for the motives of the DSS, but I don’t hold them accountable.” Paul paused for a few seconds, and the room grew quiet. When all eyes were glued to him, he said, “I believe DSS is unaware that Dr. Morgan was pressured by his superiors to declare Johnny was brain-dead. We have evidence supporting this, and I’m currently conducting an investigation into the matter.”

  The room erupted into chaos.

  The PR rep pushed Paul away from the microphone and said, “The conference is concluded. Please clear the room as quickly as possible.”

  A reporter spotted me and said, “That’s her. There’s Grace Ward.”

  The mob rushed me. Adam and Alec each grabbed an arm and pulled me out a side door. We managed to climb into the elevator before the doors closed.

  We went to Adam’s office to wait for Paul and Brad. Brad got there first.

  The second he was through the door, I said, “Where’s Paul?” through clenched teeth.

  He held up his hands and said, “He’s talking to reporters in the parking lot. After you ran out, the security guards chased ever
yone outside. I figured you’d be here.”

  “Why would he do that?” I asked. “I nearly got trampled.”

  “I’m glad he did it,” Adam said. “I was getting tired of Kinsley’s lies. You did great, Brad, by the way.”

  “You did,” I said, “but that’s not the point. They’ll be hounding us now. Paul could have waited until the story about Johnny died down.” I rubbed my forehead and paced back and forth. “I’m really steamed.”

  “Paul’s doing damage control, so that might help, but the press would have been after you either way,” Brad said.

  I groaned. “As if I don’t have enough to deal with. I wanted to keep Johnny’s life private. That’ll be impossible now.”

  “It would’ve been impossible anyway, Grace,” Alec said. “The whole country knows about Johnny. Stay on with me until the craziness dies down. You’ll be closer to Johnny that way too.”

  “Thanks for the offer, but I’m staying here. Brad, can you get a bed moved into Johnny’s room?”

  “Yes, I’ll take care of it,” he said and squeezed my shoulder.

  I picked up my purse and started to go but stopped when Paul stepped sheepishly into the room. I pushed him against the wall by his shoulders and pinned him there.

  Paul was near twice my size, but he didn’t try to resist.

  “How could you do this to me? A few hours ago, you said you’d protect us. Is this your idea of protecting us?”

  Paul gently removed my hands from his chest.

  I pulled free and turned my back on him.

  “I don’t blame you for being angry, but I may have actually done you a favor,” he said.

  I spun around to face him. “A favor?”

  “Yes, a favor,” he said, looking me in the eye. “When I was talking to those reporters in the parking lot, they weren’t asking about you. They wanted to know about Jay. I put them on his scent. That doesn’t mean they won’t be back, but I may have bought you and Johnny some time to start your life together in peace.”