Page 30 of Punked By the Playmaker
I swallowed thickly and nodded. “Uh-huh.”
The kids bobbed their heads enthusiastically, murmuring a chorus of “yep” and “that’s right.”
Not backing down, Hilda asked, “When’s the big day?”
My split-second of hesitation was enough for Levi to answer with “Next week, actually.”
Next week? Did he say next fucking week?!
Fibbing about being engaged was bad enough; how the hell were we supposed to pull off being fake-married? Especially with CYS watching us through a microscope? Hilda would no doubt be on the lookout for a marriage certificate in the public record to verify his claim.
Levi had no idea the damage he’d done with only a few words. The chances were almost zero that they’d ever let him keep Maisie now.
“So Maisie can come home with us now, right?” Levi pressed.
Hilda shook her head. “Regardless of this new development, I’m afraid Maisie will need to spend at least one night at the group home until we can file the temporary guardianship with the courts tomorrow.”
“Isn’t there anything you can do?”
“No, sorry.” The woman didn’t look the least bit apologetic. It was clear that her desire to do her job by the book trumped having any human decency.
“I’m sorry, I’ve got bad news, folks.” The ER doctor who treated Maisie waltzed into the room. “While preparing Maisie’s discharge paperwork, her labs came back with an elevated white blood cell count.”
Concern creased Levi’s forehead. “What does that mean?”
“Looks like she’s battling a decent infection that we’ll need to treat with IV antibiotics. Just to be on the safe side, I’d like to keep her overnight for observation.” She flashed the preteen a sympathetic smile. “Sorry, Maisie.”
“Guess it’s a good thing I like hospital food,” Maisie chirped.
The doctor winked. “Love that glass-half-full attitude. If you can hang here for a little bit, we’ll get you transferred upstairs to pediatrics.”
Harrumphing, Hilda shoved a handful of paperwork into her leather satchel. “Looks like you’ve won this round. If your petition for temporary guardianship isn’t filed in family court before noon tomorrow, I will be back to escort Maisie to the group home.”
With that, she left, and my lungs expanded for the first time in what felt like hours.
“God, what a bitch,” I breathed, before realizing a medical professional was still present, and clapped a hand over my mouth. Oops.
To my surprise, the doctor chuckled. “You can say that again. I swear, it’s like she gets off on making people miserable. Why she chose a profession meant to help children is beyond me.”
“Does she do this often?” Levi asked. “Try to split families apart?”
“No, but she’s known for lacking human compassion. Anyone with eyes could see you’d move heaven and earth to stay with your daughter. When she refused to offer any sort of wiggle room, that’s when I decided to step in and take Maisie’s overnight accommodations out of her hands.”
Levi put the pieces together quickly. “Wait, so Maisie doesn’t have an infection?”
“No, she does, but I may have embellished the severity. We’ll administer the antibiotics via IV just in case the courts ask for Maisie’s medical records, but it could have just as easily been handled with an oral course.”
I wanted to give the doctor a high-five. Her quick thinking was genius, giving us time to sort out the mess Levi had created with our new bestie Hilda, while giving Maisie a place to stay that would keep her father from having a meltdown.
“Thank you, Dr.”—I checked the credentials embroidered on her lab coat—“Newhook. We’re very grateful for your help.”
She waved me off. “Happy to do it as a former foster kid myself. Just promise me you’ll take good care of Maisie.”
“The best,” Levi vowed.
Ugh, why was it so hot that he was stepping up for the daughter he’d just met?
If I didn’t find a way to extricate myself from this situation, and fast, I was going to be in big, big trouble.
