Chapter 9
Arizona
Bit by bit, Levi was unraveling. It would have been amusing after the hell he’d put me through if his mental distress wasn’t directly tied to the well-being of an innocent child.
The first chink in his armor occurred during triage check-in. While filling out the paperwork, he had to keep asking Maisie for information—simple stuff that any father would know—and it visibly frustrated him.
Once we were taken back to the treatment area, Maisie’s broken blisters were cleaned and treated with an antibiotic ointment to prevent infection before an orthopedist joined us, and Levi had to sit there while she shared the gruesome details of her amputation and subsequent recovery.
When asked about physical therapy after surgery, she confessed that insurance hadn’t covered it beyond a few sessions, so she’d mostly had to learn how to walk with her prosthesis on her own.
After that came the prosthetist, who didn’t need more than one look at Maisie’s artificial leg to determine it was ill-fitting.
He showed us the inside of the socket, pointing out smooth spots that indicated pressure points—places where the fit against her residual limb caused friction.
When he asked to see Maisie’s liner—the silicone sleeve that protected her skin from the socket—it was nearly worn through, providing next to no cushion for her residual limb, yet another thing insurance placed a limit on for replacement within a given time frame.
Then there was the psych consult to check on Maisie’s mental state after the loss of her adoptive parents. Levi’s fists clenched when the first tear slid down her cheek, almost as if he was prepared to physically fight anything that brought her sadness.
Now, he was losing his mind over the mention of a group home.
“An orphanage?” Levi’s booming voice bounced off the walls of the tiny room.
The no-nonsense woman from CYS, Hilda—who’d already read Maisie the riot act for running away, citing that everyone back home was terrified she’d been abducted or worse—was unimpressed by his tantrum.
“Mr. Nixon, keep your voice down.”
“An orphanage?” he hissed, repeating himself at a lower volume, though with no less outrage than the first time.
“That term is outdated and, quite frankly, not an accurate description of the majority of children found in group homes. Many residents simply have parents who are unable to care for them.”
“I don’t care,” Levi huffed. “You’re not taking my daughter there. I won’t allow it.”
Hilda sighed. “In cases such as Maisie’s, I’m legally bound to follow certain procedures. Until paternity can be properly established—”
Before she could finish, he cut her off. “But we have proof! Maisie, show her.” He gestured wildly in the girl’s direction.
Maisie reached for her phone, but Hilda raised a hand, halting her. “Unfortunately, those results won’t hold up in court. A proper DNA test is required.”
Levi threw his arms wide. “Fine! We’re in a hospital, so let’s do it now.”
“Mr. Nixon, it doesn’t work like that.”
Hands flying to his head, he tugged on the short strands of his hair as he paced the tight confines of the exam room. “All I’m hearing is everything we can’t do. What can we do so that I can take Maisie home?”
The woman folded her arms. “I think it’s important I be honest with you, Mr. Nixon. Even if the DNA test results prove you to be Maisie’s biological father, I would find it difficult to recommend that she be placed in your custody.”
Levi’s restless motion ceased, and he blinked at Hilda. “What? Why?”
“While you certainly have the means to care for her, your work schedule poses a problem.”
He shook his head in confusion. “What kind of problem?”
Hilda’s lips pressed into a thin line. “You’re required to travel frequently. Maisie’s had enough upheaval in the past year and needs stability, which you’re not in a position to provide.”
Rearing back, Levi placed a palm to his heaving chest. “No, you can’t do this.” Then he tacked on a broken “Please.”
It was that please that tipped the scales for me. No matter my personal feelings toward the man, I couldn’t stand by and watch as he found and lost the daughter he didn’t know he had in the same day. Not when I had the power to help.
“What about me?” I blurted, and all heads in the room turned in my direction.
“Excuse me?” Hilda asked.
“What if I petition for temporary guardianship of Maisie? Would that keep her out of the group home until other arrangements can be made?”
Levi stared at me like I was his personal savior, and I resigned myself to the fact that taking in his daughter meant I would be seeing him on a regular basis after working like hell to wash my hands of him only weeks ago.
I gestured to Austin. “I’ve been my brother’s guardian for the past four years, since our mother was relocated to a memory care facility. I have a good relationship with the courts, and nothing but glowing reports from his case worker.”
Austin chimed in. “She never lets me slack off on my homework.”
Hilda eyed me critically. “And you are . . . ?”
With the focus on Maisie and Levi, I hadn’t bothered to introduce myself. “Oh, I’m Arizona Clearly, Levi’s—”
“Fiancée!” the man himself shouted.
My jaw hit the floor, stunned by his outrageous claim.
Was he out of his goddamn mind? I understood he was desperate, but he’d taken it a step too far. Once the truth came out, Hilda was going to eviscerate any chance he had at earning custody of Maisie.
Austin’s and Maisie’s wide eyes were trained on me, gauging how I would react.
Levi sent a pleading glance my way, begging me to go along with his claim.
Hilda didn’t bother to hide the distrust written across her face. “Is that so?”
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.
After ensuring Maisie was settled in her room for the night, I dragged a reluctant Levi away. One, because he needed to return me to my car still parked outside his house, and two, we needed to have a conversation that we couldn’t afford to be overheard.