Behind those emergency room doors, a social worker appeared. A tired looking woman with kind eyes and a clipboard. I’m Mrs. Patterson,” she said softly. “Sophia, honey, can you tell me what happened tonight?” As Sophia recounted the story in her small, halting voice, Jonathan learned more. Her mother, Rebecca Martinez, worked as a night nurse at a care facility across town.
She’d been battling the flu for days, but couldn’t afford to miss work. This evening, after coming home from a double shift, she’d collapsed. Sophia had tried everything she could think of, had even brought her mother water and the phone, but Rebecca hadn’t woken up. “I’ll need to place Sophia in temporary foster care until her mother recovers,” Mrs. Patterson said quietly to Jonathan.
“There’s no other family.” “And no.” The word came out more forcefully than Jonathan intended. He softened his tone. “I mean, isn’t there another option? I could I’ll stay with her, or she could come with me. I can’t just You can’t just send her off with strangers right now. Mrs. Patterson’s eyebrows rose. Mr.
Blake, I appreciate your concern, but we have procedures. You’re not family. You’re not even an acquaintance. The state has protocols for situations like this. Then I’ll hire lawyers who can challenge those protocols. Jonathan was surprised by the intensity of his own reaction. This child just saved her mother’s life.
By being brave enough to ask a stranger for help, I’m not going to let her be traumatized. further by being taken from the one place she feels safe, which right now happens to be with me. The social worker studied him for a long moment. Then she sighed. Let me make some calls. 2 hours later, through a combination of Jonathan’s reputation, his lawyers working overtime, and the unusual circumstances, a temporary arrangement was made.
