Page 14

In moments like this, Leah is grateful to be an athlete, because Mia practically drags her running through the hospital until they reach the hallway where they've been told Aaron is being treated.

Elena Morris, Aaron's foster mother, rises from her chair in the waiting area and walks toward her as soon as she spots her.

"What happened?" Mia asks, nearly spitting her heart out of her mouth.

"He fell, but it's not serious, Mia, I'm sorry for scaring you. The blood made me very nervous," Elena explains, visibly agitated. "It looks like he cut his chin. They're giving him some stitches now, we can go in soon."

"Why don't you both sit down?" Leah suggests, pointing to some plastic chairs against the wall.

"How did it happen?" Mia asks when they take their seats.

Elena swallows hard and takes Mia's hand between hers. The woman appears so distressed that Leah, who stands by the door of the treatment room where Aaron is as if she's his guardian, gets the impression that the woman felt genuine panic about the incident.

"He fell down the stairs. They're old and some steps are loose. Tom fixes them when he can, but lately he hasn't been feeling well, and well, he's been putting it off," the woman brings her hand to her mouth and holds back a sob.

"Well, it's okay, it was an accident," Mia says.

"If I had known this was going to happen…" the woman laments, shaking her head.

"You couldn't have predicted it, Elena," Mia tries to calm her, a bit thrown by the woman's reaction.

"I know, but my job is to take care of him," she says, and stops talking when her eyes focus on the end of the hallway.

Mia follows her gaze and opens her eyes wide when she recognizes the figure of the woman walking toward them with a coffee in hand: Tamara Burk, the social worker in charge of Aaron's case.

"What's she doing here?" Mia asks Elena.

"The hospital called her, it's protocol, you know that."

Mia sometimes forgets that everything that happens in her brother's life goes through this woman. She'd like to hate her, but she can't she was the one who interceded on her behalf so she could take him for two weekends a month.

"Here you go, Elena," the woman says when she reaches them. "Drink it slowly, it's very hot. Mia, Leah," she greets the two newcomers.

"Hello, Tamara," they both respond at the same time.

"I assume Elena has already filled you in. It wasn't anything serious, you'll be able to see him soon," Tamara reassures her, and Mia sighs as if she needs confirmation that her brother is okay from someone who projects more calm than his foster mother.

"Thank you," Mia says, and Tamara takes a couple of steps away from Elena.

"I was going to contact you this week to discuss a matter, Mia, but since we're here, I can tell you now."

"What is it?" she asks, feeling the air freeze in her lungs at the woman's serious expression.

Leah puts a hand on her back and walks with her as they move down the hallway to a quiet corner by a window.

"Mr. and Mrs. Morris can no longer take care of Aaron. We have six months to find him a new family."

Mia wants to say something, but the words won't come out and she stumbles backward. Suddenly everything spins and she feels like screaming. Not another new family Aaron can't go through that again, and neither can she. Her brother needs to be with her. Rage begins to climb up her neck, her cheeks flush red, and her eyes well up with tears.

"Why?" she asks, her voice strangled.

"Mr. Morris has been diagnosed with early-onset Alzheimer's. He's frequently forgetful, he forgets things; well, you know how terrible that disease is. Elena can't handle everything she can't care for Aaron properly if she needs to watch over her husband, and for us, Aaron's well-being comes first. This time it was a loose step that the poor man forgot to fix, but as the disease progresses, it could be something worse. Aaron can't stay there, so the judge has given us six months to find him another home."

"He can come live with me, Tamara. I'm doing everything the judge required," Mia pleads, and Leah takes her hand and squeezes it affectionately.

Mia has been fighting for custody of her brother for too long, and the tennis player thinks it's unfair that she hasn't been granted it. When they first met, Mia wasn't at her best, and out of pure desperation, she had done things that didn't help her case at all. After leaving the juvenile center where she was sent following her parents' arrest, they left her on the street with practically nothing. The bank had foreclosed on the house where they had lived, and Mia not only had nowhere to live, but as the daughter of criminals, no one wanted to give her work, so she had no choice but to commit some thefts until one of them landed her in jail for three months.

It was after getting out that she met Leah under somewhat special circumstances that led the tennis player to give her a chance, first working as a gardener at her house and later as a caddie when she retired and opened her own club. The bonds between them strengthened, and Leah paid for the best family lawyer they could find to help her with Aaron, but since Mia had a criminal record, all the man managed to get was a deal with the judge.

"You still have another year to go, Mia," Tamara says. "The judge required you to have a steady job, a home for Aaron, and five years without committing a single crime."

"There must be something you can do, Tamara," Leah interjects with a clenched jaw. "The state protected Aaron, but they basically forced her to break the law by leaving her without support. What was she supposed to do? She's trying her hardest, Tamara. I've never seen anyone more committed than her, and you know perfectly well that Aaron belongs with his sister. You said you have six months to find him a place by then, Mia will only have another six months to fulfill the judge's terms. Are you really going to make Aaron go through this crap again?"

"I'm sorry, Leah, but that's the law. I can speak in your favor if you get a good lawyer and try again," she tells Mia. "Aaron's case won't go through the normal channels everything has to happen faster because he needs to leave that house as soon as possible. Find a lawyer who can sell you as the best candidate. It'll help if you can testify on her behalf," she says to Leah. "I'll do the same when they ask me, and I don't know, if you have anyone else who can do it, that would be perfect, but don't get your hopes up, Mia. Everything will depend on the decision of the judge handling the case now."

"What about the time I still need?" Mia asks, very nervous.

"Do you think they'll waive it?" Leah asks.

"I don't know. Judges are very strict about these things, Leah," Tamara responds, "but it's all I can think of to keep Aaron from going back into that cycle. All I'm saying is that if you decide to try, I'll testify in Mia's favor."

"Thank you," Mia says, almost voiceless.

"You're welcome. I have to go. I'll call you this week to update you. If you decide to seek custody again, let me know."

Tamara Burk says goodbye to them and walks down the hallway toward Elena Morris.

"Damn," Mia gasps, resting her hands on her knees. "I can't afford an expensive lawyer, Leah," she sobs as Leah grabs her arm to help her stand up straight.

"I'll take care of that, don't worry."

Mia smiles and hugs her, not knowing how to thank her for everything she's done for her and her brother since they met.

"I need to start looking. I don't want you to hire that guy again, he was already about to retire then and…"

"We're not calling him. I'm going to talk to Emily. My mother has been snooping around, and her firm is one of the most prestigious in the county. They must have plenty of lawyers who handle these things. Let me handle bringing it up to her. Now let's go see Aaron," she says, and puts an arm around her shoulders as they start walking down the hallway.