By stephanie meyer

I don’t own them. I don’t claim to. It’s just for fun.
 
 

Diane sat with Sam until he fell asleep. She was not going to let this
little boy down. She would do everything
she could to make sue he made it. She grabbed the floor nurse as she walked
by. "When he wakes up, will you
tell him that I will be back as soon as I can." After the woman nodded,
Diane left the ICU for Watter’s office.

"You want to do what?"

"I want to get temporary custody of Sam Tate in order to qualify him for a
transplant."

"Diane…"

"Phillip, this little boy is going to die without a new heart. He can’t get
a heart unless he’s insured. I can’t give
him a heart, but I can give him the insurance he needs to get it."

"I’m not arguing with you, Diane. I just don’t know if the courts will see
it that way."

"Phillip, his parents abandoned him at a gas station before, for God’s sake!
They dumped him in the
emergency room and don’t ever stick around when he needs major surgery! The
courts would have to be
idiotic not to grant me temporary custody."

"All right, say you’re granted custody. Sam gets his heart. Then what?"

"What do you mean?"

"Diane, you can not keep this child. He is not a stray puppy!"

"Phillip will you help me or not? Because if you won’t, I’ll find somebody
who will!"

"We’ll be in court by this afternoon."

"Thank you, Phillip."

Diane checked on Sam before she left the hospital. "Hey, pal. How you
doing?"

"Tired. Dr. Austin says that’s normal."

"Has she been in to talk to you?"

"Yeah. She says I need a new heart."

"She’s right."

"If I get a new heart, can we go to two hockey games?"

"Sure." She didn’t tell Sam that if he didn’t get a new heart, there would
be no hockey games.

The judge hurried into the chambers. "I have fifteen minutes, make it fast."

"Your honor," Phillip began, "Diane Grad," he gestured to Diane sitting next
to him, "is applying for temporary
custody of one Samuel Tate. Sam needs a heart transplant but can’t receive
one without insurance."

"Dr. Grad plans on supplying that insurance?"

"Yes."

"Where are the boy’s parents?"

"They abandoned him. It’s not the first time."

"Fine. Dr. Grad has custody for a period of sixty days. At that time, she
can apply for full custody or turn the
child over to the state."

Diane sat with Sam, stroking the little boy’s forehead while he slept. She
looked up when she heard a gentle
knock at the door. Billy was leaning against the partition.

"You staying again?"

"Yeah, I don’t want him to be alone when…" she choked up.

Billy crossed the room and put a comforting hand on her shoulder. "We’ll get
a heart." He turned her around.
"In fact, I even got you Blackhawkes tickets already. On the ice. I had to
pull some strings, but I got them. So,
he has to get better. "

Diane’s face began to crumple. "Billy, he’s so weak…"

"Hey, Hey." Billy squatted in front of hr and took her by the shoulders.
"Don’t think like that! This little boy
needs you to believe in him. He needs you to love him and tell him he’s
going to be fine."

"Billy, if he dies…"

"He’s not going to die."

Diane was talking to Kate in the hallway. "How are his chances?"

"Not good. He’s maybe got a week tops without a transplant."

"Would a trip outside the hospital be possible?"

"It would put a lot of strain on him, why?"

"I promised him "Id take him to a hockey game. I don’t want to break that
promise."

"Diane, he…."

"Don’t patronize me, Kate. That little boy is going to die! And before he
does, I wand him to have at leas one
good memory."

"You’d have to take and iv with you, meds, and emergency trauma kit."

Diane helped Sam into his coat. "You ready champ?"

"Yeah, are we really going?"

"Yes we are. As soon as Dr. Kronk gets her, we’ll leave."

No sooner had Diane said the words than Billy strolled into the room. "Who’s
ready for some hokey?"

Sam smiled. Diane took the duffel bag containing the medical supplies they’d
need from Billy. Billy gently
picked up the small boy. "Ready?"

"Yeah," Sam grinned as they headed out the door, "are we really going to sit
right on the ice?"

"Yep. Right on the ice."

Sam watched the game form the safety of Diane’s lap. His head rested on her
shoulder. He would point and
ask questions ever so often that Billy would field. Diane rested her cheek
on the top of Sam’s head. HE was so
precious.

By the end of the game, Sam was fast asleep. Diane carried him, allowing
Billy the duffel bag and the task of
steering them through the crowd. They were waiting to exit the stadium when
a woman stopped them.

"Excuse me, ma’am, you’re little boy dropped his hat."

Diane took the hat from the woman. "Thank you." Billy took it from her and
placed it on Sam’s head.

The woman smiled. "You have an adorable son."

"OH…"

"Really, he looks just like the two of you."

"Thank you," Billy answered, cutting off Diane’s protest. Then the crowd
moved and the woman disappeared.

"Billy!"

"What?"

"What was that about?"

"What does it hurt?"

Kate raced into the ICU. She pushed past Diane, who was holding an oxygen
mask over Sam’s face. Kate
scanned his reading. "All right people. The heart’s on its way, but we can’t
wait. Let’s get him in to the OR."

"Kate?"

"Don’t worry, Diane. The heart is on its way. I’ll put him on bypass until
it gets here. He’ll be fine."

Billy found Diane in the observation room. "I head. How’s it going?"

"Ok. I guess. I mean, Kate’s not frantic, so.."

"He’s got the best."

"But what if the best isn’t good enough?"

"Excuse me." Danny looked up to see a vaguely familiar man. "My son… I
brought him here about three weeks
ago. His name is Sam. Sam Tate."

Phillip was trying to remain calm. "Mr. Tate…"

"I want to see my son."

"That’s impossible right now. For one, he’s in surgery. Then there’s the
fact that you no longer have custody
of him."

"What!"

"One of our doctors petitioned for custody and was approved. It was
necessary for insurance reasons."

"But he’s my son."

"Who you abandoned. Right now, I don’t see any reason to let you see him."

Diane sat with Sam in post op. She heard Phillip behind her.

"His father’s suing for custody. We need to be in court in an hour."

"I can’t leave. I have to be here when he wakes up."

"I know. I’ll cover for you."

"All rise, court is now in session. Are both parties here?"

"Dr. Grad is unable to attend," the hospital attorney began.

"And why is that?"

Phillip answered. "Sam just cam out of surgery less than two hours ago and
Dr. Grad wanted to be there when
he regained consciousness."

"Let’s proceed."

Sam was sleeping naturally when Phillip entered his room. So was Diane, only
she was sprawled across the
little boy’s bed. Phillip woke her.

"What happened?"

"The court gave him back to Mr. Tate, as soon as he can be discharged."

"Phillip, no…"

"I don’t agree with it, but Diane, you knew this would happen. You got too
attached."

"Giving him back to his parents is a death sentence."

Diane looked at the clock. She had to hurry. Sam was being discharged in
less than three hours. She dressed
the little boy, gathered his things, and picked him up.

"Ok, Sam, you read?"

"Where are we going?" He asked sleepily.

"On a plane ride. Have you ever been on a plain ride?"

"No."

She was at the elevator when she saw the two police officers and the social
worker approach Sam’s room.
"You know what? Let’s take the stairs." She and the little boy disappeared
down the stair well. She had gone
down tow flights when she over took Billy and Danny.

"Diane, isn’t Sam…"

"Save it Danny. I’m not letting him go."

They pounded down the stairs after her. "You can’t just take him, Diane!"
Bill exclaimed. "Hello?
Kidnapping?"

"I refuse to let him die."

By this time, Diane has burst into the hospital’s lobby. Billy and Danny
slowed as she headed for the doors.

"We can’t let her do this, " was Danny’s comment.

"Like you’re gonna stop her?" Billy asked. "She’s probably right anyway."

Diane had just slipped out the doors when security entered the lobby. Billy
looked at Danny. He shrugged.
They both headed back to the ER.

Diane headed for her gate. She panicked momentarily when she saw the two
police officers standing in the
waiting area. She ignored them and walked onto the plane. She had just
settled down in hr seat with Sam and
was thinking she might get away with it when the officers entered the cabin.
They conferred with the
stewardess and headed down the aisle. Diane closed her eyes and prayed.

"Dr. Grad?"
She opened her eyes. "Yes?"

"You need to come with us."

Diane picked up Sam. "At least wait until we’re off the plane." They
followed her back into the terminal where
the social worker was waiting. The woman took same from Diane’s arms. The
little boy began to cry. The
worker walked away.

"Diane!"

"Sam, I love you. It’ll be ok."

"Diane, I don’t want to go. I love you. Diane! Don’t go!"

As the little boy disappeared into the crowd, Diane was aware that she was
now in hand cuffs and was being
read her rights.

Of all the people to bail her out, it had to be Billy Kronk.

"You were right," she sighed as they left the building.

"Funny, I was about to tell you the same thin."

The kids are what got you. Especially if you knew them. That was Danny’s
first thought when Sam Tate rolled
into the ER in acute heart failure. There was nothing to be done, even
though they tried. His body rejected the
heart, massively.

Billy snapped off his glove. "He wasn’t on his meds, was he?’

"Nope," Danny replied. "Blood work will confirm it, but hat much rejection?
There’s no other explanation."

"His parents killed him."

"The system killed him. Somebody should tell Diane."

"I’ll go." Billy headed for the lab.

Diane looked up to see Billy standing in the lab. "Hey," her smile faded
when she saw his expression. "What is
it?"

"Paramedics brought Sam in.."

"What happened? Where is he?"

"Diane.."

"I have to see him."

"Diane, we weren’t able to…we tried.."

"Where is he Billy?"

"He’s dead, Diane. He rejected his heart."

Diane sank into a chair. "Oh my god."

Billy squatted infront of her. "He was off his meds. There wasn’t anything
we could do."

She began to sob, silently. Bill wrapped his arms around her. She leaned
into hem, causing them both to end
up sitting on the floor. He rocked her silently, her head buried in his
chest.

Aaron sat in Phillip’s office. "How’s Diane?"

"Billy took her home. She’s a mess. The charges have been drooped. It seems
the Child Protection Services
want to avoid any publicity on this one. Diane was right and they were
wrong."

"Sad really, a child’s death comes down to publicity."

"Not to us Aaron. Never to us. Chicago Hope will never come to that as long
as I have a breath left in my
body."

"That poor little boy."

"He was more the victim than anyone deserves to be."

"No one deserves to be a victim, Phillip. Nobody."