Sophie and Adam stood together in Pod C.
“Adam, we’re getting Danny out of here,” Sophie said. “He’s
obviously not ready to go home, but he can go to another hospi
tal, closer to us and away from Metro. He’s stable enough to be
moved to a hospital closer to us in Brooklyn.”
“Okay, but what’s the rush?”
“What’s the rush? Take a look at our lives! We have a prema
ture baby through no fault of our own. And now that we’re onto
Dr. Wagner, bad shit is happening everywhere. I was attacked,
your tires were slashed. Next time, it’s going to be Danny.”
Sophie saw Dr. Patel coming toward them. “Dr. Patel!” she
called, raising her hand to flag him over.
Dr. Patel walked over with his arms opened wide. “Hello,
Sophie, Adam. I was just coming to see how our little guy is
doing. I’m so glad he’s getting better. He’s a strong boy.”
“Yes, he is. We are blessed. Thank you. We wanted to talk to
you about getting him transferred out of Metro.”
“Oh, I see.” His smile faded. “May I ask why?”
“We’d like to have him closer to us. There’s a nice hospital in
Brooklyn, not too far from our house, that has a level II nursery.”
“Ah, yes. I understand.” His smile returned. “But it’s not up
to me. I’ll have to talk with one of the neonatologists. As his
pediatrician, I can request his transfer, but I can’t make it hap
pen. That’s up to the attendings.”
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JULIE HATCH
“Thank you, Dr. Patel. And this doesn’t change anything
about keeping you as his pediatrician, does it?”
“No, it doesn’t change a thing,” he reassured Sophie with a
pat on her hand. “I’ll go find Dr. Morrison now.” He gave a slight
bow and left.
Transfer would be the next day. In the morning the trans
port incubator was plugged in and warming up. Kim handed
supplies for Danny’s ambulance ride to the transport team. Every
thing was ready. They were just waiting for morning rounds to be
done.
It was close to noon by the time rounds ended. Sophie and
Adam waited for one of the doctors to bring the transfer papers for
them to sign. Dr. Morrison walked into the pod empty-handed.
Sophie’s heart sank. Now what?
“Sophie, Adam, I don’t know if you’ve been outside lately or
turned on the news.”
In fact, they hadn’t turned on a TV in days. Sophie hadn’t
been outside in at least a day, and Adam hadn’t been outside
since his drive to the hospital early that morning.
“It’s a blizzard out there. I know how much you’re anticipat
ing the transfer,” Dr. Morrison said, and Sophie braced for what
came next. “But it’s not going to happen today. All nonemergent
ambulance runs are canceled until the snow stops and the streets
can be cleared. I’m sorry.”
Desperate, Sophie said, “But there must be another way to
get him there. We’ll drive him ourselves.”
Dr. Morrison shook her head. “I understand how important
this is to you, but that’s not possible either. We can try for another
ambulance tomorrow, but I’m afraid they’ll be backlogged, and
Danny’s transfer isn’t medically necessary. That also means your
insurance isn’t likely to cover the cost. I think you’d be better off
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waiting for his discharge, which shouldn’t be too long now.”
The team filtered out, leaving Sophie, Adam, and Kim stand
ing next to Danny’s crib. Sophie didn’t know whether to scream
or cry. She was done with crying. She swore she had no more
tears left inside of her. So she picked up a pile of Danny’s baby
blankets and screamed into them
