Medical Center. ER.
After handing Danny's care over to the nurses, Adam couldn't wait to get down here.
Taking on Danny's case had felt like a loss at first. The long hospital stay meant splitting his focus, keeping an eye on him constantly. But it was also a challenge Adam had never faced before—a chance to level up his skills. Plus, with the nurses pitching in, he didn't have to be glued to Danny's side. If something went wrong, they'd page him ASAP. And when they did? It'd be a life-or-death moment—Adam's favorite kind of save. 😎
ER.
"Dr. Duncan, perfect timing!" Nurse Carol lit up when she spotted him. "Do you speak Russian?"
"Yeah," Adam nodded. "Russian patient?"
"Yep, come with me—quick!" Carol grabbed his arm and tugged him along.
In the exam room, a little girl—maybe four or five, looking like an angel—lay on the bed. Her big, innocent eyes blinked up at Adam and Carol.
"Dr. Duncan, this is Tatiana. Fever and cough. Her mom brought her in, but then vanished the second I turned around. We can't reach her, and none of us speak Russian, so we're stuck," Carol explained.
"Checked her temp?" Adam asked.
"37.8°C," Carol replied.
"Tatiana, I'm Dr. Duncan," Adam said in Russian, starting his exam. "Where do you feel bad?"
"You can talk!" Tatiana's face broke into a happy grin. She reached out with her tiny hand, brushing his white coat's name tag.
"Yep," Adam said, leaning in so she could touch it. He pressed gently around her body, smiling. "Is it here that hurts? Here?"
"No," she shook her head, then grabbed his hand and guided it to her forehead. "Bad here."
"How long has it felt bad?" Adam asked, looking at her.
"A long time," she said after a little thought.
"Was it your mom who brought you here?"
"No," Tatiana shook her head, then nodded. "But she and some uncles and aunties said she's my mom now. They told me to call her that."
"Is this new mom nice to you?" Adam asked.
"Yes," Tatiana nodded softly. "At first, she was so happy. After we flew here, I got sick. We went to a doctor, and then she wasn't happy anymore. She cries a lot now."
"Probably adopted," Adam said to Carol in English. "Get a blood test for Tatiana. Let's figure out what kind of illness would make a mom desperate for a kid ditch this angel after all the effort to adopt her from overseas."
"Got it," Carol nodded.
"Tatiana," Adam switched back to Russian, "the nurse is going to take a little blood. It'll sting a bit, but just hang in there, okay?"
"Okay," Tatiana agreed with a sweet little nod.
The more obedient and adorable she was, the harder it hit Adam. A kid this cute, this perfect—how could anyone abandon her in a hospital? The most likely answer: Tatiana had something incurable, and her adoptive mom couldn't handle the endless road ahead.
"Tatiana, do you remember the name of the hospital you went to before? What's your new mom's name? Where do you live?"
She shook her head.
"No worries," Adam said, patting her forehead. He grabbed his phone and called his assistant. "Ada, send someone to buy a teddy bear or something a four- or five-year-old girl would love. Get it to the hospital fast!"
Cuteness is justice! Adam couldn't help but want to spoil her a little. 😊
Then he dialed Kate. "Detective Beckett, I need a favor. Look into someone—Tatiana, a four- or five-year-old Russian girl, recently adopted here in the U.S. Her adoptive parent dumped her at the hospital. Can you find out who it is?"
"Damn it! Who's that heartless? On it—wait for my call!" Kate didn't hesitate.
Tatiana watched Adam quietly. When he hung up, she asked in the most innocent voice, cutting straight to his heart: "Did my new mom not want me anymore?"
"…" Adam froze, at a loss. He couldn't say "no"—even if they found her, that woman probably wouldn't be her mom anymore. He softened his tone. "Don't worry, everything's gonna be okay."
Tatiana nodded, falling silent.
"Do you know what's going on?" Adam couldn't help but ask.
"Yes," she said, nodding seriously.
While Adam and Tatiana talked, Kate worked fast. Her call came back in no time.
"Mary Hall, 40. Husband died three years ago. Six months back, she applied to adopt from an orphanage in St. Petersburg. Last week, she finalized the paperwork and adopted four-year-old Tatiana Marivkaya."
"Tatiana Marivkaya?" Adam glanced at the girl.
Tatiana perked up, nodding like, That's me! That's me!
"It's her," Adam confirmed to Kate. "Mary Hall's phone and address?"
Kate rattled them off.
Adam hung up and dialed Mary straight away. "Mary Hall? This is Dr. Adam Duncan from the medical center. How'd I get your number? You adopted Tatiana legally—finding you wasn't hard. Come to the hospital. Running away won't fix this. Not coming? Fine—then tell me what's wrong with Tatiana."
Silence on the other end.
"Dr. Duncan," Carol interrupted, her face grim as she handed him the blood test results.
Adam skimmed it and sighed. "HIV, right?"
"You know?" Mary's voice broke over the phone, collapsing into sobs. "I didn't want this! My husband died three years ago—it was slow, agonizing, but I got through it, kept living. Until last week, I hadn't let myself feel that grief. Then Tatiana got a fever and cough. The hospital said it's HIV—passed from her birth mom, no symptoms 'til now. My life's just too cruel… They say she could live 1 to 5 years, maybe 9 or more. But I told myself I can't do it. I can't go through losing someone I love all over again. Please, don't call me—I can't…"
She hung up.
"New mom?" Tatiana asked softly, her eyes on Adam.
"Don't worry," Adam said, brushing her cheek. "You'll get a new mom—one you'll really like. I promise she'll stick with you always."
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