Free The Advocate's Ex Parte (The Advocate Series Book 5) by Teresa Burrell

animal would do this? She wondered if JP was right, that there might be a connection between Judge Mitchell’s death and the attack on the doctor. She held her hand and spoke softly. “It’s going to be alright, Carolina. You hang in there.” She didn’t know what else to say or if it mattered. She touched her lightly on the shoulder and left.
    Just outside the door she encountered a tall doctor with disheveled hair and bags under his eyes who was just about to enter Heller’s room. “Good morning, Doctor.” She put out her hand to shake his. “I’m Sabre Brown, a friend of Dr. Heller’s.”
    He shook her hand. “Dr. Brister,” he said.
    “You look tired. Are you just starting your shift?”
    “It’s been a long night,” he said. “Were you here to see Dr. Heller?”
    “Yes, I was just in there. Has there been any change in her condition?”
    “Her vitals are a little better this morning. That’s about all I can tell you at this point.”
    “Thank you,” Sabre said and continued down the hallway and out to her car.
     
    ***
     
    After stopping at Polinsky Receiving Home to see a newly appointed six-year-old boy, Sabre continued on to a group home in Mira Mesa to see a teenage girl who had just arrived there. She visited with the girl, and then continued on her way to see a maternal aunt home where a tox baby had been placed. Finally, she arrived at the foster home of Mr. and Mrs. Nguyen. Emma Tran, the eighteen-month-old girl on the Tran case was recently detained in this home. Sabre introduced herself to both foster parents and was invited in and offered tea, which she politely refused.
    “Emma should be waking up from her nap any time now,” Mrs. Nguyen said.
    “That’s fine because I have a few questions for you.” Sabre sat down on the chair that Mrs. Nguyen offered her. Mr. Nguyen left the room. “Have you met the Court Appointed Special Advocate on this case yet?”
    “No, the social worker told me about her. Apparently, her name is Mae Chu. I’ve been waiting for her call, but so far I haven’t heard from her.”
    “What about the mother, Kim-Ly, have you met her yet?”
    “Yes, she had a visit yesterday. She’s so young. She’s still a child herself and trying to raise a baby.”
    “I know. And we haven’t been able to find any family here. Has she said anything to you about them?”
    “No. She didn’t talk about her life much.”
    “How was she with Emma?”
    “She held her and played with her appropriately. She seems to really love her daughter, but….” Mrs. Nguyen paused.
    “But?”
    “She asked me what happens when children are adopted, if the parents ever get to see them again.”
    “Did you get the impression she was considering giving her up?”
    “I couldn’t tell for sure. She looked very sad when she asked. She may have just thought she didn’t have a chance of getting her back.”
    “What did you tell her?”
    “I told her to talk to the social worker. She could answer her questions better than I could. And I told her to be sure to stay in her programs. She was real concerned about the baby being safe, which seemed a little odd considering she left the baby home alone. Maybe it’s that she’s so young.”
    “That’s the second time you mentioned how young Kim-Ly is. She says she’s twenty-one and she has a birth certificate that verifies it.” Sabre noticed the foster mother shaking her head in disagreement. “But you don’t think so, do you?”
    “That girl is no more than sixteen at best.”
    Mr. Nguyen stepped into the living room carrying a beautiful, dark-haired, dainty little girl with hazel-colored, almond-shaped eyes. Sabre stood up and stepped closer to her. “Hello, Emma,” she said. Emma didn’t respond. She rubbed her eye with a tiny fist.
    “She’s still sleepy,” Mr. Nguyen said. He continued to hold her for a few minutes and then he set her down on the floor. The child appeared very steady on her feet, but she didn’t take