Hallie

Today must have been the longest day of my life. After the paramedics brought Tiger in last night, I was up late trying to fix her up and taking care of her. Not to mention the sudden influx of patients coming in. Now, with Gabriela wanting to take care of Tiger right after her mom comes in; it's all a big mess. I do admit Tiger would probably be better off with them. A mother that abandons her child shouldn't be allowed to take her back. Still, when Gabriela told me she planned on suing for custody, I was shocked. It's not like they've had any experience with children, especially not a child like Tiger. All the same, I do plan on supporting them during trial. They want me to testify.

I never thought going to court would be a part of my job as a doctor. Then again, I never thought I would be doing psychology as a side to my regular job. It is an interesting field though. I've always wanted to know more about people, and just listen to their thoughts.

I pull up into my driveway to notice someone standing at my door. "Matt? What are you doing here?"

Matt runs up as I get out of my car. "I came to apologize," he says. "I never should have said those things to you. I want to get back together."

I am stunned. After our last fight, I never imagined we would ever make up. It's really over now, I had thought.

I shake my head. "Why are you telling me this now?" I ask softly. "I can't do it anymore, Matt."

"Hal, please, I'm sorry. Please, take me back. Don't you love me?"

I start to cry and tears blur my vision.

"Will you give me another chance?" I hear his voice break.

"You hurt me so much, that day you left," I whisper. "I died that day. You were the one who broke up with me. You can't go off and make out with another girl, then come and expect me to take you back. Go, Matt. Leave and don't come back."

It takes all I have to leave him standing there in shock, and walk past into my house. As soon as I close the door, I let out a sob. It's hard to believe everything we've been through was for nothing. Matt and I got along so well, I thought maybe we would get married, start a life together. Our relationship just got more and more rocky, but we always got back together. Until now.

I decide to retire for the night. I strip of my clothes and climb into the shower, still thinking about Matt. How could something that felt so right go so wrong? I thought I could live without him, but maybe I was wrong. He meant everything to me, and I truly wanted him back, but I was too scared to try again. You never really stop loving someone. You just learn to live without them. I guess the hardest things to let go are the things you never really had. I climb into bed and try not to think, pressing my face against the pillow. It's soaking wet by the time I fall asleep.

The next two days go by in a blur. I try to keep myself busy with work and not thing about anything else. On Friday, a lady came by to tell me that she was Tiger's case worker; Elise. Tiger's mother was deemed unable to care for her. Tiger would be put into the foster care system until they figured something out. That same day, Gabriela called, telling me that they had talked to already talked to Elise and would be filing for custody soon. She wants me to testify. I honestly have no idea what it's going to be like, or how I even got dragged into this.

"Dr. Thomas. Dr. Thomas? Hallie!" I hear someone say.

I turn to find Adrea, one of the few nurses I've made friends with, staring at me with an annoyed look on her face.

"Sorry. What?"

Adrea sighs, "Honestly Hal, I asked you if you wanted to grab a beer later tonight."

"Uh, sure, I guess. I mean, I'm not busy or anything."

Adrea rolls her eyes. "Don't do me any favors."

During my lunch break, I decide to drive over to the precinct and try to talk to Detective Jones. If I'm going to be testifying, I should at least know what to expect. The hallway is quiet, and I walk in to find a group of people laughing over Chinese food.

"Hey! Hallie, right? Dani told us about you." A young, slender blonde stands up and smiles at me. "Can I help you?"

"Yeah," I tell her, "I was wondering if I could talk to someone about the trial tomorrow? How exactly is it going to work?"

"It's pretty simple, why don't we go sit down? I'm Amanda, by the way."

I follow Amanda and we sit on the couch.

"Sorry for barging in," I say. "I just want to make sure I know what I'm doing. And I want to put Tiger in the best place possible."

Amanda nods understandingly. "Tough case," she says. "Her mother was also abused, but she was too scared to press charges. We haven't caught the father yet, so letting Leslie and Gabriela take care of Tiger is probably the best choice. I bet the mother could use some help to get back on her feet."

I nod. "So what exactly is going to happen?"

"Well, given that this is a child custody case, the hearing will take place in family court. It's not like the stuff you see on TV. The lawyers will ask Astrid, Gabriela and Leslie, and you some questions. You just have to talk about her health, the state she was found in. It's pretty simple."

"Okay, that's sounds easy. Um, what do you think is going to happen?"

Amanda sighs, "I honestly don't know. You can never predict these types of cases. The judge might pity Astrid and give her another chance given that she gets some help, or Gabriela and Leslie may receive full custody. Frankly, I'm just worried about Tiger."

"Yeah, me too. Along with her injuries, she isn't exactly in the greatest emotional state. Being put in the wrong home could result in something bad."

"It's going to be hard, but she'll have lots of help. You're a psychologist right? Maybe you could talk to her after the trial."

"Sure, I guess. I'll try. Well thanks, I should probably get prepared. Things could change a lot a couple of months from now."

Amanda laughs, "Definitely. Good luck!"