When Mark left the house for work that morning, he planned on calling Aurie throughout the day to check on her. Things got so busy, and he completely forgot. He was taking care of a patient in the ER when Aurie's first call buzzed in his pocket. Briefly, he mentally acknowledged that a call came in before intensely focusing on his severely bleeding patient.
He didn't hear or feel the buzzing of her second call over the hysterical screaming of another patient going through a psychotic break thanks to an overdose of drugs.
Towards the end of his shift, he's able to finally take a breather and enjoy the temporary calm of the ER to drift into the breakroom only to encounter Amanda and Jesse standing in the middle of the room in a heated tug of war over two or three large manila envelopes.
"With manila envelopes, you need a powerful lightbox and the one near the operating rooms is the brightest," Jesse argues, tugging on the envelopes.
"It's not any more powerful than the one in my path lab," Amanda counters, yanking hard enough to pull the envelopes out of his grip.
"Did you try using your cleaning sprayer to generate steam to loosen the seals?"
"Yes, and it didn't work," Amanda pouts, crossing her arms. "The adhesive is too strong."
"C'mon, Amanda, we've got to get a peek before we give them to Mark. I want to go double or nothing with Carter in Pediatrics if I'm right."
"What are you betting on that's supposed to come to me?" Mark asks, causing them to jump since neither noticed him enter the room.
"Oh, hey, Mark," Amanda nervously smiles.
"Finally got the chance to take your break?" Jesse asks, nervously shifting in place.
Ignoring the question, Mark arches a brow.
"What are you two up to?"
"Well, you see," Jesse begins before Amanda cuts in.
"Well, I called in a favor with Devon in labs to rush the paternity tests." She hands three envelopes over to Mark. "He just dropped them off at my lab and we got overeager and wanted to peek at the results."
Both shift uncomfortably under Mark's scrutinizing gaze.
"So, you told Carter and decided to bet on the results," he scowls disapprovingly at Jesse.
"I didn't tell him," Jesse protests. "He already knew."
"How did he find out?" Mark asks in confusion. "Only the participants and you two…" he trails off in dawning realization. "And Devon and Aileen in Phlebotomy."
"It's a paternity test involving you and Steve. I think it was just too big and juicy to keep quiet," Amanda explains. "Not that Devon said anything. He's got a great poker face. I don't know about Aileen, though," she thoughtfully adds before looking scoldingly at Jesse. "Unfortunately, it got out of hand with the betting pools that popped up."
"Don't play innocent, Amanda, you've got a fifty-dollar bet with Tomoko in Imaging," Jesse points out, earning her glare.
"Besides violating our HIPAA, why are you placing bets?" Mark asks.
"It's not just us," Jesse counters defensively. "Everyone's placing bets. It's not every day you and Steve have to take paternity tests."
"That shouldn't make it okay for you two who know better," Mark scolds, causing them to look guiltier. "I'm going to have a brief conversation with Aileen about the importance of confidentiality over gossip, then I'm heading home."
"Uh, what about the results?" Jesse asks, earning a painful swat on the arm from Amanda that causes him to grimace.
"Oh, these?" Mark holds up the envelopes with a crooked grin. "I'm going to take them home where I can open them up with Steve and Aurie and I'm not going tell either of you two the results until tomorrow. And that's if I don't decide to take the day off to take Aurie somewhere fun."
"That's cruel!" Jesse protests still rubbing his arm.
"It's a lesson you both deserve. Have a good night," he cheerfully states as he disappears out the door.
Jesse and Amanda share a dejected look before going to finish their shifts.
As promised, Mark sought out Aileen and pulled her aside. He made her aware of what's been going on and reminded her of the laws requiring them to maintain patient confidentiality regardless of who it is. Thoroughly chastised and repentant, she apologizes for telling others about the paternity test and for it getting out of hand. Accepting the apology, he lets her know their conversation will serve as a warning and that she's going to have to take a refresher course on HIPPA.
After he wraps up his conversation with Aileen, Mark heads back to his office to hang up his lab coat before collecting his briefcase and heading out the door.
As late as he left the hospital and because of traffic, Mark didn't get home until nearly six o'clock. As he's exiting his car, Steve's truck pulls into the driveway behind him.
"Hey, Steve," Mark greets as his son steps out of his truck.
"Hi, Dad. I thought you'd be home already. Was it that busy today?"
"And then some," Mark wearily comments as they enter the gate and walk up to the house together. "I would've gotten home sooner if I didn't have to talk to Aileen in Phlebotomy about her legal obligation to protect patient privacy."
"Did some celebrity come in for a drug test and she blabbed it to the tabloids?" Steve facetiously asks.
"Nope," Mark shakes his head as they climb the steps to the front door. "She gossiped about the paternity tests. So, the whole hospital knows, and the staff has been making bets with each other."
Steve groans while rubbing a hand down his face.
"What the hell," he mutters. "And how'd you find out? Amanda and Jesse told you?"
"I caught them playing tug of war with the envelopes containing the test results. They were bickering over their unsuccessful attempts to peek. Turns out they placed bets."
Steve incredulously gapes while Mark fishes the key out of his pocket and unlocks the front door.
"I'm going to wring both their necks!" Steve grouses as he follows Mark through the front door.
"Aurie! We're home," Mark calls out before focusing back on Steve. "Well, I let them know I'm not happy with them and maybe I'll tell them the results tomorrow."
"Let's tell them the results are inconclusive," Steve suggests. "Have you looked at them yet?" he asks, following Mark into the den.
"No," he answers, looking around with a frown. "I thought the three of us would open the results together. Aurie?" he calls out louder into the quiet house.
Knowing Aurie stayed home, Steve finally realizes how quiet and empty the house seems as well.
"I would've thought she'd be out here watching TV," he muses, before heading down the hallway. "I'll check to see if she's in her room napping."
Mark looks down at the desk and finally notices the torn notebook page and key. Steve strides back into the den just as Mark finishes reading.
"She's not in there," he informs Mark. "There's still some clothes in the closet, but it doesn't look like she's in the house."
"She's not," Mark confirms, holding up the note to show Steve. "This was on the desk. Listen. Dear Mark. I don't have time to explain, but something important came up during my calls and I've got to be back in Tucson by tomorrow night. Have to make it to the bus station to catch the next one. Tried calling you twice then ran out of time. I promise to be back in a couple of days, and I'll try to call as soon as I can to explain better. Sorry. Aurie."
"She ran away?" Steve asks in disbelief.
"This doesn't sound like she's run away," Mark counters. Sighing heavily, he adds, "I got two calls earlier that I couldn't answer. That must've been when she was trying to reach me." Pulling out his phone, Mark looks at it and nods. "Yep. Both missed calls were her."
"She still took off instead of waiting until she either heard back from you or one of us got home. I doubt that whatever is going on is so urgent that she couldn't have caught a later bus."
"Well, for all we know she's already on her way to Tucson. We're just going to have to wait until she calls."
"I don't think we can, Dad," Steve shakes his head. "You got the test results, right?"
"In my briefcase."
"We should go ahead and look at them," Steve suggests, surprising Mark. "If Spencer is her father, you've got that open slot Judge Dobrik set aside for you. If she's going to stay in this country, that hearing is going to be more important than anything else she has to take care of in Tucson."
Rubbing a hand across his face, Mark blows out a harsh breath.
"You're right," he agrees.
Sitting down behind his desk, he sets his briefcase on top in front of him and pulls out the three envelopes.
"Let's start with Spencer's," Mark states while tearing open one end. Pulling out the sheet he reads the results. "Well, he's not Aurie's father."
"Really?" Steve replies in surprise. "I thought for sure he was." He frowns when he notices Mark opening the envelope with his name on it. "Why are you bothering with yours? It's going to be the same. Zero."
"We went through the trouble of taking the test and I want to see for my…self…," Mark trails off as he blinks at the page in front of him.
"What's wrong?"
Steve watches in confusion as Mark ignores him to open the third envelope containing Steve's results and stares at the sheet.
"Dad?"
Mark finally looks at his son in shock.
"There's a 49.999% chance I'm Aurie's father. And there's a 99.999% chance you're her father."
"What?" Steve blinks, not grasping what he's saying.
"Son, this means you are Aurie's father," Mark emphatically repeats.
"Wait, how? That's impossible…" Steve snatches the page from his hand to see for himself, struggling to comprehend what's going on.
"These results prove otherwise, and that Ellen's instincts were correct," Mark smirks. Becoming serious, he adds, "Figuring out how it happened isn't important right now. Are you going to claim paternal responsibility so she can get her citizenship?"
"Yes," Steve replies without hesitation, recovering somewhat from the shock.
"That's fantastic," Mark sighs in relief, elated at the news.
"Check your computer, Dad. The browser history might show if she looked up departure times and at what bus station." Mark nods and turns on his computer. "If we're lucky she may still be in town. I want us to see Dobrik tomorrow so I can request custody."
Mark's stunned gaze snaps up to his son leaning over his shoulder, gazing intensely at the computer screen.
"You're going to try getting custody of Aurie?"
"Yes," Steve states like it should be obvious, frowning at his father. "Since it's confirmed she's my daughter, I want custody. She should be in our lives, Dad."
"I can't argue with that," Mark smiles warmly. Returning his attention to the computer screen, he opens the internet browser. "Good call, son. She looked up the bus schedules and city bus routes."
"It looks like it was going to take her over two hours by city buses to get to any of the bus terminals," Steve muses thoughtfully. "What time was her last call to you?"
"About three forty-five," Mark answers, checking his phone.
"That rules out any buses leaving for Tucson up until six o'clock," Steve reasons, reaching for the mouse to click back to the bus schedule. "The only departure she could reasonably expect to catch on time is the eight-fifteen out of Union Station. Hang on, that one just got canceled. That'll leave the nine forty-five."
"So, there's still a chance for you to catch her before she gets on the bus," Mark states.
"Yeah," Steve agrees, straightening up. "I'll be back with her as soon as I can."
Mark watches his son disappear out the door before turning his attention to the test results spread out on the desk in front of him. A few minutes later Ellen enters the room.
"Where's Steve going? I saw him driving off before I pulled into the driveway."
"To pick up his daughter at Union Station."
"Huh, what? His daughter?" she gapes incredulously.
Mark leans back in his chair to give an exaggerated nod. A smile slowly spreads across her face before she gleefully leans down to hug him.
"Congratulations on your first grandchild!"
"Thank you!" he grins, hugging her back.
Releasing him, she lifts one leg to partially perch on his desk.
"Okay, fill me in. What's going on that she's not even here and he's got to get her at Union Station?"
"Quite a bit," Mark sighs then proceeds to explain what's going on so far.
"Oh, that is quite a bit," Ellen muses in surprise. "But there's probably a very good reason she has to return to Tucson. I'm not sure interrupting her trip is such a good idea. The family court hearing could've waited until she got back."
"But we need to settle her immigration status as soon as we can," Mark counters.
Ellen arches a brow and pins him with a look.
"ICE put her in your custody. They weren't racing to deport her. As it is, this whole situation is very complicated and isn't going to be easily resolved with one hearing in family court."
"What do you mean?" Mark frowns in confusion.
"For starters, there are two states involved," Ellen points out, easing off the desk. "Yes, Steve could be granted custody of Aurie in California, but I'm sure there will be some processes he's going to have to go through in Arizona." She wanders over to the nearby coffee table where she dropped her courier bag when she entered the den. "She resides there, goes to school there, and is recognized in Arizona as an emancipated minor. Well," she briefly pauses in rifling through her bag. "The state may consider her an 'independent' minor. Legal definitions vary from state to state. Aha, here it is."
Pulling out a sheet of paper, she looks it over before continuing.
"Then there's the fact that Amalia is out there somewhere, illegally probably. Aurie may not be living with her, but that doesn't mean she doesn't have some paternal rights."
Ellen watches Mark mentally try to process the things he, and probably Steve, haven't considered. Walking over, she hands him the sheet in her hands.
"Then there's this. I do have a journalist friend in Mexico City who succeeded in finding Aurie's birth certificate. As you can see, no father is listed."
"Wait a second," Mark frowns at the certificate. "According to the date on this, Aurie's thirteen, not fifteen!"
"Yeah," she nods in agreement when he looks over at her. "I got that attached in an e-mail and printed it out. Shocked me too when I saw the year on it. He's express shipping me an official copy I should get by Friday."
"She would've had to provide her birthdate to get a state ID. She had to know her true birthdate, so why lie?"
"I bet that program she's in where she can live independently has a minimum age and I doubt it's thirteen."
With a groan, Mark drops his face into both hands.
"This goes beyond complicated," he mumbles into his palms.
Resuming her perch on the edge of his desk, Ellen reaches out to place a reassuring hand on his shoulder, causing him to look up into her smiling face.
"Hot mess is what I'd call it," she quips, prompting him to laugh.
"Well, it may be an inconvenience, but I think Steve should bring her home and we start untangling this mess in family court. Then we'll just take whatever additional steps we have to as we come across them."
"True," she agrees. "Now to deal with a more pressing issue. Dinner. I don't think we can count on Steve picking anything up on the way back."
"I don't think so either," Mark chuckles, reaching for the Rolodex. "I think it's a pizza night."
"Oh, definitely."