"Just to give you a heads-up, there are reporters out front."

"Great." Ellen managed a smile for Will's sake, then turned to him. "Hear that, pal? You know what a reporter is, don't you?"

"You're a reporter!" Will pointed at her, smiling, and Ellen grabbed his finger and gave it a quick kiss.

"Right, and there'll be lots of people like me out front, only they might shout your name and take your picture. You ready for that?"

"Ready!"

"Good. Let's go home."

"I want to make a snowman!" Will shouted, and Ellen hushed him.

The nurse asked her, "Do you have a ride home?"

"I called a cab. I used my cell phone, so please don't throw me in hospital jail."

"Don't worry." The nurse waved her off. "If I were you, I'd call the cab back and tell him to go to the emergency exit, not the main entrance. The security guard can give you the heads-up. His name is Mel."

"Good idea," Ellen said, grateful. "I'll stall in the gift shop."

"Gift shop!" Will cheered, and both women smiled.

"You know what that is?" the nurse asked him.

"Toys!"

Ellen picked Will up. "Thanks."

"Good luck," said the nurse, her eyes compassionate.

Ellen knew the nurses were feeling terrible for her, but she wasn't feeling terrible because she was still insulated. And she realized then that it wasn't the snow or the hospital that insulated her. It was Will himself. As long as she had him with her, she would keep it together, because she had to, for him. That was what it meant to be a mother.

"Let's go home, Mommy!" Will kicked his feet.

"First, say thank you to the nurse."

"Thank you," Will shouted, waving.

"You're very welcome," the nurse said, leaving.

"Thanks," Ellen said briefly, then carted Will out of the room and down the hall, where he waved and thanked the nurses, all of whom waved back with brave smiles.

"Bye, Willie!" the last one said, sitting at the desk nearest the elevator.

Will scowled. "That's not my name."

Ellen hit the button to go down. "Let's forgive her and go to the gift shop."

"Yay!" Will said, and the elevator came, the doors opening. "I want to push the button!"

"What do you say?" Ellen stepped inside, and Will twisted himself to lean down toward the button panel.

"Please!" he said, and the doors slid closed. When they opened again, Ellen stepped out of the cab and looked for a sign to the gift shop.

"There she is!" a man said, and she looked over, startled. People were rushing toward her, and she raised a hand.

"I have no comment, boys. Not now, not ever."

"We're not the press, Ms. Gleeson," the man said. "I'm Special Agent Manning from the FBI and this is Special Agent Orr."

Chapter Eighty-three

"Oh," Ellen said, surprised. She noticed for the first time that a few uniformed cops stood behind them, one of whom she recognized from last night. The young one. Something was wrong. Her mouth went dry.

"Mommy, where's the gift shop?"

"In a minute, sweetie." Ellen asked the first FBI agent, "What are you doing here?"

"Is this boy Will Gleeson?"

"Yes."

"We're here to take him into protective custody."

"What? Why?" Ellen was dumbfounded. "He doesn't need protecting. He's with me."

"As you know, he's Timothy Braverman, a child of Carol and William Braverman, kidnapped in Miami, and we're here to facilitate his return."

"What? Here? Now?" Ellen's arms tightened on W. Her thoughts tumbled one over the other in confusion. She hadn't expected this, not yet. "He hasn't even eaten. He has no shoes. We have to go home."

"Ms. Gleeson, we are authorized to take the child. Here are the papers, you can take a look." Special Agent Manning extended a packet of blue-backed paper folded in thirds, and Ellen glanced at the caption. The letters WARRANT and SEIZURE swam before her eyes. She found herself looking for an exit, but the only one lay ahead. The press clustered outside. Reporters watched them through the glass doors. Camera flashes fired like explosions. Ellen started to panic.

"Wait, listen, I know Bill Braverman. I was going to get his number from the police and set up a timetable that's best for W."

"Ma'am, we're here at the request of Mr. Braverman. I'm sorry but, by law, you can't keep the child. We have to make certain that you don't abscond with him."

"We're going to the gift shop, Mommy!" Will said loudly, his voice trembling with new anxiety.

"I won't abscond with him, I promise. I know I have to make a transfer, but just not yet. Not this way. I wanted to explain it to him, and he hasn't even had breakfast, and my father-"

"Ms. Gleeson, we have to take him now. Please don't make this harder on the child than it already is." Special Agent Manning held out his hands, but Ellen stepped back with W.

"I'm not giving him up this way. I'm still his mother. I have a lawyer. I would have called him last night, but I wanted to make sure Will wasn't hurt."

"I told you we'd have a problem," said a voice from behind the FBI agents, and Bill Braverman emerged from the back of the group, flanked by an older man in a suit. "I told you she'd try to run."

"I'm not trying to run!" Ellen shouted, shocked. "I just didn't think we'd be doing it this morning, right now. He just got out of the hospital. I need to talk to him, to prepare him-"

"Mommy, who are they?" Will asked, clutching her shoulder.

Bill pushed next to the FBI agents, his dark eyes cool and his expression hardened. He had on different clothes from last night, and he was all business. "I'm his father, and I have a legal right to him. Right now."

"We have to talk about it. The timing, I mean."

"No, we don't."

"Mommy, what?" Will started to cry.

"Bill, look at him, think of him," Ellen said, desperate. She couldn't believe this was happening. It was her against all of them. "This is the craziest way to do this. This is the worst possible thing for him."

"You mean for you," Bill shot back, and Ellen's heart pounded.

"He doesn't know what's going on. I have to explain it to him. I was going to call a therapist when we got home."

"I'll call a therapist. We have them in Miami, too. I'll take good care of him. He's mine." Bill advanced a step, but the man in the suit restrained him and turned to Ellen.

"Ms. Gleeson, I'm Mike Cusack and I'm representing Bill. You have no right to the child by law, and we have reason to believe you will leave the jurisdiction with him."

"I won't, I swear. I wasn't going anywhere but home."

"You tried to flee last night, didn't you? That's what you told the police."

"That was different." Ellen tried to think through the panic. "That was when I thought he was in danger, but not now."

"You didn't return him to the Bravermans after you knew he was Timothy. You intended to keep him."

Ellen felt accused and convicted, both at once. Everyone watched. The photographers outside fired away. "I wasn't sure what to do, I wasn't sure he was theirs and-"

"My client wants his child back, and the police are here to enforce his legal right. Please, don't be selfish. Do the right thing."

"Mommy?" Will sobbed. "Mommy!"

"Honey, it's all right." Ellen patted his leg, frantic inside. She turned to the FBI agents. "I'll turn him over, I promise, just not this minute. Come to my house. Follow me home. You'll see, I'm not going anywhere."

"We can't do that, Ms. Gleeson. We're here to take him, whether you cooperate or not. If you have a complaint, you can call-"

"Call who?" Ellen exploded, losing control. "I don't need to call! I'm going to give him up, later! I just want to make this orderly! He's a boy, a little boy!"

"Mommy, no!"

"I'm sorry, Ms. Gleeson." Special Agent Manning reached for Will, and the cops advanced behind the agents as if on cue.