kids are taken away from me and put into protective custody, my youngest daughter is alone by herself in a hospital
scared out of her mind…” I drew in my breath. “Privacy’s a fundamental right, and the privacy of my family was violated beyond belief.”
Marin Gates cleared her throat. “I can see that you’re still very upset, Officer O’Keefe. We’re going to try to help you…but we need you to back up a bit and slow down. Why did you go to Disney World?”
So I told her. I told her about your OI, and the ice cream, and how you fell. I told her about the men in black suits who led us out of the theme park and arranged for the ambulance, as if the sooner they got rid of us the better. I told her about the woman who’d taken Amelia away from us, about the interrogations that went on for hours at the police station, about the way no one there believed me. I told her about the jokes that had been made about me at my own station.
“I want names,” I said. “I want to sue, and I want to do it fast. I want to go after someone at Disney World, someone at the hospital, and someone at DCF. I want people’s jobs, and I want money out of this to make up for the hell we went through.”
By the time I finished, my face felt hot. I couldn’t look at your mother; I didn’t want to see her face after what I’d said.
Ramirez nodded. “The type of case you’re suggesting is very expensive, Sergeant O’Keefe. Any lawyer that takes it on would do a cost-benefit analysis first, and I can tell you right away that, even though you’re seeking a money judgment, you’re not going to get one.”
“But those checks in the waiting room…”
“Were for cases where the plaintiff had a valid complaint. From what you’ve described to us, the people who worked at Disney World and the hospital and DCF were just doing their jobs. Doctors have a legal responsibility to report suspicions of child abuse. Without the letter from your hometown doctor, the police had probable cause to make the arrest in the state of Florida. DCF has an obligation to protect children, particularly when the child in question is too young to give a detailed account of her own health issues. As an officer of the law, I’m sure if you step back and remove the emotion from the facts here, you’ll see that, once the health-care information was received from New Hampshire, your kids were immediately turned over to you; you and your wife were released…sure, it made you feel awful. But embarrassment isn’t a just cause of action.”
“What about emotional damages?” I blustered. “Do you have any idea what that was like for me? For my kids?”
“I’m sure it was nothing compared to the emotional burden of living
day in and day out with a child who has these particular health problems,” Ramirez said, and beside me, Charlotte lifted her gaze to his. The lawyer smiled sympathetically at her. “I mean, it must be quite challenging.” He leaned forward, frowning a little. “I don’t know much about—what’s it called? Osteo…”
“Osteogenesis imperfecta,” Charlotte said softly.
“How many breaks has Willow had?”
“Fifty-two,” you said. “And did you know that the only bone that hasn’t been broken by a person in a skiing accident yet is one in the inner ear?”
“I did not,” Ramirez said, taken aback. “She’s something else, huh?”
I shrugged. You were Willow, pure and simple. There was nobody else like you. I knew it the moment I first held you, wrapped in foam so that you wouldn’t get hurt in my arms: your soul was stronger than your body, and in spite of what the doctors told me over and over, I always believed that was the reason for the breaks. What ordinary skeleton could contain a heart as big as the whole world?
Marin Gates cleared her throat. “How was Willow conceived?”
“Ugh,” Amelia said—until then, I’d forgotten she was with us—“that’s totally gross.” I shook my head at her, a
scared out of her mind…” I drew in my breath. “Privacy’s a fundamental right, and the privacy of my family was violated beyond belief.”
Marin Gates cleared her throat. “I can see that you’re still very upset, Officer O’Keefe. We’re going to try to help you…but we need you to back up a bit and slow down. Why did you go to Disney World?”
So I told her. I told her about your OI, and the ice cream, and how you fell. I told her about the men in black suits who led us out of the theme park and arranged for the ambulance, as if the sooner they got rid of us the better. I told her about the woman who’d taken Amelia away from us, about the interrogations that went on for hours at the police station, about the way no one there believed me. I told her about the jokes that had been made about me at my own station.
“I want names,” I said. “I want to sue, and I want to do it fast. I want to go after someone at Disney World, someone at the hospital, and someone at DCF. I want people’s jobs, and I want money out of this to make up for the hell we went through.”
By the time I finished, my face felt hot. I couldn’t look at your mother; I didn’t want to see her face after what I’d said.
Ramirez nodded. “The type of case you’re suggesting is very expensive, Sergeant O’Keefe. Any lawyer that takes it on would do a cost-benefit analysis first, and I can tell you right away that, even though you’re seeking a money judgment, you’re not going to get one.”
“But those checks in the waiting room…”
“Were for cases where the plaintiff had a valid complaint. From what you’ve described to us, the people who worked at Disney World and the hospital and DCF were just doing their jobs. Doctors have a legal responsibility to report suspicions of child abuse. Without the letter from your hometown doctor, the police had probable cause to make the arrest in the state of Florida. DCF has an obligation to protect children, particularly when the child in question is too young to give a detailed account of her own health issues. As an officer of the law, I’m sure if you step back and remove the emotion from the facts here, you’ll see that, once the health-care information was received from New Hampshire, your kids were immediately turned over to you; you and your wife were released…sure, it made you feel awful. But embarrassment isn’t a just cause of action.”
“What about emotional damages?” I blustered. “Do you have any idea what that was like for me? For my kids?”
“I’m sure it was nothing compared to the emotional burden of living
day in and day out with a child who has these particular health problems,” Ramirez said, and beside me, Charlotte lifted her gaze to his. The lawyer smiled sympathetically at her. “I mean, it must be quite challenging.” He leaned forward, frowning a little. “I don’t know much about—what’s it called? Osteo…”
“Osteogenesis imperfecta,” Charlotte said softly.
“How many breaks has Willow had?”
“Fifty-two,” you said. “And did you know that the only bone that hasn’t been broken by a person in a skiing accident yet is one in the inner ear?”
“I did not,” Ramirez said, taken aback. “She’s something else, huh?”
I shrugged. You were Willow, pure and simple. There was nobody else like you. I knew it the moment I first held you, wrapped in foam so that you wouldn’t get hurt in my arms: your soul was stronger than your body, and in spite of what the doctors told me over and over, I always believed that was the reason for the breaks. What ordinary skeleton could contain a heart as big as the whole world?
Marin Gates cleared her throat. “How was Willow conceived?”
“Ugh,” Amelia said—until then, I’d forgotten she was with us—“that’s totally gross.” I shook my head at her, a
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