After almost a week the Nikolayevs were united with their 5-month-old baby, who was taken away by the Child Protective Services (CPS) and put into protective custody.
Anna and Alex Nikolayev were overjoyed on their son's return. "He lay down, closed his eyes, but then a couple seconds later, he turned around, looked at me, looked back, turned around, closed his eyes. A couple seconds later, same thing again, looked at me. It is like, 'Mommy, you're still here.' That was exciting," Anna told News10.
At a hearing on Monday, a judge ruled that baby Sammy should be transferred to Stanford Medical Center. The judge also returned the custody to the parents ordering them not to move Sammy against any medical advice.
The happy parents said that they will take their son to Stanford Medical Center for heart surgery. However, CPS will keep a check the baby and visit the Nikolayev's' house.
Earlier, Sutter Memorial Hospital, Sacramento, California, had reported the couple to the police and the CPS for taking the child away to another hospital without proper discharge. The parents were trying to seek a second medical opinion for their baby as they were dissatisfied with the care given to the baby in Sutter hospital
The Nikolayevs had taken the baby to Kaiser Medical Center and the doctors there were satisfied with the parents' care and the police allowed them to go home.
But a day later, the police along with the CPS officials went without a warrant to the Nikolayev's house and took Sammy away.
The incident caught nationwide and international attention. The Nikolayevs said that they were overwhelmed by the support received to them. Anna said she hoped that the case could bring some changes to the CPS system.
About the change in the system, Alex said, "I'm not sure who is the higher authority over them. The higher authority needs to look into them because they have a very bad track record, and somebody needs to investigate them."
