Hi all! So here we are, finishing another story. Thank you everyone who has read it and enjoyed it. As you already know, it means a lot!
Monday the 12th of October has come. Christian got the day off school as he needed to attend the court with Ethan and Cal. Ethan and Cal were in their bedrooms, looking in the mirror while putting their tie on, breathing deeply. Ethan left the room to find Christian watching TV. He went and sat next to him.
"You okay buddy?" Ethan looked at a nervous Christian.
"Yeah. Uncle Ethan, how come I got to come to court? Did I do something bad? Like in the movies." Christian gulped.
"No Christian, you did nothing wrong, you'll find out but Christian it's very important you remember this okay? Be honest." Ethan advised,
"Be honest? I'm always honest Uncle Ethan." Christian smiled.
"I know you are." Ethan ruffled Christian's hair slightly.
"Right, everyone ready?" Cal asked as he walked into the room.
"Yep." Ethan replied as he and Christian got off the sofa.
"Christian, did you take your sugar tablet?" Cal looked at Christian.
"Yes daddy." Christian smiled.
"Good, Ethan did you take your insulin?" Cal then looked at Ethan.
"Yes daddy." Ethan jokingly smirked.
Cal gave him a playful slap across the back of the head, all the boys laughed then headed for the car. They arrived at court to meet Carol.
"Hello boys! Ethan you look so much better." Carol sounded thrilled.
"Thank you. Definitely feel it." Ethan smiled.
"That's good. Shall we? Courts ready for you." Carol pointed her hand toward the courthouse door.
They all walked into the courthouse and straight into the courtroom it was a much bigger courtroom than their last one.
"Okay, we are continuing the case for custody of Christian Fields, child of Deborah Fields and Caleb Knight. We have Dr Caleb Knight and his brother Dr Ethan Hardy with us. How are you both?" It was the same judge they had before.
"We're fine thank you, your honour." Cal spoke confidentially.
"Good and how are you Christian?" The judge turned her head to Christian who was sitting in between Cal and Ethan,
"I'm great!" Christian spoke enthusiastically.
The audience couldn't help but chuckle.
"That's good. Okay this is going to be fairly straight forward we just need to hear from a couple of witnesses then we can decide after that. First witness: Mrs Constance Beauchamp." The judge looked around and saw Connie get up from her chair and made her way to the front of the courtroom and sat down in a stand, facing everyone.
"Mrs Beauchamp?" The judge asked.
"Yes?" Connie replied, sounding calm and together.
"What is your relationship with the two doctors?"
"I'm their boss"
"What can you tell me about them?"
Ethan's face went pale, it's unlikely but he thinks he is expecting Connie to say something horrendous.
"They are hard workers, I've worked with them since March 2014, when I started my job at the ED."
"What is your job, Mrs Beauchamp?"
"I am Clinical Lead." Connie answered then continued. "But yes, they work well with others and each other. They have good bedside manner and I saw Dr Hardy treat a child the other day who inhaled some bleach and he looked after him very well and as for Dr Knight, I've seen how he is with Christian, well I've seen how they both are with him, they love him and have looked after him. Christian told me that he hasn't felt this happy since he was with his mother."
The judge looked at Christian who nodded in agreement to what Connie said. The judge was very convinced.
"So you're saying that Dr Knight and Dr Hardy are suitable carers?"
"They look after people everyday, diagnose them and nurse them back to health, I think they are, no I know they are."
"Okay thank you Mrs Beauchamp, you may step down."
Connie got down from the stand and walked back to her chair, she looked at Cal as she walked past who mouthed "thank you" at her, Connie smiled. Ethan sighed in relief, wiping a sweat from his face.
"Okay, because of Mrs Beauchamp's statement, I'm convinced so far now I just need to hear this from one little boy. Can Christian come to the stand please?" The judge looked at Christian.
Christian looked at Ethan, scared. Ethan comforted him.
"Hey look, you just need to go up there and tell the judge the truth okay? Do not lie. Never lie." Ethan smiled at Christian. Christian nodded and made his way to the stand and climbed on the chair.
"Hello Christian, Carol is going to ask you a few questions okay?"
Christian nodded. Carol got up from the table and walked over to Christian.
"Hey Christian. How old are you?"
"Six years old."
"Do you know what hospital you were born at?"
"St James's"
"You use to live with your mother. Do you know your mothers name?"
"Debbie Fields"
"Okay, you stayed at an orphanage before your dad and uncle?"
"Holby Homes for Children."
"Did you like it there?"
Ethan's voice ran through Christian's mind "Be honest, be honest, be honest"
"No." Christian replied.
"Why not?"
Carol knew the answer to this but she had to ask for the judge to know.
"Danny was mean to me. He hit me." Christian answered bravely. There was murmuring from the audience.
"Is this Danny White?" The judge asked. Christian nodded. "Miss Wickers, Danny was arrested the other day for child abuse, assaulting Dr Hardy and handling dangerous weapons. Is that correct?"
"Yes your honour."
"Daddy and Uncle Ethan saved my life." Christian spoked as he looked at Cal and Ethan.
"What's it like living with you daddy and uncle?" Carol continued asking questions.
"I love it! I have my own room, my own bed. I never had that at the orphanage. I always slept on the floor."
"Mrs Beauchamp is it true Christian was admitted after falling down the stairs at the orphanage and Dr Hardy was harmed by Danny twice?" Carol asked Connie.
"Yes, Miss Wickers. Danny arrived at the Emergency Department with Christian he then head butted Dr Hardy and later set off a grenade in the orphanage whilst Dr Hardy was still inside."
"Dr Hardy, you instructed your brother to take your nephew out of the orphanage. Why didn't you go with them? Why didn't you leave Danny?" Carol asked Ethan.
"He had a grenade, if I left he could of set off the grenade with our backs turned. I stayed because I wanted to make sure he didn't set it off while my family was in the building and I was trying to persuade him that we could of got him help." Ethan answered honestly. Cal looked at him and smiled,
"You said Danny set off the grenade and jumped out of the two storey window. Is that right?" Carol asked Ethan.
"Yes. When I was in hospital, he came into my room. That was when he was arrested."
"Okay, thank you."
"Uncle Ethan saved mine and daddy's life that day." Christian looked at Carol then at the judge. The judge smiled at Christian.
"Christian. If you could live with anyone. Who would it be?" Carol asked with a kind smile.
"My daddy and uncle." Christian beamed.
Ethan smiled with a tear in his eye, he told Christian to be honest and that's exactly what he did.
"Okay Christian, you can go sit with your daddy now. No further questions your honour." Carol kindly instructed. Christian got off the stand and went to sit with Cal and Ethan at the table.
"Okay, we will take a brief intermission, court will resume in 10 minutes." The judge smiled then hit her gavel on the table.
Ethan, Cal, Christian and Carol were all outside the court room, Cal hugged Christian.
"You did very well, Christian." Cal looked at his son proudly.
"Is it over yet?" Christian looked up at all the adults.
"Almost Christian." Ethan smiled.
"You all did very well, I'm just going to go speak to the judge." Carol left and Connie walked over.
"Thank you Mrs Beauchamp." Cal shook Connie's hand.
"I will always help my staff, you know that. The judge seemed very convinced. She was smiling quite a lot." Connie responded.
"That could be a good sign." Cal looked at Ethan.
"Ethan, Cal. We're ready." Carol spoke from down the hall.
Cal took Christian's hand and they all walked back into the courtroom and sat where they previously sat. Taking deep breaths
"Okay. Are we all agreed?" The judge spoke. Cal didn't realise he was holding his breath. The audience on the side of the room all nodded. Ethan and Cal's heart stopped. "Okay, by this case, I am granting Dr Caleb Knight and Dr Ethan Hardy custody of Christian Fields with six weeks assessment." The judge smiled.
"What does that mean?" Cal whispered in Ethan's ear.
"It means: we got Christian. He's ours but they will observe us for six weeks with him." Ethan responded proudly.
Cal couldn't help but smile.
"Case closed." The judge banged her gavel then left the courtroom
Everyone else left the court room, Christian ran over to Cal who grabbed and picked him up, holding him tightly. Ethan joined in with the hug. Connie watched from a distant with a tear in her eye. The three boys broke their hug, Cal still held Christian but shook his brothers hand.
"Thank you." Cal smiled at his brother Ethan also smiled, Connie walked over.
"Well done you two."
"Thank you so much Mrs Beauchamp." Ethan and Cal couldn't thank Connie enough for being there.
"I better get back to the ED. I'll see you boys tomorrow." Connie walked out of the court house, the boys shortly followed her.
"Am I going back to school?" Christian asked.
"Not today, Christian. You can go back tomorrow." Cal assured Christian.
Christian smiled and grabbed Cal and Ethan's hands and walked to the car. They all got in with huge smiles on their faces and the boys drove home as a family finally.
Another end to a story! Hope it was a good fanfic for you all. The longest one I've ever done!
Thank you all so much! ❤️