"Hehe!"
Her laugh is the soundtrack to my life.
A very high pitched, giggly soundtrack.
In a small, cute, soft and cuddly package.
"Sydney?" I say.
She slowly used her hands to turn around.
She started doing that a few days ago.
It coincided with Hunter chasing a new toy I got him around the apartment. She moved her little head so much she found a better way to look at stuff.
He still is latched at the hip basically. Every time I put her on the blanket he joins her, and Hunter occupies her long enough for me to get a drink or a snack.
I need to start putting weight back on. I lost a bunch in the first month or two Sydney was home.
But when Sydney was at her grandparents, a certain woman in my life told me I looked skinny.
Kind of bad when we were watching a movie at the time.
Sorry, got way off topic.
But Sydney is on her normal torrid pace. She's getting close to crawling.
Or trying to get in position to crawl.
She gets on her knees, but when she tips over, her arms aren't supporting her.
Danielle said she'll take her to the gym.
I'm sure that'll work.
"Sydney!" Danielle said happily.
She turned to face her.
Danielle told me to go grab her a toy and get some popcorn going.
She's hungry, and I'm in the need for a snack.
I get to my feet while Danielle grabs Syd.
Sydney still wailed that I was walking away.
"It's ok…here. Horsey?"
Sydney didn't make a noise, but I heard Danielle laugh, so that'll work.
I grab a bag of popcorn, throw it into the microwave, set for 4:30 and march off to get her bag of toys.
I hear Danielle's voice as I grab the bag and come back.
When I return, I see Syd is looking towards the popping sound of the popcorn.
"She wants popcorn." Danielle said. "The second it started popping she turned and stared."
I laugh and bend over.
Sydney reached for me and I scoop her up.
"Let's go watch popcorn!" I say.
She made a noise and moved her arm.
We walked into the kitchen, where she immediately became enamored with the microwave.
"See Sydney, it sends little waves that hit the popcorn and makes them go into food! Pretty cool right?"
She made another noise.
I kissed her cheek.
She dived for my mouth, which I avoided.
She did "kiss" me right next to my mouth though.
"Did you kiss me?" I say, acting shocked.
Sydney, who hadn't moved, made a happy noise. Kind of a cooing sound.
"What? I'm only allowed to kiss Daddy Sydney!" Danielle said.
"Not anymore." I said, lifting her off me.
Danielle came right in time for her to kiss my cheek.
"Aww…that's adorable." Danielle gushed.
She looked so happy.
I guess she learned that's a way to say "I love you daddy."
"Love you too Syddo." I say.
Beep. Beep. Beep.
"Popcorn's done!" I say.
Danielle grabbed it as I turn Sydney to look at it.
"Food!" I say, getting Danielle to laugh as she grabbed a plastic bowl.
"Butter?" She asked me.
"Up to you." I say.
"I wouldn't recommend that. I put pepper and paprika on my popcorn."
"Ew. No. Gross. Butter only." I say definitively.
She laughed, and then put it into the bowl.
Sydney made a very happy noise.
The same noise she makes when she sees it's time to eat.
Danielle then grabbed the bowl and brought it close to Sydney.
"Yummy. You'll be able to have some soon."
Sydney wasn't happy, and immediately made it clear that Danielle had brought the bowl to close.
She stuck her hand in the bowl, and knocked some pieces to the floor.
She then tried to bring a piece to her mouth, but I snatched it away from her.
"No. Not yet. Next week you're going to try food. But not popcorn. No no." I say.
She looked very sad. But then kissed my cheek again.
I laughed as Danielle smiled.
"No bribes babe." I said.
"Her hand is buttery." Danielle said.
"On it." I say, as Danielle took the bowl into the living room and flicked on the TV.
I rubbed a little soap on both her hands, then ran her hands under soft water.
She stared at the water.
She still loves it.
When I did laundry a week or two ago, while I was waiting for the washer to fill I stood by it with Sydney.
She was awake when I started it.
When I closed the lid and finished, she was asleep.
Knock knock.
"I got it!" I tell Danielle.
I need to get a little water feature for Sydney's room.
So I can start sleeping in my room with a baby monitor.
I open the door to a woman in a dress.
"Hello?" I say, wondering why she's here.
It's a random Tuesday in August.
"Hi, my name is Beth Anderson, I'm here with Child Protective Sevices. Are you Mr. Robbie M. Shapiro?"
CHILD WHAT?
I immediately grab Sydney close and say "Yes. What's going on?"
"Is Caterina A. Valentine home? Or is she still on tour?"
I hear footsteps behind me.
"No. She's in Sioux Falls, North Dakota. What's going on?" I reply.
"Who's that Robbie?" Danielle asked behind me.
The lady answered for me. "Child Protective Services. Can I come in?"
"Uhh…sure?" I stepped aside.
Danielle looked floored.
What is going on?
I…
Are they gonna…take Sydney away?
I closed the door and tried to swallow the lump suddenly in my throat.
Sydney seemed to notice that I'm nervous.
Danielle led the lady into the living room and muted the TV, and asked her if she wanted a drink.
"Water's fine."
I sat across from her, trying to think of what to say.
But my mind is blank.
All I know for sure is I am doing all I can with Sydney. My parents, Jade, Beck, everyone says that I'm doing a awesome job.
WHY ARE THEY HERE?
"Thank you." The lady said as Danielle returned with a glass of ice water, then sat next to me, so close our knees were touching. "Who are you?"
"I'm Danielle Garner." She said, then grabbing her billfold, pulling out her ID and handing it to her.
The lady looked at it, wrote something down on a board and handed it back.
"Ok. Thank you. Now you must be wondering why I'm here. Well it's about Ms. Valentine. We saw the incident in Seattle with little Sydney here and wanted to speak with you." She said.
"Ok." Danielle said.
"So you're not taking her away?"
"Not today, and that isn't the goal of this. We don't want to take her. We just would like to know the situation. Because as we understand it…it's a bit weird."
I smiled. "It is odd."
Danielle smiled and pinched Sydney's cheek.
"Ok, so Sydney here was born on February 6, 2013 at 8:36 PM at Amhurst Regional Hospital. Caterina, hereby refred to as Cat, was hospitalized for a week, while Sydney came home 2 days later, on the 9th."
"Yes." I say, ignoring Danielle's 'WHAT?' look.
Never got to tell her about Cat's…complications.
"Now from what we know, you took her home on the 9th. And Cat was here about 2 months with a 'Cameron Brooks', then went off touring. Is all of that correct?"
I nod.
"Now my first question is…why are you here in the first place?"
"Cat wanted me here while she was pregnant with Sydney. To help her out and be here if she needed it." I reply.
"So you were just being a friend?"
"Yes."
"With no intentions of staying past Sydney's birth."
"Yes." I say.
"Then why are you here?" she asked.
"Because, I got attached to Sydney while her mom was sick, and before I knew it really, she was going touring. And since she doesn't really have any family, I couldn't leave her. I didn't want to anyway." I say.
"No family…as we understand it Sydney's father is claiming he isn't the father?"
"Yes."
"Have you tried getting DNA for a paternity test?"
"No…but we don't know where he is. And that's Cat's decision not mine."
She frowned.
"I suppose you would want to talk with her about that. Because he is legally obligated to pay child support if he is the father. Just because he says the father and doesn't want the burden doesn't mean he gets off scot free."
"Yeah."
"And why are you here Ms. Garner?" She asked Danielle.
"I'm Robbie's girlfriend."
"And you're ok with the current arrangement?"
"No, but Sydney needs Robbie, and I think Cat's screwing him around, but it's ok I guess." She answered flatly.
"Is she paying you for watching Sydney while she is out touring?" The lady asked me.
"No." I replied.
"Are you employed?"
"Yeah. I have an comedy tour, and I work at the Pear Store in East Village."
"Comedy tour? From what I see here you haven't done anything since this past Janurary."
"Before Sydney was born. Yes."
"Why is that?"
"Because Sydney needs me and I can't go off for two weeks?"
"2 weeks?"
"Yes. That's the standard length of my tours."
She nodded and wrote more stuff down.
"Ok. Well thank you for answering those questions. AS I said earlier, we don't want to take Sydney away. She appears to be happy, healthy and loved by you Robbie. But in light of what happened in Seattle, we were disturbed by Sydney's lack of immediate family."
"Lack?" Danielle injected.
"She has 1 relative on her mother's side, a institutionalized brother and no family on her father's side."
"What happened to her mom's side?" Danielle asked.
I spoke up. "Mom and Dad just left after her senior year. A few months after than she was notified her parents had died in an accident in Mexico."
"And the brother?" Danielle asked me.
"He's always been nuts. Bouncing in and out of places. I don't want Sydney to see him honestly. Not a good influence."
I look up to the lady seeming impressed.
"And how do you know all of that?" She asked me.
"I've known her since we were 9."
The lady seemed to understand.
"Well, since Sydney doesn't have much immediate family, we were wondering if you would like temporary custody of Sydney while her mother is touring."
All I really heard was the word custody.
"No! I don't want Sydney forever! Cat's her mom. I don't want to take her away!" I say quickly.
"I know sir. But this isn't forever. This is just in case something happens. We're kind of shocked but not surprised at her actions. Lots of celebrities' first children end up with another person because the parent is too focused on their career. We don't want it to happen, but we don't want to take Sydney in case something happens to you." She said.
"So…it's a protective measure?"
She nodded.
"Do I have to agree to it today?"
I want to talk to Cat.
NOW.
I know a back way to talk to her. I spoke to her manager while I was in Seattle and I can force my way to get her on the phone.
"No sir. I would hope you would want to speak to her mother."
I nodded.
"Ok. I'll leave the paperwork here. I know you have a stable home situation. Does Sydney know your parents?"
"yeah. I've been telling Sydney that they're her grandparents, since she doesn't really have any."
"And how are your parents taking this?
"Great. They love it. And she loves them."
She smiled and I look down to Sydney being fast asleep in my arms.
"I won't be much longer. I just want to make clear and ask that you tell Ms. Valentine that she must be more active in Sydney's life, otherwise we will force her to surrender custody of Sydney, and transfer her to you."
My jaw dropped.
"You can do that?" Danielle asked.
"Yes we can. It's about the child, not the mother. Now when is Cat getting off her tour?"
"Mid February."
…
"That's after Sydney's birthday." She said.
"I know." I say tersely.
"You don't like that."
"No. She's going to Australia with her boyfriend at the beginning of November and missing it."
"Why is she doing that?"
"To be blunt, because her boyfriend is a prick."
"You two don't get along?" She asked me.
"No. It's all gay slurs and insults from him towards me."
"How is he towards Sydney?"
"Fine. She likes him."
"But not like you." She said.
"No." I smile.
"Ok. Next time you speak to Ms. Valentine, can you ask her when she is coming in? She and her boyfriend, along with you three need to come to a meeting to hash things out."
"Ok." I say.
The lady stood up. "Well thank you very much for your time Robbie. It's been a pleasure."
I nod and stand. "Thank you."
Danielle walked her out. I look down to see Sydney awake and looking sleepy.
The moment the door closed I let out a breath.
"You calling her mom?" Danielle asked.
I nodded. "You might want to go into the other room. I haven't gotten to tell her about you yet."
Danielle looked a bit hurt. "Why?"
"I was going to in Seattle, but it hit the fan." I say.
She seemed to accept it.
"Ok. I'll be in your room watching TV."
I scroll to 'Cat's Manager' on my phone and dial.
…
…
"Hello?"
"Hey Frankie, it's Robbie." I say, setting Sydney down on the carpet.
"Robbie? What can I do for you?"
" I need to speak to Cat right now. It's urgent."
"Ok. I'll get her. Is everything ok?"
"Yeah, but I need to talk to her."
Cat POV
Stupid light technicians.
Can't do their stupid jobs…
Broke 5 lights! That's hard to do!
Suddenly my door opened, and it's not Cammie.
"Cat, call for you. Check your phone. It's about to get routed."
O…K?
I grab my phone and stare at it.
Then it lights up.
Robbie.
I press accept call.
"Robbie!"
"Hey Cat."
"How are you?" I ask.
"Bad. I need to talk to you."
"Ok…is everything ok?"
"Not really. CPS just stopped by Cat."
CPS?
That's child protective services!
NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!
"WHAT? NO!" I yell.
"Cat! Calm down ok?" He said.
"Did they take her away? Do you have Sydney?" I ask, frantic.
"YES CAT. Calm down. But they saw what happened in Seattle. They aren't happy."
"How so? Oh no Oh no Oh no…" I say, running around my dressing room.
Gotta get to LA.
I'm going to have some really mad fans, but I can't lose Sydney.
I can't.
"CAT!" He yelled. "Sit down! Breathe! Ok?"
I sat down. "Ok."
"Good. Geez. Now they're worried about you not being around. They want me to take primary custody of Sydney and want you to come to a meeting with Cameron in February when you guys get back."
"They want you to take Sydney?" I yelp.
"I—" He began.
"YOU WANT SYNDEY! NO! FUCK YOU! GO TO HELL! I'M COMING RIGHT NOW! THEY ARE NOT TAKING HER!"
"CAT!" He yelled.
I hear a commotion in the background.
"Caterina Valentine. Calm your pretty ass down now. I don't want Sydney. They just want to make sure somebody is taking care of her since you aren't here. If things go bad if February, I might get Sydney. But I. DO. NOT. WANT. HER. She is your daughter ok? Not mine!" He said, sounding mad.
"Ok…sorry."
"Now they said your ex boyfriend, Syd's father needs to be paying child support. Can I tell them to go find him and get his DNA?"
"Sure? But Robbie—"
Cammie cut me off by shutting my door rather loudly.
"What's going on?"
"What's going on?" I hear a female voice in the background.
"Huh?" I say.
Who is that?
I hear Robbie make a noise, and then Cameron spoke up again.
"Who are you talking to?"
"Robbie. CPS stopped by today. They're worried about Sydney."
"What?" he said. "No they aren't. He's lying."
"No he's not Cammie. Robbie wouldn't do that."
"He just wants Sydney for himself cat. Can't you see?"
"No I don't!" Robbie vehemently protested. "Shut up Cameron! This doesn't concern you!"
"Oh you be quiet Shapiro. Fucking tent pitcher."
I hear an outraged gasp and someone say "Who is that?"
The same voice.
"Who was that Robbie?" I snap.
"Nobody? What are you talking about Cat?" Robbie asked.
"I heard a woman's voice. Is that Jade?"
"No. It's just me and Sydney, but she's asleep." He said. "Anyway. I've gotta go. I don't want to hear Cameron's voice anymore. Bye."
"Robbi—"
…
He hung up.
"Did he hang up? Good. Finally." Cameron said.
"No! Not good! Can't you just be nice! Jeez! You're such an asshole! He's just helping me out! Unline you! All you ever want to do is have sex!"
He seemed taken aback.
"Cat, easy baby."
"No! Go away!" I yelled.
He came to touch my face, but I slapped him away.
"GO AWAY!"
(A/N: Hey everyone. Happy MLK Day. About Catherine Wright, it's supposed to be Anna Kendrick from Pitch Perfect. I messed that one up, sorry about that. Thought I made it clear, but I don't think I did. Jade loves that movie too (That's how Sydney saw it) and was fangirling about Sydney and Catherine getting a picture together. Hope that makes things a bit clearer.)
