Disclaimer: I don't own anything Twilight related.
-Special thanks to LSU15 for your beta skills for this chapter!
Chapter 50: The fight of a lifetime begins...
***Happy Memorial Day to all the veterans out there***
After freaking out for a minute, I calmed down, since the odds of me getting pregnant wasn't that great. I had been on the pill for years and I'd never missed one since Edward and I started having sex. It would be okay, right? And if I was pregnant, then so be it. We were happy and married. We made it work with Chris and I knew we would do it again with a second baby; whether that was now or in the future.
After getting up, we took a shower together, lingering in the warm water until it ran cold. After getting dressed in comfy clothes, the exhaustion finally caught up with us so we took a quick nap.
After waking we decided to join the rest of our family and friends, so we made our way downstairs to the dining room. We were strangely energized, given the minuscule amount of sleep we had over the past couple of days. It felt like a new era was starting and I was excited for what the future held for us, not only as a married couple, but as a family with Chris.
I'm sure our future would be one with hardships along the way, but I had a lot of hope; something I never thought I'd have when it came to marriage.
"You ready?" Edward asked before we stepped into the dining room.
"Yes, let's get our baby," I told him, anxious to see Chris and reassure myself that he was still with us.
Interestingly enough, we were the first people to arrive. I guess everyone had a long night given the amount of liquor consumed. Edward and I enjoyed the last few minutes of peace and got a cup of coffee together. The dining room's French doors were open to the veranda so we headed to the chairs set up outside. Edward pulled me down on his lap so we could enjoy the morning breeze together.
"How much do you want to bet that Tanya and Jasper spent the night together?" I asked.
Edward snickered. "I can't believe you admitted that is a possibility, but I'd say that's a good bet."
As if on cue, I heard a man's voice behind us, "Ah, isn't that sickeningly cute? Newlyweds."
I looked over my shoulder and saw an amused Jasper and a sheepish Tanya looking at me.
Okay, I thought, wondering what that meant if anything. Jasper looked mellower than yesterday, but Tanya had a look on her face that said I GOT LAID. Funny, I thought only men got that look. I know I've seen it on Edward, but now I was wondering if I did as well.
"We have a license to cuddle, so fuck off," Edward told him, pulling me closer.
I smiled, deciding that dissecting this change of events was useless. They were adults and Tanya's personal life wasn't my business.
"Sleep well?" I asked Tanya, who actually blushed.
"Just fine thank you," she replied haughtily, "and I'm starving."
"Then let's eat," I replied, getting up. "I'm starving too."
Edward helped me up and took my hand as we walked into the dining room. By now everyone had come down, and everyone appeared to be in various stages of being hung over; apart from Kate's boys, Chris, and my father.
Both of Kate's boys were playing with Chris on the floor, who was clearly enjoying the attention of the older boys.
"Well good morning to you two," Carlisle said, getting a cup of coffee.
"Likewise," Edward said, giving his parents a quick hug.
We settled down with food and all talk went straight to business. Our plan for the next few days was to go about our lives as we have for the past year. If that PI was following us, we wanted to make sure he got enough photos of us as a married couple, as a family.
We weren't going to wear our rings since that was going to be a surprise for court, but the photos would be evidence of the life we were providing for Chris. The pictures would also serve a bigger purpose: making the McCarty's look like fools.
"One more thing," Father said, tapping his pinky finger on his saucer; one of his bad habits. "Your mother and I spoke with Tanya last night. It would help your case if you had a permanent home."
"We have a permanent home," I replied, thinking about our apartment. It didn't feel like the home we had built together; not since our privacy had been violated, but it was all we had.
"Yes, you have a rental, which is fine, but it would be better if you two owned your own home," Tanya explained.
"Well that would be lovely, but neither one of us is in a position to buy a house. Not yet, anyway," I said.
"Both you and Edward have your trusts," Carlisle pointed out.
"Which we can't access until we're 30 without taking major hits, tax wise," Edward replied.
"And I don't want the money," I added, thinking about all the problems it had caused during my divorce.
"Well this was your father and I were thinking," Mother injected, "I know how you feel about the money, so what we would like to do is sign over the Hamptons house to you."
"Excuse me?" I replied a little dumbfounded.
"I know you how much you love the house and your mother and I don't need it," Father explained,
"It's close enough to the train that you could commute into the city, if you like."
"And far enough from the McCartys and your sister," Edward finished in awe, slowly turning to me, "What do you think?"
I was shocked, thats what I thought. I loved that house, I really did; it was right by Stony Brook University and I could get a job teaching there when I finished school will I built my practice. The area was perfect for us.
"Are you sure?" I asked my mother since that house had been in her family for generations.
"Absolutely, it's either give to you or sell it," Mother told me.
I launched myself at my parents, hugging them as hard as I could. "You didn't have to do this but thank you so much," I told them.
"It's our pleasure," Father replied, "This is what we should have done when you came to us all those years ago. We're righting a wrong."
I nodded, speechless. Turning to Edward, "Are you okay with this? I know how much you love Boston."
"Boston can wait, it's not going anywhere and Fenway isn't going anywhere either," Edward replied, "This is perfect for us. Thank you, Renee, Charles."
"Yes, that is a very generous gift, thank you," Esme echoed her son's sentiment. There was a part of me that knew my parents were making amends for how they treated me in the past, but this was also for Chris. I knew Jake loved that house so it made me happy to raise his son somewhere he loved as much as I did.
With that out of the way, we started to make a battle plan for New York. Tanya was going to stay at Ben's so they could work together on the last parts of the case. Rose and Emmett were staying with my parents at the Long Island house. My parents were going to deed the house to Mr. and Mrs. Edward Cullen. Since the McCartys were unaware of our wedding, they wouldn't be looking for a Mrs Edward Cullen and we would have the upper hand on them.
I filled out the paperwork to change my name with the social security bureau after our wedding and my new social security card should arrive in a few weeks. For the time being, we had our marriage license to prove our marriage in court.
Jasper was going to stay at Edward's place. As much as they both hated to admit it, having Jasper staying with us would be have been a bad idea. For one thing, he had made that leap from recreational to habitual user. Jasper was fully aware that we couldn't have a drug addict around Chris. He understood what harm that could do to our chances of keeping him, especially if that was going to be one of our arguments for why Mary shouldn't be awarded custody of him. Plus, we had a PI following us and we weren't going to provide them with anything to use against us.
Whatever Tanya was doing with Jasper was over as soon as it began. She devoted the rest of her week getting ready for trial and soon Jasper disappeared again, but not before promising to see us once things settled down.
When I asked Tanya about Jasper, she was quite honest, saying that every now and then she needed to feel the warmth of a man and that Jasper filled that void. Handsome and unattached worked perfectly for her since she had no desire to try to replace the marriage she had with Jared. She was quite happy with her life, her daughter and her work. I didn't press any further since it was none of my business anyway. I was forever grateful that Tanya was so dedicated to her work.
After we snuck back into Manhattan, we went about our business, just as we had in the past. The PI started following us more closely; probably since we disappeared for a few days. But we anticipated this, so I tried to stay calm and not let it get to me. It wasn't as hard as I thought and I finally started to relax knowing that we were married, and an official family.
We even went to the Hamptons to watch the moon landing the night before we were due in court. It was nice to have an evening with family and friends to celebrate Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin landing on the moon with the rest of the world.
On the morning of July 20, 1969, Edward and I stood in front of the Courthouse on 4 Police Plaza, dressed in our Sunday best. He was wearing his suit from our wedding and I was a wearing a Chanel suit from my debutante days. The building was beautiful, with the colonial architecture that was en vogue during the turn of the century. The elegance of the building was further enhanced with marble floors. Although they were faded from years of use, I could see their former elegance; years of neglect had faded its former glory. Sadly, the floors made me think of Mary, who I could see ahead of me.
She was much thinner than I remembered, which was saying a lot. It was at least 80 degrees outside, but she was wearing a winter suit with a white, long sleeved blouse; the cuffs were visible through her wool jacket. Felix was standing next to her with a cocky grin in his stupid face, and in that moment I would've loved nothing more than to beat the hell out of him. He smirked at me and Edward as we walked closer to the courtroom.
The McCarty's were standing by them with James, my restraining order was null and void in the courthouse during the proceedings. It was the "who's who" of people we hated most.
I could feel Edward stiffen as he took in the scene. For the purpose of this case, we hadn't worn our wedding bands since we got married. Edward was wearing his behind his class ring; mine was on my necklace, next to the locket that held Chris' picture. It was a present from Edward for Christmas. I took a deep breath and promised my brother and sister-in-law wherever they were, that we would keep Chris safe.
I pulled Chris closer to my chest and silently, we walked into the courtroom, as a family. I wanted to shield Chris from this, but he was required to be there as stated in the subpoena.
My parents were right behind us, to care for Chris during the hearing. Rose, Emmett, and the Cullens were there too. I saw Edward's grandparents next the McCartys and they were shocked to see their son and daughter-in-law on our side; why, I had no idea.
A flame of red hair was behind them and I realized it was Victoria. The years had not been kind to her. She looked shopworn, for lack of a better word. For the life of me, I still couldn't understand why she was included in the proceedings; whatever it was, it should be interesting.
She caught my eye and we stared at each other for a moment. The two ex-wives of Mr. James Hunter. I could only imagine what was going through her mind. In my mind, I saw the last time we were in the same room; the catalyst for my new life. For some strange reason, I felt the urge to thank her. She had screwed my husband, but if it wasn't for her coming to James' apartment that afternoon, I would probably still be married to him.
I looked at her closely and realized that she was probably in trouble. Her outfit had clearly seen better days; the elbows on her dress were threadbare. Given how she had treated me, I shouldn't care about her, but she had a child to take care of and I could sympathize with her for that reason alone. Her career as gold digger had failed and my guess was that her pre-nup with James was probably one-sided and she walked away with nothing.
I almost felt sorry for her, but I would not be where I am without her actions and I was eternally grateful to her for the life I have now. She on the other hand looked like life had vomited on her. Victoria moved her eyes from my gaze as if to apologize and acknowledge I had done well for myself.
Maggie was there too. Not much had changed there either, other than she looked embarrassed to be there. I felt horrible for my former classmate and had the urge to ask Rose to take her San Francisco. Word on the street was that Maggie had been trying to get pregnant and James had blamed her abortion for their lack of conceiving.
The smugness the others exuded calmed me. They had no fucking clue that Edward and I were married. My history of being defiant had tricked them into thinking that I was living my life as usual. We sat facing each other like some parody. Both Maggie and Victoria looked away like they were ashamed to be here, but the others exuded confidence that I couldn't wait to see destroyed.
My father looked at Aro McCarty, sizing him up shrewdly for several minutes. Finally, he spoke, "Aro, just answer me one thing; why now?"
"Excuse me?" Mr. McCarty asked confused.
"You heard me; Chris is a year old. You could have done this at anytime, why now? You haven't even seen him since he was a few days old," Father asked.
"Aro isn't doing anything, we are," Felix said smugly.
"Felix, I believe you're as interested in my grandson as I am in growing a set of tits, sorry darling," Father said, patting Mother's hand for his use of language, "I just want to know, why now?"
"Well Charles, I don't want my grandson being raised by a tramp," Aro said, leering at me like he was imagining what my breasts look like. "Or maybe, I just wanted to make sure the boy lived. The physicians mentioned he might not. If he made it to his first birthday he would be fine. Why invest time in a faulty product?"
James snickered as I paled at Mr. McCarty's insensitivity. Mrs. McCarty gasped. I looked at her with sympathy because I knew she missed Nessie and loved Chris. She would sneak into the NICU when she didn't think anyone was looking, but she chose to stay away after Chris' discharge. Whether because she hated me or feared her husband, I did not know. The way she looked at husband suggested the latter.
Edward, however jumped to his feet, causing James to stop laughing and Mr. McCarty to step back. "You're one smug bastard McCarty. You must have been a Section 8 or educational deferment during World War II, you goddamn sissy cunt."
Mr. McCarty turned a mottled red and opened his mouth to retort, but the door to the courtroom opened. The Bailiff announced, "Whitmore versus Swan?"
"That's us," I answered standing up, "C'mon let's win this in court."
James choose that moment to speak. "Good luck with that Isabella.," then he addressed Edward, "She's damaged goods."
I turned to look at him. He looked back with a smug grin that slipped when he realized I wasn't going to back down. "I'd rather be damaged goods than your wife, James. My condolences to you Maggie; if you ever want out let me know. You can join the Hunter ex-wives club whenever you want. I'm the proud charter member."
"You stupid bitch," James started to come at me with his hand up.
Edward went to step in front of me, but I put my hand on his chest to stop him. "Do it you dumb bastard," I taunted, "Please, in front of all these law men, hit me. How did you put it Edward, you 'sissy cunt.'"
"Enough James," Maggie said, putting her hand on his bicep, "You're making a scene."
James shoved her roughly and stalked into the courtroom. Maggie cowered back, but followed him in the room.
"I meant what I said Maggie," I called out to her.
She turned and shook her head. "Don't worry about me Isabella, I made my bed years ago. Save your nephew from this life."
Victoria looked at both of us enthralled. I wondered if she was jealous of Maggie, as she had what Victoria wanted. She turned back to me after Maggie walked off.
"Tell me something" I asked her, "Why the hell are you here?"
"I need a job," she said unapologetically, "They promised to lift the ban. I was blackballed after my divorce. For what it's worth I'm sorry for before."
That took the wind out of my sails a little. I knew she had to be pretty hard up to agree to any of this.
"Good luck yourself Victoria. Remember one thing, there is always another way," I told her, walking into the courtroom.
Other than my wedding, I had never to a courtroom before. My divorce had been handled by depositions and mail since both parties were desperate to finalize. It was as dreary as I imagined.
The courtroom we were in had no windows. There was some air conditioning but it was stuffy. Ben motioned for him to join me in the defendant's table, next to Tanya who was scribbling something on a legal pad. She had her glasses on and looked very studious.
My parents and other family sat behind me. Carlisle and Esme ignored his parents, who were staring at both of them with disgust. This wasn't the first time Carlisle defied them so I assumed they'd be used to him forging his own path. Then again, some people never accept change.
The plate on the judge's pulpit read the Honorable Jedidiah Atkins. Great, I thought, wondering if God had a sense humor, sending me a guy judge with the most Waspy name available. My imagination conjured an image of one of those poster guys from the Soviet Union or Nazi Germany. The type of man that was over 6 feet tall with blond hair, blue eyes, muscular physique and perfect posture.
The door to the judge's chamber opened and out came my vision. The Honorable Jedidiah Atkins. He was probably about ten years younger than my father, with dark blond hair, silver at the temples. He clearly golfed on his days off and was Edward's height and tanned. I could feel a panic attack coming on as I realized this guy screamed conservatism. I tried to calm down remembering what Tanya said: "if plan A doesn't work, I have a plan B, C and D."
"All rise, court is in session, the Honorable Judge Atkins presiding," the bailiff announced.
We all did so and I could the other side looking at Tanya confused, the confused expression on Mr. Jenks' face restored my confidence. A small smile tugged on my lips. They had no clue what was about to happen.
******AMW********
"Case of Whitmore versus Swan, your honor," the bailiff said handing him the complaint.
Judge Atkins quickly reviewed the paperwork. "I see the complaint is custodial in nature. Is the child here?" he asked.
"Yes, your honor," Tanya said standing up, addressing the judge, "he's sitting with his paternal grandmother behind me."
"Objection your honor! Only counsel can address the court," Mr. Jenks said.
"Your honor, I am counsel," Tanya said dryly.
"A lawyer not a secretary, Miss?" Mr. Jenks said smugly.
"I am an attorney," Tanya told him annoyed, "I represented Miss. Swan years ago during her divorce and I'm co-counsel today. I'm licensed in New York. If it pleases the court, I have a copy of my license and bar card in my briefcase."
"That's not necessary Mrs. Denali, I read your information in the claimant response," Judge Atkins replied, "Mr. Jenks, I do not tolerate any disrespectful behavior in my courtroom. I have a daughter who is studying to a lawyer, so I suggest that you keep any antiquated attitudes in check. Are we understood?"
Mr. Jenks turned a lovely shade of red, as did Mr. McCarty, James, and Felix. I had to bite my cheek so I wouldn't laugh out loud. The good judge didn't tolerate nonsense, and I had no desire to attract any attention myself.
"And for the record Mr. Jenks, I only asked if the child was here. I hardly think Ms. Denali confirming the child is present is an objection. Please move to opening statements, and both parties wait until cross examination for any objections."
"Yes, your honor," Ben and Tanya answered while the plaintiff's table remained strangely silent.
Mr. Jenks went to the pulpit. "Your honor, my clients, Mr. and Mrs. Felix Whitmore are requesting custody of the minor child, Christopher Jacob Swan. He is the paternal nephew of Mrs. Mary Whitmore. The child, Christopher entered the care of his other paternal aunt, Isabella Swan nee Hunter upon the death of his mother, Vanessa Swan nee McCarty."
"And the minor in question has been under his other aunt's custodial care for the past year?" Judge Atkins asked, looking at the paperwork.
"Correct your honor," Mr. Jenks replied.
"And the need to move the child now?" he asked.
"Mr. and Mrs. Whitmore are married and have established a home. Mrs. Whitmore can also devote more time to raising Christopher, as she is not working. Miss. Swan is a single woman who is currently in school and working. She also has questionable morals and psychological issues that might affect Christopher's development."
I had to bit my lip when Mr. Jenks said that. Rationally, I knew I was going to have to sit through this, but that didn't make it any easier to hear people label me a degenerate. Edward squeezed my hand to reassure me we'd get through this as Jenks continued in his criticism of me.
"Miss. Swan abruptly left her marriage and divorced her husband, cutting all ties to her family. Her own parents can attest to this. She is exposing Christopher to her boyfriend, Mr. Edward Cullen, who recently returned from Vietnam. By all accounts, Mr. Cullen is violent, which caused an end to his relationship with his former fiancée and he threatened a friend in a Boston restaurant and has severed several familial connections. We have witnesses to collaborate.
"The defendants engaged in cohabitation that threatens the child's moral development and physical safety. We have documentation and photographs to prove their living arrangement. They have denied Mrs. Vanessa Swan's parents, access to the grandchild. Mrs. Vanessa Swan specified that if something should happen to her, that her child be raised with one of Mr. Jacob Swan's sisters. She did not specify which one. As I stated earlier Mr. and Mrs. Whitmore are a best fit for guardianship."
With that, he sat down.
"Your turn , Mr. Cheney." Judge Atkins said, impassively.
"Thank you, your honor," Ben said, standing up to address the judge. "This case is based on the fact that Miss. Swan is a single woman. That is no longer true. She is now Mrs. Isabella Cullen."
"What!" James barked causing Maggie to cower. Both Mr. and Mrs. Cullen gasped, Mrs. Cullen actually clutched her heart, it was difficult to not laugh at her theatrics.
"Order or you'll need to leave," Judge Atkins told him. I smiled smugly.
"My clients entered a contract of marriage last week," Ben continued. "We have a copy of their marriage license for the court to verify. Their certificate will be in the mail next week."
"I see," the judge said, "What of the other concerns that plaintiff had?"
"Your honor, Mrs. Vanessa Swan named both Isabella and Edward Cullen as Christopher's godparents. Her dying wish was for them to take care of her child. We are filing an application for adoption as well. Mrs. Swan wanted Christopher to remain with Isabella. In addition to her will, we have several nurses who are willing to testify that they heard Vanessa Swan asked Miss. Swan to promise to raise her child prior to Mrs. Swan's death. In addition, Mrs. Whitmore has a severe drug problem-"
"That's a lie!" Mary screamed standing up.
"Order! Mrs. Whitmore, I will not tolerate any interruptions. Is that understood?" Judge Whitmore said sternly.
"But –" she said but Felix pulled her down to her seat.
I shuddered taking a better look at my sister. She was skeletal, had dark circles under her eyes; her long hair had been cut off completely, in a pixie cut. What was left was lifeless. She looked at good ten years older than me. Her nose was different, as was her chin and eyes. She must have had plastic surgery done.
Mary was a stranger and that realization made this easier.
"Mrs. Whitmore, I'm very serious; next outburst, I will have the bailiff remove you from my courtroom," Judge Atkins told her.
Mary sunk down in her seat. I had a feeling she had been left to her own devices for the past year. She clearly was giving the Judge the evil eye from her seat. In hindsight, that was probably the beginning of the end.
Judge Atkins looked back to Ben. "That is a very serious accusation, Mr. Cheney."
"My clients are willing to submit to any drug testing that you feel is necessary," Ben replied.
Judge Atkins looked at Mr. Jenks. "Would your clients be willing to do so? I'm not about to send a child to a dangerous situation."
Mr. Jenks, knowing that this was probably something that Mary would fail, changed tactics.
"The point here your honor is that there is no basis for my clients to have a drug test. They are fine outstanding citizens who have no criminal history."
"Your honor," Tanya said, "May I address the court?"
"Yes, Mrs. Denali," he said.
"That's not quite true about the two plaintiffs. Mrs. Whitmore was treated for drug addiction last year at the St. Agnes School for Girls by Syracuse. She has a history of drug abuse. In addition, both plaintiffs were called in for questioning for the death of Mrs. Vanessa Swan."
"Objection your honor," Mr. Jenks said before Mary could scream again and get herself removed.
"St. Agnes is a fine school with a long and respectful reputation, and both my clients were exonerated from Mrs. Swan's death."
"Your honor, I have a copy of Mrs. Whitmore's application to St. Agnes and the admitting reason was substance abuse. In addition, there are several employees that overheard Swan tell Mrs. Isabella Cullen that she had been attacked by Mr. Whitmore right before she died."
Judge Atkins looked at us, impassively. I could only imagine he would have been an amazing poker player. "I'll allow it," he said after a minute. Tanya walked over the paperwork.
He read through it briefly. "Normally in a situation like this I would probably be ruling in your favor Mrs. Whitmore," he said, "Mr. Jenks, your chief reason for this hearing is that Mrs. Cullen is a single mother. Usually I would be inclined to agree that a two-parent household would be better for a child than a single parent home. However, I see several problems with your argument. I have the option of moving this child from an established household to a new one. You haven't provided me any proof that Mr. Cullen is violent or that Mrs. Cullen is irresponsible. However, the defendant has provided proof that Mrs. Whitmore is a very ill young lady and has shown irate behavior in the fifteen minutes she has been here. In addition, the couple in question has married."
"But your honor, this marriage is clearly a sham," Mr. Jenks protested.
"Mr. Jenks, what I have reviewed are dispositions where the chief complaint is that the Mrs. Cullen is of questionable virtue because she had a divorce and was cohabitating with a partner. Mrs. Cullen divorced a man who is currently on his third wife in eight years. Yes, Mr. Jenks, I read the paper. What I see is young woman who was divorced and fell in love with a man whose family didn't approve of the relationship."
"Your honor, we would like to move to dismissal of this case," Tanya said, "For one thing, Mrs. Cullen has a restraining order against Mr. Hunter. That in itself shows proof of prejudice against my client with his testimony. Miss. James had an affair with Mr. Hunter, ending his first marriage Mrs. Cullen. She confronted Mrs. Cullen at her former marital home. I cannot imagine her testimony would be impartial to Mrs. Cullen's character. Mr. and Mrs. Grayson Cullen did not approval of Mrs. Cullen, as witnessed by Mrs. Katherine Logan on July 7th of last year. After Mrs. Cullen was served paperwork last week, their family attorney contacted her and offered to withdraw their testimony if she and Mr. Edward Cullen ended their relationship.
"In regards to Mr. Edward Cullen, Mr. Reynolds attacked Mr. Cullen in public. I have a deposition from Mrs. Francesca Vitto, the owner of the restaurant the incident took place. The reason for the fight was that Mr. Reynolds was committing adultery. Miss. Stafford also has a reason to testify; Mr. Cullen ended their engagement when he found her having sexual relations with a house staff member.
"Your honor, this case should not have even been filed. The plaintiffs waited a full year to file suit after claiming that Christopher Swan was living in a dangerous environment, a child who was premature at that. While my clients are guilty of cohabiting out of matrimony, they provided a healthy environment where the child has thrived against all odds."
Judge Watkins looked at us again. "That was quite a speech Mrs. Denali," he said finally. "Mr. Jenks, is any of that true?"
"I need a minute to confirm," he said, pulling at his collar and gesturing to the plaintiffs. He knew it was all true. Asshole!
The Judge did not look amused as the hissing got louder from that group. "Mr. Jenks, what is the verdict? I would like to see the astronauts return home."
"We're withdrawing the witnesses that Mrs. Denali spoke of," Mr. Jenks answered, "But as for this matter, we are still pursuing custody. Mr. and Mrs. Whitmore have the resources to provide a better future."
"By what basis?"
"For one thing Mr. and Mrs. Cullen are still in school and not established in their careers. Mr. Cullen is studying photography and that will hardly yield the same salary as Mr. Whitmore who is a banker. Also the Whitmores own their own home. The Cullens are renting."
"Your honor, Mr. Cullen is actively establishing a clientele list and has been earning a salary since he started graduate school. He has tentatively accepted a position as an art director when he finishes this school this semester with his Masters in Fine Arts. Also Mrs. Cullen will be done with school next spring and will be starting her own practice as well as teach at a University, this next summer. Also Mr. and Mrs. Cullen have been gifted a home by her parents. They have a stable home and income. Not mention they both have trust funds that will be released to them when they turn thirty. Your honor, in this case especially, a home is made by love, not the size of the wallet." Tanya said.
"I would agree with you Mrs. Denali, however I need to take all things into consideration. So this what I propose. Since Mrs. Swan stated that she wanted her husband's sister to raise her child, I want to hear from both sisters as to why they want the privilege of raising this little boy. I also want a drug test from both couples. I don't take drug abuse lightly. We're going to take a short recess. Bailiff Hanson, please have a female bailiff escort the ladies to the restroom for their drug test, and please take the gentlemen for their test. I want the results by the end of court. I will hear from both parties after the recess."
"I'm sure that will be fine," Mr. Jenks said, sending a pointed look at Mary, who kept her mouth shut.
The bailiff made a call and waited for the female officer to arrive as Edward and I and Felix and Mary moved to the hallway outside the courtroom. We sat waiting, looking at each other awkwardly.
"When did you get married," Mary asked finally. I guess curiosity got the better of her.
I fidgeted with my necklace that had my wedding ring on it. Gently, I unhooked it and removed my ring and put in on my left hand. There was no reason to hide it anymore. I noticed that Edward did the same thing, he took his band from behind his class ring and slipped it on his ring finger. Strangely it hadn't felt as alien like I thought would have. My old one had never adjusted to my finger.
"Last week," I told her.
"I didn't get an invite."
I stared at her, wondering if she was being sarcastic or hurt. If she was genuinely hurt, then I was at loss since I remember the hateful things we said to each the last time were together.
The lady bailiff, a stout woman in her late forties, arrived and escorted us to the bathroom.
"Okay ladies," she said, "pee in the cup and hand it to me."
"Is this necessary?" Mary whined.
The guard shot her a look and Mary turned to me. "Can you help me out Isabella?"
"Girl, get into the stall and piss in the cup," she snapped.
I had to stifle a laugh since I was scared that I was next on that lady's list. "I'll be only a moment," I told her taking my plastic cup.
As I pulled down my panties, Mary called out, "I can't pee."
"I can wait all day, but the judge can't. He's got a golf game at 4 and he'll be mad if he misses it." The bailiff told her.
I finished up and grabbed some toilet paper to wrap around my cup. With that, I opened the door and handed it to Officer Simons, finally noticing her name badge.
"Thank you, sit down and wait for the other young lady," Officer Simons told me. Doing what she said, I sat down one of the wooden chairs by the door.
"Oh shit," Mary shouted in the bathroom.
"What's the matter Mrs. Whitmore?" Officer Simons asked.
"I dropped the cup, it had all my pee in it," Mary replied, a hint of snicker in her voice.
Mary annoyed the wrong woman. Officer Simons, shoved open the door, and there stood Mary with her suit jacket buttoned up, blouse tucked in, and skirt still in place. She clearly had not been peeing.
"Mrs. Whitmore, I'm going to tell you this once, if you refuse a drug test, it will be assumed that it is positive," she informed her, "And if you're wasting my time, you will be in contempt of court and spending the night in jail. Got it?"
Again, I had to bit my lip. Very few people had ever spoken to Mary like that and Officer Simons had a gun to back it up. Mary looked scared enough to pee on the spot.
About time she was scared of something, I thought to myself.
AN:
