Twelve days later, Bree was busy cleaning and packing to head to Chicago. She hadn't seen nor heard from Dane since his frightening visit, and still had no earthly idea why he wanted custody now.
Bill Avery was a meticulous lawyer. He'd said some people referred to him as a pitbull. That was exactly what she needed. Dane could put on a good act. He was charming and polite, when he wanted to be, that is.
"Bree, babe?"
She jumped 2 feet from her spot in front of the washing machine.
"I'm sorry." Mike walked up and pulled her into his arms. "I didn't mean to scare you. You were just standing here staring into the half empty washer. I wanted to make sure you were alright."
"I'm trying to be. Mike, I swear, if he gets custody of the kids, I may do something."
"Something like what?" he said nervously.
"Run. I don't know. He can't have them. Lord knows what would happen to them."
"He is not getting our boys, okay?"
"What if…"
Mike kissed her, then shook his head.
"We stay positive as long as we can. Alright?"
"But what if…"
He placed a finger on her lips.
"If for some reason he gets custody, I'll run with you. I'm not losing you."
"I'm sorry. He just makes me so paranoid."
"It's okay, I get it. Let me help you finish getting the boy's things together. Jesse texted a minute ago to say he'll be by first thing in the morning to take the boys."
"It's not too much trouble? They have a little one now."
"Jesse insisted that they are happy to do it. They'll spend time with Beth, Linc and the baby too."
"Thank goodness for friends. I know I had told you you shouldn't come with me, but I don't think I could do this without you."
"Good thing you don't have to then."
The flight to Chicago was anything but comfortable for Bree. Aside from the fact that her stomach was twisted into knots due to the stress of the trail, she was flying coach at 8 months pregnant.
Once their plane landed in the windy city, they checked into their hotel before meeting her attorney, Bill Avery for one last strategy session. By the time they parted ways that evening, Bree felt they had done all they could do.
Back in Vermont
Jack took Beth to the hospital to finally bring Shae home. She was up to a little over six pounds now and was healthy and ready for home. It had been a long almost two weeks for both parents.
Beth was excited. She couldn't wait to finally rock her in her nursery and give her a bath and snuggle in bed with her and Jack and Linc.
"You happy, babe?' Jack asked, squeezing her hand as they walked down the hall to the NICU.
"Yeah. I'm happy."
"Me too," he said with a grin. "It will be great to have our whole family home."
"Yeah it will."
"Hello, Thorntons!" Didi the nurse said, greeting them. "Are you ready to take sweet Shae home?"
"We are!" Beth said.
"We just need you both to sign these discharge papers and then we can go back and get her."
Ten minutes later, Shae was snug in her carrier in her cute flowery "going home" outfit which was a bit too big.
"Alright, sweetheart, let's go home," Jack said, picking up the carrier.
Jack drove extra carefully home, knowing how precious his cargo was. His eyes periodically went to the backseat where Beth sat, staring at Shae, loving her.
"You're beautiful, sweetheart," he told Beth with a smile. Beth's lower lip trembled, signaling more tears. "Beth? What's wrong?"
"Nothing. I just love her so much. And I love you and you gave her to me. I…" she shook her head. "I'm so hormonal," she said with a laugh.
"Nothing wrong with that."
Beth was also exhausted. Leaving Shae at the hospital had been the hardest thing she'd ever done. A piece of her was missing. Now, her heart was whole again. Maybe sleeping would come easier, she thought, yawning.
"Babe, when we get home, why don't you take a nap?"
"I need to make dinner."
"I'll take care of it." Jack pulled into Julie and her husband's driveway to pick up Linc. As he knocked, he could hear crying and it was very familiar. Linc.
Julie opened the door, a bawling little boy on her hip. "Look, Linc. Its Daddy."
"Want Mama!"
"She's in the car, bud." That stopped his tears quickly. Jack took him from Julie. "Thanks, Jules. Did he take a nap?"
"Nope."
"Sorry about that."
"That's alright. He feels things changing."
"Yeah." Jack kissed her cheek. "Make sure you come see Beth soon or give her a call. I'm sure she'd love to hear from you."
"I will."
Jack carried Linc back to their car and opened the back door to put him in his car seat. "Mama!"
"Shhhh," she said gently. "Look, Shae is sleeping."
"Hug, Mama," he whimpered, as if he hadn't seen her in a long time. In reality, it had been an hour.
She scooped him up and hugged him for a long moment. "Were you upset, baby?" she wondered, seeing the tears on his cheeks.
"I cry."
"Why were you crying?"
"Want you."
She knew that he was having trouble with sibling jealousy so it was going to be interesting finding time for both of them and Jack. "Go get in your seat, bud. Let's go home."
"Say sleepy?"
"Yeah. Shae is sleeping. You look sleepy too."
"No, sleep."
"Well, Mama is sleepy. I'm going to sleep in the big bed when we get home."
Jack smiled, enjoying her genius move. He waited for Linc's reaction. It didn't take long.
"I sleepy! Sleep with you?"
"Sure, Linc. You can sleep with me."
"Kay," he said, watching out the window as they drove.
About thirty minutes later, all was quiet in the cottage. Jack was starting to boil water for spaghetti, or "noonoos" as Linc called them, when he heard soft noises on the baby monitor.
He hurried into the master to pick up Shae before she cried. Beth and Linc needed their sleep.
He reached into the crib and picked her up. "Hi, baby," he whispered. He walked out of the room with her and down the hall. "How's my girl?"
She opened her eyes and frowned, making him laugh. Who knew a baby so young could make such a face? As he waited for the water to boil, he stirred the meatballs in the pan and then poured marinara sauce over them.
"You're brother loves these. I bet you will one day too."
He saw her pushing her tiny tongue through her lips a few times. Did that mean she's hungry? He wasn't sure, he was used to a somewhat communicative toddler. Rather than risk waking everyone up, he took out a bag of Beth's breast milk and held it in the hot water until it wasn't frozen anymore and slightly warm.
Shae's tongue darted more quickly and she started squirming. He started swaying and humming as he grabbed a small bottle and nipple from the cupboard. He managed to get the milk into the bottle and the top on it all while holding Shae.
He dumped the box of pasta into the boiling water and headed to the couch to feed the baby.
"Alright, my love, time for food. Sorry for the wait." He sat sideways on the couch, bending his legs and propping her on his knees. She watched him for a couple minutes before closing her eyes as she drank.
Jack honestly wasn't sure how he loved her as much as he did but it was almost overwhelming.
Partway through her meal he stopped and lifted her to his shoulder, burping her. He knew Beth would rather breastfeed her but he was grateful to have the opportunity to bond with her too.
When Elizabeth wandered into the room a little while later, Jack was slowly dancing around the living room, Shae tucked snugly against his chest.
"I wish I could tell tge younger me that one day life would be this good, that I'd be married to the most wonderful and handsome boy I crushed on for most of my life," she said quietly.
He smiled, doing a gentle turn. "What do you think Jesse would have said if he knew we'd turn out like this?" Jack asked.
"That's my little sister, dude!" Elizabeth said with a deep voice.
Jack laughed and kissed her softly. "That was pretty good."
She wrapped her arms around both of them. "Our life, Jack. This one we've built together. Its not just good. Its perfect."
"I agree."
Chicago
The next morning Bree and Mike woke up early and dressed for the day. Bree was wearing a very professional navy maternity dress and light white sweater that she'd borrowed from Beth. Mike dressed in a suit.
"You look beautiful," he said, kissing her lips.
"And maternal?"
"Babe, you're 8 months pregnant. I don't know if you could look more maternal if you tried."
They went down to the lobby for the hotel's continental breakfast, but Bree couldn't eat a thing. She slowly sipped her tea and gazed out the window. Her eyes fixed on nothing in particular.
Almost two hours later, after going through the city's courthouse security, Bree sat nervously in the courtroom with her lawyer and Mike at her side. Her heart rate was rapid. The little life inside her gave her a few swift kicks.
"Don't worry baby, we'll do everything we can to keep your brothers safe."
The double doors opened and in walked Dane. A grin was trying to push past the serious stare he was trying to master. It was clear he knew just how badly he was messing with Bree, and he liked it. He gave her and her council a nod before taking his seat next to his lawyer.
"He looks confident," Bree muttered under her breath.
Bill Avery gave her leg a fatherly pat. "Won't matter. The victory will not be his."
"We've got this, babe. He's not taking our boys."
The judge entered the room a few moments later and formal introductions were made. This judge looked stern and gruff, which hardly gave Bree any comfort.
"We're here today to determine sole custody of two minors, Xavier and Tate Cooper. Are both parents here this morning?"
"Yes, your honor," the lawyers both said.
"Very well. Let's begin."
Then, the judge gave the floor to Dane's lawyer to present their case.
"Judge, we're here today because there are two little boys that deserve to know their father. Dane Cooper has the right to know his children and they, him. Mrs. Hickam, the former Mrs. Cooper, chose to leave their home in Oregon without so much as a "goodbye" severing ties. This was a decision she made. Not my client's. Now, he'd like to rectify that. Be a father to his children. As a society, we hope and pray for men to accept responsibility for the families they created. Let's not allow for Mr. Cooper to be punished any longer for a few small mistakes. Nor should Mrs. Hickam be able to continue this malicious vendetta."
"Small mistakes? He beat her…" Mike groaned.
"Down, Mike," Bill advised. "Let me battle for her here."
"Mr. Avery, your turn," the judge stated. "Tell me why we are here today."
"Thank you." He stood and approached the bench. "Your honor. Where do I even begin? Mrs. Hickam has done nothing but love and protect her sons at all cost. If she is guilty of anything, it's being a great mother. Mr. Cooper however has a long history of abuse, neglect and let's not forget, run-ins with the law. Clearly, there is one solid and stable parent in this mix, and the boys call her Mom."
As the hearing continued, the lawyers brought up evidence to support their positions. Dane's lawyer made it clear from the start that he would stop at nothing. He brought to the judge two speeding tickets that Bree had gotten over the course of three years with the boys in the car. She remembered both incidents with clarity. Both times she was going barely 10 over and paid them right away. The lawyer made it seem like she'd been street racing.
Next there was how she lost her job and was evicted from their home in Atlanta before moving to Vermont.
Bill stood when it was his turn and immediately addressed the issues.
"Your honor, Mrs. Hickam did lose her job in Atlanta, but what my fellow lawyer here failed to mention was the event in its full context. Mrs. Hickam worked tirelessly and without fail as a secretary.
"For years she juggled the responsibility of being a single mother. Then, as you can see here," he handed the judge a document. "Management changed. Suddenly Mrs. Hickam needed to pull hours and hours over overtime each week at no additional pay. Tell me, how easy do you think that was? She did her best, but without the support system to fall back on, or the boy's father, she couldn't do it. Not without sacrificing the wellbeing of her children.
So what did she do next? She moved to Vermont. A place with friends close by and where she knew she could have housing. She relocated her life, again, for her sons."
Dane's lawyer stood again, "And all this time she never thought to call her ex-husband?"
"The man who abused her both physically and mentally? Why would she?"
"Your honor, the abuse is all speculation, and hearsay. My client can't possibly be held accountable for rumors created by his ex-wife as an excuse to keep Mr. Cooper from his children."
The judge soon called for a recess and the room emptied.
"I think I'm going to throw up…" Bree groaned as she, Mike and Bill walked to a nearby bench outside the courthouse.
"Try those bushes over there," Bill said teasingly.
"How is that man doing that?" she cried. "He makes Dane seem like a wronged man and me some viper."
'It's his job. He's good, but I'm better. Let me go get you and that baby a sandwich. Mike, you want anything?"
"Sure." Mike reached for his wallet.
"Not a chance. This is on me."
Mike sat next to his wife and wrapped his arm around her shoulder, pulling her close. "I love you, Bree."
"I love you, too."
A man cleared his throat nearby. When they looked up, they saw Dane walking up to them.
"Man, you can cut the tension in there with a knife, can't ya?"
Mike stood from the bench to stand between Bree and Dane. "You shouldn't be here."
"I get it, you hate me. Let's talk this out, shall we?"
"What on earth could we talk out?"
"Bree, you've heard it in there. My lawyer has this in the bag. He's painted you into a woman who kept me from my kids for no real reason no matter how hard I tried."
"Those are lies!"
"Maybe, but the judge can't tell the difference. Maybe between the three of us we can figure something out."
"I will never consent to giving you custody of my boys. Not after all you've done to me."
"So don't. Just sign their inheritance over to me."
"Their what?" She gasped. "This is about money? Are you serious?"
He shrugged. "Money makes the world go round. I figure I'll get it from your child support or from their inheritance. You pick."
"That money was set aside for them by your mother!"
"Exactly. My mother."
"This is insane. That woman knew exactly what kind of man you are. That's why they have the money. Not you."
"She was wrong." His anger was rising. "All you women are wrong about me. I'm sick of it."
"You need to leave." Mike said sternly. "We're not making deals with you. The truth will win out here. You aren't getting my boys."
"They aren't yours!" Dane said aggressively, taking a swing at Mike. He dodged, but kept himself between Bree and Dane.
"You will regret this! I'm getting my boys and when I do, you will never see them again."
He turned and stormed off.
"Mike," Bree burst into tears.
He took her in his arms and kissed her head. "I'm sorry babe, I'm so sorry."
Court resumed 20 minutes later, but the judge and Bill were nowhere to be seen.
"Where is he?" Bree asked Mike.
"He'll be here. He said he had something to take care of. He'll be here. At least the judge isn't here either."
"But where could he have gone?"
The door opened and Bill walked in. There was a smug smile on his face as he passed Dane and his lawyer and sat down next to Bree.
"Bill?" Bree asked. "Where'd you go?"
"You'll see."
"All rise," a tall officer said as the judge entered.
"Please be seated." The judge took his seat. "Custody battles are never easy. The weight of being the one to make the decision of a child's wellbeing can be hard. Though in this case, I feel that there is only one answer."
"You honor, if I may…." Dane's lawyer stood.
"No, you may not. Sit down." He cleared his throat and continued. "Mr. Cooper, you argue that the claims of abuse are all hearsay?"
"I do, sir. She never reported anything. These lies all came out after she ran away with my boys."
"I see. I have it on record here that you haven't even met your son, Tate. Is that correct?"
"Only because she wouldn't let me."
"You tried though?"
"Well, kind of. I couldn't find her."
"And yet here we are, 4 years after your son was born and it didn't take you very long to figure out how to find her now, did it?"
"What is going on?" Dane whispered to his lawyer, who then stood.
"If I may, your honor, where is this going?"
"Sit, and I'll tell you." He picked up a yellow folder. "You know what's in this folder, Mr. Cooper? Medical reports. Scans and xrays that show the marks of your beatings on Mrs. Hickam. She may not have reported you, but the hospital in Oregon was ready should she ever press charges."
Dane shot a death glare at Bree.
"I also had a nice little chat with Mr. Avery just before we resumed here. He had a very… enlightening recording of you making threats to Mr. and Mrs. Hickam. Here, let's play it back for the record."
As the record played out. Dane's complexion turned from red to white and back again.
"I'm awarding sole physical custody of Xavier and Tate Cooper to Bree Hickam. Mr. Dane, I suggest you stay far away from this family in the future. Mr. Avery, you and your clients are free to go. Mr. Cooper, Mr. Alexander, please approach the bench. I'm not done with you yet."
A week later, Bree was asleep around midnight and something woke her. She listened but didn't hear anything. The boys were not standing next to her. Then she felt it. Wet sheets.
"My water broke," she whispered. "Mike? Honey, wake up." Then she remembered he was working an overnight shift.
She sat up and grabbed her phone just as a fierce contraction took hold of her, making her yell. A moment later, the boys ran in.
"Mommy?" Xavier asked from the door.
"HI, baby. I need you to do something for me, okay?"
"OK, Mommy?"
"Listen, can you take my phone and call Daddy?"
"I'm scared," he told her, hearing her groan.
"I can call Daddy!" Tate told his older brother, taking the phone. "Hi, Daddy! Its Tater. Mommy needs you."
"OK. Put the phone on speaker, bud."
"Mike! The baby is coming. I need you!"
"Okay. Hang up and dial 911. We will be on our way shortly."
"Hurry!"
The ambulance was there about twenty minutes later. By then, she was fighting the urge to push. As they waited, Tate called Grammy, Mike's mom and she was on her way to watch the boys who were on the couch watching a cartoon.
"Bree!" Mike yelled, bringing the gurney and his partner Sam with him to the bedroom.
"Here!" she yelled, grunting. "I need to push!"
"Hang on, Bree. Let's check you first."
"Excuse me, husband, but I've done this twice. How many times have you done it? I need to push!"
He lifted her nightshirt past her knees and watched as the baby crowned. "He's got brown hair, babe," he told her, laughing. "Lots of it." It only took two pushes and the head was out. "You are amazing Brianne Hickam."
"Shush, I'm working here." Sam chuckled from next to Mike. Mike scowled at him.
Another two contractions and Nash Michael Hickam was born into his father's arms.
A half hour later, Bree and Nash were on their way in the ambulance to Maple Hills Hospital to be checked out.
Mike sat in the back with them, holding his newborn son. Bree smiled, watching the emotions play on Mike's face. She had never seen him happier. "I'm glad you delivered him," she told him.
"Me too. He's so cute and so tiny, Bree."
"Yeah. We make beautiful babies. Might need to do that at least one more time."
He looked at her and then brought his lips to hers. "I'm up for that. I'd be good with three or four more."
She kissed him back. "One, maybe two."
"Deal."
Bree felt like the happiest, richest woman on earth. She had the best husband around and three beautiful boys. She didn't need anything else. Her life was complete.
* Okay readers, there is only one more chapter left. Keep your eyes open for a sequel down the road!*