Twilight belongs to the ridiculously talented Stephenie Meyer.
A Father's Hope belongs to me.
Thanks to twimom817 for beta'ing and making this look pretty.
Chapter Twelve
My parents and I returned to California in mid-July. Once again, Bella stayed behind – this time by choice. She wasn't feeling well and the anxiety as to whether or not we'd get Chloe back was wearing on her.
Irina shot daggers at me across the court room as we took our seats on our respective sides of the courtroom. We stood as the bailiff introduced the judge and he entered the courtroom. He asked us to sit and he began shortly thereafter.
"Ms. Denali … thank you for gracing us with your presence. This problem could have been resolved already had you joined us last month, but as it is, I'd like to hear what you have to say rather than just reading the paperwork and depositions. Mr. Christianson, if you will please?"
My attorney asked Irina question after question. The first thing he asked of Irina was for her to explain her agreement with me regarding her trip to Bahrain.
"Edward wouldn't let me take Chloe to Bahrain over spring break, he said it was too long of a trip to take in such a short time. She only had five days off of school so he asked me to wait until the summer. Edward usually has her for the summer, so he volunteered to give up part of the summer as long as I had her back in time for school and that he got her for Thanksgiving and Christmas."
"Did you agree to that particular arrangement with Mr. Cullen, Ms. Denali?"
"Yes, I did."
"So why didn't you follow through with your end of the arrangement?"
"When we got to Bahrain I was offered a wonderful opportunity to return to university and continue my education. It was too good to pass up, so I agreed to stay for the semester."
"Did you discuss this decision with your ex-husband?"
"No, I did not," Irina replied as she looked down at her lap.
"Why is that, Ms. Denali."
"Because he would have wanted me to return to California and put Chloe in school."
"Is there a reason as to why you didn't enroll your daughter in school in Bahrain until January of this year, Ms. Denali?"
"Chloe was homeschooled by our nanny. Edward pushed for me to enroll her in school but it wasn't necessary. When we realized that all the work she'd done with the nanny couldn't be transferred onto her transcript we enrolled her in public school so that she wouldn't be behind when we returned to the States."
"Shouldn't the transfer of credits have been something you should have worried about before you allowed her to be homeschooled?"
"Well yes, I suppose …"
"Ms. Denali, how often did Mr. Cullen contact you while you were in Bahrain?"
"Umm … maybe a few times a week. More around Chloe's birthday and the holidays."
"How often did you answer Mr. Cullen's phone calls?"
"Maybe once a month."
"Why was that?"
"I wanted to be free of his harassment. For once, I wanted to do what I wanted to do. Being in Bahrain allowed me to do that."
Harassment? I called to check on my daughter, to tell her that I loved her and missed her. I didn't call several times a week to talk to Irina, that's for damn sure. For her to sit there and tell the court that I was harassing her, was a blatant lie. All I could do was sit and shake my head.
"Ms. Denali, do you believe that it was in your daughter's best interest to keep her from her father?"
"No. Edward's a good father to her, he always has been. It's just that I was nineteen years old when I had her and I never really had a chance to be me or do anything for myself, so I'm taking that chance now."
Mr. Christianson asked her a few more questions and then he was done. The judge called for a fifteen minute recess and I had to step out of the courtroom and call Bella just to hear her soothing voice.
"Edward?"
"Hey, beautiful," I sighed.
"Hey, yourself. How's everything going?"
"Miserable. Christianson just finished questioning Irina. She had the nerve to tell the court I was harassing her."
"WHAT?" Bella screeched.
"Exactly. She made it sound like I was calling to talk to her not to check on Chloe."
"That's ridiculous, babe. You'll have a chance to fight that, right?"
"I don't know. I just wanted to call and hear your voice. I miss you, baby."
"I miss you too, Edward," Bella sighed. "Call me later?"
I ended the call and went to speak with my attorney for a few moments before court reconvened.
"Edward … don't worry about Irina's claim of harassment. You'll have a chance to say what you need to say as soon as her attorney questions her. I'm sure the judge won't let it go without allowing you a chance to defend yourself."
I breathed a sigh of relief at hearing that. I was still very worried at how everything was going. I'd heard horror stories of the court siding with the mother even if being with her wasn't in the best interest of the child.
When court was called back to order, Irina's attorney did question her, but he asked far less questions. He smiled and concluded his questions and the judge excused her. As promised, the judge asked to hear my side of the story.
Mr. Christianson asked me about everything pertaining to our custody agreement and my agreement with Irina that led to her taking Chloe to Bahrain. He questioned me about the previous times she'd been to Bahrain and her failure to arrive back by her promised date. He questioned me about all the times that I'd been to the airport to wait for her and she never showed up, and I told the court about finding out that Irina and Chloe were never ticketed.
"Mr. Cullen … Ms. Denali feels like you were harassing her by trying to contact her …"
"Objection!" Mr. White, Irina's attorney said forcefully.
"Your Honor, I'm merely questioning my client's motives as to why he was trying to contact her and why she may have felt that it was harassment."
"Overruled," the judge said dryly.
"Mr. Cullen … can you tell me why you attempted to contact Ms. Denali several times a week?"
"I wanted to check on my daughter. I only ever talk to Irina if I have something to discuss with her regarding Chloe such as flight arrangements or dance lessons. I love and miss my daughter very much. I want to know that she's safe and happy. That's all I care about. She's been gone for over ten months, and in those ten months, I can count the times I've talked to my daughter on one hand. At one point, she called me in tears telling me that Irina wouldn't allow her to call me."
Mr. Christianson questioned me for over two hours, going over everything that Irina had done that I documented. When he finished the judge excused me and asked for the attorney's closing statements; Irina's attorney went first.
"Your Honor, clearly we have a case of two parents who just can't agree and a young mother who wants to make a career for herself to provide for her child the best way she knows how. Ms. Denali is willing to move back to the States and follow the original custody agreement starting in September. She's been accepted into a flight school in San Diego."
When Mr. White was finished, Mr. Christianson stood and made our case.
"Your Honor, my client is an honorable man. He's an ex- Marine who put his life on the line to fight for our country and now he sits in front of you fighting for his daughter. Since his separation and subsequent divorce from Ms. Denali he has attended the police academy and become a detective in the city of Seattle. I assure you that he is one of America's finest and he deserves a chance with his daughter. Mr. Cullen can offer her a stable home environment; she'll be enrolled in school and opportunities will be available to her that might not be available with Ms. Denali due to her school schedule. Thank you for your time and consideration."
My attorney returned to his seat and the judge spoke.
"This court stands in recess until tomorrow morning at 9 a.m."
It was well after five when we finished at the courthouse and we were exhausted. My parents and I returned to our hotel room and cleaned up before going out to get some dinner. While they cleaned up, I called Bella. I knew she'd be home from work, probably making herself some dinner and settling in on the couch. I wished that Chloe and I could be there with her.
"Hey, baby. How'd it go?"
"I don't know. We're in recess until tomorrow morning. I was on the stand for nearly two hours, it was excruciating."
"Oh, Edward. I'm so sorry that you have to wait to find out."
I talked to Bella for a while longer, reconnecting with her in the best way that I could over the phone. I missed her immensely, but talking to her was soothing.
"Call me in the morning as soon as you hear something, Edward."
The following morning, we arrived at the courthouse a bit early and as we sat waiting for the bailiff to call us in, Irina walked in once again shooting me evil looks.
We made our way into the courtroom and we stayed standing as the judge entered quickly after.
"Be seated. I'd like to get this underway as quickly as possible."
"It's a sad thing when a child is a victim. I believe wholeheartedly that's what happened in this case. We have a young mother who wants to move on but her child is getting lost in the rubble. We have a father who is accepting of his responsibility to his child but he's being denied. Ms. Denali, I'll give you fourteen days to return your daughter to the state of California. Failure to do so will not bode well for your dreams of becoming an international airline pilot. Do I make myself clear? You will make the arrangements and notify the court as to the plans of your arrival. Failure to do either of those things and I will find you in contempt of court and issue a warrant for your arrest.
"Mr. Cullen, once the court receives Ms. Denali's arrival plans, I will grant you principal custody of your daughter until a custody hearing can be held. The court will be in touch with your attorney to notify you of the date. During that time, Ms. Denali will not have visitation with the child. A child welfare representative will also be appointed and will make a few visits during that time to check in with you and see how things are going."
On August 2nd we got a call saying that Chloe would be arriving in California on August 4th. Bella and I were beside ourselves with happiness. Unfortunately, I wasn't able to fly down to get her because I was working on a case and I couldn't leave, but my parents were more than happy to go. A court appointed liaison met them at the airport. Because Chloe's flight was international, my parents had to wait outside of customs. It took a while for them to send Chloe through because Irina was being held by airport police and was asked by the court liaison to surrender both hers and Chloe's passports as part of a court order.
My mom videotaped the entire reunion with Chloe. As soon as Chloe was free from the court liaison, she ran into my father's arms. Minutes later, they called me.
"Daddy?"
"Chloebear! "
"Daddy … I'm here with Mom-mom and Pop-pop. We're going to the other side of the airport. I can't wait to see you and Bella!"
"We can't wait to see you either, baby. Bella's so excited you're coming home. We can't wait for you to see the new house and your new room."
"I love you, Daddy."
I talked to my mom briefly, confirming that their flight into Seattle was on time and I assured them I'd be there to pick them up. Bella had taken the entire day off and spent it making sure everything in our house was perfect. She'd planned a welcome home party for Chloe and the entire dining room, kitchen and living room area were covered in pink. Bella had even put up the Christmas tree and covered it with pink ribbons and decorations and all of the gifts for Chloe from the previous Christmas sat beneath it.
I stopped at home to take a shower and change out of my uniform before heading to the airport to pick them up.
"The house looks great, beautiful. You've done a great job," I smiled before leaning down to sweetly kiss her.
"Thanks," Bella said shyly.
"How are you feeling?" I asked with a grin.
"Edward! You said you weren't going to say a word!"
"I can't help it, Bella. I worry about you."
Bella found out that she was pregnant while I was in California in July and morning sickness seemed to happen at random times throughout the day. It was a surprise but a good surprise. I knew that Bella was the only person I wanted to be with, to raise another child with. I hoped that we had the opportunity to finish raising Chloe together. Bella confessed that she felt the same exact way.
"I knew the night that I showed you my scars; when you were there to comfort me from my nightmare," she told me.
I think that was the night I fell in love with her too.
We decided to keep the news about the baby quiet until after the custody hearing. Bella was afraid that if the social worker the court sent over knew about it that it would look bad.
"I'm sorry, Bella. That's twice in my life that a baby has come before commitment, but in our case it's not because I haven't thought about it. I have. I just wanted to get Chloe settled first."
"Edward …" Bella crooned. "It's okay. I understand. This baby is a surprise but I don't regret it because this baby is a piece of us and it's a little ray of sunshine in the middle of a storm."
Us.
God, did I love the sound of that.
"Edward … you better hurry or you'll be late picking them up," Bella chided, breaking me out of my reverie.
"Yes, dear," I chuckled, kissing her and caressing her stomach before I flew out the door.
"Surprise!"
I was holding Chloe as we walked in the door to our house. Tears streamed down her sweet little face as she realized our friends and family were all waiting there for her. Bella stood near the island in the kitchen, her hands over her face as tears fell from her beautiful eyes.
I set Chloe on her feet and let her make her way around to everyone, including Katie who was bouncing on her feet in anticipation.
I crossed the room and pulled Bella into my arms. She melted into my chest as she watched Chloe hug Alice for dear life.
"I can't wait to go shopping Aunt Alice!"
No one in the room could contain their laughter.
"Are you happy, baby?" Bella asked quietly.
Standing there in a kitchen that Bella and I had designed together, holding her in my arms; knowing that she was carrying my child inside her, we quietly watched Chloe interact with everyone; hugging them and telling them she missed them. Even Bella's parents – they loved Chloe like a granddaughter. Renee liked to spoil her as much as my own mother. I felt like I had everything – I knew that I had everything and that was all I could ever hope for.
A/N: I apologize for any and all mistakes regarding the court portion of this story. I'm not a lawyer obviously so I've taken creative liberties here. The account of the courtroom proceedings is *fairly* accurate as my parents actually attended court the day testimony was given.
The Epilogue will post shortly. Thank you again for reading.
Merry Christmas to those of you who celebrate!