Chapter Two:
Three weeks later: Felicity sat down in one of the plush, overstuffed chairs in front of Ben's office desk. She clasped her hands together and started rubbing them in a useless effort to stop them from shaking.
"Detective Robert Goren," she muttered to herself quietly, "detective first grade in the Major Case Squad of the NYPD, partner is Detective Alexandra Eames." Her muttering broke off when the door opened behind her. She glanced back at it and saw Ben. "He's not here yet?" Felicity asked Ben disappointedly. "No, he's not here. He has five more minutes," Ben said as he sat down. "I'm sure that he'll be here." "I can't do this. What if he doesn't believe us?" "We've been over this already, Felicity. We have birth certificates and documents proving our claim. Don't worry; we're going to get through this."
"That's enough, Felicity," Ben cut in as Felicity opened her mouth. "I know that you don't want to go through this, but we need to." Ben finished speaking as his phone rang. He glanced over at Felicity, shot her a smile, and picked it up.
"McGauran," he spoke into the receiver. He waited a moment and then spoke again. "Thanks Marcy, show him in." Ben again glanced over at Felicity, and the frogs in her stomach started jumping around again. Ben shot her another smile as the door opened.
Bobby walked through the door glancing around the office. The office held a warmness that wasn't present in most attorneys' offices yet he could also feel the nervousness that pervaded the room.
"Detective Goren?" the man asked. Bobby nodded. "I'm Benjamin McGauran. We spoke on the phone earlier this week."
"Ah, yes. You told me you had something important to tell me?"
"I did. This," he said, gesturing to the girl, "is my client, Felicity Lynch." The girl stood up and stuck out her hand. She gave him a slight smile. Her smile. it reminded Bobby of someone. but whom?
"I haven't killed, kidnapped, or robbed anyone, if that's what you're wondering," Felicity said as he shook her hand. Bobby just lifted an eyebrow at this. She let go of his hand very quickly and sat back down.
"Let's get back to business, shall we?" Ben said, pulling out some papers. Bobby sat down and noticed the glances that Felicity kept giving him. "Detective, I'm going to tell you this straight because that's the way that I deal with clients. Is that alright with you?" Bobby nodded and motioned for Ben to continue. Ben leaned towards Felicity and Bobby and glanced down at the piece of paper he held in his hand before proceeding. "Your mother had a daughter out of wedlock and the daughter was given up for adoption five years before your parents married. Your mother's daughter, your sister was adopted by Larry and Nicole Cabot. When Charlotte was twenty-seven she married Henry Lynch. They died seven years ago. Charlotte and Henry stated my wife Patrice, Henry's sister, and I as legal guardians of Felicity. Patrice died four years ago, after locating the name of the hospital where Charlotte was born. Your mother is Felicity's nearest blood related living relative but because of the fact your mother is institutionalized and in no position to take care of her granddaughter, you, Detective, you are her next nearest living relative." Ben said as he finished up his speech and leaned back into his chair. * "Believe me, Detective, this came as great as a shock to me as it is to you." Felicity said, looking at Bobby. Bobby slumped back into his chair. "M-may I see those papers?" he asked, turning his gaze back to Ben. Ben sighed and handed them to him; Bobby took them and read through them. While Bobby was reading through them, an uncomfortable silence filled the room. Felicity was holding onto the armrests of the chair with a white-knuckled grip. She was staring at the floor when Bobby finally glanced over at her. "So, that would make Felicity my niece." Bobby stated. Ben nodded. "W.what was s-she like?" Bobby asked, looking over at Felicity.
"Mom?" Felicity asked. Bobby nodded.
"She was really, really smart. Mom always came up with these great ideas to entertain me. They were educational, most of the time, but they were so much fun. She liked to sing even though she was horrible at it. She was also a great cook." Felicity's voice trailed off after this, her thoughts shifting to her mom. Bobby now turned to Ben.
"Why wouldn't my mom tell me about her?" Bobby wondered out loud.
"In my experiences working with reuniting birth families, it's because at first the mother was too ashamed that she did have a baby out of wedlock. Charlotte was born in 1955 and at that time babies born out of wedlock and their mothers were looked down upon by society. After that, she might have never wanted to admit that she did have a baby and by doing that try to forget about Charlotte. Perhaps the biggest reason for your mother was that she knew that she was schizophrenic. For as many different birth mothers there are out there, there are as many different reasons why your mother didn't tell you or your father." Ben finished up.
"Why come to me now?"
"Because, Detective, I'm no longer able to take care of her. "What do you mean you can't take care of her?" Bobby asked. Ben sat up straighter and set his hands on the desk. He pushed his fingertips together. "I have Alzheimer's."
*********************************************************************** *Just in case. ;) Kimberly Hardeman-Mark Goren = Charlotte (nee Cabot) Lynch), Robert Larry Cabot-Nicole (nee McCoy) = Charlotte Mike Schooner-Jackie nee Geiger = Henry, Patrice-aunt/legal guardian of Felicity Patrice-Benjamin McGauran= no children Charlotte-Henry Lynch = Felicity And why didn't Felicity go with Mike and Jackie or Larry and Nicole you might be asking yourself? Because of a.) Mike and Jackie had died when Felicity was two in an automobile accident. b.) Larry died when Charlotte was in her second year of college and Nicole died three months before Charlotte and Henry died. c.) The story never would have worked that way. d.) I said so, that's why!
Other information: Charlotte and Henry died in an airplane crash and Patrice died from complications of brain cancer.
Three weeks later: Felicity sat down in one of the plush, overstuffed chairs in front of Ben's office desk. She clasped her hands together and started rubbing them in a useless effort to stop them from shaking.
"Detective Robert Goren," she muttered to herself quietly, "detective first grade in the Major Case Squad of the NYPD, partner is Detective Alexandra Eames." Her muttering broke off when the door opened behind her. She glanced back at it and saw Ben. "He's not here yet?" Felicity asked Ben disappointedly. "No, he's not here. He has five more minutes," Ben said as he sat down. "I'm sure that he'll be here." "I can't do this. What if he doesn't believe us?" "We've been over this already, Felicity. We have birth certificates and documents proving our claim. Don't worry; we're going to get through this."
"That's enough, Felicity," Ben cut in as Felicity opened her mouth. "I know that you don't want to go through this, but we need to." Ben finished speaking as his phone rang. He glanced over at Felicity, shot her a smile, and picked it up.
"McGauran," he spoke into the receiver. He waited a moment and then spoke again. "Thanks Marcy, show him in." Ben again glanced over at Felicity, and the frogs in her stomach started jumping around again. Ben shot her another smile as the door opened.
Bobby walked through the door glancing around the office. The office held a warmness that wasn't present in most attorneys' offices yet he could also feel the nervousness that pervaded the room.
"Detective Goren?" the man asked. Bobby nodded. "I'm Benjamin McGauran. We spoke on the phone earlier this week."
"Ah, yes. You told me you had something important to tell me?"
"I did. This," he said, gesturing to the girl, "is my client, Felicity Lynch." The girl stood up and stuck out her hand. She gave him a slight smile. Her smile. it reminded Bobby of someone. but whom?
"I haven't killed, kidnapped, or robbed anyone, if that's what you're wondering," Felicity said as he shook her hand. Bobby just lifted an eyebrow at this. She let go of his hand very quickly and sat back down.
"Let's get back to business, shall we?" Ben said, pulling out some papers. Bobby sat down and noticed the glances that Felicity kept giving him. "Detective, I'm going to tell you this straight because that's the way that I deal with clients. Is that alright with you?" Bobby nodded and motioned for Ben to continue. Ben leaned towards Felicity and Bobby and glanced down at the piece of paper he held in his hand before proceeding. "Your mother had a daughter out of wedlock and the daughter was given up for adoption five years before your parents married. Your mother's daughter, your sister was adopted by Larry and Nicole Cabot. When Charlotte was twenty-seven she married Henry Lynch. They died seven years ago. Charlotte and Henry stated my wife Patrice, Henry's sister, and I as legal guardians of Felicity. Patrice died four years ago, after locating the name of the hospital where Charlotte was born. Your mother is Felicity's nearest blood related living relative but because of the fact your mother is institutionalized and in no position to take care of her granddaughter, you, Detective, you are her next nearest living relative." Ben said as he finished up his speech and leaned back into his chair. * "Believe me, Detective, this came as great as a shock to me as it is to you." Felicity said, looking at Bobby. Bobby slumped back into his chair. "M-may I see those papers?" he asked, turning his gaze back to Ben. Ben sighed and handed them to him; Bobby took them and read through them. While Bobby was reading through them, an uncomfortable silence filled the room. Felicity was holding onto the armrests of the chair with a white-knuckled grip. She was staring at the floor when Bobby finally glanced over at her. "So, that would make Felicity my niece." Bobby stated. Ben nodded. "W.what was s-she like?" Bobby asked, looking over at Felicity.
"Mom?" Felicity asked. Bobby nodded.
"She was really, really smart. Mom always came up with these great ideas to entertain me. They were educational, most of the time, but they were so much fun. She liked to sing even though she was horrible at it. She was also a great cook." Felicity's voice trailed off after this, her thoughts shifting to her mom. Bobby now turned to Ben.
"Why wouldn't my mom tell me about her?" Bobby wondered out loud.
"In my experiences working with reuniting birth families, it's because at first the mother was too ashamed that she did have a baby out of wedlock. Charlotte was born in 1955 and at that time babies born out of wedlock and their mothers were looked down upon by society. After that, she might have never wanted to admit that she did have a baby and by doing that try to forget about Charlotte. Perhaps the biggest reason for your mother was that she knew that she was schizophrenic. For as many different birth mothers there are out there, there are as many different reasons why your mother didn't tell you or your father." Ben finished up.
"Why come to me now?"
"Because, Detective, I'm no longer able to take care of her. "What do you mean you can't take care of her?" Bobby asked. Ben sat up straighter and set his hands on the desk. He pushed his fingertips together. "I have Alzheimer's."
*********************************************************************** *Just in case. ;) Kimberly Hardeman-Mark Goren = Charlotte (nee Cabot) Lynch), Robert Larry Cabot-Nicole (nee McCoy) = Charlotte Mike Schooner-Jackie nee Geiger = Henry, Patrice-aunt/legal guardian of Felicity Patrice-Benjamin McGauran= no children Charlotte-Henry Lynch = Felicity And why didn't Felicity go with Mike and Jackie or Larry and Nicole you might be asking yourself? Because of a.) Mike and Jackie had died when Felicity was two in an automobile accident. b.) Larry died when Charlotte was in her second year of college and Nicole died three months before Charlotte and Henry died. c.) The story never would have worked that way. d.) I said so, that's why!
Other information: Charlotte and Henry died in an airplane crash and Patrice died from complications of brain cancer.
