Authors Note- Anoth short Chapter, but this answers all the questions as to what is going on with the custody case. This is where it starts to get intense, and of course over the next couple of chapters we will get some good ole' carby fuzz so look out for that! Thanks to everyone who reviews, we really appreciate it and the feedback is awesome, we definitely take it into consideration!
"Mom PLEASE!"
"For the tenth time today Bryce NO!" He huffed and walked off into his room, I heard the slamming of the door. "Get your jacket I'm taking you to Matty's house!" I yelled.
"I want to go with you." He screamed back.
"Bryce NOW!" I walk into my bedroom, applying my last bit of make up. He can't come today, he just doesn't understand. I hear a thud, like something hit the ground, "BRYCE!" I call out running towards his bedroom. I can hear him screaming, I swing open the door and there he is lying flat on his back on the floor. His arm is in a weird position. It's broken. "Baby." I walk over to him wipe his hair out of his face. "Ouch." He says dazed. "I fell, and put my wrist down but it twisted."
"Is everything else okay?" I ask concerned. He nods swallowing hard.
"We have to go to the hospital." I look at him he is being so strong, he brings his arm into his body and clutches it. "We can't go...You have to go to court." He says tears threatening to fall. I bring him into a hug. "Carter's here." HE says quietly as someone knocks at the door. I help him up and we walk towards the door together. I open it and Carter's expression changes from content to worried. "What happened?"
"I fell!" Bryce says upset.
"It's broken John." I add in.
"Okay, let's go to the hospital and I'll set it and cast it." He says picking Bryce up. I walk behind them locking the door. They hold the elevator for me, and I can see Bryce is trying not to scream, or cry. "Mom-you're gonna miss court." He chokes out.
"Hey, don't you worry about that." I say with tears in my eyes. I push his hair out of his eyes. He smiles grimly at me.
"We'll put him in the back seat and you can ride with him?" carter suggests opening the jeep doors. "Yeah." Bryce answers for me.
I get in and Bryce leans on me. "What time do you have to be in court at?" Bryce asks looking up at me. "Uh- it doesn't matter." I look at the clock, its 2:30, we have to be in court at 3:00. It takes at least twenty minutes to get there. We are screwed. I brush Bryce's hair out of his face, and Carter pulls into the ambulance bay. "Take him in, I'll be there in a minute." Carter instructs. I help Bryce out of the car and we walk into the ER. "BRYCE!" Alex calls out to him. Sam sees us and rushes over.
"What happened?" She asks worried.
"He fell." I feel like such an awful parent right now. Oh god they will probably use this against me too. Susan sees us and runs over "We need a bed." I say quickly. She leads us over to curtain three and Bryce sits down tears threatening to fall. I sit next to him, glancing at my watch 2:35, I could still make it if I tried. Carter runs in, and sees Sam and Susan helping out. "GO!" He says out of breath.
"What?" I say completely clueless.
"Go, to court." He tells me.
"Carter-" He grabs my hand pulling me up.
"you have to go, you can't loose Bryce. I'll look after him, bring him back to my place and everything will be okay." He smiles reassuringly. I lean up and give him a peck on the lips. "I'll be back soon baby." I run over to Bryce and kiss him on the forehead.
* * * * *
I look at my watch 3:05, shit. I'm late, five minutes. I run towards the court room bursting open the doors. "Mrs. Lockhart I assume." A grumpy old man whose sitting on the bench spits out. "Uh- yes, your honour." I feign a smile, and rush over to my lawyer. She gives me an angry look. "Mrs. Lockhart-" The judge starts. "Why don't you start with telling me why you are late." He bellows.
"Uh- my son, broke his wrist." I say getting a little emotional just thinking about it.
"Where is the boy now?" He asks gruffly.
"Uh- with my boyfriend." I say carefully. I look over at my lawyer who gives me a look that says 'oh god we are screwed.'
"And how long has this man been your boyfriend?"
"Uh- a month." I cringe while saying this, as does my lawyer.
"Hmm." Is all the judge says. He stays quiet for a moment. I look over at Richard, he is smiling, I hate him. "How did Bryce brake his arm?" The judge pushes.
"Uh- he- he fell." I stammer.
"Where were you when he fell?" Oh this is just making me sound better and better.
"I was in the washroom." I answer confidently.
"And he was?"
"In his room." I say quietly.
"Well, Mrs. Lockhart, I have a few pieces of information in fornt of me. Your apartment building was recently broken into by a gang. You leave your injured son with your fairly new boyfriend. Not too mention you live in a rough area. You are a single parent, and you barley make enough money to support yourself." He takes a deep breath.
"I deem Mr. Richard Lockhart the fit parent in this case." He says sighing.
"Wait your honour?" I interject.
"Mrs. Lockhart, I know this was a short hearing but I saw everything I needed to see. Mr. Lockhart will have sole custody of Bryce, and Mrs. Lockhart will have visitation rights limited to every other weekend. I will look at your case Mrs. Lockhart in a few months, and if I see improvements I will reconsider. Court Dismissed." He slams the folder closed and gets up leaving me and my lawyer. I look to my right and Richard is hugging his wife and two year old Denny. The tears that were threatening to fall since this afternoon finally do. I lost my son, to that asshole. I will see him this weekend though, we will do something special. "I'm sorry Abby." I look over and my lawyer is leaving. I slouch down in my chair and take a deep breath, Richard is still around, I can't crumble in front of him. "I'll be over tonight to get my son." Richard spits at me.
I get out of my chair and leave the building, I call Carter, "Hello?" He says tiredly.
"Hey." I choke out.
"Abby." He says a little more awaken.
"I lost." I manage to say.
"I'm coming now." He says hanging up. I don't think I can walk home now anyways. I slouch down on the cement steps and start to cry. I can't believe I lost my son, everything seemed to be going so well too, and now this. Richard did not care one bit about Bryce and now to get back at me for trivial past things, and to make his new whore happy he does this. I wipe my eyes seeing Carter's jeep pull up. Out hops Bryce. "Mom- its blue!" He beams. I pull him into a tight hug. He pulls away and looks at me, and his big blue eyes flood with tears.
"Mom PLEASE!"
"For the tenth time today Bryce NO!" He huffed and walked off into his room, I heard the slamming of the door. "Get your jacket I'm taking you to Matty's house!" I yelled.
"I want to go with you." He screamed back.
"Bryce NOW!" I walk into my bedroom, applying my last bit of make up. He can't come today, he just doesn't understand. I hear a thud, like something hit the ground, "BRYCE!" I call out running towards his bedroom. I can hear him screaming, I swing open the door and there he is lying flat on his back on the floor. His arm is in a weird position. It's broken. "Baby." I walk over to him wipe his hair out of his face. "Ouch." He says dazed. "I fell, and put my wrist down but it twisted."
"Is everything else okay?" I ask concerned. He nods swallowing hard.
"We have to go to the hospital." I look at him he is being so strong, he brings his arm into his body and clutches it. "We can't go...You have to go to court." He says tears threatening to fall. I bring him into a hug. "Carter's here." HE says quietly as someone knocks at the door. I help him up and we walk towards the door together. I open it and Carter's expression changes from content to worried. "What happened?"
"I fell!" Bryce says upset.
"It's broken John." I add in.
"Okay, let's go to the hospital and I'll set it and cast it." He says picking Bryce up. I walk behind them locking the door. They hold the elevator for me, and I can see Bryce is trying not to scream, or cry. "Mom-you're gonna miss court." He chokes out.
"Hey, don't you worry about that." I say with tears in my eyes. I push his hair out of his eyes. He smiles grimly at me.
"We'll put him in the back seat and you can ride with him?" carter suggests opening the jeep doors. "Yeah." Bryce answers for me.
I get in and Bryce leans on me. "What time do you have to be in court at?" Bryce asks looking up at me. "Uh- it doesn't matter." I look at the clock, its 2:30, we have to be in court at 3:00. It takes at least twenty minutes to get there. We are screwed. I brush Bryce's hair out of his face, and Carter pulls into the ambulance bay. "Take him in, I'll be there in a minute." Carter instructs. I help Bryce out of the car and we walk into the ER. "BRYCE!" Alex calls out to him. Sam sees us and rushes over.
"What happened?" She asks worried.
"He fell." I feel like such an awful parent right now. Oh god they will probably use this against me too. Susan sees us and runs over "We need a bed." I say quickly. She leads us over to curtain three and Bryce sits down tears threatening to fall. I sit next to him, glancing at my watch 2:35, I could still make it if I tried. Carter runs in, and sees Sam and Susan helping out. "GO!" He says out of breath.
"What?" I say completely clueless.
"Go, to court." He tells me.
"Carter-" He grabs my hand pulling me up.
"you have to go, you can't loose Bryce. I'll look after him, bring him back to my place and everything will be okay." He smiles reassuringly. I lean up and give him a peck on the lips. "I'll be back soon baby." I run over to Bryce and kiss him on the forehead.
* * * * *
I look at my watch 3:05, shit. I'm late, five minutes. I run towards the court room bursting open the doors. "Mrs. Lockhart I assume." A grumpy old man whose sitting on the bench spits out. "Uh- yes, your honour." I feign a smile, and rush over to my lawyer. She gives me an angry look. "Mrs. Lockhart-" The judge starts. "Why don't you start with telling me why you are late." He bellows.
"Uh- my son, broke his wrist." I say getting a little emotional just thinking about it.
"Where is the boy now?" He asks gruffly.
"Uh- with my boyfriend." I say carefully. I look over at my lawyer who gives me a look that says 'oh god we are screwed.'
"And how long has this man been your boyfriend?"
"Uh- a month." I cringe while saying this, as does my lawyer.
"Hmm." Is all the judge says. He stays quiet for a moment. I look over at Richard, he is smiling, I hate him. "How did Bryce brake his arm?" The judge pushes.
"Uh- he- he fell." I stammer.
"Where were you when he fell?" Oh this is just making me sound better and better.
"I was in the washroom." I answer confidently.
"And he was?"
"In his room." I say quietly.
"Well, Mrs. Lockhart, I have a few pieces of information in fornt of me. Your apartment building was recently broken into by a gang. You leave your injured son with your fairly new boyfriend. Not too mention you live in a rough area. You are a single parent, and you barley make enough money to support yourself." He takes a deep breath.
"I deem Mr. Richard Lockhart the fit parent in this case." He says sighing.
"Wait your honour?" I interject.
"Mrs. Lockhart, I know this was a short hearing but I saw everything I needed to see. Mr. Lockhart will have sole custody of Bryce, and Mrs. Lockhart will have visitation rights limited to every other weekend. I will look at your case Mrs. Lockhart in a few months, and if I see improvements I will reconsider. Court Dismissed." He slams the folder closed and gets up leaving me and my lawyer. I look to my right and Richard is hugging his wife and two year old Denny. The tears that were threatening to fall since this afternoon finally do. I lost my son, to that asshole. I will see him this weekend though, we will do something special. "I'm sorry Abby." I look over and my lawyer is leaving. I slouch down in my chair and take a deep breath, Richard is still around, I can't crumble in front of him. "I'll be over tonight to get my son." Richard spits at me.
I get out of my chair and leave the building, I call Carter, "Hello?" He says tiredly.
"Hey." I choke out.
"Abby." He says a little more awaken.
"I lost." I manage to say.
"I'm coming now." He says hanging up. I don't think I can walk home now anyways. I slouch down on the cement steps and start to cry. I can't believe I lost my son, everything seemed to be going so well too, and now this. Richard did not care one bit about Bryce and now to get back at me for trivial past things, and to make his new whore happy he does this. I wipe my eyes seeing Carter's jeep pull up. Out hops Bryce. "Mom- its blue!" He beams. I pull him into a tight hug. He pulls away and looks at me, and his big blue eyes flood with tears.