Part 23: Christmas Spirit
December 16th 2003
"Mattie, are you ready to go?" Mac asked Mattie popping her head into her room. Together Harm and Mac had convinced her to where a dress for the hearing, but it was still under some protesting she was doing it. "I don't think the judge will be very impressed if we're late. Harm." Mac returned to her own bedroom to make sure Harm was ready too.
Ten minutes later they were sitting in the car on their way to family court. All three of them were extremely nervous and from time to time they would say something trying to comfort each other and reassure that everything was going to be fine.
"It's going to be tougher now, isn't it?" Mattie finally asked. She was so angry with her father for having returned at this particular time and she felt like he was trying to take away all of the safety she had found in her new family.
Mac turned around in her seat so she could look directly at Mattie.
"Mattie, you know that our motive in this is to keep you safe and happy, right. We only want what's best for you. At least that's the biggest part of it. The part that has to decide our actions concerning you. There's also a big part in my heart and in Harm's too, which just wants to keep you, have you with us. At this point I still think that you're better off with us, but eventually, if your father keeps up his rehab and stays sober, it might be better for you to go back and stay with him. You'll need to learn a way to forgive him."
Mattie looked at her disbelieving, but she didn't argue with Mac about it since they had already, both before her father had returned and after, discussed this with her. She couldn't see herself ever forgiving him or wanting to stay with him, but since Mac spoke from her own experiences there had to be some truth to what she was saying.
Outside the courtroom where it was all going to be decided Sturgis was already waiting for them. He had promised to vouch for them as parents, since he knew them both well and also was the one who had seen most of what kind of parents they were.
The hearing was over for this time and none of the people involved emerged from the courtroom really pleased. The hearing had consisted of going through home inspection reports, statements from people who knew Mr. Johnson, Harm and Mac, they had all told the judge of their reasons for wanting Mattie and Mattie had been allowed to say where she wanted to stay. The judge had seemed impressed with how Mac and Harm wanted to encourage Mattie to create a new relationship to her father, but she had been reluctant to take custody away from her biological father even if it was just temporary. His decision had been to postpone a definite decision until a month from this date. In the meantime Mattie was going to stay with Mac and Harm, but she was going to spend Christmas with her father.
Mattie was not thrilled at all and wouldn't even look at her father. Mac tried to put an arm on her shoulders and talk to her to calm her fuming anger, but it made no difference. Sturgis and Harm had to go in to the office, but Mac, who wasn't getting any new cases at the moment because of her transfer, had gotten the whole day off from work, Together the two of them went home. Mattie wasn't showing a lot of hope that she was going to be allowed to stay with Harm and Mac and Mac, if she was going to be honest, couldn't give her much of it either. She knew that as long as her father stayed sober the next month the judge would probably have Mattie move to him. However as a sober alcoholic she also knew that it was going to be tough for him to stay sober and create a new life, not just for the next month, but for the rest of his life.
December 24th 2003
Harm, Mac and Mattie were sitting together in church listening to Chaplain Turner's sermon. Mattie's father had agreed to let Mattie go with Harm and Mac to the annual Christmas party at the Roberts' place and then to church. Tiner and Mikey had stayed behind with the children. Mac who had witnessed Tiner's skills with babies in person had given him a crash-course in child- care, but since Mikey was also going to be there she was quite calm about it. Thoughts about Elena weren't what were occupying either her, Harm or Mattie's heads at the moment. As soon as church was over Mattie was going to be picked up by her father and none of them were especially looking forward to it.
Church was over and the group of three was slowly walking outside. Standing in front of the church they stopped. They saw Mattie's father sitting in his car.
"I'll see you in a couple of days," Mattie said. She didn't want a drawn out emotional goodbye, so she tried to smile before she turned around and walked towards her father.
"Mattie," Mac said and pulled her into her arms. "I love you. If there is any problem at all you have to call us," she encouraged her firmly. 'If he hurts her...' both she and Harm thought to themselves silently.
"See you soon, Mattie," Harm said, he had put a calming hand on Mac's shoulder, and Mattie once again turned around and started to walk in the direction of her father.
"I'll see you back at home later?" Mac half asked half stated.
"Yeah," Harm said and went over to his own car. He was as usual going over to the wall and visit with his father.
They were both fighting hard to keep the tears in. If this was hard, how was it going to be when she was really going back to her father? Saying that they would let her go and really doing it were two completely different things.
Mattie had arrived at the car and was climbing into it. Even if it wouldn't change anything, Mac decided to go over to the car and talk to Mr. Johnson.
When she approached the car Mattie rolled down the window. She thought Mac had come over to remind her of something she had forgotten.
"Mattie, can you wait outside for a while? I want to talk to your father, if that's all right with you that is, Mr. Johnson?"
"Yes," he said a bit nervously and Mattie got out of the car and walked away so she was outside hearing range.
Less than twenty minutes later Mac and Mattie were riding in her car towards the wall where Harm would probably still be.
"What did you tell him that made him let me go with you?"
"I reminded him that he still had a long way to go both with himself and with his relationship to you. I guess, he realized that forcing you to live with him was only going to push you further away."
"And he's going to let me stay with you forever?" Mattie asked.
"Well, you'll be allowed to stay with us for as long as you want to, at least as far as we're concerned, but you'll still have to work on getting to know him again and maybe you'll want to move back in with him," Mac told her.
"Never," Mattie stated positively.
"Never say never." Mac could see how much good it seemed to have done Mattie to know where she was going to stay and that she had some control over for how long. Mac parked the car next to Harm's and together they walked towards the place where Mac knew Harm would be.
"Hey, what are you..." Harm said as he turned around and saw Mac and Mattie coming towards him.
"You're my guardians," Mattie said and walked the last step up to Harm and hugged him. "Mac talked to my father and he'll let me stay with you until I want to go back to him."
Both Harm and Mac heard that this to her meant she was staying with them forever.
"You're incredible," Harm said and reached out to Mac so she would also join in the hug.
"Let's go pick up Elena. I think this calls for a family celebration," Harm said and Mattie and Mac just smiled in agreement.
TBC
December 16th 2003
"Mattie, are you ready to go?" Mac asked Mattie popping her head into her room. Together Harm and Mac had convinced her to where a dress for the hearing, but it was still under some protesting she was doing it. "I don't think the judge will be very impressed if we're late. Harm." Mac returned to her own bedroom to make sure Harm was ready too.
Ten minutes later they were sitting in the car on their way to family court. All three of them were extremely nervous and from time to time they would say something trying to comfort each other and reassure that everything was going to be fine.
"It's going to be tougher now, isn't it?" Mattie finally asked. She was so angry with her father for having returned at this particular time and she felt like he was trying to take away all of the safety she had found in her new family.
Mac turned around in her seat so she could look directly at Mattie.
"Mattie, you know that our motive in this is to keep you safe and happy, right. We only want what's best for you. At least that's the biggest part of it. The part that has to decide our actions concerning you. There's also a big part in my heart and in Harm's too, which just wants to keep you, have you with us. At this point I still think that you're better off with us, but eventually, if your father keeps up his rehab and stays sober, it might be better for you to go back and stay with him. You'll need to learn a way to forgive him."
Mattie looked at her disbelieving, but she didn't argue with Mac about it since they had already, both before her father had returned and after, discussed this with her. She couldn't see herself ever forgiving him or wanting to stay with him, but since Mac spoke from her own experiences there had to be some truth to what she was saying.
Outside the courtroom where it was all going to be decided Sturgis was already waiting for them. He had promised to vouch for them as parents, since he knew them both well and also was the one who had seen most of what kind of parents they were.
The hearing was over for this time and none of the people involved emerged from the courtroom really pleased. The hearing had consisted of going through home inspection reports, statements from people who knew Mr. Johnson, Harm and Mac, they had all told the judge of their reasons for wanting Mattie and Mattie had been allowed to say where she wanted to stay. The judge had seemed impressed with how Mac and Harm wanted to encourage Mattie to create a new relationship to her father, but she had been reluctant to take custody away from her biological father even if it was just temporary. His decision had been to postpone a definite decision until a month from this date. In the meantime Mattie was going to stay with Mac and Harm, but she was going to spend Christmas with her father.
Mattie was not thrilled at all and wouldn't even look at her father. Mac tried to put an arm on her shoulders and talk to her to calm her fuming anger, but it made no difference. Sturgis and Harm had to go in to the office, but Mac, who wasn't getting any new cases at the moment because of her transfer, had gotten the whole day off from work, Together the two of them went home. Mattie wasn't showing a lot of hope that she was going to be allowed to stay with Harm and Mac and Mac, if she was going to be honest, couldn't give her much of it either. She knew that as long as her father stayed sober the next month the judge would probably have Mattie move to him. However as a sober alcoholic she also knew that it was going to be tough for him to stay sober and create a new life, not just for the next month, but for the rest of his life.
December 24th 2003
Harm, Mac and Mattie were sitting together in church listening to Chaplain Turner's sermon. Mattie's father had agreed to let Mattie go with Harm and Mac to the annual Christmas party at the Roberts' place and then to church. Tiner and Mikey had stayed behind with the children. Mac who had witnessed Tiner's skills with babies in person had given him a crash-course in child- care, but since Mikey was also going to be there she was quite calm about it. Thoughts about Elena weren't what were occupying either her, Harm or Mattie's heads at the moment. As soon as church was over Mattie was going to be picked up by her father and none of them were especially looking forward to it.
Church was over and the group of three was slowly walking outside. Standing in front of the church they stopped. They saw Mattie's father sitting in his car.
"I'll see you in a couple of days," Mattie said. She didn't want a drawn out emotional goodbye, so she tried to smile before she turned around and walked towards her father.
"Mattie," Mac said and pulled her into her arms. "I love you. If there is any problem at all you have to call us," she encouraged her firmly. 'If he hurts her...' both she and Harm thought to themselves silently.
"See you soon, Mattie," Harm said, he had put a calming hand on Mac's shoulder, and Mattie once again turned around and started to walk in the direction of her father.
"I'll see you back at home later?" Mac half asked half stated.
"Yeah," Harm said and went over to his own car. He was as usual going over to the wall and visit with his father.
They were both fighting hard to keep the tears in. If this was hard, how was it going to be when she was really going back to her father? Saying that they would let her go and really doing it were two completely different things.
Mattie had arrived at the car and was climbing into it. Even if it wouldn't change anything, Mac decided to go over to the car and talk to Mr. Johnson.
When she approached the car Mattie rolled down the window. She thought Mac had come over to remind her of something she had forgotten.
"Mattie, can you wait outside for a while? I want to talk to your father, if that's all right with you that is, Mr. Johnson?"
"Yes," he said a bit nervously and Mattie got out of the car and walked away so she was outside hearing range.
Less than twenty minutes later Mac and Mattie were riding in her car towards the wall where Harm would probably still be.
"What did you tell him that made him let me go with you?"
"I reminded him that he still had a long way to go both with himself and with his relationship to you. I guess, he realized that forcing you to live with him was only going to push you further away."
"And he's going to let me stay with you forever?" Mattie asked.
"Well, you'll be allowed to stay with us for as long as you want to, at least as far as we're concerned, but you'll still have to work on getting to know him again and maybe you'll want to move back in with him," Mac told her.
"Never," Mattie stated positively.
"Never say never." Mac could see how much good it seemed to have done Mattie to know where she was going to stay and that she had some control over for how long. Mac parked the car next to Harm's and together they walked towards the place where Mac knew Harm would be.
"Hey, what are you..." Harm said as he turned around and saw Mac and Mattie coming towards him.
"You're my guardians," Mattie said and walked the last step up to Harm and hugged him. "Mac talked to my father and he'll let me stay with you until I want to go back to him."
Both Harm and Mac heard that this to her meant she was staying with them forever.
"You're incredible," Harm said and reached out to Mac so she would also join in the hug.
"Let's go pick up Elena. I think this calls for a family celebration," Harm said and Mattie and Mac just smiled in agreement.
TBC