# 6
"I'm sorry, Mrs. ...."
"Whitson. Vivian Whitson."
"Of course. I'm sorry, Mrs. Whitson, but there's just no evidence of any problem here...."
"No evidence?! My former husband is raising a child with his male partner; a child, I might add, that he has no reasonable explanation for. Who knows where she might have come from? There could be parents somewhere crying for their lost little girl...."
"Ma'mm, I can assure you that isn't the case. When you called me, I looked up the birth certificate and all the relevant paperwork for the infant and the deceased mother. Everything seems to be in perfect order..."
"Seems? You're going to let this go because it seems alright? Robert told me he and his partner were getting married for Lord's sake!"
The dark haired man on the other side of the desk hesitated then smiled uncertainly and responded in soothing tones.
"I'm sure you misunderstood. Same-sex marriage isn't legal in California yet."
"Yet? You're saying it will be?"
"The latest prediction is that within five years, yes, it absolutely will be. At this point all they could do is participate in a commitment ceremony, which is perfectly within the law and within their rights. If that's what your husband and his partner have done or intend to do... I can't interfere."
Vivian's face grew red and she sputtered her angry reply.
"But... but the man's a raving paranoid! You didn't see the way he threw me out of his house! You can't let someone like that raise an innocent child!"
"Does he take medication for his condition?"
"Of course, but not consistently."
"Are you basing this on present observation or on past behavior?"
Vivian paused, but answered truthfully.
"On the past, of course. We've been separated for several years and see each other only rarely, but..."
"Then there's nothing to be done. As I said, the situation appears to be ideal for the child and you have no proof that she's in imminent danger. I'm sorry."
"You don't know the situation! At least tell me you'll send someone to the apartment to look it over!"
The young man closed his eyes briefly. She had asked the one thing he'd prayed she wouldn't think of.
"If it will make you feel better Mrs. Whitson... I can do that."
"It won't, but it's a first step at least. I won't be satisfied until that poor baby girl is safe." Vivian spat, rising to her feet and stalking out of the small DCF office. The man behind the desk sighed in relief, rubbed his face with one hand and muttered a few tense words.
"I try to head her off and she finds a way around me. The damn woman's more persistent than the tide. I don't know how much longer I can keep her busy..."
He looked up when a colleague called his nick-name from the doorway.
"Hey, J, you feel like a drink to celebrate the end of a long day and the departure of Mrs. Whitson, the human torture chamber?"
"I absolutely do."