It was several minutes before Connie said anything to either, Charlie or Guy. She couldn't find the words at first, standing beside the two men, her lips dry and hands shaking. She never been afraid of either of the pair before in her life but right then, the way they fixed each other in angry glare, muscles bulging and nostrils flaring like angry bulls, she was terrified.
Finally she swallowed and took a step between them. "Stop it, both of you. You're acting like a couple of Neanderthals. Cut it out." Connie demanded, her chocolaty eyes now devoid of tears. Her small jaw set sternly. "This is not what Maddie needs right now. She loves you both and you're both her fathers."
"No Cons, I was in the room during conception and I'm pretty sure he was no where around. I'm also fairly certain I signed the birth certificate and his name wasn't on it." Guy's pointed look at Charlie punctuated the sentence.
"We're absolutely certain this is the name we're going with before we sign this right?" Connie asked smiling from ear to ear. "She does look like a, Madison, right?"
"She's a day old Cons, she looks like kind of like an alien." Guy replied, only to be shot a dirty look for the new mother. "The most beautiful alien ever, that is every bit as gorgeous as her gorgeous, Mommy." He tried to save himself.
"This is serious, Guy. Giving your child a bad name can scar them for life. It will follow them around forever. My mom had a friend who named their son, Justin their last name was Thyme. I pitied that poor boy."
"Honey, Madison Germaine is a perfectly acceptable name. Can we please sign the birth certificate, so she won't be known as baby girl Germaine for the rest of her life?"
Connie nodded and picked her pen back up. "Yes,. Lets."
Her husband's eyes narrowed, his nose crinkled and his lips curled as though he'd just caught a foul odor. "Funny, I don't remember ever seeing that signature of yours on any of the rent checks, that have been keeping a roof over her head!"
"Enough!" Connie stomped down hard with her size six leather boot, the loud thump finally stunning the bickering men into quiet. "Charlie you need to understand that no matter how much you love and support Madison, and I know you love her very much, that she is Guy's daughter."
"That's right Spazway, you better remember that. Maddie's my blood." Her ex grinned triumphantly until Connie whirled on him.
"And you! Like it or not, Charlie has been raising that little girl for most of her life and she regards him as her second Daddy. Whether or not you're happy with it, she loves him just as much as she does you, regardless of blood."
"But she's my little girl and she needs me in her life, Cons. How am I suppose to be there for her, when you've taken her away from me. When she's in another country, all because of him." Guy explained, his voice more hurt now than angry, the words and the sadness of them alone, making Charlie wince.
"She needs you both." Connie let out a deep sigh. Her arms fell limply to her sides, you could practically see the strength leaving her body. Her voice was barely above a whisper, she added. " I need you both."