Twenty More Days
"Only another three weeks, huh?" Andy asked his sister.
"No," Aimee corrected. "Twenty days."
Andy laughed. He was babysitting his nephew tonight.
"Are you putting it that way 'cause you're excited or just sick of being pregnant?"
"Both."
Today Aimee were very sick of pregnant. Also she and Horatio had their second prenatal class tonight. They were leaving in a few moments. She was anxious about this. She knew the "creepy stuff" was probably going to start being bought out now. Horatio knew she was anxious without having to ask her. He reassured her that he would be right there beside her (or sitting behind her really) and she'd be fine. He'd hold her hand the whole night.
Oh my god! Aimee thought, squeezing her husband's hand.
Horatio couldn't see his wife's expression but he could tell by her body language, how tense she become that she was horrified. He squeezed her hand in return.
She had managed to avoid looking at the epidural insertion video though she were sure even if she hadn't, she wouldn't care how the epidural felt going in, as long as it worked, after seeing a natural childbirth DVD. Horatio couldn't blame her really. He looked, wanted to cringe but controlled his reaction for his wife's sake.
Horatio kissed the side of Aimee's head and stroked her hair with his other hand.
"Shh," he whispered in her ear. "It's all right. I'm right here."
"A sister, huh?" Andy asked his nephew.
The two were playing snakes and ladders.
"Yep," Kyle nodded "A baby budder would be okay but I really want a sister."
Being just a year older than his sister Andy couldn't remember when Aimee were bought home from the hospital. He and Aimee had been directly off from the hospital by their biological parents for a week to the relatives who would years later adopt them. Andy was always told by their adoptive mother that he had almost poked Aimee in the eye he was so curious looking at her.
Andy thought it was curious that a six-year-old boy would be so intent on a baby sister.
Rick's trial was set for six months from now, baring there was no more delays, which there probably would be. Julia wasn't yet but it was likely she would charged along him. Her separate trial for shooting Horatio, which Julia was believed to have done on her own because Aimee had survived her attack was yet to set. Julia also the nerve the no-contact orders that two courts had issued. And again to ask a court to force visitation with Kyle. She also filed an appeal to overturn Aimee's adoption of Kyle. She wanted the forced visitation while she was wanting for the motion to be heard. She wanted the six-year-old boy to visit her at the prison; without supervision or the presence of either of his parents.
The presiding judge denied her visitation motion;
"How many more ways can it be said, Ms. Albery?" He asked. "You are no viewed as this child's mother. You are legally, and to this child, a stranger. Another woman now has parental rights. You voluntarily relinquished rights to this boy at birth. Beyond that, you are a danger to the boy's well-being and very safety. You are currently charged with shooting and trying to kill his father and being investigated for conspiring to attack his mother. You are being without bail. You want this child to visit you, without his parents, without supervision, in prison.
"One not need to be a mental health professional to know the trauma this would cause the child. This court will not order such an action."
The judge told her she was welcome to file an appeal to reinstate her parental rights but he doubted for many reasons it would be successful at this point. Either way, till Julia at least had parental rights, she didn't have a case for anything.
"And I also strongly suggest you abide those no-contact orders, Ms. Albery," the judge warned. "you don't need more trouble."
Julia's visitors were already restricted to her lawyer. All her mail was read prior to leaving the prison, her phones listened in on. The same went Rick; the two were not permitted contact though they were in the same institution. The two were challenging the prison for the right to conjugal visits.
"Good luck with that," Frank Tripp scoffed when he heard it.
Besides co-defendant prisoners not being allowed contact unless it was for joint legal counsel, conjugal visits were for prisoners and a person from the outside. Julia had told several inmates she wanted to have Rick's baby, perhaps believing being pregnant to make her appear different in the eyes of a jury. She believed this would also look good to the appeals court. Julia was certain, though her attorney was the opposite, that she was would be acquitted of all charges, regain her parental rights and be granted full custody of Kyle.
"Then Horatio and her will never see him again," she told her lawyer.
Though the attorney would defend his client with all the effort required by law, he didn't believe he could get her acquitted.
If he did, he hoped Julia was never granted an access, let alone custody of her son. The woman gave him the creeps.
On the Next Episode: The baby arrives!