Chapter 11 #4
Something inside Blue’s chest exploded and he hid his face in his hands so no one would see him cry.
He remembered it all, all the times she’d told him she loved him, and how no one had ever said it before or ever said it again until he’d met Anne.
Ms.Newsome had been a happy spot in his otherwise miserable growing up years.
That she’d come there and testify for him didn’t surprise him, but he was surprised that Glen had found her. He’d figured she was dead.
“Mr.Wallace? Are you all right?” he heard the judge ask.
“Yes, YourHonor,” Blue said quietly. To his surprise, he felt a hand on his shoulder and turned to find Mr.Casey handing him a tissue. He used it to wipe his eyes and then his nose as he struggled to regain his composure. “I’m sorry, YourHonor.”
“Perfectly all right. We can take a break if you want,” JudgeHargrove told him.
“No, no. I’m fine. Sorry.” Blue sniffled a couple of times and tried to hold it together. Memories kept seeping into his mind and he pushed at them, trying to concentrate on what was happening in the courtroom.
“I have nothing else, YourHonor. But I’d like to reserve the right to question this witness further.”
“So be it. Mr.Casey?”
Cindy’s attorney got up and ambled toward the witness box. “Ms.Newsome, do you ever remember Mr.Wallace doing anything horrible?”
“Horrible? Like what?”
“Oh, I don’t know. Torturing or killing animals?”
“Goodness, no! Nothing like that, ever!”
“Hurting other children? Maybe getting in trouble at school for fighting?”
“The only trouble he got into at school was not participating in class discussion. He was a scared, withdrawn little boy. He never hurt a fly.”
Casey looked a little frustrated, then said, “No more questions, YourHonor.”
“Could I ask the witness one more question, YourHonor?” Glen asked. When the judge nodded, Glen asked from their table, “If you could say anything to this court about BrentWallace, what would it be?”
Ms.Newsome smiled. “I’m sitting here looking at him today and I’m so proud. It looks like he’s grown up to be a fine man. I’ve thought about him every day since they took him away, and I never thought I’d see him again. Today’s been a dream come true.”
Blue didn’t know anything to do except to smile at her, and when he did, she smiled back.
Please make this be over soon. I can’t take much more , his brain screamed.
In a split second, he was pretty sure it was only going to get worse.
He watched as his former foster mother left the courtroom and the door opened for someone else to enter.
The woman walked with purpose up the aisle and as soon as she was sworn in by the judge, she took her seat in the witness box.
Glen patted Blue on the shoulder as he stood and stepped toward her.
“Ms.Parker, I understand you’re the social worker assigned to Mr.Wallace by children’s protective services. Is that correct?”
“Yes, sir, it is.”
“Can you tell the court how your agency came to know about the infant child in Mr.Wallace’s care?”
“An anonymous call.”
“I see. Was it a report of abuse?”
“No, sir.”
“What exactly was it then?”
“We were told he had no business with a child.”
Glen nodded. “How long had he had the child when you made your first visit?”
“A couple of weeks, if I recall correctly.”
“And what did you find when you got there.”
Blue held his breath. “Let me pull my case notes,” she said and grabbed that damn legal pad she had every time he saw her.
“Here it is. According to my notes, the house wasn’t fancy but it was tidy.
Plenty clean enough. The child had more than adequate clothing and food, and he had done a good job putting together a nursery.
In all, he was respectful and she seemed content and healthy. ”
“Did you ask about her physical well-being? Had he taken her to a doctor?”
“Yes. He said he’d discovered that she hadn’t had her immunizations and he was in the process of getting them up to date.”
“And has he?”
“Yes, sir. He’s provided me with proof that he has done that.”
“Very good.” Glen stood for a minute and thought before he asked, “What about childcare?”
“He’s worked out a good system with his neighbor who’s a nurse.” She stopped when Mr.Casey gave a snort. “It seems he’s built a good support network that includes other people too. Plus I gave him a checklist before his home study, and there were no deficiencies. None.”
“What would you say, on a scale of one to five, with five being the best and one being the worst, are his parenting skills?”
Ms.Parker shrugged. “Hard to say, but right now, I’d give him a four and a half to a five.”
Blue’s mouth fell open. He’d been sure the woman hated him, but she obviously thought he was doing a good job. Having her testify had seemed like a horrible idea to him, but Glen had insisted, and it had paid off. “So, Ms.Parker, is it your opinion that Mr.Wallace is fit to be a parent?”
“Yes, sir. If I believed otherwise, the child would’ve already been removed.”
“Thank you. No more questions.”
Mr. Casey stood. “So, in your opinion, what will happen to the child if it’s discovered that the infant isn’t his? What kind of trauma will that cause?”
“There’s no way of knowing. Of course, the paternity test will tell us decisively if he’s her biological father.”
“There’s been no paternity test, correct?” Casey asked.
“Oh, yes,” Ms.Parker said, and Casey’s face fell.
“We felt we needed one. He and his attorney signed off on the request.” She cleared her throat and clasped her hands together on top of her legal pad as it lay in her lap.
“They asked the testing company to send the results to our office so no one could accuse them of tampering with anything.”
Dear god, Blue thought. He felt a little faint, but Glen put a hand on his shoulder and pulled him back into the moment. “Do you have them?” Casey asked.
“Yes. No one’s seen them yet, but I’ll be glad to open the envelope.”
“Please,” the judge said. Ms.Parker pulled out the envelope, tore it open, and pulled out a sheet of paper. “Do you know how to interpret the results, Ms.Parker?” JudgeHargrove asked.
“Yes, sir. And this says… it is with ninety-nine point nine seven five percent surety that Mr.Wallace is the infant’s biological father.”
Blue had all he could take. He dropped his face to the table and sat there, afraid to look around. There was no scientific doubt―Indigo was his daughter. He heard Mr.Casey say, “No more questions, YourHonor.”
There was only one person left, and that person took a deep breath and lifted his face from the table.
It had gone well, and he prayed he wouldn’t ruin it at the last minute.
All he really wanted to do was run to the holding room, grab Indigo, and run as fast and far as possible.
He was wondering if he could pull that trick off when the judge said, “The court calls BrentWallace.”
Blue’s feet were heavy as lead as he made his way to the witness box.
The judge made him take the oath and he took a seat.
Glen instructed him to state his entire name, his age, and where he lived.
Then he asked Blue the simplest question he could’ve asked: “If you could say anything to the court, what would it be?”
Blue sat for a minute and thought. What would it be?
“Anything?” Glen nodded. “Well, um, I guess I’d say that my life has been one big surprise.
It never seemed that I was in control of anything, not who I lived with, or where I went to school, or even if I went to school, or what I ate, or what I wore.
I ran away when I was seventeen and lived on the streets, but I didn’t have the tools I needed to make good decisions because I’d never been taught, so I was clueless.
But I’ve learned more about how to live, how to make decisions, how to conduct myself, and how to interact with people in a healthy way in the last six months than I have in my whole life.
Between caring for an innocent, dependent little human and working with others who’ve volunteered to help me, I’ve learned a lot.
I’ve grown as a person. I’ve developed more confidence and stretched myself.
And it’s all because of Indigo. Letting her down is something I’d die before I’d do.
She doesn’t deserve that. She deserves a happy life.
” Blue stopped and stared at his shaking hands.
He couldn’t think of anything else to say.
“Would you say you’re a good parent?” Glen asked.
Blue sighed. “You know, I don’t know, but if I’m not, it’s not for lack of trying.
When I lost my job and didn’t have any money, I did something I never thought I’d do―I signed up for government assistance.
When I had some money, I made sure she had everything she needed before I bought anything for myself, and that included food.
I’d starve before I’d let her go hungry.
I’ve tried to make sure she’s socialized so she knows how to relate to people.
I’ve read that stack of baby books on my nightstand at least a dozen times.
I don’t know if I’m a good parent, but I want to be a good parent. ”
Glen winked at Blue. “Was there a time you didn’t want her?”
Blue chuckled. “I tried to give her to Anne that first day! I didn’t know anything about kids.
I’d never been around them. Well, maybe some foster brothers or sisters, but not since I’ve been an adult.
But I have to tell you, the first time I fed her by myself, then burped her and changed her diaper without help, I felt ten feet tall.
” Blue hesitated for a second, trying to rein in his emotions.
“I fell in love with her in forty-eight hours. And I’ve never loved anybody so much in my life. ”
“Are you thinking about the future?”