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Something to Believe in PART 55 - NC-17 Wrapping an arm around her shoulders, Michael pulled Maria closer to him on the sofa before planting a kiss on the top of her head. It was a little after 9.00pm, and Mackenzie had finally settled a few minutes earlier. So now they finally had a little quiet time together to indulge in the high-octane action movie they’d rented out. Quiet time with an active toddler, however, was a rarity in the Guerin household. So moments like these, where it was just the two of them snuggling were all the more precious and appreciated. The restlessness coursing through Maria’s body was more than evident however. She fidgeted and moved for the first ten minutes of the movie, trying her best to get comfortable. But nothing seemed to do the trick. He did his best to concentrate on the film; Michael had already deduced this movie was one he’d need to have his full concentration on. One of those films with a thick plot that twisted and turned then reeled you in before smacking you in the face with the most unexpected ending. And he’d been looking forward to seeing this movie for ages. Yet with Maria moving every few minutes, tugging at the cushion behind her, or scooping her feet up then dropping them back to the floor. It was plainly clear he wasn’t going to get any peace until he’d resolved whatever was playing on Maria’s mind. “Ok, out with it.” Michael suddenly announced, her movements finally playing on his nerves. They were here to watch a movie in peace, not plump the pillows of the sofa. “Out with what?” “Whatever it is that’s bothering you Maria. Is it Liz?” For a moment Maria thought about denying it, contradicting it was her best friend that was troubling her mind. Oh she knew what Michael would say. Just try to forget about it, don’t worry; you can’t make the situation any better. It was the same words she’d been reciting to herself all afternoon, so why didn’t it make her feel better? Why was this whole, sorry situation happening, and now? It was so unjust. “Ok yeah I am worried about Liz. But I’ve got good right to be concerned. She’s going through hell right now.” Maria protested. “I know she is ‘Ria, but you worrying as well won’t resolve the issue. This is out of Max and Liz’s hands, we all just have to trust the judge will decide in their favour.” “Well I’m sorry Michael but staying positive is obviously something that comes much easier to you than me. Maybe you can forget about what’s going on and carry on as if everything is hunky-dory, but I can’t!” She snapped, crossing her arms and turning her back towards Michael. Despite his best efforts, Michael couldn’t stifle a heavy sigh that ricocheted through his body. Geez she was highly strung tonight! He hadn’t said anything about forgetting what was happening to Max and Liz. He certainly couldn’t and it was a wonder he’d actually got any work done at the office earlier that day. His thoughts had been firmly planted with Max and Liz as they sat in the courtroom. His only solace at not being there was that Isabelle had called him every couple of hours when there was a break to relay what was happening. He was just suggesting Maria should tried not to worry so much, since getting herself worked up wouldn’t solve anything. Allowing a weak smile to cross his lips, Michael held out his arms before pulling Maria close despite her reluctance. She resisted for a brief moment, clearly still mad at him, before she finally melted into his warm, safe embrace. Oh how he made her feel safe when she was worried. “Whatever happens ‘Ria, Liz is gonna need your support and strength. Showing her you’re just as concerned as she is won’t help her at all. You need to be brave and have some faith sweetheart.” “I just can’t help thinking how it will kill Liz if Rebecca has to be handed back. I mean imagine if something happened to Mac, I don’t know what I’d do. It would just tear me up.” Maria responded tearfully. “Shhh babe, nothing’s gonna happen to Mac.” Michael reassured her, cupping a hand through her hair and pulling her face to bury in his chest. Gentle sobbing filled the air, as all the worrying Maria had done that day poured out through her tears. The fears of protecting Mac as he got older, the concerns of Liz with the baby she wanted to desperately. The terrifying possibility that Rebecca would be taken away, it was all too much. One hand rhythmically ran along her spine in soft, soothing motions. The other was wrapped in her hair, stroking gently in an attempt to calm her emotions. She was normally a live wire, Michael mused, but tears weren’t normally part of Maria’s repertoire. But then again this whole ordeal for Max and Liz had got to all of them. Only that morning he’d had Isabelle on the phone in tears over how unjust the whole situation was. He’d put Isabelle’s outburst down to raging hormones after Amber’s birth. But now he wasn’t so sure. This whole court case was taking its toll on all of them in one way or another. Eventually lifting her head and pulling away slightly, Maria pushed a shaky hand through her thick, unruly hair, before swatting her cheeks with the back of her hand. She probably looked a wreck; she thought wryly, big red blotchy patches, damp wet tracks down her cheeks, and red-rimmed raw eyes. Yet Michael still sat there, just watching. Then he raised a hand and caught another escaped tear, before rubbing a thumb under her eyes to remove further evidence of the emotional outburst. A watery smile crossed her lips as she stopped his hand from retreating from her face. It was supposed to be their long awaited movie night, but right now she needed closeness and reassurance from Michael. No, she needed to feel loved. Moving his hand around to her lips, Maria kissed the centre of his palm before cupping it around her cheek once more. Closing her eyes for a brief moment, she marvelled in the strength and warmth she found in his hand. Why couldn’t she be that strong? Why did she have to get so damn emotional over everything? Geez anyone would think she was pregnant again! Needing him even more than her next breath, Maria leant in, rested her palms on his slanted chest before lowering her head to cover his lips. Gliding softly across his warm, moist lips, the swell of desire descend over her body. Feeling his hands encase her body and wrap around her back to pull her closer, further stoked the fires deep inside. Warmth surged through her veins like the finest melted Belgian Chocolate dripping from a wooden spoon. The heat pooled quickly in the pit of her stomach, sending spears of desire throughout her body. Oh she wanted him badly. Michael’s fingers inched up her soft blue cashmere sweater just enough so he could dive underneath and touch the silk velvet of her skin. His fingers danced and caressed her back, creating a blazing trail of fire before he rested his palms on her bottom and encouraged her to shift slightly so she could stretch out along the length of his body. The movement gave him greater access to her body, and using it to his advantage, Michael scooped up the hem of her sweater and swept it up and over Maria’s head in one swift, fluid motion. Delight and desire crossed his face as the realisation that she wore nothing under the cashmere. No restricting T-shirts or blouses, and no awkward bra, just bare skin for him to appreciate. And appreciate he did as his hand descended to cup and caress first one breast and then the other. His soft movements, gentle pinching of his fingers and light kisses around her collarbone made her head go light. The dizzy, almost disorientating feeling of falling fast with no desire to grab hold of a support drowned over her. His lips took hers once more in a forceful, passionate kiss. His lips plundered hers, his tongue sweeping across eager to snake inside the moment she parted her lips. His patience was rewarded and the moment the sigh crossed her lips his tongue disappeared into her warm honeyed mouth. His tongue felt strong, demanding and desiring as he stroked and caressed the deep, dark crevices. Despite the cloud of desire descending around her brain, Maria’s fingers made light work of the buttons on his white cotton work shirt. Deftly she popped each button free, gracing her eyes with the view of more and more trim, tanned flesh. Pushing the parted material aside, Maria ran the palms of her hands across his toned upper body, marvelling as the muscles twitched and quivered under her touch. Ahh she could still wave magic over him, still hold his body hostage under her seductive touch. His hands ran across her stomach, coupling at her back as he dipped his head to run a trail of kisses along her shoulders, nipping and nibbling at her ear and jaw line before connecting their lips once more. A restless shiver surged through her body, the sudden need to get even closer to the man she loved. Pushing her body closer his arms wrapped father around her back but it still wasn’t enough, nowhere near close enough to feel their hearts beating as one. Frustrated, Maria sat more upright and ripped apart the silver button stud that held his jeans up. The slow, seductive way she pulled down the fly zip had Michael throwing his head back and grinding it against the pillow before puffing out a deep breath. His control was dwindling fast, he reflected silently. And then suddenly it was practically non-existent as he felt her hands delve inside the jeans and encase his searing heat. Oh that felt so good, he mused silently except from the groan deep in his throat. To feel her hands touching, caressing and loving his body with ease and such expertise. The silky softness of her hands, the slight scraping of her nails against his skin, oh it was almost too much. Roughly pushing away her hands, Michael growled deep in his throat before quickly discarding the ankle length pale blue knit skirt she had been wearing. Swiftly swapping places in the blink of an eye Michael loomed above her, dark and dangerous. His long strands of hair fell to his shoulders, a floppy fringe falling to frame his face and dance in his eyes. And oh those eyes, Maria considered quietly, they were quite a sight. It certainly wasn’t a look she hadn’t seen before mind due. The stormy midnight colouring, the almost black granite complexion of the pupils, the desire laced pools that said so much without using words. Oh yes she liked those eyes! Placing a hand gently at the base of her throat, Michael chased a path down the centre of Maria’s body. Between the crevice of her breasts, past her belly button which he paused to swirl a finger around, before continuing further still. The journey stopped only when he reached the silken barrier of her panties. For a moment he stopped, instead content on running the tip of his finger along the waistband of the small scrap of silk. Underneath him, her body writhed. He was driving her mad with his simple touch. Subconsciously Maria tried to rock her hips, trying to make his fingers slip down to where she ached the most for his scorching touch. A grin played on his rugged face and Maria knew he was teasing her mercilessly. Talk about driving her mad, it took all her will power not to slug him one! It was that or grab hold of his teasing hand and move it to a more useful place! As if sensing a potential box around the ears, Michael finally slipped his fingers under the silk. The first touch of his practised fingers on her aching heat made Maria buck her hips towards him. Her body cried out for release as he gently, slowly boiled the heat inside her to raging fire levels with his exquisite touch. He knew just the right touch, the right tempo and pressure to stoke the fire and carry her almost within reaching distance of her goal. And then he stopped. Her glazed eyes blinked several times trying to focus coherently on his face. Why had he stopped? Hadn’t he known how close she was to ecstasy? “Need you.” She breathed raggedly against his ear and heard a strong suck in of breath by Michael. He was hanging by just as little a thread as she was, Maria thought. Shifting slightly she pushed away his boxers finally removing the last clothing between them. Another groan passed his lips as he nestled between her thighs. He could feel her warmth, feel how ready she was and it was nearly his undoing. She needed him, she needed Michael deep inside her so badly, more than her next breath or beat of her heart. A slight movement and she could feel the tip of his desire touching her heat. Just a movement upwards and he’d be right where she wanted him, buried deep inside and finally completing her as whole once more. A gentle thrust of her hips and she felt him start to fill her. A sigh omitted past her lips, heaven, she was finally home again. Just as she felt him almost completely sheathed inside, she heard Michael stifle a curse before pulling away. “No!” She cried out hoarsely, clawing at his neck to stop him from retreating. “Have to.” He ground out, forcing the words through the strong will to continue and plunge deep inside her velvet warmth. Common sense prevailed though, a tiny voice at the back of his mind reminded Michael they had to be careful. Mac was a wonderful child, but one was quite enough for now. And at that moment they were anything put doing that. Shifting away, Michael grappled for his wallet on the coffee table, before returning to Maria a few moments later. A smile played on his lips as he took in her sight. Sprawled naked across the couch, her creamy skin looked even more translucent against the deep burgundy red of the couch. Her long locks of hair cascaded across the arm of the couch and stumbled down the side. She watched his perusal of her body through heavy lidded eyes, the desire filling her body written all over her face. Unable to restrain any longer, Michael laid out once more to cover her body and finally join them. A mixed sigh of contentment and a tad of relief filled the air from their lips. The dulling noise of the movie played on in the background, but neither noticed or cared. Instead they concentrated on the emotions and feelings filling their bodies as Michael slowly rocked his hips. Running her hands along his shoulder blades and down his spine, Maria finished by cupping his bare buttocks and urged him further, deeper, harder. From that moment onwards nothing else matter. Time stood still as they both strove towards their mutual goal. The feelings flooded her body, heady and needy. As Michael crushed his lips against hers once more, Maria felt a strong ripple of desire crash through her body, followed swiftly by another. On and on they continued before finally together they hit the peak before dipping over the edge and spinning, falling out of control. Wave after wave of desire filled emotion hit them, swamped and drowned them, robbing them of the ability to breathe or think coherently. Heaving in a soul deep breath of air, Michael finally collapsed on top of Maria, spent. Her fingers danced gently along his back, sending ripples of sensitive ticklish feelings coursing through his body. He had no energy to laugh even though every fibre in his body wanted to. It wasn’t a well-known fact, but his one weakness was being ticklish, especially when he was relaxed. And Michael definitely was relaxed at that moment! A snuffling cry from upstairs suddenly brought so clarity to the moment. Both waited with baited breath to see if Mackenzie would settle himself. Within a few moments though it was obvious that wouldn’t happen as his cries became louder and more incessant. “Go on Daddy, your turn.” Maria grinned, pushing gently on Michael’s chest to make him move. “Geez thanks!” Michael groaned, finally moving his lead filled legs and scrabbling around for his jeans. Hastily pulling on the trousers, Michael high tailed it up the stairs eager to quieten the young lad down and get back to Maria. The gentle pushing open of their bedroom door quickly took Max’s attention away from the uninteresting ceiling. It was way past midnight, but he couldn’t sleep. So much of the court case was still swirling around in his mind, occupying his thoughts and causing major insomnia. Liz, on the other hand, was thankfully fast asleep beside him. She was clearly wiped out by everything and exhaustion had taken over the moment her head had hit the pillow that night. “Hey sweetie, what are you doing up?” Max queried softly as he gently pulled his arm from under Liz’s head, all the while trying not to wake her. “I couldn’t sleep.” Rebecca responded quietly, rubbing her eyes with a tiny fist. “Come here.” Max instructed, before the little girl dressed in cream silky pyjamas covered in little brown teddy bears with red bows padded over to him. “Can I ……. Can I stay here tonight?” “Of course you can babe.” Max responded, lifting the little girl up so she could lie next to him in the large bed. Wrapping an arm around her, Max kissed the top of her head before instructing her to go back to sleep. Gently stroking her long brown hair from her face, Max watched the little girl in the silhouette of the moon through the window. Despite his soft instructions to sleep, her little brown eyes remained open, and clearly troubled. It was obvious he wasn’t the only one having problems sleeping that night. “What’s troubling you?” “I’m …… I’m scared.” Rebecca’s voice trembled. “Of what sweetie?” “Of going away. Of ….. of not having you and mummy around anymore. I don’t want to go away.” The wavering of her voice cut to his heart, how could he reassure this little girl when he wasn’t certain himself? How could he sound confident when he was, in truth, just as afraid as Rebecca was that she would be taken away? Handing his trust to someone else, even Ben McNab, for something this important gnawed incessantly on his worry nerve. What if his faith in Ben was misguided? “You don’t have to do anything you don’t want to do sweetie.” Max assured. “We’re going to do everything in our power to make sure you stay right here with us ok?” “Ok.” She replied, sounding more assured. “Besides I don’t like my real daddy, he’s not nice to me. You’re my daddy now.” “Yes sweetheart, I am your daddy now.” Max said softly, and he was surely going to do everything humanly possible within his power to keep the little girl right by his side. Eventually, encased in his strong arms, Rebecca finally drifted off to sleep. But it was much later before Max finally joined her in dreams. All he could think about was the two most precious ladies in his life and how one could be taken away from him so quickly. And the effect such action would have on Liz, and the tiny baby growing inside her. Oh how had their perfect life taken such a sour turn? How had it come to having to fight to keep their new family together? And what real chance did they have against Rebecca’s real father. Only Ben McNab could answer that question.
PART 56
Rising to his feet, Ben gathered together some notes and took a deep breath before stepping away from the desk towards the witness. A silent, niggling thought that he was placing [I]‘all his eggs in one basket’[/I] with this case sprang to mind. Ben wasn’t one to normally rely on someone’s emotions, it was very dangerous ground and often difficult to judge how a witness would react. But if he could just hit Tom Bergstrom with the sucker punch, knock him off balance, then Ben knew he’d have a chance at winning this case for Max and Liz. And with the information dug up before court that morning he certainly had a very good chance of that. On his colleague and Ben knew about the information, and that was exactly how he wanted it. The element of surprise was their only weapon, and that meant leaving his clients in the dark as well. “You
love your daughter Mr Bergstrom.” Ben
started, the words more of a statement than a question as he moved from around
his desk. “And you loved your mother I assume?” “Objection!” The defending attorney rose to his feet. “Relevance?” “Counsellor?” The judge queried, throwing his eyes at Ben in a silent challenge. “There is relevance your honour I assure you.” “Then please do get to the point.” “Yes Sir.” Ben responded dutifully before continuing his line of questioning. “Your
mother passed away a couple of months ago is that correct Mr Bergstrom?” “And is it true she had a sizeable estate and money left in her will?” “Objection! Again I state where is the relevance in Mr McNab’s line of questioning.” The defending attorney again sighted. “Again your honour I assure the court there is a very real reason for this questioning. If I could ask the Court for a little more leeway my reasons will become apparent very shortly.” “Ok Counsellor, the Court will allow you only a little more leeway. Please continue.” The judge decided. “Thank you Sir.” Ben let out a breath, knowing he was on borrowed time. Time to get to the point, he decided silently. “Could you answer the question please Mr Bergstrom?” For a brief moment Tom looked uncomfortable on the stand with all eyes looking at him. Watching him too, Max wondered where Ben McNab was going with this line of questioning too. He’d know Ben had an ace up his sleeve when they’d arrived, but as to what it was, Max was in the dark as much as anyone else in the courtroom. Not for the first time Max wished he’d paid more attention and delved into law a little more at college. Oh he’d done the token classes to give himself an overview, and he was capable with the basics of company law and personnel. But this was a completely different kettle of fish, and he was just as baffled as the rest of the people around him. All he could tell, his powers of observation working overtime, was that Tom Bergstrom clearly was uneasy with the questions. “Yes my mother had money Mr McNab.” Tom finally answered cautiously. “And is it true she left the majority of the money to her grandchildren?” Ben queried, getting closer to his point. “Erm ….” “Answer the question Mr Bergstrom. A simple yes or no will be sufficient for the court.” Ben pressed firmly. “Yes.” “And
Rebecca is one of those grandchildren.” Ben
reminded, pressing on with his questioning before Tom had a chance to answer.
“How many brothers or sisters do you have Mr Bergstrom?” “And how many children do they have between them?” “Four.” “And
you have just the one child, is that correct?” Turning on his heal, Ben paced towards the table with his briefcase, stalling for a moment as he picked up another piece of paper. Turning around once more he strode towards the judge. “With the court’s permission I would like to submit this as evidence 1F.” “What is it Counsellor?” “It is a copy of the testament for the estate of Mrs Jocelyn Bergstrom. It also details the points of her will and explains that each of the five grandchildren have been left a trust fund and the value of that fund each totalling $100,000 per child.” Ben said, handing a copy to the judge before passing a copy also to the defending attorney. “Ok Counsellor, I will accept this as evidence. Please continue.” “Yes sir.” Ben acknowledged, turning his attention back to Tom Bergstrom. “As you were aware of the trust funds, I assume you are also familiar with the clauses surrounding the money?” “I …… don’t recall.” Tom stammered, looking more and more nervous and the moments ticked past. “Then I will refresh your memory Mr Bergstrom.” Ben grinned. “The will states each child will inherit the money on their twenty-first birthday and not before. However, there is a clause in the terms denoting that the blood mother or father of each child has access to the money if it is deemed necessary to support the child. I assume the clause was put in to help with University funding or such.” “I
wouldn’t know.” Tom brushed
off, trying to act nonchalant. “Before you answer sir, please remember you are under oath in a court of the United States of America. Perjury is a crime punishable by imprisonment. I would just take a moment to consider that before you answer.” Ben suggested with raised eyebrows. “Ok yes I guess did know about the clause.” Tom finally admitted. A hushed murmur rang through the courtroom at the admission. People whispered between themselves as they took in what was happening. Sitting beside her, Max gently squeezed Liz’s hands as she turned and threw a cautious smile his way. This was definitely a good turn for them. Could this piece of information hold the key to them retaining custody of Rebecca? Her heart did a little jump in potential anticipation, although Liz’s mind did its best to remain cautious. Getting her hopes up only to have them dashed would do no good in the battle to keep Rebecca. “You guess? Come now Mr Bergstrom, surely you either knew about the clause or you didn’t.” Ben pushed determined to get affirmation. “Yes ok! I did know.” Tom snapped back. Good! Ben thought happily. He was getting riled up and agitated, exactly what he wanted Tom to do. There was more chance of him admitting his next crime if he was off balance and frustrated. Emotions often clouded common sense in Ben’s experience. “Tell me Mr Bergstrom, do you like gambling?” Ben queried, surprising everyone with the sudden change of tac and off the cuff question. “Gambling?” “Objection!” The defending attorney jumped to his feet once more, full of agitation and determination. “Please your Honour, where is Mr McNab going this time? What has Mr Bergstrom’s likes or dislikes got to do with a custody case?” “I assure you your Honour that this is also a legitimate line of questioning.” Ben replied, hoping to not give away everything he would be throwing at Tom Bergstrom. The element of surprise was necessary to catch him off guard. “Ok Counsellor, but I will be less lenient next time.” The Judge assured him. “Thank you Sir. Mr Bergstrom?” “Yes
I guess I like gambling, I mean who doesn’t?” “Poker I guess, why?” Tom queried cagily. What was this lawyer getting at? He couldn’t know, could he? No, he’d buried that skeleton deep in the ground, for the time being anyway. At least until he had custody of the kid and then he’d be off the hook. Watching him once more, Max studied Tom Bergstrom’s body language. Although he was sitting down and hidden by the stand for the most part, his face was clearly visible. And that meant Max could see clearly the worry lines starting to creep in between his eyebrows. His slate grey eyes also held an uneasiness Max hadn’t seen before. Still Max was a little unsure of where Ben was going this time, what on earth had gambling got to do with Rebecca? Putting his faith in another man to win the case and keep Rebecca was definitely a hard thing to do. Relinquishing control of a situation wasn’t something Max was used to doing, and just sitting there, waiting and listening was worse than torture. “Ahh
Poker, yes I enjoy a game too. A
group of friends, cold beer and a few quarters to play with.”
Ben added smiling warmly. It
was a subtle attempt to knock Tom off guard, and it was working.
“And you do enjoy it don’t you Mr Bergstrom. So much so you don’t always know when to stop.” “Oh I think you do sir, I think you follow me very well indeed. I believe that a few months ago you got involved in a poker cartel. It started off small, just little change being bet against the cards. But it spiralled out of control rapidly didn’t it?” Ben queried, watching Tom shift nervously in his seat. “Soon you were playing for larger sums of cash, and before you knew it you’d run up a hefty tab, isn’t that right?” “I guess …..” “As I stated before, please don’t guess in court Mr Bergstrom. Just answer the question.” Ben pushed firmly. “Ok yeah, I did.” “Thank you. And can you tell the court exactly how much debt you got into because of Poker games please?” “I don’t remember.” Tom replied stonily. “Well then I’ll refresh your memory shall I?” Ben suggested, heading back to his table. Pausing only briefly to glance at Max with a slight smile, he turned to face Tom Bergstrom once again, this time holding another piece of paper. “With the court’s permission I would like to submit this as evidence 1G please.” “Ok.” The judge replied with interest in his voice. After handing a copy to Tom’s lawyer, Ben continued. “For the benefit of the court, and Mr Bergstrom who has had a lapse in memory over this matter, I will disclose the brief contents of this piece of paper. This is a detailed description of exactly what Mr Bergstrom owes at present for his ‘love’ of poker. With bets, cigars and a bar tab of mainly scotch on the rocks, the grand total comes to $99,550.” The murmurs spread around the courtroom once more. A quick rap with his gravel and a booming ‘quieten down’ from the judge brought the court back to order. “And
if I could save the court time in doing the mental arithmetic, that leaves a sum
of $50 left from the total amount in the child in question’s trust fund.”
He paused for dramatic affect to let the words sink in.
“Do you deny Mr Bergstrom that you don’t have sufficient money to pay
this debt at the present time?” “You
are under oath remember.” “And you were planning to win this custody battle so you could get your hands on the money is that not correct?” “She’s my daughter.” He protested weakly. “True.” Ben agreed, unable to deny that point. “Can you confirm the last time you visited your daughter Mr Bergstrom?” “I wanted to but they wouldn’t let me.” Tom replied, pointing at Max and Liz. Reflexively Liz’s fingers wrapped around Max’s hand tighter. Not once had they ever denied Tom visitation, mainly because not once had he asked to see his daughter. In all the brief contact, Tom had not once asked about Rebecca’s welfare or anything giving indication he was actually concerned about the little girl. “Ok.
Before your money problems arose when was the last time you saw your
daughter?” “Quite,
but I would have thought such outings with the little girl would stick in your
mind. Think Mr Bergstrom, try to
remember.” “Again
let me refresh your memory sir, it was indeed ‘longer’ as you put it.
In fact it was years rather than months I can confirm.
You haven’t seen your daughter in well over three years, why is
that?” “Wouldn’t
let you? But this is your daughter
we’re talking about, your own flesh and blood who you love so dearly.
Why didn’t you fight for your rights?
Go to court to obtain access and visitation?” “But
you’re prepared to do that now? Now
that money could be involved? Back
then your mother was still alive was she not?” “And why, when your daughter needed you most, when her own mother was tragically killed, did you not step forward to take responsibility of a frightened young girl? Why, when that little girl needed her own family the most, did you turn your back on her instead of running to her aid like a father should?” For once, when Ben had finished speaking, Tom didn’t even bother to respond. What could he say, he had done just that and could hardly deny it. “Let me put this to you then Mr Bergstrom. I would ‘guess’ that you have no real aspiration to retain custody of your daughter. I would ‘guess’ that this whole stunt has been pulled so you can obtain access to the money in the trust fund and thus dig yourself out of a very large, very deep, and very expensive hole. But then I ‘guess’ the court wasn’t supposed to find out about your affliction with gambling were we?” Ben said, his voice rising visibly. “No ok! You don’t know what it’s like, none of you do! That should have been my money, all mine! I never asked for a kid, she tricked me into getting her pregnant. The last thing I wanted was a kid for god’s sake. And I sure as hell never asked my mother to leave money to her so-called grandchild! All I’m after is what’s rightfully mine; if they want the kid they’re welcome to her! Hell I’ll sign whatever custody papers needed for them to have her just let me have my money.” Tom ranted, pointing once more in Max and Liz’s direction. The court erupted with sound, the judge rapping hard on the gravel to restore something resembling order. This was definitely a turn up he hadn’t been expecting. Heading back to his desk, Ben couldn’t hide the smile of glee that decorated his face as he glanced at Max and Liz. His plan couldn’t have worked any better than it had. Tom had confessed his real reason for wanting Rebecca, and with his strong faith in the justice department, Ben was convinced Max and Liz would be granted full custody of the little girl in the next few moments. “Well Mr Bergstrom I think you can return to your seat thank you.” The judge dismissed him. “I think we can all say we have heard more than enough evidence here to make a judgement. Mr and Mrs Evans have proven they are upstanding members of the community and are more than capable physically and financially to take care of the little girl in question. Mr Bergstrom, on the other hand, has proven on the record than his intentions in this custody battle are anything but admirable. Using a child for money, especially your own child, is a despicable act and completely unforgivable. You may not have wanted a child Mr Bergstrom, but you got one, and it was your duty as her father to be the best parent you could. Clearly you are neither capable nor responsible enough for the task at hand. I, with the jury’s agreement, therefore grant full custody to Mr and Mrs Evans, with no plans to review or appeal.” The judge boomed, banging down his gravel hard before standing up and swiftly exiting the courtroom. Activity circled around Max and Liz as they slowly rose to their feet. The look of thunder on Tom Bergstrom’s face was sweet justice, after everything he had put them through. And Rebecca’s welfare hadn’t even crossed his mind. Just the cold hard dollar signs of money. Pulling Liz into a hug, Max felt the relieving sigh from her reverberate in his own body. It was finally over. The nightmare that seemed to have lasted an eternity had finally come to an end. And they’d won. Rebecca was finally, legally theirs. They’d challenged her blood father and won, thanks to the skill of Ben McNab. “Thank you so much Ben.” Max said, shaking their lawyer’s hand. “No problem Max, just doing my job.” “I
know, but how did you dig up that dirt on Tom?” “Serious
Ben, I can’t thank you enough for everything you did.”
Liz added, hugging their friend. “You
were amazing, and I will be forever indebted to you for making sure Rebecca
wasn’t taken away.”
“It’s no problem Liz. You just go home and look after yourself and that baby of yours. Ok?” He replied. “Ok.” Liz smiled warmly, the strain of the previous few days almost completely washed away with the judge’s verdict. “Mr Evans, Mrs Evans, Mr McNab.” Tom’s lawyer approached. “I will have the adoption papers drawn up and couriered over night to you. As soon as you sign them the little girl will be legally yours.” “Thank you.” Max said courteously, his eyes flickering from the lawyer to Tom who stood beside them. “If the money is so important to you, then here you go.” Max added, narrowing his eyes at Tom. Reaching into his blazer pocket, Max pulled out his chequebook. Swiping a pen from the table he quickly scribbled a cheque for $90,000 before signing his name. Tearing the cheque out, he put down the pen before facing Rebecca’s biological father once more. “Here’s
enough to cover most of your debts, I trust you’ll be able to find the
rest?” Max said curtly.
“And I don’t want you to come anywhere near Rebecca or my family
again, is that understood?” “Let’s go Liz.” Max turned, wrapping an arm around his wife’s shoulders before escorting her from the courtroom. Finally, their nightmare had come to an end. They had custody of Rebecca, and come morning she would officially be their adopted daughter. The long, hard fight had been worth it.
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