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  "So when did you enter into the picture, Ms. Nash?" Billie asked.

  "Like I said, Julie and I were best friends. She told me everything. She told me how she hated being alone with him because his treatment of her in private was very different from when they were in public," Shannon began.

  "I object! Hearsay on the witness' part," Prosecutor Mercier exclaimed.

  "I'll allow it. Continue, Ms. Nash," Judge Williams instructed.

  Shannon looked from the judge to Billie and continued. "Gary was sadistic He'd pull her hair, pinch her, burn her with his cigarettes. The final straw came when she told him she was pregnant. He beat her...called her a whore and claimed the child wasn't his." Shannon paused, visibly shaken.

  "I was the one she called that night when he left her lying behind the bleachers in the football field, barely able to stand. He was smart, though. He was careful not to hit her where the bruises would show. It was then that I told her how I felt about her. I begged her to stay away from Gary. I promised to take care of her and the baby for the rest of our lives. She allowed me to take her home with me that night. I called her mother and asked if she could stay over. Like I said, she and I were best friends, so her parents thought nothing of her spending the night. I held her all night as she cried and trembled. It broke my heart to see her in such pain," Shannon finished.

  "Did she profess her love for you that night?" Billie asked.

  Shannon nodded her head. She wiped away the tears that escaped her lids during the painful recall and looked across the room once more and met Julie's gaze. "Yes, she did."

  After a short pause, Billie continued with her questions. "Julie married Gary against your wishes anyway, and despite the fact that she was in love with you. Why was that?"

  "I wondered that myself at first. I offered to take care of her and the baby. I offered to raise and love the child as my own. I went away to college feeling betrayed. It wasn't until later...until after Gary repeatedly mistreated her through their marriage, and after he deserted Julie and Kaleigh that I learned Julie made that decision for my benefit. She didn't want to ruin my future, so she had decided to accept the hand that fate had dealt her by marrying Gary."

  "So, after Gary deserted her…" Billie prompted.

  "After Gary deserted her, I transferred to the state college close to home, found a part time job, and helped to support them while I finished school. Julie and Kaleigh lived with Julie's parents until I graduated, but I helped out financially as much as possible. When I graduated, Julie and Kaleigh were there, sitting in the front row, beaming with pride. Just moments after I accepted my diploma, I asked Julie to marry me. Because she was legally married to Gary, we had to wait out the seven years required to have him declared legally dead, releasing her from their marriage," Shannon explained.

  Billie walked a few steps away from the bench and then turned around to face Shannon once more. "Ms. Nash, if you would, describe for the court your living arrangements with Julie and Kaleigh for the past five years," Billie instructed.

  "Well, like I said, Gary had to be missing for seven years before he could be declared legally dead. By the time I graduated, two of the seven years had already passed. For the next five years, Julie, Kaleigh and I lived together as a family. I love Kaleigh as though she had come from my own womb. In every respect except the biological, she is my child. Three months ago Julie's divorce was finalized, and we were legally married. Now, we want to make our family complete with my adoption of Kaleigh." Shannon sat back in her seat, exhausted from her explanation.

  During Shannon's explanation, Billie made her way to the defendant's table and leaned her backside against it, crossing her ankles and arms in front of her. "So, Ms. Nash, are there other factors involved that have led you to enter this petition for adoption?" she asked.

  Shannon nodded. "Yes. In fact, the primary reason for the petition is to protect Kaleigh. You see, unless I legally adopt her, my health insurance does not cover her, nor is she protected from being placed in foster care if something were to happen to Julie." Shannon turned to the judge. "Your Honor, I love this child and her mother with all my heart. I have been there for her since she was four months old. Together, Julie and I have given her a stable, loving home. She has known nothing else. Please don't take our little girl away from us." Shannon's voice broke with unshed emotion.

  Julie gave up all efforts to control her own emotions as loud sniffles could be heard coming from the defendant's table. Judge's Williams attention was drawn in that direction.

  "Is that all Ms. Nash?" Judge Williams asked. When Shannon nodded affirmatively, he turned to the prosecution. "Do you wish to question this witness, Mr. Mercier?" he asked.

  The prosecuting attorney rose quickly to his feet. "No questions, Your Honor," he replied.

  "You may step down, Ms. Nash." Judge Williams turned to Billie. "Call your next witness, Ms. Charland."

  "The defendants wish to base this case on legal precedence, Your Honor, not on the moral platform the plaintiffs wish to pursue. We believe the law clearly states that Ms. Nash has the right to petition the courts for the adoption of her legal partner's daughter...that is, given the girl's biological father has had his parental rights terminated. We believe Gary Crawford's desertion seven years ago constitutes cause for the termination of those rights, and we respectfully ask the court to grant that termination, and accept Ms. Nash's petition for adoption. There are no other legal facts to be presented in this case, Your Honor. The defense rests," Billie stated as she seated herself beside Shannon and Julie.

  "Very well, Ms. Charland. Mr. Mercier, you may call your first witness," Judge Williams instructed.

  John Mercier rose to his feet and with much fanfare, waved his arm in the direction of the door at the back of the courtroom. "I call, Gary Crawford to the stand," he said loudly.

  Julie froze as Shannon's head snapped around to the back of the room. "Oh, my God," she said just loud enough for Billie to hear as a well dressed, clean-shaven, still handsome Gary Crawford walked into the courtroom.

  Billie was immediately on her feet. "Objection! Your Honor, the defense was not informed of this witness, and we are unprepared to cross-examine him at this time. I respectfully request a recess."

  Judge Williams looked at the prosecuting attorney with raised eyebrows. He lifted the gavel and brought it down loudly on the strike pad. "Request approved. Mr. Mercier, Ms. Charland, I expect to see you both in my chambers in five minutes. We will discuss a delay in the proceedings at that time."

  Billie busied herself gathering her papers while Julie sat in shock and Shannon went into panic mode.

  "Billie! Holy shit! Can they do that? Oh, my God! Can he take Kaleigh away from us? Please don't let that happen," Shannon ranted.

  Billie placed both hands on Shannon's shoulders and urged her back into the chair beside Julie. "Shannon, panic will get us nowhere. I will get to the bottom of this, I promise. Right now, I want you to take Julie home. She needs you now, more than ever. Okay?"

  Shannon looked at Julie who sat rigidly by her side, gripping the edge of the table. Her gaze stared straight ahead, and she was trembling. "Jules," Shannon said softly. "Come on, honey. Let's go home."

  Julie looked at Shannon as a trail of tears ran down her face. She rose to her feet and allowed Shannon to lead her out of the courtroom.

  Billie paced back and forth in front of Judge Williams' desk. Her arms gyrated wildly as she read John Mercier the riot act. Judge Williams sat back and watched the tirade play out before him.

  "John, how could you do this? You know in your heart that this child is better off with her mother. Where in God's name did you find him? My clients have tried for seven years to locate this man, and suddenly, he appears on the day his daughter is placed for adoption. This smells pretty dirty to me."

  "Billie, it's my job to represent my client to the best of my ability," Mercier replied. "Mr. and Mrs. Crawford produced him at the last minute…miraculously it seems.
He is the child's father after all."

  "It's a dirty trick and you know it! He's not her father. He's nothing but her sperm donor." Billie resumed pacing and then stopped to run a hand through her hair. "I need time to prepare for this witness. You owe us that much, John," she demanded.

  "How much time do you need, Ms. Charland?" Judge Williams asked.

  Billie thought for a moment. "I need at least a week."

  "That sounds reasonable," Judge Williams replied. "This case will resume then; oh, and Mr. Mercier, I will not tolerate further theatrics in my courtroom. Is that clear?"

  Billie grabbed her briefcase and thanked the judge for his consideration. John Mercier was on his feet quickly and reached for the door handle before she could. He opened the door and stepped back to let her pass through ahead of him. Before doing so, Billie stopped directly in front of the man and glared at him. "I play by the book, John. If you do anything underhanded, so help me God, I will see you disbarred."

  John Mercier smiled weakly at her before following her out of the judge's chambers and closing the door behind him.

  CHAPTER 13

  Billie rushed out of the courthouse with barely a moment to spare and raced toward the hospital to pick Cat up for her doctor's appointment. Cat was waiting for her when she pulled up to the curb.

  Billie apologized as Cat climbed into the car. "Sorry I'm late, love. I've had a really bad morning,"

  Cat sat in the passenger seat, nervously worrying her fingers into knots. Billie noticed her distress and covered Cat's hands with one of her own. "Sweetheart, are you all right?"

  "Billie, I don't want to go to this appointment. I have a bad feeling about it."

  "All the more reason to go, Cat. We need to get to the bottom of what's bothering you, and ruling out physical causes is the first step. I'll be there with you, love," she replied soothingly.

  Cat nodded and continued to clench her hands as Billie drove through traffic to the doctor's office. Once inside, Cat sat in the waiting room in the same worried state while Billie checked her in and filled out insurance paperwork.

  After what seemed like an eternity, Cat was called into an examination room, was weighed, produced a urine sample, and stripped down to total nakedness. She then donned a hospital gown that did little to cover her up, after which, she sat stoically on the end of the examining table and allowed the nurse to take her temperature, pulse and blood pressure. Finally, they were left alone to wait for the doctor's arrival. Billie's stomach was in knots with anticipation of what the doctor would find. She could only imagine how Cat felt.

  Dr. O'Brien entered just a few minutes later. "Hey there!" she said a cheery voice.

  Dr. Patricia O'Brien was a gregarious physician, full of life and laughter. Her easy bedside manner immediately put Billie at ease, but did little to calm Cat's tender emotions.

  "Well, Ladies, it's nice to see you again. Are you here for a physical, or is there a specific reason you're gracing me with your beautiful presence today?" she asked.

  Cat looked at Dr. O'Brien with a worried expression on her face and said nothing. Billie offered an explanation for their visit.

  "Patty, we're here because Cat has been out of sorts of late...more emotionally than physically, but Doc suggested we start with a complete physical to see if there is some underlying condition that might be causing her problems," Billie explained.

  "Ah, Doc. How is the old codger these days?" Patty asked playfully. Without waiting for an answer, she turned to Cat and addressed her directly. "So, Cat, talk to me. What has been bothering you lately?"

  Cat shrugged and looked down rather than meeting Patty's eyes head on. Patty reached under her chin and lifted Cat's face so she could see her eyes. "Cat?" she prompted.

  Cat started to cry, causing Billie to fight back tears of her own. "I don't know," Cat said. "I just don't know. My life is so overwhelming lately. I feel like I am out of control...like my life is in a tailspin," she explained. "I'm so afraid of pushing Billie and the kids away, and I don't know how to stop it," she admitted.

  Billie took Cat's hand. "Kitten, I'm not going anywhere. You get that thought right out of your mind. Okay?" she said reassuringly, which only caused Cat to cry harder.

  Patty wiped a tear from her own eye and cleared her throat. "Okay. Let's have a look at you."

  Cat lay back on the table and Patty started with the normal examination...heart, lungs, reflexes, and digestive tract. "So far, everything looks good," she said as she instructed Cat to place her heels in the stirrups. Several uncomfortable moments later, the pap smear was complete. "Okay, one more thing," she said as she pulled the gown from Cat's shoulders. "Left hand behind your head, please," Patty instructed and she proceeded to do a thorough exam of Cat's left breast. She moved to Cat's right breast, she began her examination, and stopped short, seconds into it. A concerned look crossed her brow and she locked gazes with Billie sitting across the room. An expression of panic immediately crossed Billie's features. Patty continued the exam and maneuvered Cat's breast tissue around until she returned to the spot she had started before starting a second trip around the breast. One again, she stopped in the same spot she had before.

  Alarmed at the noticeable change in Patty's demeanor, Cat demanded an explanation. "What is it?" she asked shakily. She looked at Billie and noticing the white pallor on her wife's face which further confirmed that something was not quite right. Cat grabbed Patty's hand and demanded eye contact with the doctor. "Patty?"

  Patty stood erect and looked at Cat, and then Billie. Returning her gaze to Cat, she explained. "I can feel a lump in your right breast. It is about the size of a pea and it's located right here." Patty took Cat's hand and directed it to the upper left quadrant of Cat's right breast, just to the left of center. "I doubt very much that this is causing the emotional trauma you seem to be experiencing of late, but it is serious enough that we must do further tests. Do you understand?"

  Cat felt around in the spot indicated by Patty. Billie was on her feet instantly when she saw the terror cross Cat's face. She placed her hand above Cat's and was also able to locate the lump quite easily. Cat scanned Billie's face carefully for verification, and once she had it, reality sunk in.

  "I'm going to be sick," Cat said as her emotions and stomach played tag-team mutiny. She retched into the basket that Patty produced just in time to avoid a mess. Billie wrapped her arms around Cat and held her as her nerves purged her system. After a few moments, the retching ceased and Cat lay down weakly on the table. She held tightly to one of Billie's hands.

  Cat apologized for her sudden sickness. "I'm sorry."

  Patty was by her side in an instant. She pushed back the bangs from Cat's now clammy forehead. "It's all right, Cat. That's a pretty normal reaction to news like this."

  For a few moments, no one spoke as Cat struggled to regain control of her emotions.

  Finally, she was able to speak again. "Is it cancer?" she asked weakly.

  Patty replied as honestly as she could. "We don't know yet. There is a whole series of tests we'll have to do first," she explained.

  Cat nodded and both she and Billie fought to hold the tears back.

  "Cat, how often do you do self breast exams?" Patty asked.

  "She's pretty good about doing them monthly," Billie answered for her. "In fact, she usually reminds me when it's time to do one. The last time was about two weeks ago."

  Patty nodded. "If it wasn't there two weeks ago, then it's either a cyst, or a fast developing tumor of some sort," she explained. "If it is a cancerous tumor that can be contained to the breast, the survival rate is 85% to 90%. If the disease spreads beyond the breast, the survival rate drops to about half that," she continued, "so if it is cancer, hopefully we've caught it early, and early diagnosis almost always improves the chances of a cure. I'm going to send you across the hall for a mammogram before you leave today. Hopefully we'll have the results in a couple of days then we can plan our next step from there. I'll be rig
ht back." Patty left the room to schedule the X-ray.

  Cat's emotions bordered on a state of shock as she began to tremble. Billie helped her into a seated position and held her close. Neither spoke as scenarios of what this could mean flew across their conscious minds.

  Finally, Cat broke the silence. "Billie, I don't want to die." She broke down into violent sobs. "My babies. What will happen to my babies?" she cried.

  Billie gulped deeply and willed herself not to cry. She knew she had to be strong for Cat. "Cat, sweetheart, you are not going to die. Baby, I won't let you. We are destined to be together. I won't let you leave me." Billie tried desperately to calm her nearly hysterical wife. "Shhhh. It's going to be okay, love. This could be nothing. Please don't give up. I need you."

  Finally, after several moments, Cat became calmer and the crying subsided. Billie continued to hold her close...so close she could feel Cat's heart beating.

  Patty returned to lead them to the mammography lab. "Okay ladies, follow me."

  Upon their arrival, Patty introduced them to the radiology technician and explained the procedure to Cat. "Cat, I know you're a doctor but you might not be familiar with mammography, considering you're a little young to have your first mammogram, so I'll just explain the procedure to you. This here is the X-ray machine. You'll need to stand against it and place your breasts, one at a time on this surface. The technician will then compress your breast tissue from above with as much force as you can physically tolerate, and an X-ray will be taken. The compression will be released and then another film will be taken compressing the breast from the sides rather than from above. The procedure will then be repeated on the other breast. Any questions so far?" she asked. Receiving none, she continued. "Okay then. Oh, one more thing, the higher the compression you can tolerate, the better the film will be. We don't want to make you too uncomfortable, but the plain truth is, if you can tolerate the discomfort level for five or ten seconds, the results will be more conclusive."