Chapter 16

Bette looked at the man, shocked by his anger.

Gazza stood abruptly, “No, he is a baby. I’ve seen a very interesting future for him but it can go several ways. You can treat him like the special child he is, treat him like the abomination you say he is and suffer the consequences or you sign him over to Bette and me, and we will make sure he has every opportunity to become what he can be.”

“I will go get the magistrate,” Nat said abruptly and stormed out of the room. He was a tall, broad-shouldered and muscular man in his male gender. Gazza could see where the baby had gotten the good looks from as he watched Nat leave. In different circumstances, He and Bette would have found him very attractive.

Gazza hoped the boy didn’t inherit the intolerance his father and family had displayed. He could still hear Deedee through the closed bedroom door, berating her loss, blaming Nat and crying a lot. Nancy’s strident words and Kelly’s softer voice were not quite decipherable. However, Bette and Gazza got the idea that the other women weren’t any more pleased than Deedee was.

Quietly, Gazza picked up the boy and Bette went with him. They found a basin big enough and while Gazza gently washed the baby, Bette found something warmer to wrap him in and a cloth Gazza said could be used for a nappy. She was surprised when he performed some elaborate folds in the material, wrapped around the babies hips and then used a dab of magic to get it to say on the baby.

They couldn’t find any bottles in the kitchen or any babies-milk to feed him. They guessed that Deedee had intended to breastfeed. Bette did find a pacifier in a basket of baby clothes and toys and they decided that it would have to do for now.

They took the baby back to the lounge to await the magistrate. Bette looked at Gazza holding the baby; as he settled down to wait. She smiled and said, “So what do you think of Garry as a name for our son?” Bette chuckled at the grin that lit up Gazza’s face.

Garry was after all Gazza’s proper name but he hadn’t used it since he started kindergarten. Even his parents had called him Gaz or Gazza. “We need to get Garry some milk, any suggestions?” Gazza asked Bette.

She nodded, “Yes, I happen to know the formula that many women use for a reasonable substitute. Camla milk with the yoke of an egg will do him just fine. I noticed the other day in the markets that they have recently started selling a dried powdered version. They call it Tot-mix and it comes from Dog Island. We can also try it,” she suggested.

“We will get some of both and see what Garry likes,” Gazza replied. “We need to get some clothes for him, too. I’m not dressing him in those girly clothes they have here.”

Bette chuckled, “Looks like we got our kid after all.”

“Yes, the advantage is you didn’t have to go through the labour. I do feel sorry for Deedee,” Gazza replied even though he was still perturbed by her reaction to Garry being born as a boy.

“Well, like you said if two misfits like us can achieve what we have, then why shouldn’t this kid get the same opportunity? Their loss, our gain,” Bette retorted.

“Do you think if I told them he was magically gifted it would make a difference?” Gazza asked.

Bette shook her head. “No, I don’t think so. The prejudice is deep with some Shifters. My own mother was the same. I didn’t change form, so even after nurturing me for two years she still gave me up. She never visited me and I don’t even know if she is still alive. I’m sorry Gazza; I should have known how you would react. You have never seen me as being anything other than just me, have you?”

Gazza frowned, “I don’t understand, how else am I supposed to see you? You take my breath away every time I gaze at you. I’m not the only person to see that you are as beautiful on the inside as you are on the outside. If others can’t see it, then that is their loss. When I look at Garry, I see a soul that also has great beauty and compassion. I will be very proud to be his father.”

“How can you love such as he? He is deformed,” spat Nat. He had entered quietly while they were talking. He was accompanied by a mid-thirties looking man of the Genteli race.

“What if he is?” Gazza retorted. “Where I come from, being deformed in body or mind as you seem to think he is, doesn’t mean that he can’t be a good person who can have a good life and bring joy to those who love him. Your people mate with any of the other races, so if he has sons, then many other women will not care that he can’t shapeshift, especially if he takes on your looks, as I suspect he will. He will not be short of willing partners.”

Nat said with anger in his voice, “He needs to be marked so other Shifters know he has contaminated genes. My family have never born sons before; it will be hard for me to live this down. He puts a pall over my relationship with Deedee. Now she doesn’t wish to have another child with me.” Nat felt the unfairness of this happening to him deeply. He had sacrificed so much for this child. He was devastated.

Bette was a little shocked as she suddenly had the insight that Garry’s birth was the death-knell of his parents’ relationship. She could see that each would blame the other and both would be frightened to try again. She couldn’t see how to prevent this from happening or if she should. Nat, in particular, seemed more upset by his family’s reaction to him having sired a son than he and Deedee losing a child.

Bette was sure that Nat’s family would blame Deedee and that he would feel obliged to leave her. She felt sorry for Deedee. Even if she wanted to keep the baby, being alone without a mate made that very difficult. Garry would eventually suffer, no matter which way it went if he stayed with these people.

The magistrate coughed, “Nat, do you wish to rescind parental rights and custody of this child to...” he faltered.

“Gazza and Bette White,” Gazza answered promptly.

“Thank you, sir. Nat, do you... , “ he started.

This time, he was cut off by Nat snarling, “Yes.” Nat couldn’t seem to even look at the child, as if it hurt him terribly to do so.

Garry let out the most pitiful howl as if he had been struck a forceful blow. Nat recoiled and looked at the child in shock. The blood drained from his face. Nat shuddered as if he had hit the baby with his own hand. While part of his brain realised that it was not the child’s fault for being born to him, he still couldn’t keep the child. The humiliation and scorn from the families and their friends would be too great for him to bear as long as he lived here.

“I’ll get Deedee,” he said quietly and quickly headed into the bedroom. He was back a minute later. Kelly came out behind him cuddling a distraught Deedee and the three of them sat on the couch. Deedee had sat so that Kelly was between her and Nat. Nat didn’t look a happy man.

“Deedee,” started the magistrate. He was not pleased when she howled, “My baby is dead. I lost my child, it is gone.” She then buried her head in Kelly’s chest and sobbed pitifully. It didn’t help when Garry started bawling along with her.

Bette and Gazza stood. Gazza handed Garry to Bette and indicated for her to take the baby outside. “Sir, I think these people have demonstrated their care of the child. Is there anything they need to sign, so we can get out of here?”

The magistrate nodded. “Hum, we do need an independent witness.”

Kelly called out to Nancy and she joined them. The magistrate pointed to two lines on a document and Nat signed the document. He then handed it to Deedee and gave her the pen. She shakily signed it and as soon as Kelly handed it back to the magistrate, she cuddled back into Kelly and refused to look at any of them.

Nancy then looked at the document and she frowned, “This says they can never try to get custody back and that they rescind all rights as the biological parents of the child in question?”

The magistrate nodded, “That is correct, this is the standard form for this situation. I don’t have to use this form very often but often enough that I have copies already filled out but for the date and the signatures.”

Gazza shook his head in disgust, “Let’s just get this over with. My son, Garry, needs clothes and to be fed.” He ignored Nat, who had stiffened on the couch, as Gazza’s disgust for them was evident in his voice. The man had already given up his claim as far as Gazza was concerned.

The magistrate nodded and indicated to Nancy to follow him and Gazza outside. Gazza had him turn his back and signed the document. He then swapped Bette the pen for the baby. She signed and handed the pen to Nancy.

Once Nancy signed, she handed the paper and pen back to the magistrate. “Doctor, where do we send the bill?” she asked stiffly.

Gazza gave her a disbelieving look, “We will be registered as this child’s parents, so there is no bill. I did spell Deedee to help her recover quickly and should she ever wish to have another child she should be able to. We will tell Garry that he was adopted but at least we loved him enough to want him.”

Gazza ignored Nat who was standing in the doorway and listening to him. Despite the grief and pain on Nat’s face, he didn’t interrupt. “If Garry ever comes looking for his biological parents then that will be his decision. We will warn him that it may not be appreciated by them and explain to him the misguided notions of a belief that discriminate against a baby who has no choice in his parents.”

“If he can ever forgive them, then that too will be his decision to make. I can’t say that I will be so forgiving, for the hurt that their rejection will inflict on him when he gets older. I can only hope that we have taught him to be tolerant of other people’s beliefs and that he is secure in the fact that we will always love him.”

Gazza drew in a breath to calm himself, “I doubt we will see you again. Please remind your families that a mage’s word is their bond and that none of them have a claim on this child from this day forth. Goodbye, Nancy.”

Nancy was a little shocked by him being so upset at them for rejecting the child. It was obvious to her that since he wasn’t a Shifter, he just didn’t understand. Male children of Shifters didn’t carry the gene, so they were not Shifters and even worse, their children, even their female children, were not Shifters either. They were not of the race. They were even worse than mundanes who could at least pass on the gene even if they couldn’t shift.

Gazza picked up on her thoughts and grimaced. “Sir, we shall accompany you to your office to get a copy of the papers and register the birth. Then we must attend to our son.”

“Yes, of course, please follow me,” the magistrate replied and led them back to his office, which wasn’t very far away. He dutifully made two copies of the agreement and two copies of the birth certificate. One copy of the agreement would go to the couple and the original with one of the birth certificates would be filed. He gave Gazza his copies after he had paid for them, and Gazza and Bette thankfully left.

Garry was starting to get very grumpy, he was really hungry and he didn’t care who knew. The pacifier was just not nourishing enough. They hurried to the nearest store and informed an attendant they needed to feed the kid. The woman chuckled and led them to the correct shelves and they soon had a basket full of paraphernalia for looking after a newborn baby.

Bette and Gazza were a little appalled by all of the things the attendant said they just had to have. “Bette, we have a problem,” Gazza told her, as they waited for the assistant to tally up the bill.

“Which one are you referring to?” Bette asked him with exasperation. She was getting frazzled at Garry’s howls for food.

“The Auto, we can’t fit all of the flickers, Garry and us in it,” he told her as he took Garry from her and the baby quietened as Gazza rocked him.

Bette looked at the kid now quietly sucking his pacifier as he gazed up at Gazza. She shrugged, “So we get a bigger one or we just blink in future.”

“Or we could do both, we can get a bigger Auto and just blink it to outside the town we want to go to and then drive in like normal people,” Gazza replied. He smiled down at Garry, as he shifted him to the crook of his arm so he could get his bankbook with his now free hand.

Bette chuckled. She thanked the assistant and gathered up the four big bags of items they had to buy. “That works for me. Let’s blink back to Asha and get this boy sorted.”

“Yes, I think that is a solution. I may need to leave you for a couple of minutes and check on the flickers too,” Gazza replied, as he directed her to a quiet location.

“Once he is fed,” Bette agreed before they blinked.

Asha was surprised when they turned up with a baby.

She soon pointed out that there was sufficient baby equipment in storage and they could have easily replicated the bottles, clothing and nappies required. Gazza got to change the now-smelly kid, while Bette went to organise the food in the kitchen.

“Damn, we forgot all about the replicator. I wish you had a spare one I could put in our new house,” Gazza told her as he expertly folded the cloth nappy for Garry. He grimaced when he saw the blackish-green smelly mess in the nappy he removed.