Chapter 21

Greg was put through to Marina immediately. He quickly explained the situation to her and there was a moment of silence on the other end of the line.

"And what did you say the name was of this mediator?"

"Haskins."

"Don't worry. He has done this type of thing before; and he has been overturned every time. Come straight to the office and we will get the injunction request ready before he even gets his decision written out. This time I am going to bury that pious son-of-a-bitch so deep that he can't ever do this kind of thing again."

During the ride home, Mandy was silent. Only the tears trailing down her face gave any indication that she was awake. Greg tried to tell her what Marina had said, but she gave no sign that she even heard him.

As soon as they came in the house, she swept up Jenni into her arms and went into the little girl's bedroom with her. Traci waited for Greg to explain what had happened. She knew from Mandy's reaction that it wasn't good but when Greg told her just what went on, she dropped into a chair and broke into tears of her own. In many ways, Jenni was very much her own little girl as much as she was Mandy's.

Greg comforted Traci until she pulled herself together and then went in to check on Mandy. He found her curled up on the twin bed in Jenni's room, holding the sleeping girl in her arms.

He called out softly to Mandy, but she didn't answer. He walked over to the bed and touched his lover on the shoulder.

"Just go away and leave me alone. I just need to hold her a while."

Greg did as she asked, but he was worried. He didn't know what to do. And he really hated to be so helpless in a situation like this. Damnit! As the man of the house, he was supposed to be able to figure out the answers! And in this situation, he couldn't do anything.

He finally figured he could make himself useful by fixing them all something light to eat. He heated up some soup and made some sandwiches. Before he could get the soup done, the phone rang.

Marina was on the other end saying that they obtained an emergency injunction until a court could hear the case. That meant that Jenni stayed right where she belonged until a judge reviewed the case. She also said that she was confident that they would come out on top when it happened.

Greg ladled up a cup of the soup and headed to Jenni's room. He found the little girl asleep in her crib but Mandy was not to be seen. He finally found her in the room that had been turned into her studio. She was drawing furiously on a canvas, adding the lines to be filled with color. Next to her were a couple more that she had already sketched in. The images were disturbing to Greg, nothing at all like he had seen her draw before. The sadness showed clearly in the face of the woman portrayed. Another depicted a pregnant girl whose womb was being ripped out by a giant pair of hands. The hands were definitely male.

"Sweetheart, Marina was just on the phone and said she had an injunction. Plus she is sure that we will beat this thing."

She wouldn't turn from the canvas to face him. She just kept drawing in frantic strokes of her pencil. When he told her he had brought something to eat, she finally told him to just leave it on the table.

Knowing that he couldn't do anything more, he quietly backed away and out the door. Back in the kitchen, he served up two more bowls and then took them and the sandwiches into the living room where Traci still sat.

The two ate quietly, each lost in their own thoughts. Greg picked up a book and tried to study, but the words refused to make sense. All he could think of was what if he and Mandy (and Traci) lost the light of their lives.

It was quite late for them before they started to go to bed. Greg went to the studio to find Mandy asleep, passed out on the floor. He roused her enough to get her to go with him to their bedroom, where he stripped off her clothes and settled her under the covers. He passed Traci in the hall where she had changed Jenni and put her back to bed. With their arms around each other, they turned around and joined their lover.

Mandy missed the next few days of classes. Most of her professors understood and made allowances for her absence. Her art professor was as shocked as Greg had been at the intensity of the new paintings. He had to agree that there was a lot of passion in them and he urged her to paint more. He understood that for an artist, this was the best way for her to work out her anger and fear.

However, Greg was very concerned about Mandy's state of mind. She was coping now because she was holding on to the hope that the decision would be reversed. If it was upheld, he wasn't sure if she would be able to handle losing her daughter. For that matter, he wasn't sure how he would be able to handle it.

The decision arrived by registered mail. It contained all the reasons that Mr. Haskins had given for giving custody to Mandy's parents. Greg called Marina and found out that she had a copy and was already preparing the appeal. They had just set a hearing date in two months and the judge was a stickler for the law. Marina once again assured them that this was a good thing. In order to help offset the cost of the appeal, Marina also asked them if they would mind getting help from the ACLU, Americans United, and anyone else she could contact.

"Haskins and other mediators like him need to be taught a lesson. Getting national exposure to the problem would not only help put some weight behind your case but just might help other young women in the same situation."

Mandy didn't like the idea of being the center of attention like that. However, when Marina appealed to her sense of helping others, she agreed.

After they got off phone, Mandy told Traci what was going on. "Since we may be watched and picked apart by people on both sides on this, I want to let you know that if you don't think you can handle it, you can do whatever you need to and we'll understand."

Traci looked shocked for a moment. Her first reaction was to be hurt that Mandy didn't want her around. But when she thought of Mandy's nature to protect those she loves, Traci changed her reply.

"Mandy my love, I appreciate you thinking about me, but we are family. Families stick together through anything. Besides, we are not doing anything wrong. I would be a really sorry person if I thought of taking off and leaving you with all this alone."

The two women came together in a tearful hug filled with relief and love for each other. Greg came in with Jenni to find them still in each other's arms. Jenni squirmed in Greg's arms until he set her down. She toddled over to her mother with her arms out. "Me hug too?"

Mandy gave a relieved laugh and reached down to pick her daughter up and set her on the couch between her and Traci. Jenni first hugged her mother, and then gave her 'Aunt' Traci the same treatment. They held off talking about the trial, choosing to play with Jenni until it was dinner and then bedtime.

By the end of the week, the phone calls for interviews started. Once the national organizations offered their support, the reporter for the local paper who had covered the Founder's day celebration came to them for a statement. None of the three would talk about the specifics of the case; they let the reporter know that there was plenty of information in public record, including the previous cases and the decision of this one. When they could meet with their attorney, they would hold a press conference.

That Sunday afternoon, Mandy, Traci and Greg sat down with Marina and a lawyer from the ACLU to answer questions. The trio was surprised to see at least 20 reporters there, some from nationally known papers and a couple of news crews. Ben Sutters leaned over to whisper to Mandy that they were becoming national celebrities and that one of the crews was from the local news affiliate.

All three were very nervous about such a crowd. Marina and Ben said they would handle most of the questions about any legal issues so they didn't have to worry about there. However there might be personal questions that they could answer or not as they felt.

The conference started with Ben reading a statement that told about the history between Mandy and her parents, and that the appeal was not only about getting justice for Mandy but also to prevent Religious prejudice as in this case from overshadowing the law.

There were a few questions directed to the lawyers before the first one directed to Greg.

"Do you agree with having this child around, even though she is not yours?"

"Sir, I think of Jenni as my own child. I was there for her birth and I am the only father she knows. She calls me daddy. To me it isn't what her blood line is, it is who she loves and who loves her that counts."

One of the local reporters asked the next question aimed at Mandy. "How is your daughter taking all of this? Does she understand what is going on - that she might have to live with her grandparents?"

"Jenni doesn't really understand any of the details. She is just over one year old. She has never seen her grandfather. He had no desire to see either one of us until now. My mother has seen her once in the public park for about twenty minutes. I can't find any reason for this action to be going forward except that they want to still control me; to punish me for not believing as they do."

A man in the back of the room stood to be recognized. He was from one of the Conservative Christian papers. "If all three of you live in the same house and are having unmarried sex, and maybe even lesbian sex, why should your child be exposed to such blatant sin and depravity? Wouldn't she be better off in a good Christian home like the mediator's ruling states?"

The other reporters gave this man some strange looks, but Greg decided to take care of this right away. "First off sir, what goes on in our house is none of your or the court's business. My fiancée' was kicked out of this fine Christian home you are speaking of because she was raped and became pregnant. Traci here is our housemate and best friend. Our daughter is not 'exposed' to any sin. She sleeps in her own room and it isn't any different than any other family. It is just your depraved mind that dwells on the sex lives of others."

When Greg finished, he was given a round of applause. The other reporters felt that this man's attitude was out of line. They did not want to be associated with him or anyone that worked for the gossip rags like he did.

There were a few more questions, but they were respectful and stayed with the facts of the case. Ben called a halt, thanking them all for their time, and the trio was shuffled out a nearby exit.

They were all exhausted by the time they arrived home. Traci had been asked a few questions, but nowhere near the extent that Mandy and Greg had. She decided to make tacos for dinner. Heather and Adrian had taken care of Jenni during the conference and stayed for the meal. Greg browsed the channels on the television until he caught part of the press conference. Heather felt that they had handled themselves very well. The reporter put them in a favorable light, selling the story as a young mother trying to keep her child in spite of going to school and making something of herself.

Shortly after the news had run, the phone started ringing. Mandy picked it up the first time and dropped it with a look of horror on her face. Greg came over and picked up the receiver to hear the man on the other end still yelling his threats of hell for the 'harlot who dared to disobey her father and God'... As soon as he hung up the receiver, another call came through. Again it was more threats of hell but this time the caller wished to send her there as soon as possible. He was willing to help them all along.

Greg brought out an old answering machine that took cassette tapes and replaced the new one they were using. Then he turned down the ring tone and let the machine take the calls. He would check the caller I.D. on the remote handset and only answered the calls that they wanted.

When they went through the calls, there were more than just the threats of hell. Mandy was condemned for being a single mother, living off welfare, being selfish for not sharing Jenni, and on and on. One thing they all had in common was that they really didn't know just what the details were, and worse, they didn't care.

Going to college the next few days was rough as well. Mandy caught the worst of it, being accosted by some members of a radical religious group that was on campus. She was afraid to continue classes until Greg talked to several of his fellow martial arts team who agreed to be escorts for Mandy and Traci between classes.

The local talk radio shows did segments on the case. The community became divided on the issue and it wasn't only the religious versus the non-religious. People of all persuasions came down on both sides of the issue. Since the town was less than five hundred thousand in population, it still had a small town feel when it came to these types of issues.

It did get bad enough that Mandy became so depressed that she sought help from a therapist and her doctor. They were both convinced that her depression was from what was going on in her life and that as soon as things were back to normal, she would no longer be depressed.

"These events are outside of your control and there is nothing you can do to remedy them right now. I am confident that when this all blows over and you can go back to being just you with your family, you will go right back to where you were mentally. Although, you will probably be more aware of your daughter and how much you love her." These were the words of wisdom from her therapist, and her family echoed them.

The day of the hearing finally arrived. Since this was family court, cameras and video were banned. Mandy was at the defendant's table flanked by Marina on her left and Ben on her right. Directly behind her were Greg, Traci, Heather and Adrian. They were close enough to whisper words of encouragement.

On the other side were Richard Carson and his attorney. For some reason, his wife was not there with him. Greg started to ask what was going on, but was interrupted by the entrance of the judge.

Judge James S. Saunders was a large man who was known to run his courtroom with an iron hand. He would not put up with the antics that were common among some attorneys. In his late fifties, he had the weary look of one who had heard the worst that could come from humanity. He had transferred from criminal court because he felt he had done all he could there. Family court might not be as high profile, but as he often told his clerk, he could now save some families instead of tearing them apart.

The names of all involved were entered into the record and the proceedings began. Each lawyer pleaded their case and entered into evidence any papers, reports or briefs that they thought would help their side. Among those documents were the reports from Social Services, transcripts of the previous mediation, as well as amicus briefs from several interested parties.

Judge Saunders listened to both sides and went over all the documents. He almost threw Richard Carson out of the courtroom on three occasions. His interruptions were not welcome. Since it was close to eleven, he adjourned the court until Three PM at which time he said he would render his decision.

The entire family went to lunch with their two lawyers. While they ate, they discussed the case and speculated what the verdict would be. Ben was confident that by saying he would render a decision that quick, the judge had probably already made up his mind.

At Three o'clock, they all stood as the judge entered the courtroom. He told all to be seated and began his ruling.

"Having listened to the arguments and reading the related materials, especially the transcripts, I will now make a verbal ruling. A detailed, written decision will be forthcoming.

"The decision of the mediator in this case is hereby overturned. It is apparent that the mediator did not follow the recommendations of the expert parties in this case, much less the laws of this state. Instead, he decided to apply ancient religious laws. These have no place in our secular legal system. By doing so, he tried to remove a child from her loving mother and hand her over to grandparents who until now had absolutely no interest in the child and to allow the grandparents to move that child to another state where the mother could have no contact. Such a ruling goes against both the spirit as well as the letter of the law regarding such cases. Religion or the lack of the same cannot be used as a deciding factor in a custody case.

"It is hereby ordered that custody of the child in question remain with her mother, Amanda Carson. Visitation by the grandparents will be granted but only as supervised visitation. If such visitation is requested, it can be arranged through the local Department of Social Services... On a personal note, I want to express my sorrow to Ms. Carson. This entire proceeding as well as the publicity involved was unnecessary and only served to hurt you and your family. Rest assured that there will be an investigation into the work of the mediator in your case. If the facts warrant it, he will be removed from his office. We stand Adjourned."

As soon as his gavel hit the bench, the gallery erupted. Mandy got hugs from all of her family as well as many of her friends who had taken off from school to lend their moral support. Ben and Marina were congratulated on the victory and Richard Carson stomped out of the courtroom. He threatened to appeal, but his lawyer advised that there really was no way to win.

When the family left the courthouse, several reporters stopped them. Greg gave a short statement saying they were glad that the judge had seen what the mediator had done and that they all felt justice had prevailed.

Heather took them all out for a victory dinner that included Jenni. She didn't really understand all the fuss, but she enjoyed the mashed potatoes and green beans that she mixed together on her tray before getting them all over her face.

They left shortly after dessert telling Heather and Adrian that they were exhausted. The trio arrived home a short time later. Mandy took Jenni up to give her a bath and get her ready for bed. It wasn't long after she was asleep that the rest followed her into dreams.