He looks up and smiles. “The judge will want to speak with her.”
I nod and make a mental note to talk to Bellamy. She knows more about this stuff than I do. “If he needs to, I’ll tell her.”
Peter Smith and I stand and shake hands. He tells me that he’ll be in touch in a few hours and not to worry. Easier said than done. He doesn’t have a job to get back to, thousands of people depending on him, a girlfriend he’s trying to convince to move, and a daughter to protect. Nope, nothing about my life right now is easy, but I’m hoping this lawyer can at least solve a few of my problems before I head home.
Thirty-Two
Bellamy
Hawk leans against the wall, dressed in a navy-blue suit with a red tie. Chase laughed this morning when he saw him, saying Hawk was dressed for game day because those were the Renegade colors. I hadn’t thought much about it when we went shopping, but it makes sense Hawk would gravitate toward the colors he’s familiar with. Matty stands next to him, dressed similar, although in a dress, with her hair curled and pinned back.
Today is odd. We woke up to the sun shining, birds chirping, and still no word from Annie or Brett. Neither of them has been heard from or seen around town. Brett, not since he coached on Saturday and Annie, not since she left my house on Sunday. Vanished, gone, and done so without a word to their daughter. I’m afraid something has happened to both or either of them. One of the worst things I’ve ever had to do was pump Matty for information about Brett’s family. She told me they live in Florida and she rarely sees them and has no other family in town. We finally went to the police station and filed a missing person’s report, which was an ordeal unto itself because they’re Matty’s legal guardians. Hawk had to prove he had a court date seeking custody before the police would let her come home with us.
Court is where we are today to determine if Hawk can gain custody of Matty, even if only temporarily until the police can find her parents. Today will also tell us if Hawk can take Matty to Boston with him or if she must stay in Richfield. If she stays, I’ve told Hawk that I’ll stay too. We don’t want her to feel more abandoned than she already is.
Peter Smith held true to his word, not that I expected anything less of him. He’s been a real champion for me when it’s come to forcing Greg to act like a parent. He promised Hawk a quick turnaround on his and Matty’s DNA test and within twenty-four hours, he had confirmation that he was a father. I wanted to give him a party, yell “Congratulations, it’s a girl!” but the timing and the situation isn’t right. It’s not often you see a man cry, but he did. He hugged Matty tightly and they cried together. I have to say, for being ten, she’s a strong young lady, especially when people are around. At night, she lays next to me and asks me questions about her mom — things I can’t answer — because I don’t get it. There isn’t a single person or reason that would force me to leave Chase behind. He’s my life, and I can already see a similar shift in Hawk — Matty is now his.
Matty mimics the way Hawk stands. They look at each other, smile and start talking. As slyly as I can, I snap a picture, something for me to look back on in the next couple of days when I’m missing him and worried about her. My motherly instinct has kicked in where she’s concerned. She’s going to need another female she can trust, and someone to count on. With Hawk’s schedule, she’s going to be alone or with strangers unless I move. It’s not that I don’t think Hawk can take care of her, I know he can. Because of him, I’ve seen a difference in Chase. My once shy, reserved son, is now out-going, happy and tells crude boy jokes at the table to embarrass me. The worst part is, I laugh, so I can’t really scold him, but I do give him a stern look. When Hawk first asked me to move with him, there wasn’t any pressure. Stay until the end of summer, once Chase finished baseball, and consider it. Now, I feel this weight on my shoulders even though he’s told me to make the best decision for myself. I’ve asked Chase, who wants to move, and then Greg . . . he agreed, saying he’s going to do what’s best for our son. I think that was a veiled threat, but who knows with him.
Hawk looks up and catches me taking pic
tures of him and Matty. He smiles, looks at Matty and points to the camera. They move closer to each other and he puts his arm around her. It’s uncanny how much they look alike, minus their hair color.
“Did you get a good one?” he asks as he pushes off the wall and comes toward me with Matty following. I hold my phone out and he swipes through, pressing the heart icon on the ones he likes. He leans down and kisses me. “Thank you,” he whispers against my lips.
“You’re welcome.” Although, I’m not sure exactly what he’s thanking me for. I took the pictures for myself, to give me something to look at later when they’re gone.
Hawk’s name is called, and we turn and find his parents and sisters scurrying down the hallway. “Are we late?” his mom asks.
“No, we’re still waiting for our names to be called.” He kisses his mom on the cheek and hugs his sisters and father. One of us is leaving the courtroom today as temporary guardian. I hope beyond hope, it’s Hawk. If not, his parents or myself. We’ll all step up to keep her out of foster care.
Owen is the next to arrive. He’s another character witness on behalf of Hawk, and probably the best one out of all us. We’re biased, Owen isn’t. He has nothing to gain or lose in this matter. When I suggested him, Hawk scoffed, saying Owen doesn’t know him. I countered with, “He does. He’s seen you coach for the past few months. He knows your character around children better than anyone else right now.” Peter agreed and put him down as a character witness.
Peter steps out of the courtroom and joins our growing crowd. “Are we ready?”
I look at everyone, trying to decipher the feelings of our group. It’s Matty that I pay the most attention to. She’s quiet, somber and her eyes are downcast. I go to her and clasp her hand in mine. She says nothing as she looks at me, and that’s okay. I have a good feeling I know what she’s thinking right now, “Where’s my mom?” Over this past week, I’ve waited for a sighting, a phone call from Annie, Brett or the police. Anyone, who could tell us something.
Peter tells us it’s time and we follow him into the courtroom. Hawk, Matty and I are last to enter. Matty and I take a seat in the front row while Hawk follows Pete through the swinging half door. The courthouse and subsequent courtrooms are old, dating back into the twenties or thirties. Truth be told, we don’t have a lot of crime here, mostly speeding tickets and the occasional rancher squabble. Richfield and its surrounding towns keep a laid-back lifestyle, and the only reason we come to the courthouse is to file documents, get a marriage license or file for divorce.
The judge enters the courtroom, we stand and then sit once we’re instructed to do so. Peter told us earlier the judge is Jan Mash. He assured us this is a good thing, saying she’s fair and a single mom. How he knew about her life outside the courtroom is a mystery, but if his knowledge works in Hawk’s favor, I’ll take it. Jan sits behind her massive desk and looks out over the galley. I’m curious as to what she sees. Does she see a man desperately trying to protect a little girl who he just found out was his daughter or does she see the state of Montana and a social worker trying to do what they think is right for a girl they know nothing about. The social worker came to my house, sat with Matty for a half-hour and left. How someone can determine a child’s fate after such little time is beyond me.
“It seems we have a temporary guardianship on the table. Mr. Smith, you’re up.”
Peter stands and gives a detailed summation of Hawk, Matty, their lives and the situation they’re in. He’s eloquent, poised and passionate. The whole time he’s speaking, Matty’s hand is clutching mine. She knows her fate lies within his words and the judge’s decision. When Peter finishes, Judge Mash instructs the state to present their case.
The lawyer for the state, Ms. Harold, stands and speaks. She focuses on how Hawk and Matty met only months ago, how his schedule isn’t conducive to raising a child, how she’d be shuttled from sitter to sitter, and kept out late on school nights due to his games. Each word she says is a hole in Hawk’s case. She’s painting him as an absentee father, when he hasn’t even had a chance to prove otherwise. When she sits down, she looks smug, almost as if she knows she’s succeeded in putting a child into foster care and that’s a good thing.
“I see that the young woman in question is in the courtroom?”
Peter stands and says, “Yes, your honor.”
“Please have her come forward.”
I let go of Matty’s hand and whisper for her to go sit by the judge. We talked about this last night and went over some of the questions that Peter thought the judge might ask. Matty stands tall, looks at her dad as she walks to the front of the courtroom and takes a seat.
“How are you today, Mattingly?” The judge asks.
“I’m good,” she says.