Free The Rapture of Omega by Stacy Dittrich Page A

time you get dressed and over there he’ll be done. Just wait.”
    I embedded my face in his chest and began to cry again until I remembered Lori was still in the living room, watching all of the drama unfold.
    “Lori, I’m sorry…” I began, furiously wiping at my eyes.
    “CeeCee, don’t be sorry, I know how hard this is. You know I’ll do everything I can to see that Lola stays here.” She flung her purse strap over her shoulder. “Right now, I need to get going to work on this but I’ll see you at two, okay?”
    I nodded and Michael saw her to the door. After Lori had gone, I heard Lola upstairs beginning to wake up. I dashed up to her room and found her sitting up in hercrib, rubbing her eyes. When she saw me, she stretched her small, chubby arms out.
    “Good morning, baby…” I cooed as I picked her up.
    My heart sank at the thought of her waking up in yet another strange house, to another stranger’s arms. Once in a lifetime was more than enough.
    “Beckfist!” She was hungry.
    I carried her down to the kitchen and had just given her a bowl of cereal when the phone rang. It was Henry Wakefield. Trying to squelch the sound of panic in my voice, I filled him in.
    “CeeCee, don’t panic,” he said. “I’ll meet you at the courtroom at one thirty. I’ll call Lori Kinderman and have her send me a copy of the home inspections and evaluations.” He paused. “What do we know about this woman, this aunt?”
    “Absolutely nothing.”
    “Just the same, if you could see what you can drum up on her between now and this afternoon, it would help. I’ll need to prepare for the hearing and won’t have time for that on this short notice. Maybe with luck we’ll find out she’s a former prostitute or convicted armed robber, and the judge will throw it out right then and there. Thank God we got Lanahan.”
    I felt somewhat better after talking to Henry—but not much. I called my department’s record section and had a brief criminal history check run on Paula Terman. Quite frankly, since it wasn’t job related I could get into serious trouble, but I didn’t care, and I knew no one would ask.
    Paula Terman was clean as a whistle with the exception of a seat belt ticket three years earlier. I noticed when they gave me her address, it came with a lot number; she lived in a trailer park. If that was the worst thing I could come up with, the forecast didn’t look too promising.
    My last phone call was to Naomi. When I told her why I wasn’t coming to work today she offered her shoulder to cry on.
    “Do you want me to go to the hearing with you?”
    “No, Michael will be there with me.” I felt the tears coming again.
    “You sure? Are you going to be all right?”
    “Honestly, I don’t know.”
    Fending off my tears for now, I told Naomi I’d let her know what happened. Then I went upstairs to get ready for the hearing. I was nervous. Criminal law and family law are two entirely separate entities. Not long ago, before Michael and I were married, his ex-wife, Vanessa, tried to take him to court to permanently end his visitations with Sean. It was nothing more than a blackmail attempt on her part to stop Michael from marrying me. Luckily, her plan crumbled before any of us saw the inside of a courtroom.

Chapter Nine
    By the time Michael and I arrived at the courthouse, Henry Wakefield was already waiting. I found myself scanning the large group of people seated on the chairs and benches in the waiting area in hopes of finding Paula Terman. Henry nodded toward an older, hard-looking woman with bleach blonde hair that looked like straw, seated next to a round, bald man in a suit. It was her attorney and he was whispering to her; she was hanging on to his every word. Henry took us to an unoccupied corner.
    “I’ve looked over the home inspections and evaluations. From everything I’ve seen, I truly don’t think there will be a problem. I also believe that both of your standings in the community and in law