Page 39 of Daddy's Unexpected Gift

It was my turn to huff. “Because I doubt this is a temporary situation. I would like to get my own lawyers lined up to establish full custody when the time comes. Even if Georgie remains my ward, she’ll need passports, a Social Security number, and identification. I need a birth certificate to get that taken care of.”

“I’ll add your concerns to my notes. I see other progress has been made regarding furnishings.” She tried to change the subject. “At least you seem to be efficient at bathing the child.”

With Cecelia, Georgie and I had been people with needs and she was there to help. Even if she had to scold me about it first. With this woman, we were nothing but boxes to be checked off a list.

“Do you have any information regarding the status of her father?” I asked.

“What do you mean?”

I meant did they have a clue what they were doing? Were they close, or was there really no way of knowing who the man was? George dropped the bottle, and I realized she was sound asleep. I shifted to hold her so she would be more comfortable. It had taken weeks, but holding her was natural. I didn’t have to think about it. I realized I didn’t want some nameless man who'd contributed some random genetic material to take her away from me.

I needed my appointment with Peggy Stanholt to wrap up soon. I had things to do, the first being contacting my lawyers about establishing a more permanent custody arrangement, and second being contacting the PI I had looking for Georgie's father.

20

CECELIA

I smoothed down the front of my clothes and confirmed I didn’t have any crumbs or anything on my shirt. Making a quick mental inventory, I confirmed I had the new client’s file with me, a pad of paper, several pens, and a file folder full of resource pamphlets of services I would be recommending.

I stood on the front stoop, inhaled through my nose, and let the breath out on a long, slow exhale before I rang the doorbell.

The door opened immediately. I felt a tickle in my gut and brain. They had probably been waiting for me and watched as I mentally prepared myself. Next time, I needed to remember to do all of that breathing and inventory check in the car, not at the front door.

“Are you the woman from the agency?” a middle-aged man asked.

“Is that Miss Harrison?” another voice called from somewhere inside the home.

“Uh, yes to both,” I said with a nervous smile. Showing up at random people’s homes before I even knew who anybody was made me nervous. When I had arrived at Sterling’s apartment, my nerves had made me cranky and a little bit rude. I didn’t want to do that again.

I wasn’t here to boss this family around. They needed help.

“Come on in.” The man took a step back and welcomed me into their home.

It was a small, cozy home. These were people who worked for a living. They were not heirs to a rich family or CEOs of corporations.

“Thank you so much for coming.” A weary looking woman came up to me and took my hand, shaking it. It felt more like she was clutching me for support than welcoming me into their home. “I’m Lucille, and this is my husband, Oscar.”

I nodded and smiled. I hesitated because it didn’t seem right to say ‘pleasure’ when it came to meeting them. After all, the circumstances were tragic. “Nice to meet you. You can call me Cecelia. How is your son Hector today?” I wanted to meet him. But if he was having a tiring or difficult day, meeting me could be too much.

“He’s asleep right now. If he wakes, would you like to meet him?” Lucille asked.

“I would. But only if he is up to meeting me. I understand he hasn’t been home for more than a week. It’s all an adjustment, and I wouldn’t want to stress him out.”

Oscar let out a shaky breath. “Thank you. Ever since he’s been home, it feels like everyone wants to come pay him a visit. At the Children’s Hospital, he was limited to only family, and only who we said. But we don’t have that buffer here anymore. Saying no to visitors who just pop in is exhausting. He only has a couple of good hours a day in him right now.”

I nodded. The poor kid. He had been hit by a delivery truck. His neck and back were broken, along with one leg and arm. He suffered many other injuries, but the hardest, the one that he would never recover from, was the damage to his spine that left him partially paralyzed from the neck down and fully paralyzed in his legs.

“I don’t want to add to his burden in any way. As a matter of fact, I’m here to make sure you are getting your support needs met.”

“The company sent over a rep, and they helped us get the medical equipment. They’re paying for everything,” Lucille said.

“They don’t want us to sue them for millions,” Oscar added.

My brows went up, and I looked from one to the other. I shouldn’t ask, but my curiosity was piqued. The notes in their case file indicated there was a suit filed by the insurance company, but I didn’t see anything about a personal lawsuit.

“We’re in mediation,” Lucille said. “Money won’t give my little boy his legs back, but they were responsible. They need to take care of him.”

I nodded as if I understood. I would take note of it for the case file. I had no idea which party had contacted my agency, so I needed to be objectionable.

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