Page 84 of Baby Blue
He was surprised when the judge interrupted the questioning. “You write songs?”
“Yes, sir. I write songs. Been doing that all my life. One of my teachers in grade school taught me to write down my feelings to help me deal with them, and I’ve been doing it ever since. When I started playing guitar, I started putting them to music. Now I work for Tidal Wave Records and I’m under contract to write for HankChamberlain.”
JudgeHargrove’s eyes went wide. “TheHankChamberlain? You’re kidding!”
“No, sir. I’ve written several songs for him, and I’m working on some for a new album now.”
“Anything I’d recognize?” the judge asked.
Blue nodded and smiled. “Yeah. The one I sang to Indigo from the first day she came to me. I sang it to her every night. Still do.”
There was a collective gasp in the courtroom, and Judge Hargrove asked, “‘Indigo’s Lullaby’? That’s yours?”
“Yeah! You’ve heard it? I wrote that. Went to number three on the country charts the first week it was out! It hit number one the second week. I got a little bonus out of that. But I wouldn’t let them change the name, though. It’s her song, and it’s going to stay that way.”
When he glanced at Glen, the attorney had a smile a mile wide plastered across his face. “No more questions, YourHonor,” his attorney said and took a seat.
“Do you have any questions for Mr.Wallace?” the judge asked Mr.Casey.
“Yes. I do.” He approached the witness box and Blue wondered what he was about to ask. “So if the paternity test had shown the baby wasn’t yours, what would you have done, Mr.Wallace? Just walked away? Would you have been able to turn her loose?”
Blue shook his head. “Wouldn’t have made one bit of difference. That little girl is mine. Even if I hadn’t been her biological father, I’m still her daddy. She doesn’t know about genetics or blood tests or any of that stuff. All she knows is that I love her.” Blue summoned every ounce of strength he had left when he said, “And Idolove her. With all my heart.”
Mr. Casey looked a little disappointed when he said, “That’s all I have, YourHonor.”
“Very well. Since there are no more witnesses?”
The courtroom doors burst open and a woman yelled out, “Am I too late?”
JudgeHargrove’s head popped up and he scowled. “Ma’am, this is a closed proceeding. I think you’re?”
“Oh, I’m in the right place all right. I want to testify in this case, sir,” she told the judge.
A bailiff who’d been standing outside the courtroom doors stepped in, but the judge waved him off. “And who are you?”
“I’m DeloresBingham, Cindy’s mother.” Blue felt everything in his body turn to mush. With a grandmother who was willing to help, he’d be fucked for sure.
“Counsel, approach the bench,” the judge called out, and both attorneys joined him. Blue couldn’t hear what they were saying, but Glen looked none too happy, and Mr.Casey looked like a cat with an open can of tuna.
“What’s going on?” Blue whispered when Glen sat down.
“The judge is going to allow her to testify. I don’t like it, but it’s his decision. I hope to god she doesn’t ruin this for us.” Glen twiddled his pen and Blue started to shake. It had gone so well and, just like so many things in his life, it had tanked at the last minute. Why? What had he ever done that was so terrible that he couldn’t catch a single break?
“Which of you gentlemen would like to question our witness first?” JudgeHargrove asked. When Glen swept a hand toward Mr.Casey, the attorney stood and stepped to the witness box where Ms.Bingham had already been sworn in and seated. “So, Ms.Bingham, you’re CindyHammond’s mother, correct?”
“Yes, sir. I am.”
“And how often do you see your daughter?”
“Hell, I haven’t seen her in about five years. She doesn’t even call me on Mother’sDay. I’m here because I didn’t even know I had a granddaughter until yesterday. She never bothered to tell me. She could’ve left the baby with me, but she took it and left it on a doorstep. On a doorstep! I swear, Cindy, I raised you better than that!”
Blue heard a noise and turned to find Glen choking down laughter. That made Blue break into a wide grin. Holy shit, thewoman was going to settle the thing for them and all they had to do was let her!
It looked like Mr.Casey was about to have a stroke, his face red and his eyes bulging. “Um, Ms.Bingham, would you like to see your daughter gain custody of your granddaughter?”
“Hell no! She doesn’t have the sense God gave a goose! I saw that baby out in the hallway when the sitter lady was taking her to the restroom to change her diaper and the kid’s healthy and happy. I’m sorry, but my daughter is an idiot.”
Mr.Casey was so rattled he could barely speak and Blue was having the time of his life.Awesome. This is so awesome. You can’t make this shit up, Blue thought as he listened. “So if you don’t think your daughter has any business with the baby, why are you here?”
