Authors: V.S. Tice
C
hapter
F
ifteen
A WEEK AND a half passed. I had only seen Dr. Bishop briefly, and my resignation was never brought up when we did speak. I started to wonder if he was purposely avoiding the conversation. I decided that if he wouldn’t speak on it, then I would need to talk to him.
I realized I couldn’t just leave Victoria during the custody case. That would be cruel. She would feel abandoned and I couldn’t be part of that, but I did need to know how long Dr. Bishop would take to hire a new nanny. Given the fact he hadn’t appeared very often, I was surprised when he interrupted an intense game of “Go Fish” between Victoria, me, William, and the twins.
“Miss Ashwood?” I turned around in the kitchen chair.
“Yes, Dr. Bishop?”
“Can I speak with you for a moment?” He walked out of the doorway and out of sight. I put my cards down on the table.
“No cheating,” I teased William and walked away. Rounding the doorframe, I ran into Dr. Bishop. I blinked a couple of times and jerked myself back.
“Sorry,” I mumbled. He cleared his throat.
“Victoria needs to be present tomorrow at the courthouse.” I nodded in understanding. “We will be leaving here around ten in the morning. She is going to be interviewed by a social worker.” I watched his eyes harden.
“A social worker?”
“I know,” he sighed out. “Grace is claiming Victoria needs a mother figure in her daily life, and since I travel frequently, she should be awarded full custody.”
My mouth opened slightly and I had to bite my tongue from screaming and cursing.
“Please be ready to leave the house by ten.” I nodded. “Okay,” he hesitated, “and don’t be surprised if they ask questions of you or regarding you.” He looked at me nervously.
“Regarding me?” I figured that they would want information regarding the nanny, but he made it sound like something else.
“Grace has been making inappropriate comments about…you living in the house with us.” My eyes widened. “I know, and I’m sorry.” He quickly tried to calm my growing anger. “She is simply using it as a tactic.”
The image of us tangled on my couch followed by the image of me pressed against Allison’s car flickered in my mind. I took a deep, cleansing breath through my nose before responding.
“Okay.” I forced a smile.
“Thank you,” he stated. There was something in his eyes that made me think he wanted to say something else. His fists clenched tightly at his sides, then he walked away.
The next morning, I had Victoria up, fed, and dressed by nine. I hurried through my routine to be ready by nine-thirty. That gave us thirty minutes to talk about what was going to happen. I didn’t want her to be unprepared.
“Victoria, today you are going to talk to a person who is going to ask you questions about your father, about your family, and even about me. I want you to answer her honestly, okay?”
“Why are they going to ask me questions?”
I sighed.
“Um…your mother…”
“You mean Grace,” she corrected.
“Okay,
Grace
wants you to come and live with her.”
“What?” she shrieked. “I don’t want to live with her!”
“I know, I know, now calm down.” I pulled her into my lap and held her, “That is why your father is trying to talk with these people and with your, um, with Grace – so you can keep living here with him.” I hoped I wasn’t royally screwing up this conversation.
“Why does she want me now?” Victoria laid her head on my shoulder, and I tightened my embrace.
“Because everyone loves you.” I kissed the top of her head. “Who wouldn’t want a smart, fabulous, and beautiful little girl to live with them? Hmm?”
“Do you want me to live with you?” she asked.
“I do live with you, silly,” I teased her.
“No, I mean, would you want me too?” She picked her head up and looked into my eyes.
Knowing I wasn’t going to be working here forever, especially under the current circumstances, it was killing me to answer.
“Of course I would.” I grabbed her into a large hug. “And don’t you ever forget that, okay?”
She nodded against my chest and wrapped her arms around me.
“I love you, Sophia.”
I felt a tear slip down my cheek. “I love you, too,” I whispered back to her.
“Are we ready to go?” Dr. Bishop’s voice snapped us out of our moment.
“Yes,” I answered quickly and wiped off my face.
He furrowed his brow. “Is everything okay?”
I nodded and walked hand in hand with Victoria to get our jackets.
When we entered the law office, Grace’s voice rang out true and clear.
“Victoria, baby!” she shouted and hurried to her. Victoria scooted behind me, and Grace stopped short. She glared. “You’ve turned her against me, haven’t you?”
“Grace, that will be enough.” Dr. Bishop moved to stand between us.
“Of course you would defend her,” she spat. “This is what I mean. It is inappropriate for you to have Victoria in your home when you are sleeping with her nanny!”
My fists clenched, and the urge to pummel her was strong. I scowled.
“Your allegations are ridiculous, and you know it,” he growled through clenched teeth. “Now leave them be.”
Victoria tugged on my hand so I leaned down to her.
“Hmm?”
“You and daddy sleep together?” Her brow wrinkled in misunderstanding.
My anger tripled in that moment.
That stupid selfish bitch didn’t even think about what she was saying in front of her daughter.
“Victoria, I’m always with you, right?” She nodded. “Do your daddy and I ever sleep together?”
She shook her head. “No, but why would she say that?” I shrugged.
“I think she is just mad and jealous that I get to have sleepovers with you. That’s all.”
“Oh.” By the crease of her brow, I could tell she was still confused but was thankfully letting it go.
I stood back up and came face to face with Dr. Bishop. He lightly smiled and motioned for us to sit on a nearby bench. We sat for fifteen minutes before a man in dark gray pants, a crisp white shirt, and a maroon tie walked out from behind a dark wooden door.
“Dr. Bishop,” he greeted him with a handshake.
“Your Honor,” Dr. Bishop returned the greeting.
The man, who I now realized was the judge, greeted Grace and both sets of attorneys.
“Mr. Stryker, Mr. Teaus,” he greeted Collin’s lawyers and then moved on to Grace and her counsel.
“Ms. Gold, Mr. Dygger.” The judge’s eyes landed on Victoria and me.
“This must be Victoria.” He squatted down in front of her and smiled. “It’s quite a pleasure to meet you, young lady.” He put his hand out with a grin.
Victoria looked up to me, and I nodded. She took his hand and shook it. “It’s nice to meet you, Mister Your Honor.”
He chuckled.
“You can call me Mark, okay?” He rubbed her shoulder. His attention then landed on me. “Miss Ashwood, I presume?” His smile was still warm and friendly.
“Yes, Your Honor.” I took his offered hand and shook lightly.
“It’s a pleasure to meet you.” He turned to the group. “Counselors and their clients, to my chambers, please.” They all walked, single file, into the room and closed the large door behind them.
I pulled out a book and started to read with Victoria. We sat in the hallway outside the Judge’s chambers for about an hour before the judge walked out, approaching us.
“Mrs. Foster will be here in about ten minutes to speak with you, okay?” He looked to Victoria for an answer.
She nodded.
“You just answer her honestly. You aren’t in any trouble. You know that, right?”
She nodded again.
“Well, you are a smart little thing, aren’t you?”
She smiled at his compliment as he walked back into his office. I could hear the voices from inside going back and forth.
“Miss Bishop?” I looked up from the book we had started reading again. A short brown-haired woman in a gray wool suit and black-rimmed glasses approached. “Victoria?”
“That’s me.” Victoria hopped off the bench.
“I’m Mrs. Foster. It is very nice to meet you.”
“You too.” Victoria shook her hand.
“We are going to go right in here and talk, okay?”
She nodded and then looked at me expectantly.
“Aren’t you coming too?” I watched as she suddenly got nervous.
I slid from the bench and knelt in front of her.
“No, honey, not right now, but it will be okay. Just go in there and talk with Mrs. Foster for a little bit. I will be right here waiting for you, okay?”
She looked at me suspiciously.
“Nanny Swear?”
I laughed lightly and smiled.
“Nanny Swear.” I crossed my heart and kissed my fingers before holding my palm up toward her.
“Okay,” she said reluctantly as she followed Mrs. Foster into the room across the hall.
I sat on the bench for about twenty minutes before I started pacing the floor. Half an hour later, I heard a door open. I immediately looked to the door Victoria had gone into, but it was the judge’s door instead. The judge crossed the hall and entered the room with Mrs. Foster and Victoria. He was in there for ten to fifteen minutes before he exited. When Victoria didn’t exit with him, disappointment settled in.
“Miss Ashwood?” My head snapped up. His face showed slight amusement.
“Yes, Your Honor?”
“Could you please join us for a moment?” He motioned for me to enter his chamber.
“Uh…I promised Victoria I would be out here when she was finished,” I blurted out and then blushed at my stupidity.
This was the judge for god’s sake!
He chuckled.
“I assure you, I will have you back before she knows it.”
“Thank you.” I followed his motion for me to enter the room and was met by five pairs of eyes. Insecurity immediately set in.
“Please have a seat, Miss Ashwood.”
I walked toward Dr. Bishop’s side of the table. He stood quickly and pulled a chair out for me to sit.
“Thank you,” I whispered and heard Grace snort in disgust.
My eyes shot to her and narrowed.
Oh, you will get yours, you skanky, good for nothing…
“Miss Ashwood, is it correct that you are currently the caregiver to Victoria Bishop?”
I nodded. “Yes sir.”
“And you are the only woman in the home, correct?”
“Mrs. Baker is there during the day, but I’m with Victoria the most, yes.”
The judge nodded.
“Dr. Bishop has stated you are the ‘mother figure’ for Victoria. Do you believe that to be true?”
I froze.
How the hell do I answer that?
“Um…I care for Victoria and tend to her needs, but I don’t presume to be her mother or that figure in her life. She has a loving family filled with women.”