Chapter 31: Hello, Brother

Bernadette's lawyer wanted three things, and he put them in one motion.

He asked the court to stop anyone from burying the Roark baby's ashes until she had been heard.

He asked for grandparent visitation with Eli.

He asked that she be allowed to appear by video from the county jail.

The judge gave us an emergency hearing on Friday morning, and she gave it twelve minutes.

Shelby, Ty and I sat at one table.

Bernadette's face filled a screen on the wall.

She had no pearls and no hair spray, and her silver bob had gone flat.

She wore an orange jumpsuit, and she looked smaller in it.

"Your Honor," the gray coat said, "my client is the only grandmother this child has known."

"Your client forged his birth record," the judge said.

"She wishes to apologize."

"Does she?"

On the screen, Bernadette cleared her throat.

"I would like to see my grandson," she said. "Ten minutes. Supervised. I've done nothing to hurt him."

Nobody spoke.

Shelby got to her feet without asking permission.

"Ms. Roark," the judge said.

"Your Honor, I'd like to say one thing to her. May I?"

"Briefly."

Shelby turned to the screen.

"You sat across from me for five Christmases," she said. "You never once asked how I was feeling.

"You never once said his name without his father's last name behind it.

"You can have ten minutes with me, on camera, with a lawyer in the room, to say sorry to a woman who sang to the wrong baby.

"You will never have ten minutes with Eli."

Bernadette's mouth opened and closed.

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