From Grief We grew (Only On Wattpad)

Chapter 65 Teagan

The tension in the air almost makes me squirm. People are buzzing around everywhere. I can see Hayden and Bea talking to a Korean man dressed in a suit. I feel someone's presence, I turn to my side and see Lucah. “Any luck on Pierre?” I look around and then shake my head. “I hope they found him,” he whispers. “Me too.”
 
   The Judge walks in and we all stand up before sitting down. He goes through his notes and then Bea is called to the stand. “Ms Dawson, you are here claiming legal rights to your child that you have given away for adoption, am I right?”
 
   “Yes, your honour.”
 
   “Why was Avery given for adoption?”
 
   “I was visually impaired when I got pregnant. I was taken advantage of by a man I loved. The father of the child left without any traces and I didn’t know what to do. I was scared and terrified to be a mother. My father and stepmom couldn’t bear children so my dad decided to adopt Avery. The only reason I signed those papers is because of him. He was a good father but my stepmother, I can’t trust Avery with her,” Bea explains.
 
   Her Lawyer walks up to the Judge with a file. “Here is the birth certificate of Bea Dawson born with a disfigured Corneal that made her vision blurry. Bea could only see shadows and lights. Her vision was only restored a month after delivery as you can see. Due to being quite young and visually impaired, Russell Dawson feared that my client might be unfit as a mother. He didn’t want his daughter facing the burden of motherhood at a young age, so he adopted her child with his wife Ms Smith.”

   "How old was she when it happened?" the Judge asks.

   "Barely turned 18 when she got pregnant. Bea turned 18 on 28th Feb 2016. June she learned about her pregnancy. 2nd Jan 2017 she delivered her babe," the lawyer explains.
 
   The Judge takes notes and then asks, “Where have you been living and how did you find out that Ms. Smith isn’t being a responsible parent?”
 
   “Your honour, My client has been living with her stepmom until she took the child and left one day without a notice.” The lawyer provides pictures and says, “Ms Smith has been both physically and mentally abusive towards Bea. The two phones marked with green tape happened on the day Ms Smith took the babe. When My client returned home finding out a secret that her stepmom has been keeping, they both fought. Ms Smith slapped my client and gripped her wrist. My client's partner and his friend found my client unconscious afterwards. When tests were taken, My client showed signs of inhaling chloroform. According to my client, she heard a male voice before fainting.” Bea's Lawyer hands over a paper.
 
    “The image marked with pink tape is a burnt mark on Ms Dawson's hand. During an argument, Ms Smith threatened to hurt the babe with a hot spoon. My client got hurt while trying to take the spoon away. The photo with the yellow tape is more recent, Ms Smith threatened to hurt My client's partner if she didn’t withdraw the case. This was the same night, her partner, Mr Jean had wounded Ms. Jonas, my client's friend who has been trying to help her with the case.”
 
   The Judge then asks Bea to explain everything that happens in each of the mentioned incidents and Bea does. After that Bea is sent away and Mira is called. While she walks back to her seat, she looks at me and I give her a thumbs up. I’m too focused on looking at Bea that I don’t realise when Mira starts talking.
 
   “… My everything. I couldn’t conceive and when my husband told me that we will be adopting, I was so happy. I never once saw Bea and Avery as adopted or stepchildren. They are my babies. My flesh.” Tears roll down her eyes making me cringe. “We took the child because my stepdaughter wasn’t ready to be a mother. She still is. I’m the one that looks after the child and sees to its medical needs. Even Bea's.” A lady with blonde hair steps forward and provides a document. “I love both Bea and Avery equally. I don’t know why she is doing this,” Mira sobs. “I never once hurt her. She has been unstable and fights with me a lot. She even threw things at me a couple of times.”  The blonde gives the judge something. What the f*ck.
 
   “I don’t know what to say. It hurts me to see after everything I have done, she is trying to take away the one thing I love.”
 
   Then the blonde speaks as she gestures to someone who is seated on the side, “Your honour, Ms Dawson says that my client is an unfit parent. She didn’t tell you that neither is she. Here is a recording of a conversation with her Partner's mother.” Oh no. Oh no. I look around trying to find Katharine but she isn’t around. Lucah and I exchange worried looks.
 
   “Bea told me that it is her niece and the baby's name is Ava. You aren’t her aunt?” A recording of Katherine's plays.
 
   “Aunt? I’m not her aunt. I’m her Mother,” A recorded Mira replies.
 
   Silence.
 
   “Your Honour, As you can see Ms Dawson has no intention of owning the child. She even denied living with my client. It is evident that Ms Dawson has something against her,” the blonde defends. I clench my fist in frustration. I look over to see how Bea is doing. Sadly Hayden isn't with her for comfort since he went to get some evidence. But to my surprise, Noah who is seated beside her, rubs her back.