Sophomore Year || Parenthood Series, Book One || WATTYS 2018

Chapter Three

       

SOUNDTRACK: 'Wonderwall' by Oasis

Once again, Jared found himself back in the judge's chambers several days later. But this time a man had joined the female counselor on the opposite side of the table. He was about Jared's age and had greying hair at his temples. He wouldn't make eye contact and spent the entire waiting period staring down at his phone, just like the female lawyer. A stenographer was seated in the corner behind the judge's desk. Once again, everyone stood when the judge entered.

"Please be seated," he said as he sat down himself. There was a scraping of chairs on the floor as everyone scooted into the table. "Now, today we are reading the results of a paternity case. The sample was taken from Mr. Leto on Friday, August 28th, 2015 and tested over the weekend to determine paternity of the minor, Katherine Rachel Wexler."

Jared's heart actually skipped a beat when he heard the girl's name. Having a name made it more real. He watched as the judge opened an envelope and pulled out a sheet of paper. For some reason, Jared felt like there should have been some type of dramatic background music.

"In the case of Katherin Rachel Wexler, Jared Joseph Leto has a 99.7% probability of being the father," the judge read. "That's enough for me to end my involvement in this case and send it down to San Diego. Dismissed."

Jared looked down at the table in numb disbelief. He had no idea how this could have happened - well, he knew how it happened, but he didn't understand why the woman didn't tell him about the pregnancy and resulting child sooner. Sure, his lifestyle wasn't exactly child-friendly, but he would have at least helped out financially if nothing else. He was not someone who ran from responsibilities. Silently, he stood along with everyone else as the judge left. As soon as the door closed, he sank heavily back down into his chair.

Silence filled the room as both sides let the weight of the revelation set in. Jared couldn't bring himself to look up from the table because he was so engrossed in his own thoughts. His feelings were muddled up in his brain. On one hand, he realized he missed all of the bad parts - the midnight feedings, the tantrums, the play dates, and all of those other negative things. But he also realized he missed all of the good parts as well, like the cuddling, seeing her face on Christmas morning, helping her with her homework, all of that. The only problem was that he wasn't sure if he was happy or angry that he'd missed all of it. His life had been easy and simple a week ago; why did it ever have to change?

"Obviously this changes your situation a bit, Holly," Sam told the other lawyer. "We will wait for your next move, but please understand that my client is a busy man and he cannot just put his life on hold until you cone up with your next decision. We would like this to be resolved as quickly and quietly as possible," he explained.

Holly nodded. "We are aware of this," she said, opening her black attaché case. "I will be filing a petition for full custody on my client's behalf later today." She loaded her files into her case. "Expect to hear from us in two days."

Jared watched the pair walk out, his mind still reeling. "So now what?" he asked.

Sam sighed. "Now we wait," he answered. "They hold the cards now."

"So now they're going for custody?" Jared asked. "What does that mean? How can they go for full custody of a child I've never even met?"

"Best guess is that they're going to ask the judge to strip you of your rights to the child on the grounds that you have had no part in her life," Sam replied.

Jared watched him pull on his coat. "But I didn't even know I had a kid until today! How the hell was I supposed to be involved in the life of a kid I didn't even know I had?" he demanded, his anger rising. "They can't just take away rights I didn't even know I had!"