CHAPTER
SIXTEEN
"Have you a daughter?…
One fair daughter and no more."
- William Shakespeare
Commander Erika Benteen once more stood before a magistrate, as
she hadn't since her sentencing to Dalarian Prime six years ago.
This time, so far as she was concerned, the stakes were far
greater than her freedom or career.
The judge's expression was stern, and his tone unyielding.
"While I understand your desire to regain joint custody of
your daughter, Commander…"
Oh, God, thought Erika. Here it
comes.
"…I have to primarily consider what's best for the child in
such cases. You're an active Starfleet officer whose current billet will take
you hundreds, or even thousands, of
light years away from Earth… while your ex-husband is stationed right here in
San Francisco, with little chance of reassignment.
"In addition, he's remarried. Two-parent households are
inherently more stable than shuttling back and forth between locales, different
methods of upbringing, and two sets of acquaintances rather than one group of
real friends. Children need continuity, as you well know.
"Lastly, you disappeared
with her over a year ago, and didn't
return for almost 11 months."
"That wasn't my
fault.
"Don't interrupt me, or I'll have you up on contempt charges." When
it was clear she'd taken the hint, he continued.
"As I was about to
say… while there were extenuating
circumstances behind that, and I readily accept the explanation of what
occurred as supplied by Starfleet Command, the fact remains that you had… appropriated…
your daughter for a brief jaunt up to see your starship. If you hadn't done
that, this would never have happened. You could
have been accused of kidnapping, Commander... and the charge would have had at
least some legitimacy."
Erika was trying to retain hold of her temper, but she was
incrementally losing the struggle.
Deliberately, carefully, she answered, "And if Jason hadn't
unjustly forbidden me to see her, I
wouldn't have felt it necessary to act in that fashion. I clearly identified
myself to Gabi's babysitter as her mother before I took her… and it wasn't my intent to abscond with her for
months, Your Honor. The trip, barring
that extraordinary set of events, would have taken less than two hours."
Typical of my luck, too,
that we'd be gone for a year Federation time, and I'd only actually have her for three weeks aboard
ship. The temporal dilation…
The judge replied just then; it became clear she was making no
headway.
"I agreed to this private interview, sans attorneys and your
disputants, because it was apparent to me after my talk with Gabi that your
daughter loves you very much, Commander; I now see that the feeling is mutual…
and I have no intention of preventing
you from being with her, as your ex-husband has petitioned me."
Her brief hopes of a reasonable arrangement, though, were dashed
immediately.
"On the other hand… it seems to me that visitation rights are
more than adequate to maintain your
newly close relationship. Jason Cleisters will retain primary custody. You may
have Gabi one weekend out of two, the schedule to be amicably arranged…" and he paused briefly for emphasis, "…well beforehand between you and
your former spouse; in addition, you may spend one month with her during the
summer season, when school is not in session.
"And this is all contingent upon your availability to see
her. You will not be permitted to 'save up' weekends during deep-space
assignments until you're on hand, nor may you take Gabi more than five
light-years from Earth during that month the two of you are together."
No doubt the judge had made rulings of this sort before. Five
light-years sounded like quite a ways, but only Alpha Centauri lay within those
bounds. There would be no opportunity to show Gabi anything of the galaxy with
such strictures in place—while, of course, Jason could take her anywhere he wanted, simply by carefully arranging
the visitation schedule.
Erika was still laboring desperately to keep from crying, or
lashing out. Months of attorneys wrangling, she and Jason fighting, and his infuriated
refusal to let her see Gabi while the dispute was settled had taken its toll.
And now, after all that, she was being thrown a sop—while that
uncaring bitch Jason had married was
going to see her daughter every day…
raise her with her mores and values… feed her, clothe her, shelter her…
…but love her not at
all.
No.
Damn it, no!
"And if I acquire an
Earth-based assignment—something I can demonstrate is long-term—would you
consider joint custody then?"
She had surprised him.
"I would reevaluate the entire situation, Commander, yes.
That, however, is no guarantee I'll
greatly alter or amend my ruling. There are many factors against you here… and,
though it sounds callous, the fact that you and your daughter love each other
only counts for so much."
Erika Benteen said, "I understand, Your Honor."
What she thought was, We'll see about
that.
Chapter Fifteen Chapter Seventeen