All The Little Moments (40 page)

The judge looked back to the State’s attorney. “And were the charges of neglect put forth by this woman before or after she petitioned
for guardianship?”

“After.”

The judge looked thoughtful, then turned his gaze back to Scott. “Did you wish to start with your
character references?”

“Yes,
your Honour.”

Speechless, Anna watched as people were paraded in to literally sing her praises. First was Ella’s school counsellor, who spoke of how Ella had, obviously, been incredibly quiet and withdrawn when she returned to school post the death of her parents. She let the court know that Anna had regularly checked in with her about Ella and asked questions about her concerns. Apparently comfortable with all eyes on her, she told the court that Ella had slowly been coming back to herself and had even started participating more with other children the
last week.

“It’s common for children to feel incredibly isolated from their peers in this scenario, something Ella has obviously experienced. This could be something that goes on for months or even years. Stability can help with that, as well
as patience.”

“And Ella seemed to be improving
a little?”

“Ella’s latest art work, when the teacher had them painting their families, has been showing her aunty, Doctor Foster, with Toby and Ella herself, sometimes with her parents on a cloud over
her house.”

“Anyone else?”

“A Nurse Lane had appeared and a Kym, who I understand are friends of Doctor Foster and have come to mean a lot
to Ella.”

“And do you see anything wrong with Ella forming attachments to
these people?”

“No, of course not. In fact, it’s incredibly positive. These are new attachments, new bonds, all showing Ella that people are still there for her, in a variety of roles, after such a profound loss. It’s healthy. What is especially healthy is that Ella has more than accepted these new people in her life—she’s
welcomed them.”

Scott leant against the desk, hands in his pockets. “Have you ever had any concerns about Ella’s living arrangement since her
parents’ passing?”

“Never.”

The State’s attorney had
no questions.

When Doctor McDermott, Anna’s boss, appeared, Anna was grateful she’d put her foot down in the interview and been so strict with the hours she
could offer.

“Her work statistics are far lower than others in the hospital; however, I hired her knowing this
would happen.”

“How so?”

“She walked into the interview and informed me that if she couldn’t have evenings free for at least the first year, as well as weekends, she couldn’t take
the job.”

“She sacrificed her career to be home with her
brother’s children?”

“Every day. Like most of the parents I employ do.” He paused. “More
so, actually.”

When the state’s attorney asked him questions, he was as blunt as Anna
had expected.

“Does Doctor Foster regularly
work late?”

“No.”

“Not
at all?”

“She has, I think, on one or two occasions. As I said already, when Doctor Foster interviewed for the position, she explained her situation with the children clearly and specified that long hours and regular late nights and weekend work would be off the table for her for quite
a while.”

“Only for a
while though?”

“We work most parents’ rosters to manage their children. It’s part of the job, but Anna has been more stubborn than most in maintaining hours that let her be home with the kids, as is completely understandable in the circumstances. And I believe the one time she had to stay late, her mother took the children. Like most parents who work at the hospital, or work at all, she has a
backup system.”

The State’s attorney didn’t have any
further questions.

Scott called in Tanya, and the coordinator of the day care bounced in, as peppy
as ever.

“We miss Toby at the day care. He’s got a little network of friends. All the kids are there full time, five to six days a week. We have them all in a routine. They get to socialise, and the biggest bonus is that the parents, or guardians,” Tanya beamed at Anna, who couldn’t help but smile back; the woman was like a gerbil on Ecstasy, “are right there in the building, so they can visit during the day, something a lot of parents without provided day care miss
out on.”

“And Doctor Foster was
there regularly?”

Tanya laughed. “At first she was popping in constantly. We finally managed to reassure her that Toby was settling in fine, and she was visiting more like two or three times a day,
shifts permitting.”

“How did Toby react to
her visits?”

“With absolute delight. He
adores her.”

Anna felt a tug in
her chest.

“And he was adjusting fine? Considering that, before this, he had been at home with
his mother?”

Tanya nodded. “Oh, he took some adjusting, though I think a lot of that wasn’t just because he wasn’t at home, but because of his loss. He was quite clingy with Doctor Foster at first, but this was slowly settling.” She paused for a second, then quickly added, “Lots of these kids come into day care, after being at home with their parents for up to two years. Parents coming back from maternity leave and so forth. They all settle in, make friends, and get to see their parents. Day care isn’t a
negative experience.”

Scott thanked her, and the State’s attorney, again, had
no questions.

The bailiff called Kym, and Anna’s stomach flipped. The clack of heels on the wood floor sounded out, and then Kym was seated. Scott, obviously deciding to beat the State’s attorney to it, asked about the nature of
their relationship.

Without batting an eye, Kym threw her answer back at him. “She’s my
best friend.”

Anna smiled when Kym caught
her eye.

“Can
you elaborate?”

“Anna and I met at work and bonded over mutual loss. I lost my husband about nine months ago now, and she had just lost her brother and sister-in-law, plus was going through massive life changes with taking on the kids. We supported
each other.”

“How regularly were you and Doctor Foster seeing each other, outside
of work?”

“Two or three times
a week.”

“And you’d
go out?”

Kym shook her head. “No. Mostly, we would be at Anna’s house, with
the kids.”

“So Doctor Foster wasn’t floating off to have a social life to the detriment of
the kids?”

“God, no. It’s getting her to take a break that’s
the problem.”

Anna resisted the urge to roll
her eyes.

“Do you get along with Ella
and Toby?”

“A lot. I really miss
them, actually.”

“And I’m sorry. I just have to ask blatantly, to save the State’s attorney the question. Have you ever been romantically involved with
Doctor Foster?”

If the situation wasn’t so serious Anna was sure Kym would have laughed. “No,
I’ve not.”

“Nothing further. Thank you,
Doctor Drew.”

The State’s attorney stood. “I have on record that you’ve been seen leaving the property in the early hours of the morning. Has there really never been any romantic link? I’m sorry, Doctor Drew, but this is part of the complaints and we need to
ask. Uh…again.”

Kym looked pissed. “Who’s spying on the house at six a.m.?
That’s creepy.”

The judge cleared his throat and looked
at her.

Kym quickly went back to the question. “No, there has never been anything more than friendship between Doctor Foster and me. Sometimes I stay the night on the couch, either because it’s one of the rare times I’ve babysat or because I don’t like to be in my dead husband’s home. Anna is nice enough to let me
do that.”

Obviously not wanting to go down the deceased husband route, the attorney pried further elsewhere. “So you babysit as well? Does Doctor Foster regularly leave the children in
your care?”

“Why? Do you believe that someone with a double medical degree majoring in psychiatry isn’t someone a responsible adult would leave two children with for a
few hours?”

The judge actually smothered a laugh with a fake cough. “Just answer the question,
please, Doctor.”

“Twice I have babysat the kids, for about four or five hours each time. Anna always has Toby settled and in bed, and I hang out with Ella, who is six. Between us, we manage not to get into a lot of trouble besides eating too much
ice cream.”

Love for Kym filled Anna’s chest, and she was fairly certain Judge Gordon was covering a
smirk again.

“Only twice?”

“Only twice, in the last couple
of months.”

“For work?”

Kym sighed. “No, Anna went on
two dates.”

“With
Lane Bishop?”

“Yes.”

“What is the nature of
this relationship?”

Scott stood up. “Your Honour, that’s not for this woman to proclaim. Miss Bishop is next to be called, and Doctor Drew is here as a character reference only and to clear up her own links to
Doctor Foster.”

Standing straighter, the State’s attorney interrupted, “Your Honour, Doctor Foster’s ‘sexual promiscuity’ has been raised in the complaints put forth to child protective services. If we can clear some of the questions up now, I figure
why not?”

Despite herself, Anna couldn’t shake the vibe that the guy was actually on her side. She glanced at the table and saw Lorna nodding, but
George scowling.

Kym looked from one lawyer to another, then to
the judge.

The judge spoke to the State’s
attorney. “Continue.”

Smothering a sigh, Scott sat
back down.

“Right. Again, what is the nature of
their relationship?”

“As far as I am aware,
they’re dating.”

“How long has that been
going on?”

Scott stood up again. “These are still questions for Miss Bishop and
Doctor Foster.”

“Stick to questions from an outsider
view, please.”

The attorney took it in his stride. “Have you seen Doctor Foster dating
various people?”

Kym shook her head. “No, just Lane.” She paused. “Um,
Miss
Bishop.”

“And does she regularly see her…that you
are aware?”

“They see each other when they can, but Anna has always, to Lane, to me, and to work, made it very clear that the kids
come first.”

“Can you give me an example
of this?”

“I had to talk her into it being okay to date Lane at all. I had to talk her into letting me babysit for them so she could have a break and go out with Lane. I had to remind her that she is still allowed a life, to date, even if she has kids under
her care.”

“She
was reluctant?”

“Very. She didn’t ever want the kids to question their place in her life. And that’s a direct quote, by the way. When the kids got taken…” Kym hesitated and looked at Anna, who nodded. “When the kids got taken, Anna broke it off with Lane because she thought it might help. Considering the allegations, I think she thought her relationship was playing a role in having the
kids removed.”

“But they’re
together again?”

Kym grinned. “I talked sense
into her.”

“Thank you.”

Dismissed, Kym stood up. Anna caught her eye as she walked out and Kym shot her a
thumbs up.

And then Lane walked in, looking more anxious than Kym had. She took the oath, then looked at Anna. They shared a nervous look, though Anna tried to
look encouraging.

Scott started the questions after the initial introduction and run down. “Can you tell us, in your own words, the nature of your relationship with
Doctor Foster?”

“We’re together. We’re dating.
Uh...we’re girlfriends.”

Sympathy flared in Anna. Lane looked extremely nervous
and fidgety.

Scott smiled at Lane. “How long have you
been dating?”

“We’ve been seeing each other about two months. It’s been, uh,
very slow.”

“Why’s that?”

“When we met, Anna had only just taken on the kids. She didn’t want to rush into anything; the kids were
her priority.”

“How exactly did she
put it?”

A genuine smile played at Lane’s lips. “‘The kids are
my priority.’”

“And you were okay
with this?”

Lane nodded. “There was no reason to rush it, and I could understand where she was coming from. I slowly met the kids and then would have dinner sometimes, hang out
with them.”

“You get along
with them?”

“Ella and I got along instantly. Toby, though, he warmed up a bit slower. He likes to get a grip on people. Now he’s on me like
a rash.”

“Do they know the nature of
your relationship?”

“Um…we hadn’t gotten to talking to them about it. That was actually what we had just talked about doing right before this. I never stayed over, because we didn’t want to confuse Ella. And Anna repeatedly said she didn’t want the kids to think they weren’t her number
one priority.”