The Question (35 page)

Since Davis represented the appellant, he presented his plea first. He was extremely eloquent in his delivery, using most of his allotted time to sway the Justice to his way of thinking. Then it was Greg’s turn.

Greg took each of Davis’s points and knocked them down, one by one. He presented hard evidence to substantiate his case. Then cited a well-established precedent that supported and upheld the lower court’s decision to recognize the Dissolution of Marriage decree obtained in Guam. Ten minutes into his plea, he was finished. Then it was time for the Justice to make his ruling.

“Mr. Davis. Mr. Richmont. I have reviewed the evidence set before me and listened to your pleas. Based upon the briefs, I’ve already denied Mrs. Jabbar custody of the children. She was never established as the legal mother, and therefore, by law, they cannot be considered children of the marriage. Mr. Jabbar was well within his rights not to petition for or establish custody of the minor children in the Dissolution of Marriage decree.”

The Justice gave Crystal a hard stare before continuing. “As to the plea of Emotional Instability on the part of the appellant, unless Mr. Davis has legal documentation proving that Mrs. Jabbar was declared incompetent by a court or court appointed doctor, she is deemed fully cognizant of her actions and legally responsible.”

“Now to the last and final plea, the question of abandonment.” Justice Mason leaned forward with an intent look on his face and planted his forearms on the bench, one hand on top of the other. “Florida law states that a spouse must be absent for a period of twelve months or more before a divorce can be legally obtained on the Grounds of Abandonment. Of this, I’m sure Mr. Jabbar was fully aware, having been advised by his legal counsel. It sickens this court when U.S. citizens seek to circumvent the law by going outside of the country to obtain what they want. Mr. Jabbar was not abandoned—despite all of the documents presented to the contrary as proof—as evidenced by the return of his spouse within the twelve-month timeframe. I rule for the appellant. This Dissolution of Marriage is nullified and any subsequent marriage is annulled. Mr. Jabbar, I highly suggest that the next time you file for divorce; you do it the legal way. Case closed.” He banged his gavel on the bench.

“All rise.” They stood as the Justice exited the courtroom.

Rashid sank back into his seat in stunned silence, while across the room; Crystal whooped and hollered, babbling excitedly to her lawyer, Davis. He’d never actually believed they’d lose, though he made preparations for it, just in case.

Davis crossed over to Greg, hand held out and a smug look on his face. Crystal brushed past her lawyer, headed directly for where he sat. “Rashid! Honey! Now we can be together and everything can go back to normal.”

He stopped her in her tracks with a look. “Give her the papers.”

Greg reached into his briefcase, pulled out a manila folder, and handed it to Davis. “Here’s a copy of the divorce papers we’ll be filing as soon as we get back to town. There’s a copy for you and one for your client. Oh, and Ms. Jabbar is not to set foot on the property where Mr. Jabbar resides.”

Davis sputtered, “You can’t do that. That property is the marital residence. You can’t deny the wife access.”

“We can and we will as long as Mr. Jabbar’s minor children are in residence.”

“But…I would never hurt the babies,” Crystal interjected. “I want to be their mother. Why do I have to stay away?”

Greg ignored her. “In addition, the property may have been the primary marital residence, but it was obtained before the marriage, thereby falling under the provisions of the prenuptial agreement of which I’m sure you have a copy, making it the property of my client alone. He is well within his rights to deny access. You have twenty days to respond to the petition or we’ll file No Fault. Have a good day.” He gathered his papers, placed them back into his briefcase, and turned to leave—a clear dismissal. Rashid was right behind him.

“Wait! Rashid, you can’t do this. Davis, tell him he can’t do this.” She rushed behind them. “I love you. We’re supposed to be together. I know you’re angry but give me a chance to fix what I did. I can make it up to you, just give me some time.” She laid her hand on his back.

He turned suddenly, knocking her hand to the side. “Get this through your head. I don’t love you. Nor do I want you. The sooner you’re out of my life, the better. Now excuse me. I need to get home to my wife and children.” He turned his back on her and walked off.

“But I’m your wife,” she wailed, running after him and clutching at his arm.

He snatched it away. “Not for long.” With one last contemptuous look, he walked through the door Greg was holding open.

“Twenty days, Davis. I’ll be waiting.” Greg followed Rashid out the courtroom.

Outside, Greg asked, “Are you going to call Gail?”

Rashid shot him a look that questioned his sanity. “I am not a fool.”

“She’s not going to handle this well at all.”

“You think?” He got in the car and slammed the door. The minute Greg’s door closed, he gunned the engine and shot out of the parking lot. “I fear her reaction.”

“Something about this whole thing’s not right. Davis was too cocky, too smug. He didn’t seem surprised by the verdict at all.”

“Never mind that. How long until I’m free of this marriage?” He wasn’t interested in Greg’s analysis. They’d lost. That was all that mattered, that and fixing this as soon as possible.

“Shouldn’t take too long. It’s a straightforward, no fault divorce. There’s no property to argue about, and no dependent children to slow things down. I’d say as short as six months, depending on how soon we can get on the docket.”

Rashid banged his hand on the dash. “Damn it, that’s not soon enough. Gail won’t wait that long. Is there nothing you can do to push this through faster?”

“I still have some contacts. I’ll see if I can pull some strings.”

“I can’t lose her.” He gripped the steering wheel until his knuckles turned white. “She means everything to me. I’m sure you understand.” He turned tortured eyes and allowed Greg to see his fear before turning back to the road.

“Yes, I do,” came the soft reply.

Chapter Seventeen

The heavy front door closed with a bang that resounded through the house. Gail jerked to a sitting position on the couch where she’d fallen asleep after fighting off yet another bout of morning sickness. The phone lay by her hand. That better be a burglar and not her husband. The same husband who promised to call as soon as the trial was over.

She rushed as fast as her unsettled digestive system would allow into the foyer. Damn, not a burglar. “Rashid, you were supposed to call. You promised. I’ve been waiting by the phone all day.”

Then she got a good look at their faces. At the grim expression on both men’s faces, her knees lost their strength. The blood left her head in a rush and black spots swam before her eyes. She dimly heard one of the men say, “Shit!”  Two pairs of hands reached for her, each seeking to catch her sagging body before her head could hit the marbled floor.

Rashid snarled, “I’ve got her.”

He lifted her into his arms, carried her back into the den where she’d been and laid her gently on the couch. He sat beside her on its edge. When she tried to sit up, he pushed her back down. “Lie there.”

“Rashid, I’m fine now. Just got a little light-headed. Crystal won, didn’t she?”  She looked back and forth between Rashid and Greg, who stood at the end of the couch, a concerned expression on his face.

“This is just a temporary setback. We’ve already served her with divorce papers and filed a copy at the courthouse once we got back in town.” Rashid brushed her hair off her forehead. His eyes drilled into hers, willing her to believe him.

Gail sat up and looked around the room. “I’ll have to move,” she said aloud, half to herself.

“You’re not going anywhere.” Rashid’s stern tone brought her attention back to him.

“Rashid, I can’t stay here. What if she refuses to sign? My living here looks bad. She can use it against you.”

“It doesn’t matter if she won’t sign. Florida is a No-fault state, so he can divorce her without her agreement. We filed on grounds of Irreconcilable Differences. Her refusal to sign the papers would just be considered proof of their differences.” Greg’s expression became puzzled. “I still can’t believe I lost to Davis. Based on the evidence alone, he should have lost. Something’s not right about this. I can feel it.”

“It doesn’t matter why we lost,” Rashid snapped impatiently. “Let’s just focus on doing what needs to be done so that we can get on with our lives.”

“I still need to move. What if she moves back in? I can’t live with her in this house.”  The very thought of it boggled her mind.

“That won’t happen. I made it very clear to her that she wasn’t welcome here. This is our home. You are my wife. I care not what the court says.”

“But this is the home she shared with you. Isn’t she legally entitled to stay here if that’s what she wants to do?” Gail directed her question to Greg.

“If this was Rashid’s house, she could make a legal issue of it. But it’s not. He signed it over to you.”

She fell back onto her elbows on the couch as shocked temporarily robbed her of her ability to speak. “What! When?” The eyes she raised to meet Rashid’s were dazed.

“After we married. I offered to buy you a house and you chose to remain here. So I put this one in your name. This way, if anything ever happened to me, I’ll know you and the children have a roof over your heads.”

The surprises were getting to be too much. She unconsciously pressed her hand in a protective gesture against her stomach as she rested unsteadily on one elbow. When she looked up, Greg’s attention focused on her belly. She snatched it away.

“Tell him.”

She shook her head. “Not now.”

“Tell me what?”

“You do it or I will. It’s after the hearing. Now tell him.”

“But we lost. We weren’t supposed to lose, remember?”

“What is it I need to know?” From his tone, Rashid was becoming irritated.

Greg’s tone offered no quarter. “We had an agreement. You said after the hearing. I kept my end, now you keep yours.”

“But…”

“She’s pregnant.” Greg’s words seemed to echo.

“How far?” Rashid demanded.

“See? I told you he would think it was yours,” she accused Greg.

“At least two months.” Greg spoke over her, his attention focused upon Rashid.

Rashid glared at her. “I know damn well it’s my child you’re carrying. What I want to know is why wasn’t I informed sooner? No wonder you’ve been so sick. What does Dr. Hagan have to say about your weight?”

“He doesn’t know. She’s using her old doctor.” Greg glared at her.

Rashid’s eyes narrowed and a small vein at the corner of his eye began to pulse. 

“Greg! Enough! I can tell him the rest.” She didn’t like the look in her husband’s eye and Greg was only adding fuel to the fire.

“I told you to tell him when you first found out. He deserves to be pissed.”

“How long has she known about this?”

Gail opened her mouth, but Greg beat her to the punch. “At least three weeks now. Maybe more.”

“And she told you, but not me? Her husband and the father of her unborn child?” Rashid’s voice was dangerously quiet. Gail subtly began scooting back on the couch, away from her furious spouse.

“I only know because I forced her to take a pregnancy test. She’s extremely stubborn. Argued me down that she wasn’t pregnant, even though all the signs were staring her in the face. She had to take four of the damn things before she would finally admit it.”

Gail pulled her legs back and tried to roll off the couch. “You two carry on. Obviously, I’m not needed here.”

Rashid’s hand clamped down on her thigh in an unbreakable grip. “You’re not going anywhere.”

“Well now, that’s my cue to leave. I have some things I want to check into. You two have fun.” Greg waved and left the room, leaving behind a tense silence.

“Get your doctor on the phone. I want to talk with him.”

Inwardly, Gail flinched at the icy command in his voice. Outwardly, she tried not to show that she was affected. “Dr. Jennings is a female and I’m sure she’s gone home by now.”

“Get her on the phone. NOW!”

Gail scrambled to comply. Rashid had never raised his voice at her. She called the practice, figuring she’d get the after-hours phone service. Instead, Dr. Jennings answered. Figures. If Gail had wanted to speak with the doctor, she would have been unavailable, but because it was Rashid, she was still in the office.

She handed Rashid the phone then listened in horror as he drilled the doctor on her medical credentials, her experience, and demanded a detailed summary of Gail’s condition. Her mouth dropped open when he high-handedly commanded that the doctor transfer Gail’s file to Dr. Hagan, their “family” doctor, and that he would be handling Gail’s prenatal care from now on.

“Rashid! I can’t believe you just did that.” She dropped her face into her hands. “I’ll never be able to face her again. I’ll be lucky if she agrees to keep me as a patient. She probably thinks my baby’s father is a dictator.” She sighed mournfully. Dr. Jennings had been her doctor for over ten years, and good doctors were so hard to find. Now she’d have to switch.