The Youngest Mathers

Chapter 13

Becca walked down the stairs at Marshall's house. Nathan was in the living room. He had come by so they could figure out how to handle court as a family. Becca was completely terrified that she would lose her babies, no matter how confident everyone else was.

"Hey baby sis," Nate said looking up.
"Hey," she kissed his cheek.
"You doing ok?"

She shook her head. Unshed tears shown in her eyes. He pulled her into a hug. She felt the first tears fall.

"Becs, we got this. No one is taking those babies from you. These people aren't getting their hands on my niece or my nephew," he said.
"Nate, it's just all too much," she sniffed.
"What do you mean?"
"They are going to make me relive what he did to me."
"Rebecca Jolene Mathers, look at me."

She slowly met his eyes. He had this straight faced stone hard look. She knew her brothers wouldn't hurt her but sometimes flashbacks made it hard to cope.

"You are stronger than anything they could possibly put you thru. You survived that asshole once. You can make it thru anything for those babies and you have me and Marshall in your corner," he said.

She could only nod. She knew he was right but she hadn't given them the entire story as to what happened with Jesse. It was why she wasn't even concerned with finding a guy. She was terrified of most men. She was able to hide it as long as her brother was around.

"We will be there every step of the way," Nate told her.
"That's what worries me," she said softly.
"Why?"
"I haven't told you everything. Certain parts will change the way you look at me."
"Becca, you went thru hell. You are still my little sister. Part of it is mine and Marshall's fault anyway. If you didn't feel you had anyone to come to your rescue, you did what you had to do to survive."

She just looked at him. She didn't see it as that.

Two weeks later they were in court for the kids. Becca sat next to her lawyer with her older brother on the other side of her. Nathan and Ashley sat behind her. She was shaking as she sat there waiting. Marshall set a hand on her shoulder. She looked at him.

"It's all right," he said.

She shook her head. She wasn't sure she was ready for this fight. Everyone else was so confident about this. She was terrified.

"Please rise," the bailiff said.

They all stood as the judge took the bench. Becca stared at him refusing to make eye contact with anyone else. She bit the inside of her lower lip.

"Miss Mathers, why are you opposed to these grandparents spending time with their grandchildren?" the judge asked.
"Your honor, they have wanted nothing to do with my children in three years and only want it now to be able to take them to a prison to see their biological father who is there for murder," Becca said with more confidence than she thought she had.
"Mr. Carlson, what is your response to that?"
"My clients were not involved in their son's life due to the things he was involved in." the lawyer said.
"Mr. Anderson?"
"My client has never wavered in the discussion that they have not wanted anything to do with the children, saying that their son was ruining his life by having them."

The judge looked at Jesse's parents. The two of them were looking at the table in front of them. Becca stared at the judge.

"Is that what was said Mr. Carlson?" the judge asked.
"At the time both Jesse and Miss Mathers were very young," their lawyer tried to say.
"Your honor, my client is 33 and her daughter is only three years old. I would say they were old enough to become parents." Mr. Anderson said.

Becca looked over at her brother. She could see his jaw clench as they discussed all of this. She just wanted to run but had to do this for her babies.

"So your clients want me to give access to children they have never met and force this mother to allow them to take her children, further traumatizing them from an already traumatizing situation that was caused by your clients own flesh and blood." the judge asked, making sure it was straight in his head.
"My clients just want the chance to get to know their grandchildren," their lawyer replied.
"Miss Mathers, where is their father?"
"Prison for life for murder," Becca said.
"She won't even let them visit their father," Jesse's mother spoke up.
"Can you explain a bit of that case to me?" the judge asked.
"Jesse and I met about 5 years ago. He started out sweet and then became abusive. He forced himself on me numerous times. My doctor's have called what I went thru and my behavior toward it, stockholm syndrome. I love my babies. The final straw that probably save my and my daughter's life was Jesse trying to do the same thing to another young woman and she fought back. Jesse murdered her in front of me and my daughter." Becca tried to keep the tears at bay.
"So you were able to escape?"

Becca nodded.

"I was in the hospital for a few months before they managed to contact my brother. I was in intensive therapy for a month before they let me go live with him," she said.
"Where was your daughter?" the judge asked.
"She was with me that whole time doing play therapy. She was quiet and stayed to herself. She was scared of every male that even tried to come near her."
"And now?"
"She is still in play therapy. She has opened up to my brothers and their families. She is close with a few of the men who work with my brothers. But she doesn't open up right away to people."

The judge nodded. He was going to take it all under advisement and issue a ruling in a few days. They were dismissed from the courtroom. Marshall insisted they all go to lunch together. He could see that Becca was barely holding it together.