Spin

Chapter Twenty-Two

Angel Riley, a thirtyish brunette with bright eyes and an honest demeanor, was the lawyer my parents had hired, and she was more than willing to represent me. I sat in her office the following afternoon, Mom and Dad on either side of me. Miss Riley's lips were pursed tensely, and she leaned over her desk, clasping her hands together.
"So, you're certain that you are pregnant with Dean's child? Not your boyfriend's?"
I shook my head.
"Miss Riley—"
"Angel, please."
"Okay, Angel, I was a virgin before Dean. Cody and I never slept together."
"Well, Dean's attorney is going to rip that to shreds unless we can get it to stand up in court. Have you ever heard of something called a prenatal paternity test?"
"I know what a paternity test is," I offered.
"A prenatal paternity test is the same as a paterni- ty test, but it is administered before birth." Angel leaned over her
desk as she spoke, as though she was sharing trade secrets.
"How is that possible?" Mom asked.
"There are two options, actually. There is amnio- centesis, which is done when a thin needle is inserted through the abdomen into the uterus to withdraw some of the amniotic fluid. The doctor will test the fluid to find out the paternity of the baby, but there are risks involved. Smaller risks for you, Lexi, but there are risks to the baby, such as miscarriage or harming the fetus."
"What's the other option?" I asked quickly, my heart fluttering at the thought of losing this child, the child Cody and I would raise together.
"Chorionic Villus Sampling, or CVS, is still done with a needle, but instead of through the abdomen, it is inserted into the vagina to obtain some of the chorionic villi attached to the wall of the uterus. It is safer for the fetus, and for you, Lexi, and it can be done earlier in the pregnancy, which is probably our best bet, because time is a major factor in this case."
"Okay, let's do that," I decided automatically. "Hold on, Lexi, let's talk about this," Dad cut in.
"What's to talk about?" I questioned. "We have to prove this is Dean's baby, or we're going to lose."
"I'm not putting you or an unborn child at risk just to win, Lexi!" Dad snapped.
"Mr. Howard," Angel interrupted before our argument exploded. "The risks to the baby in either procedure are very minimal, and when it comes to Lexi, the risks are practically non- existent. Now, since Lexi is a minor, we can't do anything without your consent, but in my professional opinion, proving the paternity of the child is a major step in the right direction, and we simply don't have any time to spare."
Dad slumped in his seat, defeated.
"When do we do it?" I asked Angel.
"I'll call and set it up. Expect to hear from me to- morrow morning."
We rose to leave and had almost made it out of the office when Angel called to us.
"Forgive me if this question offends you, but it is important that I know if there is anything in Spencer's past that can be brought up to use against us. Anything Dean's attorney can use to somehow try and justify what he did?"
"How can he justify murdering our son?" Mom
looked horrified.
"What I mean, Mrs. Howard, is that Dean is trying to plead self defense. So if Spencer was in a lot of fights or hand any violent tendencies, I need to know about them."
Fights.
Violent tendencies.
I thought of Blake, of Mr. McAlister, and I could feel my parents watching me curiously. Angel's eyes bore into me.
"Lexi?" Angel prodded. I swallowed hard.
"No. Nothing I can think of."