Previously…
– Sabrina’s classmate, Robbie, propositioned her even after she made it clear that she is in a relationship. Afterward, he turned out to be Christian’s Grindr date and pressured him to hook up, but Christian wasn’t comfortable going home with Robbie just yet.
– Claire witnessed Tim and Sonja kissing, unaware that Tim broke off the kiss and rejected Sonja right afterward.
– Molly and Brent filed a lawsuit against Travis and Rosie for custody of Gabrielle, and the fractures in the Fisher family continued to appear.

Thick raindrops thump against the brick exterior of the courthouse and the pavement of the parking lot. What the downpour lacks in force, it makes up for in persistence, as the rain has been falling steadily since last night, leaving large puddles and drooping branches in its wake. Paula Fisher holds a black umbrella over her head as she bustles from her silver sedan to the courthouse’s entrance.

Once inside, she folds up the umbrella and shakes what water she can from her long, brown jacket. The nervous rumbling in her stomach, which has been going uninterrupted even longer than the rainfall, intensifies now that she is inside the building where a judge is set to make an initial ruling on Gabrielle’s custody. She hates the divisions that this situation is causing within her family and the pain that it is causing so many people whom she loves.

The courthouse is quiet this morning, and it only takes her a minute or two to pass through the security check with its metal detector. Soon she is headed down a corridor and rounding a corner toward the appointed courtroom. As she turns it, she finds her son pacing back and forth.

“Mom. Hi,” Tim says, thrown by her appearance.

“Hi, dear.” She quickly greets him with a hug and then spots Claire Fisher further down the hallway, kneeling down to help little Gabrielle play with two dolls. “Where are Travis and Rosie?”

“They’re meeting with the lawyer. Last-minute strategy session. Claire and I said we’d watch Gabrielle so they could focus.”

“I see,” Paula says.

“You really didn’t have to come today,” Tim tells her.

“I wanted to be here.”

“I know, but it only complicates things, considering…” He floats a hand through the air, as if acknowledging the entire state of affairs that has enveloped the Fisher clan. “And you’ll have to choose to sit on one side or the other, which could create the appearance of favoritism. That’s why I said it might be best not to come–“

“And that’s why I asked her to come,” Molly Taylor says as she comes around the corner.

Tim looks over at his sister.

“She’s my mother, and I want her here for support,” Molly declares, planting herself at Paula’s side.

Jason Fisher sits at his desk on the second floor of Edge of Winter Arena, with far too many spreadsheets open on the large computer monitor before him. When he hears footsteps ascending the stairs outside, he takes the impending visit as a sign of mercy, removes his hands from the keyboard, and leans back in his leather office chair. A smile spreads over his face when he sees Sabrina Gage enter the office.

“Saved by the belle,” he says, “and by belle I mean ‘beautiful girlfriend who appears to have brought me coffee.'”

“She has. You’re welcome.” Sabrina hands Jason one of the light blue to-go cups from Thaw downstairs. As he stands to take it, he leans across the desk to give her a kiss.

“Yeah, thank you.” Jason takes a sip of the coffee. “How’s your morning going?”

“It’s okay. Things have been slow downstairs.”

“Good-slow or we-should-be-worried-about-business slow?”

“Good-slow,” she says with a chuckle, though it quickly tapers off into something more somber.

Jason steps out from behind the desk. “You sure? It looks like something’s bothering you.”

Sabrina hesitates before letting out a sigh.

“Sabrina,” he says, his voice spiking with concern. “What’s wrong?”

“Something happened,” she says, “and I’ve been debating whether I should tell you about it.”

A knot forms in Jason’s gut as he waits for her to continue.

—–

Tim looks back at Molly with annoyance.

“Do you realize how it’ll look for Mom to literally pick a side in there?” he asks.

“Tim, with all due respect, I’m not banning my own mother from something this major happening in my life,” Molly replies. “I’m sorry if that negatively affects Travis and Rosie, but they’ve had numerous opportunities–“

“Please, stop this,” Paula interrupts, the words dripping with desperation. “In spite of all this, we are a family. Stop this.”

Tim sets his jaw as he stares down his sister, but neither says anything further. Finally Molly looks past them and sees Claire with Gabrielle down the hallway.

“She’s gotten bigger since the last time I saw her,” Molly laments. “And her hair is longer…”

“She’s a beautiful little girl,” Paula says, “and her happiness and well-being need to be all of our top priority.”

“Can I see her?” Molly asks. “Where are Travis and Rosie?”

“They’re in with their lawyer,” Tim answers hastily, eager to cut off whatever she might be insinuating. “But no, I’m sure it isn’t a problem for you to say hi to her.” He turns. “Hey, Claire?”

Claire, who has been engrossed in playing with the dolls with Gabrielle, looks over.

“Molly would like to say hi to Gabrielle,” he says, and before he even finishes speaking, Molly is hurrying toward them. Tim and Paula follow.

“Good morning, Gabrielle,” Molly says softly as she kneels beside the child, who is now holding a doll in each hand.

“You can say hello, honey,” Claire half-whispers to Gabrielle, who nevertheless continues to stare wide-eyed at Molly.

Molly forces a brave smile, but the anguish in her eyes remains visible. “It’s okay. Those are very pretty dolls, Gabrielle.”

After another long, uncertain pause, Gabrielle nods her head.

Claire rises from her kneeling pose to stand beside Tim.

“I’m impressed you were able to kneel for that long,” he says with a grin. “No way would my knees let me do that these days. I definitely feel like a grandpa.”

She glances over at him but, instead of responding, only offers a wan smile.

—–

Out in the parking lot, Brent Taylor presses the button on his key fob to lock his Subaru. Holding an arm over his head, he is heading toward the courthouse’s entrance when he sees his son’s used Volkswagen pull into the lot. Brent hurries beneath the awning in front of the building and then waits as Christian parks the car.

“Hey, Dad,” Christian says, keeping his head down as he walks swiftly through the rain.

“Hey,” Brent calls out. He waits for Christian to join him under the awning. “Where’s your brother?”

“I don’t know. He wasn’t in our dorm when I woke up today.” Christian swipes a hand over his dark, wet bangs to push them out of his eyes. “I texted asking if he wanted a ride, but he hasn’t answered me.”

Brent lets out a low, guttural groan. “You’ve got to be kidding me.”

“I know,” Christian says sympathetically, as Brent pulls out his phone. “But today is only a preliminary hearing, right? They aren’t making, like, the decision.”

“No, but the judge is going to rule on our petition for temporary custody of Gabrielle — meaning we could have custody of her until the trial itself. And the appearance of being a complete family could go a long way.”

“Oh. Right.” Christian takes out his own phone and begins typing another text to his twin, as Brent places a call. He listens to it ring several times before it goes to voicemail.

“Dammit, Caleb,” Brent mutters.

“There’s still time.”

“Right. Yeah.” Brent shakes his head. “We should get inside.” He pulls open the door and holds it as Christian passes through.

—–

Inside the small courtroom, only three rows of benches sit behind the two tables for the involved parties. Travis and Rosie wait anxiously at the respondents’ table while their lawyer confers with a court clerk a few feet away. In the row behind them, Claire and Juanita Jimenez sit with Gabrielle between them, busying the little girl while Tim quickly responds to a work e-mail on his iPhone.

“I can’t believe this is actually happening,” Travis says as he gazes around the courtroom, with its dated brown wood furniture and railings and slightly dingy white paint.

“I’m ready to get this over with,” Rosie replies. She reaches over and grasps his hand. “We’ve got this. And our lawyer knows what she’s doing.”

One corner of Travis’s mouth curls up as he watches their attorney, Jaimie Thompson, a Black woman in her 40s with her hair in a no-nonsense updo and a well tailored gray skirt suit, talk to the clerk.

“Isn’t it kind of crazy that her dad was my parents’ lawyer when they were fighting Diane for custody of Samantha?” Travis says. “And now she’s taken over his firm and she’s our lawyer.”

“It was smart of your mom to recommend their old lawyer,” Rosie says. “And since he’s retired…”

“His daughter is the next best thing,” Travis agrees.

They fall silent as the doors at the back of the courtroom open. Molly, Brent, Christian, and Paula walk in, followed a moment later by their attorneys, Conrad Halston and Elly Vanderbilt. Elly quickly looks toward Travis and Rosie, and Rosie returns a cold stare. As the group takes their seats on the opposite side of the courtroom, Paula moves toward her grandson and Rosie.

“I’m here today to support everyone,” she says in a hushed voice. “I love you both. I want you to know that.”

“Thanks, Grandma,” Travis says.

Tim puts away his phone and watches his mother carefully.

“I’m praying that, no matter what the judge decides, that we can all have peace,” Paula continues, “and that, above all, Gabrielle is as safe and happy as she can possibly be.”

Rosie and Travis both nod. Paula steps back and then goes to seat herself in the row where Christian is already sitting, right behind his parents.

—–

“Of course you should tell me if something’s wrong,” Jason says to Sabrina. He places his coffee cup down on the desk and focuses fully on her.

“You know how I told you I was going to that exhibit with a classmate?” she begins.

“Yeah…”

“It was this guy. Robbie.” She winces at the name. “What I didn’t tell you before… I should’ve said something, but I felt silly, but I’m really sorry for lying–“

“Lying?” Jason feels a stab of panic in his chest. “Is this guy more than a classmate?”

“No. No.” Sabrina shakes her head insistently. “That’s the thing. Originally when he introduced himself, he asked for my number, and I told him I was dating someone but it would be nice to have a friend around my age in class. I thought that was the end of it.”

“Did he do something to you?”

“No, but…” She looks down at the floor. “We went to the exhibit, and everything was fine, and then afterward, he asked if I wanted to get a drink, or… or go back to his apartment.”

“But you’d already told him that you’re dating someone.”

“Mm-hmm. He didn’t seem to care. And he got really, well, pushy about it.”

Jason’s eyes flare wide. “He didn’t do anything physically to do, did he? We can call Brent — well, once he’s out of court–“

“I told him no and I left. The entire thing felt really icky, though,” Sabrina says, folding her arms as if to protect herself. “I’m dreading seeing him in class again.”

“Can you transfer out of that class? I know you shouldn’t have to be the one to do that, but he doesn’t sound like a guy with much respect…”

“I’ll just keep my distance,” she says.

“Are you sure? If you don’t feel safe–“

“I’ll be okay. I’ll make sure not to be alone with him or anything.” Sabrina takes a sip of her coffee as she thinks. “I wanted to tell you, that’s all. I feel so stupid for not realizing that he was thinking of it as a date.”

“Hey. You’re not the stupid one here,” Jason says. He moves closer and encircles his arms around her. “You told this Robbie guy you weren’t interested, you still gave him a chance to be friends, and he proceeded to ignore everything you’d said. That’s on him.”

“I guess so.”

“I know so.” He plants his lips on her forehead in a reassuring kiss. “If he tries anything again, or makes you feel unsafe on campus, we’re reporting him. Okay?”

“Okay. But I’ll be fine,” she says. “I just hope he sets his sights on someone else and forgets all about me soon.”

—–

At the courthouse, Christian sits quietly as his grandmother leans forward, chatting quietly with Molly and Brent. He holds his phone in his lap as he checks the message that he sent Robbie earlier this morning:

Good morning! How’d you sleep?

Still there is no response. Christian feels an awful sinking sensation as he wonders if Robbie is going to blow him off. They had such a fun night together, watching the music at Cassie’s and laughing, even after Christian said he wasn’t comfortable going back to Robbie’s place with him.

I just hope I didn’t blow it for good, he thinks as he stares down at the screen.

“All rise,” the bailiff announces, and Christian hurries to put away his phone. Everyone in the courtroom stands as the judge, a white-haired man in a standard black robe, emerges through a door at the front of the room and takes his post at the bench.

“This court is now in session,” he says, rapping his gavel for effect. “You may be seated.”

As those gathered take their seats, the judge continues:

“We’ve come here today for a preliminary hearing in the custody suit regarding Gabrielle Fisher.” The judge indicates the small child sitting with a juice box behind Travis and Rosie. “I take it this is Gabrielle?”

“Yes, Your Honor,” Juanita says as she helps her adopted granddaughter hold the juice.

“Hello, Gabrielle,” the judge says in a calm, friendly tone. She looks up sharply and squints her eyes at him, which elicits a much-needed laugh from everyone in the room.

But the sense of tension and dread soon settles back over them.

“While the official hearing won’t be held for several weeks, Mr. and Mrs. Taylor have filed a petition requesting temporary custody in the interim,” the judge says.

“Your Honor,” Jaimie Thompson says as she stands. “Jaimie Thompson, counsel for the respondents, Travis Fisher and Rocio Jimenez. We’re requesting that this petition be dismissed, on the grounds that the purpose of this proceeding is to determine what’s best for Gabrielle and whether uprooting her would be worth the very real costs. To destabilize her entire life from the get-go–“

“Objection,” Conrad says. He rises to his feet, as well. “Conrad Halston, representing Brent and Molly Taylor. This is my co-counsel, Elly Vanderbilt. We ask that you hear our argument before rendering any kind of decision. It is not the respondents’ place to make a preemptive determination for you.”

Although the judge sucks in his lips, an apparent sign of internal debate, he soon enough raps the gavel again. “Objection sustained. We’ll hear from the petitioners, and then the respondents will have a chance to offer their own case before I make my decision.”

Jaimie takes her seat and whispers to Travis and Rosie, “I tried.”

“Mr. Halston, I’ll have you begin,” the judge says. “Why should I grant temporary custody to Mr. and Mrs. Taylor today?”

END OF EPISODE 1175

Whose side will the judge’s ruling favor?
Can the Fishers survive this drama?
Will Robbie continue to cause trouble?
Talk about it all in the comments below!

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