Chapter 6 - Blood and Steel
Earl wheeled Kendra into the NICU in a transport chair.
When Mara saw them approach bed seven, her eyes filled with tears. She immediately drew the privacy curtain around the incubator.
Kendra looked through the clear acrylic walls at the tiny, two-pound infant hooked to monitors. The baby was sleeping, her tiny chest rising and falling beneath the soft hiss of the CPAP machine.
“She’s so small,” Kendra breathed, her hand hovering over the incubator glass.
“Her name is Lily,” Earl said softly from behind her.
Kendra choked back a sob. “My mother’s name.”
Mara opened the side access ports. “Place your hands inside, Kendra. She needs to know your scent.”
With trembling fingers, Kendra reached inside and gently cupped the baby’s tiny head and feet. The infant stirred, let out a soft sigh, and turned her face toward Kendra’s palm. The heart monitor’s numbers smoothed out into a steady, rhythmic green wave.
The curtain was suddenly pulled back.
Diane Vance stood there with two uniformed Willow Creek police officers.
“Kendra Vale,” Diane announced coldly. “You have three active municipal warrants for failure to appear on misdemeanor charges. Furthermore, Child Protective Services is taking emergency custody of this infant based on maternal drug exposure and abandonment.”
The officers stepped forward, reaching for their handcuffs.
Earl stepped between the officers and the wheelchair like a brick fortress.
“Stand down,” Earl barked, his voice carrying the full weight of a master sergeant commanding a battalion.
The two young officers stopped dead in their tracks, looking up at the towering, scarred veteran in shock.
“Sergeant Ransom, you are interfering with a court-ordered custodial arrest!” Diane snapped, stepping forward.
“No, Ms. Vance, you are violating federal jurisdiction,” a booming voice echoed from the hallway.
Entering the NICU was Colonel Marcus Bradley, the commanding officer of the regional Veterans Affairs legal division, accompanied by a federal judge advocate general.
“Colonel Bradley,” Earl acknowledged with a brief nod.
Colonel Bradley laid a signed federal court injunction onto the nursing desk.
“Judge Evelyn Carter of the Third Circuit Federal Court has placed Kendra Vale under the direct rehabilitative custody of the Veterans Family Medical Restoration Program,” Bradley stated with crisp military precision. “Her outstanding municipal fines have been paid in full by the Elias Vale Trust Fund. All local charges have been stayed pending voluntary completion of an in-patient medical rehabilitation program at the VA medical center.”
Diane stared at the paperwork, her face flushing crimson. “And the child?”
“The child remains in the physical custody of her legally appointed guardian during the mother’s rehabilitation,” Bradley continued.
Diane looked around the room, realizing she had been completely outflanked by military law and federal authority. Without another word, she packed her briefcase and motioned for the officers to leave.
May you like
Kendra buried her face in her hands, weeping tears of pure, unadulterated relief. Earl placed a heavy, protective hand on her shoulder.
“Phase one complete,” Earl murmured. “Now the real work begins.”
