In-Between Chapters 55 and 56 by Sofia Hammerstein

Cameron Sylvester has grown up always hoping he'll live up to the heritage of his mother's family height. She was a ten-foot-tall Big, after all, and his father was a tall Mid, which meant it shouldn't have been a question that he would grow out of the Little category of height early on. A bright student, he's been at the top of his class in science and math throughout his academic career! Looking toward his high school graduation and towards college, he's received scholarships to attend Emerson University. it's a question of inches if he'll be left to the fate of being a Little with a limited future or manage to make a future as a short 'Betweener.' Even as a Betweener, the question remains to be seen if he can be a normal adult or if he'll be left 'In-Between.'  (A Tale from the Diaper Dimension)

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The Legal Stuff: In-Between © 2020-2026 By Sofia Hammerstein
 
This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents either are products of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously, and any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, businesses, companies, events, or locales is entirely coincidental.
 

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced, scanned, or distributed in any printed or electronic form without permission.
 

 
 

Chapter 55: Relevance
 

“I… I GIVE my permission, Your Honor,” Addy said with a shaky voice. She was really nervous, and I was quite frankly scared this would be the final straw for her mom to use her nanite trigger.

“Very well, let’s see this video,” he said, unaware of the situation.

A glance at her mom revealed an angry, flushed face that made her look as mad as I’d ever seen her. She seemed to try and kill Addison with just her look. Still, everyone’s faces were soon distracted as the video began playing of me having headphones placed over my ears. A screen began to show a pattern just on the edge. The footage was paused, “Your Honor, due to the danger of this footage, we do not wish to show the full film?”

“You’re certain it’s hypnotic in nature?”

“Yes, Your Honor, I have a lab report here to verify it from an independent lab.”

A document was sent with the bailiff to the bench, “Very well, do you wish to play any more of this?”

“Just the end of it.”

I watched as the screen showed her pick me up from the chair.
 

“How are you feeling, baby?” While wrinkling her nose, she asked me, “I guess the time was well spent; it smells like you left a nice little egg in your diapee for me like a good little birdie!”

I nodded dumbly and held onto her as she carried me to the changing table in her office. She laid me down and went across my chest with the safety strap before unsnapping the crotch of the pants of my outfit, undoing the onesie beneath it, and then reaching the diaper.

“What a good little baby birdie!” she cooed at me. “I’m looking forward to years of playing with you!”

I looked blankly at her and only reacted when she tickled me.

“Hmm… Have to adjust your program after your hearing. Need you to act a lot happier!”

She shook her head, thinking I must have been in some sort of daze, as she lifted my legs up and wiped my butt with a few baby wipes. “Always dreamed of getting you into one of these like your friends!”
 

I had been completely aware during the session, but watching her behavior from a third-person view made me more nervous. When it was over, David asked Mrs. Lexington, still on the stand, “How did you obtain this?”

“Through an electronic exchange between Doctor Dannigan and Aubry Harris.”

“What else was said?”

“The problem was taken care of…”

“You take that as meaning?”

“Clearly, all of the evidence points to the likely conclusion that Aubry Harris solicited the services of Doctor Dannigan to hypnotize Cameron.”

“Did it work?”

“Good question; according to the report we received, normally, that was a strong enough hypnosis session to have easily implanted the trigger phrase. From the electronic exchange, it seemed that anytime someone mentioned ‘I heard a little birdie’ or any other ‘birdie’s fly’ phrase, Mr. Sylvester should have been pooping his pants. I do not know what’s prevented it from working, but I do know that it’s nearly always an effective technique.”

“When is it not?”

She shrugged, “You’d have to ask an expert on that. I’m just relaying the report.”

“Fair enough…”

David continued to ask questions for the remaining time. Mrs. Lexington provided documentation of the communication with Kristin and threatening letters to Doctor Chester once that had failed. I felt that the testimony was all compelling and damning. It was weird that the opposition asked only a few questions then and moved on.

‘Is there a fix in the works here too?’ I wondered nervously.

“We would like to call Addison Harris,” Kendra said after he left the stand.

I was surprised by that move, given they hadn’t even mentioned that as an option earlier that day. Apparently, Henry was, too, as he objected but was overruled. Once sworn in, Kendra began, “Miss Harris, how long have you known our client?”

“Since the first week of classes at Emerson University. He was my lab partner in our Freshman Chemistry lab.”

“Was that all he was?”

She shook her head, “No, I had no intention to do so at first, but Cameron was an extraordinary guy that I fell in love with. We began dating shortly after he began helping me with tutoring.”

“Just to clarify, you two had a romantic relationship?”

“Yes, a very close one,” Addy answered nervously.

“For how long?”

“A little over three years,” she answered.

“Why did you stop seeing each other…?”

She looked at her mom then, then looked at me before sighing, “My mother didn’t approve of my relationship with him.”

“Don’t most mothers have issues with daughters’ boyfriends?” Kendra asked rhetorically. “What about Cameron, did your mother not like? Clearly, he was smart and capable?”

“She believed he was too short and wasn’t in the same league as us financially.”

“She didn’t like Mr. Sylvester because he was just a Mid and too poor?”

“He wasn’t poor… just not rich enough. Though I guess to my mother that might be the same thing.”

I turned and looked at her mom, who was now visibly steaming. ‘Shit… Addy is sacrificing herself…’ I thought worriedly.

“What did your mother do to you to try and enforce her will?”

“Umm…” She looked even more nervous.

I turned to her mother, whose face seemed to grow into a malicious grin on her face just then.

“Did she threaten you?”

“Umm…”

“Are you scared of your mother, Miss Harris?”

I felt terrible for Addy as she squirmed in her seat, “Isn’t everyone scared of their mothers?”

There were a few chuckles in the courtroom, including from Judge O’Connor. His severe façade had cracked for a second and then returned to a proper neutral expression. “I guess to some degree, but I mean, are you, as an adult, still scared that she can punish or harm you?”

“Umm…”

“I understand if you’re too nervous to answer with your mother over there,” Kendra said. “Knowing what we’ve discovered in our investigations, I would be scared too.”

Addy shrugged nervously, “She’s my mom…”

“Yes, she is. Tell me, Miss Harris, how long have you worked for your mother’s company, SafeFoods?”

“I’ve done part-time work since I was fourteen?”

“And full-time?”

“It’s been about a year-and-a-half, I guess?”

“You’re twenty-eight, correct?”

“Yes, that’s correct.”

“Why so long before you started working?”

“Well, I did my four years of undergrad at Emerson, then I went to Mann for my Master’s for two years, followed by two years at Beecher for my Ph.D. in Biochemistry.” She paused, “Then I did a year of Post-Doc studies back here at Emerson.”

“And now you bring that knowledge back to your mothers’ company?”

She nodded, “Yes, I’m the head of the lab that checks products for impurities and possible harmful chemicals.”

“Solely in the lab? No human testing?”

She shook her head, “The closest I may occasionally get to a human test is if a blood sample is sent to the lab for testing.”

“Interesting. Is that the role your mom ultimately wants for you?”

Addy shrugged, “I don’t know. Growing up, she always said that Danica and I would take over the company when she retired.”

“Danica is?”

“My baby sister – she’s three years younger than me.”

“She also works for the company, correct?”

“Yes, she works in the company’s public relations and advertising division. She didn’t need grad work, so she beat me to working full time.”

“Do you see each other often?”

Addy shook her head, “We work on opposite sides of the complex and rarely get together for meetings. I’d say once a week most of the time is the maximum.”

I wondered where her questions were going right then. “Would you say you two are close, though?”

“Yes,” Addy said without skipping a beat.

“Close enough that you would do anything for each other?”

Addy nervously nodded, “Pretty much?”

“Objection, Your Honor, is this questioning leading anywhere?” Henry Johnson said then.

“Mrs. Stein?”

“It’ll be apparent soon? I just ask for a little bit of leeway here?”

“Very little; we didn’t schedule a six-week trial here…?”

“Yes, Your Honor,” Kendra said to the judge and returned to Addy. “For the past few weeks, while Mr. Sylvester has been under your guardianship and you have been his ‘mommy,’ you haven’t dressed him as he is today, have you?”

“No, Judge Taney specified that if I was to take him as my baby, I could only either have him be a baby boy unable to walk, have his teeth removed, and have his stomach altered to only be able to process breastmilk or baby food, or I could have him be a little girl and changed into a girl that would be allowed to wear training panties and sleep in a big girl bed.”

“You were supposed to choose for him?”

She squirmed, “Yes, I was supposed to choose. I let Cam tell me her… his preference, though.”

“Which was?”

“Obviously, she’d rather be a girl than a helpless fake baby.”

“So, up until today, what had Cameron been wearing?”

“The cutest little girl outfits I could find… and diapers because of the injunction since I couldn’t complete the procedure there.”

“So, he’s been dressed in traditional girls’ clothing - dresses, rompers, onesies, etc.?”

“Of course, she’s been dressing as my little baby girl.”

“Including at his last court appearance, correct?”

“That’s correct; we had a cute matching mother-daughter set of dresses that day.”

“So why the change today?”

Addy squirmed a bit. “My mom sent me a note through our attorneys that she felt it would be a good idea to dress him as a man one last time.”

“She said one last time in the note?”

She shrugged, “I’m pretty sure that everyone assumes this will go like most Maturosis appeals. I researched it, and only two of these have overruled a Maturosis ruling and guardianship placement in the last twenty-five years.”

“It is rare, but does it maybe imply that she knew there would be a certain reason for his failure?”

“I don’t know?”

“Have you been breastfeeding him?”

I squirmed as much as Addy at that question, ‘That’s embarrassing…’

“Of course, all good mommies make sure they bond with their new Littles by doing so.”

“So, he’s worn diapers for several weeks straight now – you’ve been breastfeeding him; odds are that he would surely have at least one accident in the span of a day hearing. Why would you dress him in regular underwear?”

She shrugged, “I thought I was being kind, honestly. Cam looks like his regular self except for his hair now.”

“And if he had, or has an accident?”

“I have a spare outfit in her diaper bag,” she told her.

“But the main reason you dressed him like this today was because of your mother?”

She looked nervously at her mother but nodded, “Yes.”

“I want to move back to the day Cameron was declared in contempt of court and sentenced to your care. Your vehicle already held a brand-new car seat and a booster seat that day, correct?”

I noticed Addy looked nervous for real, then. “Yes…”

“Why?”

“What do you mean?”

“Why did you already have car seats?”

“I’ve… I’ve honestly been thinking of adopting for a while… I decided to be fully prepared in the last few months.”

“Who have you been looking at?”

She looked guilty, “Actually, I’ve been thinking about going through Emerson and adopting one of their Littles through their Student Services. I started on a playroom when I moved into the house as a fun project, and then it just spiraled out of control.”

“So, what work had to be done on your house the day Cameron was placed into your care?”

“Oh… well, I had never intended on a boy… so I had to have the nursery changed to a boy’s… some more toys were placed into the playroom for a boy… and then I had outfits dropped off in Cammie… I mean Cameron’s sizes.”

“So, you didn’t come into the courtroom planning on adopting my client that day?”

“Honestly, my mom wanted me to adopt Cameron long ago instead of dating him, but I didn’t want to. I only changed my mind in court that day because I didn’t want him going to an orphanage…”

My head was getting twisted with her bent truth, and it was borderline a case of perjury on her plans… but I guess she hadn’t planned on it. ‘She’d really been planning on adopting, though?’ I wondered, a bit confused. ‘That doesn’t sound like Addy…?’ I thought. Thinking back, though, I could tell she had genuinely enjoyed babying me… ‘She’s not the worst mommy out there either,’ I had to admit.

“While you’ve had Mr. Sylvester in your custody, has he shown many bouts of immaturity? Acted with aggression? Fought you?”

“No, she’s been the perfect sweet little baby girl…”

“If this appeal is denied, what are your plans for him?”

“Well, that would mean Judge Taney’s order goes back into effect? We would return to the hospital and have the procedure performed to make him into a little girl.”

“And what would she do for the rest of her life?”

Addy shrugged, “I guess we would probably see about potty training once she adjusted to her new parts. If she can make it to the potty regularly, we’d probably move her to a preschool class somewhere while I work.”

“She’d never be able to work again?”

“I believe one of the other people already mentioned if this is upheld, she’ll no longer be able to be on the bar association… I can’t see how she would work as an attorney without that, even if I wanted her to.”

Kendra returned to the lectern for something, “Just a few more questions Miss Harris. Do you recognize this young woman?”

I saw the picture briefly as she showed it to her, but her reaction showed shock. “Umm… Yes… that looks like a friend of mine from high school, Gina Miller.”

“Are you aware that Gina’s parents declared her a missing person ten years ago?”

Addy squirmed slightly then, but I suspected only I noticed, “I wasn’t aware they had filed that, no?”

“Are you aware that the last time she was seen by her parents was when she left to work at your family’s company on a day in December ten years ago?”

“No, I haven’t spoken to her parents since high school?”

“Did you know she had a job at SafeFoods?”

Addy nodded, “I suggested to a department chair he should think about hiring her.”

“So, you got her the job?”

Addy shrugged, “She still had to interview, but I suspect my suggestion carried a lot of weight.”

“I bet it did!” Kendra said.

“Objection, Your Honor, relevance?” Henry suddenly said.

“Your Honor, if you’ll please just give me a few more moments of leeway? Miss Miller’s disappearance will become quite relevant?”

“This is the last leeway you’re getting!” He said, “I don’t want this case to last indefinitely!”

“Thank You, Your Honor. We would like to introduce into evidence Exhibit Seventy-One. This footage was obtained with the attached search warrant by federal investigators.”

“Your Honor?” Henry Johnson asked.

“Let me see the documentation, Mrs. Stein.”

I watched in curiosity at this exhibit. Kendra had told me we’d reviewed every piece of evidence together that morning, but this seemed way outside of that! I looked up at her as she went to have a sidebar with Henry and the judge. David shook his head, saying not to ask, and a moment later, the judge said. “This appears lawfully acquired and admissible. It is entered into evidence per request.”

David pressed some buttons, and a still picture of a scene showed on the screen. I recognized Addy’s childhood home and felt my blood chill as I realized what they had somehow miraculously gotten their hands on!

“Miss Harris, do you recognize the location of this video?”

“Umm… it’s my parents’ house… my childhood home?”

“Do you recognize the young woman here?” She pointed at a figure I could tell was probably Gina.

“Your Honor?” She said just as I heard Henry Johnson shouting, “Objection!” and another voice crying, “How the Hell?!?”
 
 

Chapter 56: Triggered
 

MY FIRST REAL day in the courtroom sitting next to Judge Jones’ clerk and court reporter had seen the courtroom erupt loudly following her verdict involving postponing the return of Lilibeth Tully. It had been an extraordinarily unusual event, as I found later in my summer and as my career continued. Courtrooms were meant to be somber spaces for justice, not a party atmosphere! Arguing was supposed to be limited to the counsel presenting their arguments at that moment – especially in a Court of Appeals!

Right then, though, I felt only one word could describe things.

Pandemonium!

I felt like time had stopped as everyone on Aubry Harris’ side realized they were in line for serious legal trouble. Addy probably wondered about her own legal exposure, and I wondered if this evidence would do anything to help me regain my freedom!

I was also scared to death for Addy right then, as this video would clearly demonstrate the trigger her mom could activate and send her over the edge.

“ORDER!!!!!” The judge shouted, “ORDER!!! OR I’LL CLEAR THE COURTROOM!!!”

The video stayed frozen in the still as the courtroom finally grew silent. “If everyone cannot behave themselves like adults, I will have everyone but the attorneys and clients removed!” He looked genuinely shocked and pissed if I had to describe it. “Mr. Johnson, what was your objection?”

“This evidence is highly prejudicial, Your Honor, and may cause issues with related cases.”

“Your Honor, you have already seen the documentation about the legality of the evidence!” Kendra said.

He nodded. “Miss Harris, you were trying to answer Mrs. Stein?”

“Your Honor, I’m not sure…”

“You are under oath, Miss Harris. I hope there’s no need to, but you are entitled to plead the fifth amendment if you feel you are in legal jeopardy here? Perhaps you should consult with another attorney?”

She looked at me. Really looked at me for the first time since that day she wouldn’t say ‘yes,’ and then turned to the judge and shook her head stiffly, “No sir, I’ll answer Mrs. Stein.”

“Your Honor!” Henry objected.

“Counsel, you will get your turn to rebut this evidence if needed. Mrs. Stein?”

“Miss Harris, do you recognize this woman?”

On the screen, you could see two extraordinarily large men holding a young woman tightly to keep her from escaping, barely visible on the side of the wall by their sitting room. A ridiculous-looking ball gag was stuffed in her mouth.

“Yes, that’s Gina Miller, my friend.”

“Who else is on the screen here?”

I noticed then that someone was standing behind Addy, and someone behind Danica, with syringes coming at Addy and Danica.

“My mom, Aubry Harris, two of her security guards are holding Gina, my sister, and myself, and I don’t know the names of the two women behind Danica and I.”

“Let’s see the film, huh?”

Kendra pressed play, and I watched the events she’d described play out on the video.

The film showed both young women getting the needles pressed quickly into their bodies.
 

“What the Hell is going on?” Addy asked angrily.

“What was that?!?” Danica added.

Aubry Harris laughed a villainous laugh that chilled my bones as I watched, “What’s going on is that if you and your sister don’t start shaping up, you’ll be shaping down.”

“What do you mean?” Addy asked.

“Let me show you,” she said with a smirk.

Gina was brought fully into view then of Addy. She was screaming and fighting with the two men holding her.

“What are you doing to Gina?!?” Addy screamed.

“This,” Aubry said and pressed a button on her tablet.
 

We watched as Gina screamed in pain and convulsed violently as she shrank until moments later, she finally lay on the ground naked as a newborn, now crying with the voice of one as well.
 

Addy yelled, “Change her back!”

“No,” Aubry said, “She was trying to turn us in on some things she found working for us in the office. She’s going to get adopted by a nice couple tonight. She’ll make a nice baby… just like you two will…”

“Mom, you can’t do that to us!” Danica screamed.

“Oh, I can… I don’t want to, but I certainly will! If either of you doesn’t behave, I’ll have the code sent remotely to both of you so I can have a beautiful set of baby twin sisters for their big brother Matty. Now, the first thing you’ll do, Addison, if you don’t want to be Baby Addy, is break up with that sniveling Little you’ve been dating!”
 

The footage stopped, and I saw Addy trembling and tears flowing from her eyes and down her face. Her mascara ran streaks of black down her cheeks as she tried to wipe her face with her hand.

“Bailiff?” Judge O’Connor said after a moment.

“Your Honor?”

“Please arrest Mrs. Harris. I’m issuing a bench warrant for her at this time until the district attorney’s office and Federal Investigators can issue their own indictments.”

“You ungrateful little bitch!!!” Aubry said as she hissed towards Addy. I watched in horror as she pulled out her phone and began typing in a code in some app as the bailiff walked towards her. I had little doubt about what she was doing as she gleefully pressed a button and looked up at Addy.

I could tell she expected her to immediately shrink like her friend had.

I looked back and forth at them, expecting the same thing to happen.

“What the Hell?” She swore. Mrs. Harris pressed a couple other buttons in rapid succession then.

“Officer, please take her into custody now and preserve that device for evidence!!!”

I felt like a spectator at a cage match or something as Mrs. Harris threw the device as hard as possible. Another officer, who had been summoned as backup, happened to walk in the door and right into the path of it. I watched him reflexively catch it with some pride before developing a blank stare!

All the other eyes in the courtroom were focused on Aubry Harris, who was being cuffed and brought down by the bailiff, who had already been inside the room. Her attorney was making noise about the unfair arrest, and no one was paying attention to the other officer. Sensing something was wrong, I bolted over there and could see swirling colors on the screen with that weird tint that I apparently now saw on hypnotic screens. I leaped up, yanked it quickly from his hand, and turned it face down.

“Officer, are you okay?” I asked him.

“Huh?” He responded incoherently just as he began to pee his pants.

“We need a medic or someone over here!” I shouted.

The Little doctor had apparently not left, and she and her mother were over there. “What’s wrong?” Holly Nickerson asked.

“He got a dose of the screen there – it had a hypno screen on?”

She made a face at that, “It already affected him? A Big?”

“That’s bad…” her mommy said. “Let’s get him to the hospital. I don’t know if we’ll be able to do much for him. Sir, do you understand me?”

He slowly nodded, “What’s going on?” He asked like he’d downed an entire liquor bottle on his own.

“You got hit with a hypno bomb; we’ll take you to General and see if we can do anything for you…”

Another officer showed up then and said, “Where’s the device?”

“You need to put it in an opaque bag; a hypno screen was active just now,” I told him.

He held a manilla envelope which we carefully slid the phone in without looking at the screen. You could see the bright screen from within the envelope, so we doubled it up, and he followed Aubry Harris out of the courtroom.

It took a while to return to order in the courtroom, and you could tell Judge O’Connor was pissed!

“I don’t know what the Hell is going on here, but this circus is ending now!”

He looked at our table where Kendra and David had joined me in sitting. “Mrs. Stein, do you have more questions for Miss Harris?”

“Just a couple more, Your Honor?”

“Make them quick – no more theatrics!”

“Yes, sir,” she said. “Miss Harris, I know that must have been a shock for all that to happen right now. For the record, you broke up with our client Mr. Sylvester because your mom threatened to turn you into a Little?”

Addy looked truly shell-shocked but nodded, “Yes… She threatened to do the same to my sister… I couldn’t risk my sweet sister Danica having that happen…”

“Last question, as far as you were aware, your mom’s trigger on the nanites should have worked on you just now, correct?”

She nodded, “She even tested it on me once and permanently removed my body hair… I know it worked… it’s never grown back.”

“No further questions, Your Honor,” she told the judge.

“Questions for this witness, Mr. Johnson?”

“No, Your Honor.”

“Do you have any further witnesses, Mrs. Stein?”

“Just one brief one to testify on this matter with the nanites? I think it’s relevant?”

“Briefly!” he said.

“Thank you, Your Honor. We would like to call Doctor Amanda Westerfield to the stand now.”

Amanda was led into the courtroom and gave me a wide smile as she passed. Once sworn in, Kendra began, “Doctor Westerfield, would you please explain your credentials?”

“Certainly! I am the head of the AI Department at Emerson University.”

“AI meaning Artificial Intelligence?”

“That’s correct.”

“What do you all focus on?”

“Well, in the last ten years, programming on nanites for various tasks has been one of my main focuses.”

“You are, in fact, one of the leading experts in nanite AI programming, correct?”

“I’d like to think I’m up there, yes.”

“A couple weeks back, we contacted you due to receiving information about the nanite bomb placed in Miss Harris and her sister’s bodies. What can you tell us about that?”

Amanda sighed, “Well, it’s, unfortunately, a real thing – and hers was capable of reducing her in size and mass just as the video you showed me of the other young woman.”

“For the record, she is referring to Gina Miller,” Kendra said.

“Why didn’t it work?”

“Assuming that was her intention, it would no longer operate with her password. Your office contracted me to change the passwords to protect her.”

“You hacked into the code?”

“In a manner of speaking.”

“When and how?”

“Their private investigator discovered they would be traveling to our local mall. We traveled there quickly, and I ‘ran into’ Miss Harris and her sister out shopping with Mr. Sylvester. It was pretty simple to scan for the frequency of the nanites and, through some proprietary software, edited the nanites’ passwords and code.”

“You just gave them a new piece of code?”

“Essentially, yes,” Amanda answered.

“So, your code did what?”

“The nanites are still inside, Miss Harris; it’s just changed the password needed to alter her through them.”

“What’s the point of having such a code?”

“Well, nanites have been heavily used in the medical field, but boutique changes to Littles using them have become more and more common. At some point, it was realized that the nanites stayed inside a Little and could still be programmed to make additional changes without going back to a hospital or a research lab. Now if you go into a doctor’s office to have a Little altered, they’ll give you a password, and you can have settings changed further with a simple visit.”

“Is that something that should be done?”

“That’s not in my field,” she smiled. “I have seen them do a lot of good for some people, including my two Little girls.”

“The public record shows you only have one?”

“My other Little girl grew up and went back home to her home dimension after she graduated from Emerson,” she smiled. “She’s doing well for herself there.”

“One last question, can any of the nanites in people’s bodies be altered?”

Amanda grimaced, “Yes, unfortunately, that is one of their biggest faults.”

“And they stay forever?”

“At least fifteen years, according to our studies. They self-replicate in the body and use some of the same nutrients that a person consumes to power them. Sometime in the future, we may view them as a harmful pollutant.”

“Interesting, no more questions, Your Honor.”

“Mr. Johnson?”

“Your Honor, to be honest, I don’t see the relevance of her testimony. No questions for her.”

“Thank you, Doctor Westerfield.”

I sat tensely in my seat as Kendra said, “Your Honor, we had subpoenaed Judge Taney, but she responded that she had a court scheduling conflict. Without that overridden in some manner, that is our final witness.”

He looked at his watch, “Tough to get someone like a judge in… If you want to wait and force the issue, you may, but I don’t believe it would change the facts of this case in any way. Let’s adjourn for a thirty-minute recess, then each party will have a fifteen-minute closing argument.”

He gaveled the court into recess, and I gratefully took the opportunity to start walking out.

“Where are you going?” Addy asked me, grabbing my hand.

“The bathroom?”

“By yourself?”

“I…” I started to argue. “Yes?”

“You’re still my baby girl Cammie, I’ll let you use the potty again, but you’re going with me.”

I turned to Kendra, who shrugged, “I would have said not to go alone, too, after everything that’s happened today, Cameron. Make sure he’s right back here after the potty break.”

Addy smiled at me, “Come on.”

She led me by the hand to the bathrooms, and any hope of using the men’s room was squashed as she took me into the women’s and one of the larger accessible stalls. “Hand me your coat…” she told me.

I groaned but didn’t want the contents of the diaper bag that was on her shoulder to end up on me instead. After handing it to her, she let me unbutton my pants, and I hopped onto the large toilet to do my business. Going number one and number two, she was ready with toilet paper that she insisted on wiping me with before helping me with my coat and holding me to wash my hands.

One woman entered and hissed, “What is a man doing in the women’s room?”

“I brought my baby in here; I didn’t want him possibly kidnapped or harmed…”

The woman seemed incredulous but took a stall and closed the door. I was glad to return my bright red face to the hallway! I didn’t speak with her returning to the room, other than to look up and ask, “Are you okay?”

She sat down in a seat and pulled me into the chair next to her. Addy shook her head, “No, I’m decidedly not okay… My mom is a monster in every way she can be. Seeing her arrested should make me feel better… knowing that Doctor Westerfield saved my sister and me from being shrunken earlier should make me feel better. Honestly, I think this hearing is going well for you – and that should make me feel better too, but at the heart of the past few weeks is my heart being ripped back open…”

I looked at her and said, “I’m sorry…”

“None of this is your fault, no need to apologize. Now why don’t you get back up there with Kendra before the judge returns, and let’s figure out what will happen…”

I squeezed her in a hug and walked back up to the front. Kendra leaned down, “You okay?”

I nodded, “This whole thing has reopened wounds for both of us… Worst of all, that was the most embarrassing bathroom trip ever. You could have helped me out, you know!”

She smirked, “I’m hoping this gets taken care of – might as well have given her a little more time there.”

The judge was soon back, and I was listening to the opposing arguments.

“In conclusion, a reminder that today isn’t about the circus theatrics we’ve seen today. Today is about procedures and if the right steps were taken to declare Mr. Sylvester in contempt of court and a case of Maturosis. Even without the testimony of our witnesses, the video, and information on the many diapers she’s been through, the initial outburst deserved this change in status for Cammie Harris.”

I glared at the jackass as he walked back with a cocky smile.

David stood up to deliver the closing arguments like he usually did. “Your Honor, Mr. Johnson is correct that this case concerns procedures, process, and law. I agree with that one hundred percent, but his conclusions are flawed and highly colored by his own opinions. The judicial part of our government does rightfully wield significant powers to dispense justice. In Ames, yes, it is legal for a judge to declare someone under eight feet tall unable to care for themselves. But there should be due process. A hearing? Interviews with psychologists? Testimony from those around them? Surely there should be some of this per case law as testified by Professor Marshall.”

“The ultimate problem, though, is that the process, not even followed, was tainted by blackmail and intimidation. We’ve shown that Judge Taney was not adequately distanced from the case. She should have, at the least, recused herself. With our evidence, though, we’ve shown it was more than that – and I suspect if we could examine Judge Taney, I would not be surprised to discover she has her own nanite bomb programmed and ready to blow for Mrs. Harris to control her.”

“Your Honor, Cameron Sylvester is one of the most noble-hearted men I have ever known. He stands the likelihood of possibly even being on a bench himself someday! There is no doubt in my mind that he is more than mature enough to live on his own and continue to contribute to society as an amazing attorney. We implore the court to right this injustice today. Thank you, Your Honor.”

I gave David a small smile of thanks and felt my stomach twist and turn as Judge O’Connor sat there silently, moving a few documents around.

“I want to thank both counsels for well-presented arguments and testimony. I would have preferred not to ever have the theatrics we had today in my courtroom, but that is neither here nor there, as they say. I have sat on the bench now for thirty years. During my fourteen years on this bench, I have held a tradition that I will consider both sides for a period of time before rendering my verdict. A rush to judgment due to passion’s sake will not benefit the law and society. To that end, I will issue my ruling within the next seven to ten days through my office. During that time, I am remanding Mr. Sylvester to the care of Miss Harris.”

I wanted to cry then. Freedom had felt so close!!!!

“During that time, Miss Harris is not to have ANY contact with her mother, mother’s attorneys, or agents. She may go to work if absolutely needed, but during that time, no contact shall happen with your mother, Miss Harris. Mr. Sylvester is not to be modified physically in any way! You may still dress him according to your wishes as a mother, but he should be allowed unlimited contact with his attorneys and they with him. I implore you to be kind, Miss Harris, and not make me regret my decision.”

“Yes, Your Honor,” she said to him.

“Very well, this court is adjourned!”
 
 

Thanks for reading! Please leave a comment if you did so and press the Kudos button! I should be posting a few times a week until this is fully posted here on BC. The full novel is complete (65 chapters plus Epilogue) and published on Amazon if you wish to be impatient though!

All of my published works have AI read audiobooks available for them. I’ve spent some time tweaking pronunciations, and they’re pretty good when you can’t afford thousands to pay for audiobook creation! They’re a $1.99 addon to the $5.99 price on Kindle. If you’ve already purchase the book it should come up as only $1.99. They’re also available on Audible directly, but that’s $9.99 versus the cheaper price! https://www.amazon.com/author/babysofia