Chapter 4: Negotiations 2
Summary:
San Diego, California
"I'm here, I'm here, son." It's nice to be able to say it, say it to Jake, "I'm sorry."
"There's nothing to apologize for. I robbed you of the opportunity to make eleven calls like this. I'm the one who owes you. I promise it won't happen again. Okay?"
Tom smiles, excited by the promise but unable to tame his strategist side.
"Don't promise things you can't control. You'll be a dad in less than a month, and your time will no longer be yours."
Jake giggles.
"I notice you are very excited about the prospect of becoming a grandfather, Admiral Kazansky."
Salt Lake City, Utah
"Mr. Lennox called us today at eight," Elul reports, sounding disgruntled. "After a nearly fifteen-minute tirade, in which he told us, in much more detail than we've told you, about his experience last night, he asked when we could close the deal."
"Close the deal? You mean the adoption?"
"Yes." It's clear the lawyers also understand the inhumanity of the term, but they prefer to focus on the benefits for their clients. "He said he'd sign anything you wanted on one condition: that Dunia never return to Utah."
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Part 6 of: The Lies We Told Each Other
Fandoms: Top Gun (Movies), Thunderheart (1992), Suits (US TV 2011)
Relationships: Brigham "Harvard" Lennox/Jake "Hangman" Seresin, Sarah Kazansky/Tom "Iceman" Kazansky/Pete "Maverick" Mitchell, Rick "Hollywood" Neven/Leonard "Wolfman" Wolfe
Characters: Brigham "Harvard" Lennox, Jake "Hangman" Seresin, Sarah Kazansky, Tom "Iceman" Kazansky, Pete "Maverick" Mitchell, Leonard "Wolfman" Wolfe, Rick "Hollywood" Neven, Ray Levoi, Harvey Specter, Mike Ross, Original Adult Character(s), Original Child Character(s)
Additional Tags: Implied/Referenced Child Abuse, Implied/Referenced Homophobia, Trans Male Character, Asexual Character, Transphobia, Polyamory, Phone Sex, Adoption
INDEX: https://palabraspulsares.blogspot.com/p/i-have-right-to-this-lies-we-told-each.html
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Wednesday, April 1, 2020
San Diego, California
As usual, he wakes up at 5:30 but longs for Brig's warmth at his side. The message on his phone comforts him: "Documents sent," it says, next to a photo of two legal folders. Jake knows they are the adoption files for the authorities in Utah and California. Although the documentation was submitted digitally, printing is always recommended, and why not say it? It gives a certain sense of accomplishment.
He sighs and steps into the shower with a dreamy smile.
They're not done, of course. Brig's brother—the bastard—prepared the guardianship papers. They need to agree to sign his private adoption counteroffer in front of the adoption agency representative. Then, the document will be filed in Salt Lake City District Court. The good news is that adoptions between family members have their own track. Jake surmises this is because Utah doesn't have a consent revocation period after relinquishing parental rights. Once you sign, there's no going back. So, the court is cautious about stopping those kinds of family arrangements because it means putting more children into state care.
The California documents are another story. The Lennox must also sign the AD 924 Independent Adoption Placement Agreement. That document lists only Brig as the adopter (they don't want Christian to get cold feet). For the Lennox family, their third brother is a career-focused bachelor. The AD 924 doesn't become irrevocable until thirty days after registration. During that time, they'll have to go through the mandatory California state investigation conducted by the San Diego County Adoption Agency. After completing those reviews, they can sign and file the ADOPT-200, listing Jake as Dunia's second father. Only then will she be irrevocably his daughter. Brig told him he'd even prefer the child take the last name Mitchell.
Last night, when Brig explained that they would conduct a home inspection and interview all the adult residents, Jake felt a little apprehensive. The house is big. Yes, it certainly meets the requirements of the California Family Code. But how will they interview his dad and Sean?
But that was last night.
He woke up to an encouraging message from his boyfriend. He can see the sky through the window while getting dressed in his fatigues: the sky is clear and cloudless. Perfect for flying.
Today is his birthday. It will be a great day, he promises himself, walking down the stairs a few minutes before six in the morning.
In the kitchen, Iná and his father prepare breakfast while gazing at each other fondly. So absorbed in their conversation that they don't even notice his arrival. Jake resists the urge to throw some sarcasm at them. After all, what he sees is unusual and beautiful: his parents are lucky to have found each other and stayed together for thirty years.
"Good morning," they turn to look surprised, then smile at him.
"Happy birthday, čhiŋkší!" Iná goes over to hug him, holds him tight, rests her cheek against his chest, and lets out a sob.
Why…?
Oh, right. It's his first birthday back home since 2008. While it's expected in the life of a military family to miss important dates, this is different. Jake left, leaving them with a date they couldn't ignore—because Sam is his near-twin—but they couldn't fully celebrate either.
A little fearfully, he reaches up and gently strokes Sarah's back. He feels her exhale and relax beneath his touch.
"It’s okay, Ina. I won't be leaving anymore. You can celebrate all my remaining birthdays. Okay?"
He looks at his father and sees him leaning on the kitchen counter, his expression rapt but also somewhat uncertain, as if afraid of breaking the spell. Jake extends his other arm, and Maverick goes to him without hesitation.
They stay like that, hugging each other, until the landline phone rings on the kitchen wall.
With effort, Pete pulls himself away from his son and looks at him, smiling.
"It's your dad," he says, giving him a little push toward the device.
He then takes Sarah by the hand, and the two go back to prepare breakfast.
Jake lifts the phone, heart pounding.
"Hello?"
The answer isn't a word but a moan that's almost a sob. Jake doesn't say anything. He understands he must give his dad the time he needs. If his dad woke up at three in the morning to talk to him before he leaves for the base, the least he can do is be patient.
"Happy birthday, son," he finally says in a moved but firm voice.
"Thanks, Dad. It's nice to hear you."
At 2,600 miles, Tomas Kazansky inhales and exhales slowly. He tries desperately to control his throat so he can speak and not sob, but so much is crammed into his chest. There is nothing controlled or calculated about the convulsive way he clutches the pillow to his chest, and the tears stream down his cheeks.
His baby, his Jacob, finally calls him dad.
"Dad?" his son asks eventually. He must have spent a ridiculous amount of time just crying on the phone.
"I'm here, I'm here, son." It's nice to be able to say it, say it to Jake, "I'm sorry."
"There's nothing to apologize for. I robbed you of the opportunity to make eleven calls like this. I'm the one who owes you. I promise it won't happen again. Okay?"
Tom smiles, excited by the promise but unable to tame his strategist side.
"Don't promise things you can't control. You'll be a dad in less than a month, and your time will no longer be yours."
Jake giggles.
"I notice you are very excited about the prospect of becoming a grandfather, Admiral Kazansky."
"What can I say? We're supposed to give you presents for your birthday, Jake, but instead, you and Brig are giving us a granddaughter. Yeah, of course I'm excited."
"Well, I owe all three of you eleven birthday presents, I have to catch up."
Tom nods, pleased by his son's playful tone. He noticed Sam's jealousy at dinner on Monday. His daughter was the first to forgive Jake, and she's tried to smooth things between him and Sean, but the novelty of having him back has worn off. At least he can see the twin tension that marked their teenage relationship rekindling. He doesn't want Jake to even imagine that his offspring are less valuable to the family than Sam's.
He looks at his watch and realizes he has to say goodbye.
"Speaking of the day, yours is already beginning. Put your father on and go have breakfast, come on."
"Okay."
"Happy birthday, dear Jacob."
"Jacob Mitchell-Kazansky," he immediately corrects him, his voice smiling, "and proud of it. See you soon." His voice then becomes distant. "Mavdad! Dad wants to talk to you."
Jake hands the phone to Maverick and goes to the other side of the kitchen, where Iná has already prepared the sandwiches and coffee thermoses. He lets himself be hugged again.
"If you're going to the Hard Deck with the squad to celebrate, let me know, okay?" she asks.
"Don't you want me to come early? I thought you were going to make a special dinner?"
Sarah smacks her lips and shakes her head.
"Your sister called yesterday afternoon to tell me she wants to spend her birthday with Elia. I know it's more than dinner and walking hand in hand, but I'd rather not think about my offspring's sex life. Besides, we have much to do before Brig arrives with our granddaughter." Her voice turns dreamy. "This afternoon, the movers will come to empty Carole's room. Your parents and I decided we're going to donate everything. Tomorrow, they'll move your things into that room and put all of Bradley's things in your old room. Your daughter will have a room with windows on two walls, which means she gets sun year-round, and a bathroom that she nominally shares but in practice will be hers alone. If the person from Social Services asks, we can explain that it's Sam's room, but she spends much more time in her apartment than she has here for a while now. I think we should leave Bradley's furniture until your daughter arrives and decides. It's solid and color-neutral. We'll be painting between Friday and Saturday, so you must come straight from the base tomorrow to discuss colors. Can we get Brig on the phone for that?"
Jake nods, a little overwhelmed. What else can he do?
"Perfect," smiles iná with satisfaction.
"And now I'm coming to your rescue," Maverick interrupts, jingling the car keys with one hand and grabbing the coffee thermos with the other. "Come on, it's almost 6:40. Grab the sandwiches, son."
Salt Lake City, Utah
Brig arrives at the Martin & Shines conference room with his heart in his mouth. Yesterday afternoon, they said goodbye to the Black Lane Law legal team, who flew back to Los Angeles and will be in touch by phone to coordinate everything related to the verifications in California. Today's appointment was for 1:00 p.m. Specter explained that this would give Christian time to talk to his wife and accept the counteroffer.
But today, they called them at eight-thirty. Ethan Silver asked them to come as quickly as possible.
They find only five people in the conference room: Ethan Silver, Dov Elul, Harvey Specter, Mike Ross, and paralegal Tyler Callosum. Tyler and Mike wear uncomfortable expressions, and the atmosphere feels tense. Brig looks around, uneasy.
"Where's attorney Gray?" The petite woman has soft, calm eyes that exude confidence.
"Sam is in court," Silver informs, "please sit down."
Brig and Leonard look at each other, somewhat uneasy, but obey. Elul clears his throat before beginning to speak.
"Yesterday afternoon, something happened with Dunia, and the police had to intervene."
"Did that bastard…?"
"Please, Mr. Lennox, calm down. Your brother wasn't responsible, at least not directly. Dunia didn't come home yesterday after school, so after contacting all the family and acquaintances they could think of, they did the right thing and called the police."
Brig barely restrains the urge to bang his head against the table. His father, no longer bound by the high standards of the United States Navy, swears and throws a punch that rattles the coffee cups.
"Did they find her?" he asks through gritted teeth.
"Yes." The brief word makes him release the breath he wasn't aware he was holding. "Through the school's security cameras, they discovered she had left in another boy's car. They went to the house. Dunia had lied about being allowed to play there. It wasn't really anything out of the ordinary; kids lie all the time to get their way. Partly because they're stubborn, partly because they don't fully understand the consequences of their actions."
"Yes, yes, of course. I'm sure I too..." he looks at his father. "Did I run away too, once?"
"Yes," Leonard confirms with an amused voice, "but to the hangar. We had to tie you down to keep you away from the planes."
Brig smiles, slightly embarrassed, and looks back at his legal team. He realizes something.
"And how did you find out about that?"
"Mr. Lennox called us today at eight," Elul reports, sounding disgruntled. "After a nearly fifteen-minute tirade, in which he told us, in much more detail than we've told you, about his experience last night, he asked when we could close the deal."
"Close the deal? You mean the adoption?"
"Yes." It's clear the lawyers also understand the inhumanity of the term, but they prefer to focus on the benefits for their clients. "He said he'd sign anything you wanted on one condition: that Dunia never return to Utah."
"He can't ask that! She has brothers and sisters who..."
"Technically," Specter interrupts, "after you adopt her, they will no longer be her brothers and sisters."
"They'll be her cousins. Dunia has the right to decide for herself whether..."
"It may be the best thing for all parties involved."
Brig looks at Mike Ross in surprise. It's the first time he's spoken out loud. Until now, he's only taken notes or whispered in Specter's ear.
"What does that mean?"
"You told us that the reason the Lennox wanted to give Dunia away was Social Services scrutiny, so we investigated."
Specter lets out a mocking chuckle.
"You did."
"I took Tyler, didn't I? It's plural," Ross argues, sounding like a spoiled brat. He becomes serious again when he addresses Leonard and Brig. "The reason Dunia's first-grade teacher felt she should inform the school social worker, and she in turn called Social Services, is that Dunia has ideas that are, shall we say, too dark for a first-grader. Tyler?"
The paralegal nervously clutches his legal-sized notepad.
"Mr. Ross…" There's something plaintive in his voice, almost pleading.
"Callosum, we already had this conversation!" Elul scolds him. "Our priority is our clients. We must give them all the information and support them in their decisions. Withholding key information about a case only works on TV. In real life, it will kill your legal career before it even begins." He makes an imperious gesture with his hand. "Now!"
The giant lets out a defeated sigh, pulls a manila envelope from between the pages of his notebook, and pushes it with his fingertip toward the clients.
Leonard reaches out and pulls the envelope toward him, heart pounding. What could possibly be in there to frighten young Tyler? Carefully, he opens the envelope and takes out nearly a dozen drawings, which he spreads out on the table between him and Brig. Most are drawn in crayons or pencils. The hand is clumsy, and nothing resembles professional technical mastery of fine art. They're the usual scribbles of a seven-year-old. Except… yes, there's a significant amount of blood, knives, scissors, and crosses.
"Is this…?" Brig asks in a hoarse voice.
"Yes, that's what Dunia produces when she has to draw herself or her family," Ross confirms. "They started in October, so the teacher thought it was a Halloween thing. But they continued into November and December. Increasingly detailed. She waited a week in January to see if the Christmas spirit had diverted her attention. When nothing had changed, she filed a report with the school social worker, and that triggered a whole protocol for mental health care and child violence and suicide prevention."
"Does anyone know why? Have they asked Dunia?"
"Those files are confidential, Mr. Lennox," Ross denies. "We got this with a little charm and a little bending around legal loopholes, but the answers you want are protected by doctor-patient privilege. Besides, her biological parents only allowed one visit with a child psychologist on March 19. Whatever happened to Dunia there, it wasn't of their liking. So they canceled all future appointments and called Mr. Wolfe."
Brig stares at the ceiling, frustrated. His fingers itch to call Jake, but he knows he can't pass the weight of this decision on to his partner. She's his niece, his blood, his cross. He breathes in and out slowly, trying to calm himself. A calloused hand rests on his, and he knows Leonard will support him no matter what he does. Ah! The 86 Squadron is made up of real men. He can't be less, can he? He might not even know how. He returns his eyes to his legal team.
"When should Christian and Mr. Muldford be here?"
Tyler doesn't raise his fist in victory, but it's a close call. Only Silver's harsh, reproving glare prevents him from doing so.
"At ten in the morning," Elul replies.
Brig looks at his watch.
"Fifteen minutes left. Constanza should be here to sign, too, right?"
"Yes, sir," the lawyer confirms.
He turns to his father.
"I need fresh air." They stand up and walk hurriedly toward the exit. "Do you think we can drive to Moapa Valley at dawn tomorrow?"
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INDEX: https://palabraspulsares.blogspot.com/p/i-have-right-to-this-lies-we-told-each.html
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