Michelle: She’s currently demolishing a stack of board books. Though I’m pretty sure it’s just a distraction to try and steal Liam’s coffee.
Nora and I both laugh. Normal baby things while her entire future hangs in the balance.
We arrive at the courthouse at eight-fifty, both of us looking like we've been through hell. Nora's in another professional dress, her hair pulled back tightly, trying to look like the responsible caregiver she is instead of the terrified woman I held all night.
I squeeze her hand as we go through security. "You're going to be amazing today."
"What if I'm not? What if I say the wrong thing and?—"
"You won't. Just tell the truth. That's all you have to do."
Ms. Chen meets us in the hallway, looking as sharp as yesterday. "Today's the heavy hitters. Expert witnesses this morning, then Nora this afternoon. Closing arguments after that. Judge Morrison said she'll have a decision within a week."
"A week?" I feel sick. "We have to wait a week?"
"As I said before, it could be straight away, or it could be days."
A week of not knowing. A week of this crushing uncertainty.
We take our seats as Judge Morrison enters, and the second day of trial begins.
First up is Dr. Sarah Wilson, a child psychologist with credentials that take five minutes to read into the record. She's reviewed our case file, examined the evidence, and formed professional opinions about Harper's attachment and development.
Ms. Chen, our lawyer, questions her first.
"Dr. Wilson, based on your review of this case, what would you say about Harper's current attachment to Mr. West and Ms. Collins?"
"Harper has formed a secure primary attachment to both caregivers over the past several months. Mr. West is her father and primary caregiver, and Ms. Collins is a consistent secondary attachment figure. This is developmentally appropriate and healthy."
"What would happen if that attachment were disrupted? If Harper were removed from their care?"
Dr. Wilson’s face grows serious. "At nine months old, Harper is in a critical period for attachment formation. Disrupting her primary attachments now would be significantly traumatic. We'd expect to see regression in development, feeding and sleep difficulties, increased anxiety, and potential long-term attachment issues."
"Even if she were placed with her biological mother?"
"Especially then. Harper has no attachment to Ms. Torres. She doesn't know her. Removing Harper from the only caregivers she's known and placing her with a stranger, even a biological stranger, would be profoundly destabilizing."
Jessica's lawyer cross-examines, trying to poke holes in the testimony, but Dr. Wilson is unshakeable. She's seen the evidence and reviewed the documentation, and her professional opinion is clear—Harper should stay with us.
Next is an expert on childhood abandonment and trauma. Her testimony is similar but focuses more on the impact of Jessica's initial abandonment and the importance of stability now.
"The first eight weeks of Harper's life were likely chaotic and unstable, given what we know about Ms. Torres's circumstances," she testifies. "But from the moment Harper entered Mr. West's care, her life stabilized. Routine, consistency, love—all the things an infant needs. Disrupting that now would compound the original trauma of abandonment."
By noon, when we break for lunch, I feel slightly more hopeful. The experts were unequivocal—Harper belongs with us.
But Jessica's lawyer looks unconcerned, which terrifies me.
At one-forty-seven in the afternoon, Nora is called to the stand.
I watch her walk up there, her spine straight, her head high, and I've never been prouder of anyone in my life. She's sworn in, states her name and address, and then Ms. Chen begins.
"Ms. Collins, how did you come to work for Mr. West?"
"I was hired through a nanny agency the day after Harper arrived. Emma Mitchell called looking for immediate help. I started the next morning."
"And what was Harper's condition when you first saw her?"
"She was scared, crying a lot, and not feeding well. Tyler was terrified but was trying his best. Neither of them knew what they were doing, but Tyler was completely committed to figuring it out."