Chapter 3 - The Subpoena
Lily’s surgery was a success, but the recovery was going to be a long, grueling nightmare. She was discharged three days later with a heavy cast, a pair of pediatric crutches, and a lingering terror that broke my heart every time she flinched at loud noises.
True to their word, my parents didn't back down. Two weeks after the barbecue, a process server knocked on the door of my townhouse and handed me a thick manila envelope.
I opened it on my kitchen counter. It was a formal petition to the family court. My parents were suing me for "Grandparents' Visitation Rights," claiming that I was maliciously withholding Lily from her "loving family," and asserting that my "dramatic and unstable" behavior proved I was an unfit mother. They were demanding unsupervised weekend visitation.
They thought the legal threat would force me into submission. They thought I would drop my cooperation with the district attorney's criminal case against Carla in exchange for them dropping the family court petition.
They thought wrong.
The next morning, I walked into the downtown offices of Marcus Thorne, a ruthless family law and personal injury attorney who had a reputation for leaving scorched earth in his wake.
I slid the grandparents' rights petition across his polished mahogany desk, followed by the X-rays, the police report, and the photo of Carla holding the skewer.
Marcus adjusted his glasses, reading the petition. Then he let out a low, dark chuckle. "Your parents are either incredibly arrogant or incredibly stupid. In this state, grandparents' rights are notoriously difficult to win even under perfect circumstances. Petitioning for unsupervised access to a child who was brutally assaulted on their property, by their other daughter, while they attempted to obstruct paramedics?"
"They think they have all the money and power," I said, my voice steady. "They think they can bleed me dry in court."
"Naomi," Marcus said, leaning forward and folding his hands. "We aren't just going to get this petition thrown out. We are going to counter-sue. The assault happened on their property. They are the homeowners. They failed to protect a minor, and they actively hindered emergency medical care. I want to hit their homeowner's insurance for maximum liability. I want to subpoena every text message, every bank record, and every guest who was at that barbecue."
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"There was a guest," I remembered suddenly, my pulse quickening. "Carla’s friend. Megan. When it happened, Megan was recording something on her phone. I saw the red dot glowing."
Marcus smiled—a sharp, predatory grin. "Give me her last name. We’ll have a subpoena on her device by Tuesday."
