May we speak with counsel present?
It was the first respectful question he had asked me in years.
We met two days later at Simone’s office.
Nathaniel arrived without an entourage, wearing a plain gray sweater instead of a suit.
His attorney, Owen Brooks, carried a legal pad and watched silently while I opened the folder.I showed them the dated ultrasound report, records of prenatal care, certified mailing receipt, delivery confirmation, and the formal letter denying notice of the pregnancy.
Nathaniel held the ultrasound longer than any of the other papers.
He read my name and the date.
His thumb remained beside the line documenting three viable heartbeats.
“I didn’t write this response,” he said when Simone showed him the letter from family counsel.
“It was signed by your attorney,” I answered.
“He was my father’s attorney.”
Nathaniel looked toward Owen.“I need the full correspondence file from that office.”
