The Redhead

"I assume Mr. and Mrs. Murphy is the couple who has been raising my client's child?"

"That's correct, Mr. Asher; also, Mr. Temple has also authorized me to increase the settlement amount to two hundred thousand dollars."

"I'm sure Mr. Temple has authorized you to go much higher than that. When he gets to a million, let me know."

"A million dollars? That's preposterous, Mr. Asher, and you know it. Okay, look, the absolute max the hospital will settle for is three hundred and fifty thousand."

"Then you'd better go back to the well, Mr. Crowl, because that's not going to cut it. It's very possible that my client has lost her husband over this. She may come out of this having to care for her son as a single parent, but whether she reconciles with her spouse or not, the mental stress and psychological damage from all of this will affect her for years, possibly the rest of her life.

"You go back to Mr. Temple and the board and you tell them my client will not settle for a penny less than seven hundred and fifty thousand dollars. Please don't insult her again by offering less or we'll be right back to filing a lawsuit."

"I'll see what I can do, Mr. Asher."

"Don't see what you can do, Mr. Crowl, get it done. Seven-fifty is the bottom line. I have papers on my desk to file if you come back with another counteroffer."

"I understand," growled Crowl.

"In the meantime, Mr. Crowl, we need to schedule the exchange. It can be done at the hospital, but once again, in person with the other couple. If they don't show, my client will return home carrying the baby she walked in with. I am also soliciting for a court-appointed witness to the exchange. It's not that I don't trust you, Mr. Crowl but I don't trust you."

"It's not necessary, Mr. Asher, but if you insist, I have no objections."

Over the next few days, all parties involved went back and forth on the phone, setting up the time, place, and conditions of the exchange. This time, Linda didn't hesitate to get Spencer involved. She was going to need all the support she could get, and as hurt as she was, she still considered him to be her rock in crisis situations.

The exchange wasn't to take place until that Saturday morning at 10, but Spencer knew Linda would be in turmoil all morning and wanted to help all he could. He drove up to the house at seven. When she didn't answer his knock, he used his key for the first time since walking out weeks earlier.

He checked the kitchen, but there was no sign that she'd been in there yet. He started coffee before checking the bedroom. Spencer was not immune to the emotional situation. He tried to stay strong for the sake of his wife, but what he saw almost broke his heart.

Linda was in bed, curled up in a fetal position with Terry cuddled in her arms. Her red, swollen eyes were bloodshot from crying and her lovely face was streaked with tracks of tears. Her eyes were open, but she didn't even acknowledge his presence. She was focused on the infant as she quietly talked to him. "I don't know why this had to happen to us or what will happen after today, but I want you to know I will always love you as my son, honey. You will always be a part of me."

Spence tried to hold his tears back but had to wipe his eyes before speaking. "Honey..."

She looked up with surprise. "Is it time already?"

"No, hon, I came early to see if I could help this morning. I've got coffee brewing when you're ready."

"All right, give me a minute."

He turned and walked back to the kitchen, poured himself a cup of java, and sat down at the breakfast table. He didn't think it would be so hard; after all, they'd been deprived of their own son all this time. They both deserved to be raising their own flesh and blood, but in less than three hours they would hand over the only son they ever knew with no guarantee of ever seeing him again.

Spencer could feel the anxiety building in his chest. He took a couple of deep breaths. He couldn't show weakness, not at a time like this. If he felt that way, he couldn't even imagine how his wife felt. Above all, he needed to stay strong for her.

A few minutes later, Linda staggered in and poured herself a cup of coffee. Spencer thought he'd seen her at her worst when she got deathly ill a couple of years earlier, but he almost didn't recognize the person in front of him. She sat down and just stared into the corner as she took her first sip.

"I stopped off at Denny's on the way over, but how about if I make you breakfast?"

"Thanks, but I don't think I could keep anything down," she replied while slowly shaking her head.

Linda appeared to be almost catatonic as they sat in silence for several more minutes. Spencer was getting worried. He'd never seen her like that before.

"Are you going to be all right, honey? Tell me what I can do to make this easier for you. I... I can take him by myself if you'd rather say goodbye here at the house. Would that be better?"

Her head snapped up in response. "NO!" she declared emphatically. "No, I appreciate the thought, Spencer. I know you're only trying to help, but I've got to see this through. Some way, I have to make Terry understand as I hand him over to them. I have to make him understand that I still love him," she said as new tears flooded her eyes.

The man inside Spencer told him he had to do something. Someway he had to "fix" this. From the dawn of time, it has been the man's job to protect his woman. It's in a man's DNA, part of the "Y" chromosome; unfortunately, in this case, the only thing he could do was be there for her.

It was Linda who carried the infant to the car, hugging and kissing him all the way. It was she who put little Terry in his car seat and securely strapped him in. It was a twenty-minute car ride to the hospital, but it went all too quickly for Linda. As Spencer pulled into a parking space, Linda stared at the entrance's glass doors. "I... I don't know if I can go through with this," Linda mumbled almost incoherently.

"Linda, you know this is the right thing to do. There is another couple inside there who are just as scared, just as upset as we are, but just like us, they need to raise their own son, their own flesh and blood."

She took a deep breath. "Don't leave my side, honey, please—don't leave my side."

It was the first time since he apologized that she'd referred to him using a term of endearment. Spencer could only hope that it was a good sign and not just the stress of the moment talking. "I'm right here, hon," he replied. "I'm not going anywhere."

It was a short walk. Linda carried little Terry in her arms as Spencer walked beside her with one arm around her waist and the other steadying her elbow. The whoosh of the electric doors sounded more like a death knell to Linda as she crossed the threshold. Spencer felt her legs wobble and tightened his grip.

A small greeting party waited inside. Wyatt Asher was there, with a young woman he introduced as an assistant to Judge Andrew Keen of the third circuit court, and explained that she would act as a legal witness. She gave the couple a warm smile as she shook their hands and gave the baby a loving stroke of his red hair. In addition, there were two representatives from the hospital. The men introduced themselves before showing everyone back to a meeting room. They hesitated briefly at the closed door.

Again, Spencer felt his wife's body start to give out. "You okay?" he asked. Linda put her hand on the back of Terry's head and pulled him gently to her shoulder to protect him and nodded yes.

As the door opened, neither Linda nor Spencer even noticed George Crowl or the other two board members from the hospital. Their eyes were fixed on the other couple, somewhat older than themselves, looking back at them with terrified expressions. The other woman held a brown-haired infant protectively in her arms while he played with a stuffed toy. Not a word was spoken while the two women came to terms with what was about to happen. No one present had ever experienced the kind of emotional overload that filled the room. Even Crowl felt his eyes cloud over.

Mr. Temple was the first person to speak. After the introductions, he went into a prepared speech apologizing on behalf of the hospital and assuring everyone that steps had been taken to make certain it would never happen again.

The two couples, each still holding the other's infant, were seated on opposite sides of the room. With all the back and forth between the two parties over the hows, whens, and wheres of the meeting, no one had thought out the actual exchange. Everyone stared at each other, even Wyatt wasn't sure what to do next.

It was Linda who took the reins. With a deep breath, she stood with Terry in her arms and started to walk across the room. Spencer jumped up to walk beside her. At that point, the other couple also rose from their seats and started forward. They met in the middle of the room. Linda hoisted little Terry in her arms so she could look into his innocent face. With tears in her eyes and a forced smile on her lips, she spoke to the child one last time before handing him over."I love you, little man," she whispered. "I love you so much... but you don't belong with me, honey; you belong with this nice couple here. They are your real mom and dad, and they love you, too."

Also with tears in her eyes, Mrs. Murphy looked at the infant she carried. "Remember the nice couple I told you about?" she asked the baby. "Well, here they are. They're going to take good care of you and love you as much as we do."

As young as they were, the two mothers were convinced both Terry and Liam understood, if not at that moment, sometime in the future. Since both women had their arms full, Mrs. Murphy turned to Spencer. "He's a wonderful child," she told him. "I know you'll show him all the love in your heart," she whimpered as she handed the infant to him.

Linda closed her eyes and took a deep breath. It was the moment of truth, the moment she'd been dreading ever since learning of the switch. It took every ounce of courage in her body but slowly she handed the baby to the woman standing in front of her. Mrs. Murphy raised the child in an embrace. Linda was about to take her rightful son from Spencer and do the same when Mrs. Murphy addressed her.

"Mrs. Anderson, before you take your son, could I give you a hug?"

"Absolutely," Linda answered.

Mrs. Murphy handed her son to Mr. Murphy and wrapped Linda in a bear hug. The two ladies embraced with tears flowing freely. "Thank you for changing your mind," sobbed Mrs. Murphy, "thank you so much."

Confused, Linda asked as they separated, "Changed my mind," she questioned, "about what?"

"They said you didn't want to meet us," she replied. "I was so disappointed. I had to meet the couple that would be taking care of my baby, I had to. A few days ago, Mr. Crowl said you changed your mind."

Wyatt became enraged at hearing the woman's statement. "They lied to you, Mrs. Murphy, they told us the same thing about you... that you were the ones who didn't want to meet."

Both couples looked at Crowl with disdain. "I was only acting in the best interest of my client," he told them. This was exactly why he didn't want them to meet. He hoped both parties abided by the non-disclosure agreements they signed. Legally, the Murphy's couldn't do anything, but it wouldn't do the hospital any good if people found out they paid the Murphy's only a hundred grand while having to pay the Andersons three-quarters of a million.

Before taking her new son in her arms, Linda took another look at the baby she just gave up and almost collapsed with relief. There, safely nestled in his father's arms, the former little Terry was staring at his dad's red hair with a big smile stretched across his face. It was as if the baby was saying, "This is my daddy."

"He knows," she wept, "he knows he's home. He's going to be all right," she cried. Tears streaked her cheeks as she turned and took her son from her husband. She hugged him in her arms.

As much as Spencer tried to stay strong, he couldn't prevent his own tears from overflowing. He threw his arms around both mother and child and wept like a baby.

Wyatt, wiping his own misty eyes, spoke to the other observers. "Why don't we give them the room for a little while, gentlemen."

"Take as much time as you need," CEO Temple told the two couples before escorting the rest out to the hall and closing the door behind him.

It took a few minutes for everyone to calm down. Spencer picked up their two chairs and brought them over so they could all sit together and talk. At first, they told each other a few anecdotes concerning the babies. They all actually laughed together at a couple of the amusing stories. Spencer was dying to ask his counterpart if he had any suspicions of his wife's fidelity but it was too risky a question... maybe someday.

They discovered they only lived about half an hour from each other and discussed getting together from time to time. Mrs. Murphy told Linda they had all of her baby's toys in the car for them to take home.

"Oh, my gosh," she replied with her hand over her mouth, "I... I was so upset I never even thought of his toys."

Spencer jumped in. "Listen, if you guys have the time, why don't you follow us home, maybe stay for lunch. I'm not sure what we have, but I'm sure we can whip up something. We'll load up your car with Terry's... I'm sorry," he apologized, "with Liam's toys before you leave. He has a bunch of them."

"Liam, that's a nice name," Linda said.

"It means strong warrior and protector," Mr. Murphy answered. "We have two other boys, Conor and Aidan. We also have a pretty, young lady," he proudly stated, "Ryleigh. She's the only one without red hair; she takes after her mother. The boys all take after me... including this one," he said with a smile as he stroked his son's head.

"So, what do you say, do you have time?" Spencer asked.

Mr. and Mrs. Murphy looked at each other. "Yeah, we'd loved to," Mrs. Murphy answered. "By the way," she continued, "he's Patrick, Pat for short," she said, referring to her husband, "my name's Colleen."

Linda and Spencer responded by giving them their first names, as well. After a little more conversation, they all left, thanking the others who were still lingering in the hall, as they left.

Going through such an ordeal may have been the catalyst, but Linda and Spencer had never bonded with another couple so quickly. By later that afternoon, they felt as if they'd known each other for years. Both Liam and Terry sat in the crib playing with toys and seemed to be getting along like brothers. By the time Spencer and Patrick carried all of Liam's toys to the car, they all knew they had developed a friendship that would last a lifetime.

As soon as they left, Spencer called Don and Ellie who came over immediately and fawned over their real grandson as if he'd just been born. After a couple of hours, it became apparent that they had no intention of leaving right away, so Spencer ordered a pizza. After dinner, while the two men were in the living room playing with Terry, Ellie and Linda were cleaning up in the kitchen.

Ellie lowered her voice to just over a whisper. "Have you forgiven us yet—all of us?"

Linda sighed, "Look, I'm not going to disown you as my parents or anything like that. You'll always be my mom and dad, but you really hurt me when you wouldn't believe that I didn't cheat on Spencer. Have I forgiven you yet? Frankly, no, not completely, but I know I eventually will so give me some time."

"Okay, fair enough; what about Spencer?"

"He hurt me even worse than you did. Some loving husband, going out and getting a DNA test behind my back... moving out of the house... threatening me with divorce... " She had to stop, she was getting emotional again.

"Honey, he thought he had irrefutable proof that you had cheated. You're not really thinking of divorcing him, are you?"

Linda sighed again. She had asked herself that very question and thought long and hard about the answer. "No, not really, but if he wants forgiveness he's going to have to work very hard to get it."

"Have you told him that yet?"

"I'm not telling him anything. He'd better be smart enough to figure that out by himself."

Ellie and Linda joined the men and played with Terry until the little guy couldn't keep his eyes open any longer. It was after ten by the time her parents left. Spencer was putting his jacket on to leave right after them.

"Spence, can you stick around for a few more minutes? I'd like your input on something."

She hadn't called him Spence in a while. He was determined not to get his hopes up, but 'honey' earlier in the day, now 'Spence...?' "Sure, Hon, I'm in no hurry."

"I was thinking about what you said a couple weeks ago, about becoming friends with the Murphys and getting to see the boys together."

"Yeah?"

"They're going to be a year old next month. What would you think about having a birthday party in the backyard for both of them? The Murphys can invite a few of their friends and we can invite some of ours. That way, mom and dad will be able to see Liam again, as well."

"Honey, that's a great idea. I wonder if my mom and dad would be able to make it? Shit, I have to call them. With everything going on yesterday, I forgot all about it."

"How much do they know?"

"Everything, hon. I've called them several times during this whole mess. Mom said right from the start that she couldn't believe you had cheated on me. I'm not sure she ever really accepted the idea, even when I told her about the DNA test. When she found out about the switch at the hospital, she cried something terrible. She wanted to call you, but she was too embarrassed. She's barely speaking to me. Maybe I can mend some fences if they come out."

Just as Linda thought, Spencer was well aware that he'd screwed up good and knew it was going to take his very best efforts to gain her forgiveness. For the next five weeks, he stopped by the house every night after work to see if she needed anything and to play with the baby. Sometimes he'd bring flowers...Roses, her favorites. On a few occasions, he left work early so he could beat her home and start dinner.

Linda had almost forgotten what a great father he was. Spencer never even blinked when it was time to change a diaper. He played and entertained his son, fed him, rocked him in his arms when Terry got fidgety and read to him at bedtime.

How do you stay angry with someone like that, she asked herself one night after he left to go back to the trailer.

She finally gave in when one Saturday when Spencer was overdoing some lawn work. She heard part of a conversation he was having with a neighbor. She missed the first part but heard the tail end. "Stan, I don't even know the words to describe how much I love Linda. If I lose her over this, I honestly don't know what I'll do. She says I should have known her better and she's absolutely right. I... I was just so hurt at the thought of her cheating, I couldn't think straight. I wouldn't wish that kind of pain on my worst enemy. I lost all sense of reason. Thank God for her boss."

*****

The Murphys also thought the shared birthday party was a great idea. The night before, Colleen and Pat drove over with a load of food and helped decorate the backyard. By 10 am the next morning, the party was well on its way. Everyone was having a great time making new friends and both Liam and Terry were being fawned over by everyone.

Spencer was manning the grill when Pat walked up. "It's too bad they won't remember this."

"Pat, I have a feeling this is just one of many. Did you meet my folks? They flew in from Iowa."

"Yes, we did. Linda introduced Colleen and me. They seem like really nice people. Her folks seem real nice as well. I also met Linda's boss just now; he's a fellow Irishman."