Chapter 8 - Nora's First Court Order
Nathan did not meet Nora on the day she was born.
Not because I banned him forever.
Because there was no parenting order yet, a protective order existed, and I was recovering in hospital.
His attorney filed emergency request for a supervised visit.
Jasmine did not oppose a safe visit in principle.
That surprised my father.
“You’re letting him see her?”
“I’m letting court decide safe structure.”
“But after what he did—”
“He’s her father unless court says otherwise.”
Legally, Nathan was presumed father because we were married.
No paternity dispute.
The judge held short hearing remotely.
Evidence:
Protective order.
Pending criminal charge.
No allegation Nathan harmed newborn after birth.
Prenatal conduct directly involved pregnancy/baby.
Diane prohibited.
Hospital security concerns.
Temporary order:
Rachel primary physical custody.
Rachel sole temporary decision-making for medical care.
Nathan entitled to one professionally supervised hospital visit up to thirty minutes if medical team approved.
No Diane.
No photographing/posting child without Rachel consent? Family court can order privacy perhaps, but maybe not. Let's say no posting identifying information due safety/privacy by agreement.
After discharge:
Two supervised visits weekly, ninety minutes.
Professional supervisor.
No removal from facility.
No discussion litigation.
No contact with Rachel beyond parenting app.
Review in eight weeks.
Nathan attended.
I was not in room.
Maya sat with me.
Nora returned thirty-two minutes later asleep.
Supervisor’s report:
Nathan washed hands.
Cried.
Held appropriately.
Did not discuss Rachel.
Asked if baby healthy.
Commented once:
“I thought she was a boy.”
Then:
“She’s beautiful.”
No safety concern.
That hurt more than I expected.
Because a person can be dangerous to you and gentle with a baby in same week.
Complexity is cruel.
Then discharge.
Nora remained small but healthy.
Feeding every few hours.
Weight checks.
No NICU.
Growth improved.
My blood pressure normalized over six weeks.
No permanent complication linked to cargo strap.
That mattered.
I would never let story say he nearly killed us when medicine did not support it.
What he did was serious without inventing a worse outcome.
Then postpartum.
Nathan’s supervised visits continued.
He attended.
No missed sessions first month.
He changed diaper.
Fed expressed milk.
Learned to support head.
Supervisor noted he became irritated once when Nora cried for fifteen minutes.
He said:
“She does this with Rachel too?”
Supervisor:
“Babies cry.”
Nathan calmed.
No threat.
Then Diane.
No contact with Nora.
She mailed a card to Erin asking her forward.
Erin refused because order prohibited indirect contact.
Good.
Diane’s sentencing:
Thirty days county custody.
Two years probation.
Domestic-violence accountability.
No Rachel contact.
No Nora contact absent family-court order.
Community service 80 hours.
Fine.
She served twenty-four days after standard local credit? Let's say 24 of 30 due lawful credit, then probation.
No grand spectacle.
Then child support.
Temporary calculation based Nathan’s lawful salary:
Nathan earning about $118,000 from Hayes Residential.
Rachel about $101,000 from healthcare software employer after maternity leave.
Given primary custody and supervised visits, Nathan ordered:
$1,650/month child support.
65% uninsured medical expenses.
50% childcare once Rachel returned work? Formula could allocate proportionally. Let's say 55% Nathan? Actually incomes similar. 54/46. Use 55% Nathan,45 Rachel for childcare/medical.
No cash envelopes.
Then birth expenses:
Insurance covered most.
Nathan responsible proportional unreimbursed.
No punishment.
Then divorce discovery.
House:
Appraisal $548k.
Mortgage $351k.
Equity $197k.
Nathan wanted keep.
Needed refinance within six months.
His business cash flow weak.
Could not qualify alone without using share value.
I wanted sale.
Court encouraged settlement.
Joint savings:
After Diane repayment pending and current balances:
$26.1k cash + $14k repayment receivable = $40.1k.
But original 84k? $44k in company advances also value to Nathan separate business. Need account.
Family forensic accountant Laura Price traced $44k.
Nathan argued:
They were loans from him to company and therefore receivable marital asset.
Company books:
Member advances owed to Nathan.
That helped.
If company repaid, marital estate should get value.
So not simply gone.
Appraiser valued repayment likelihood 85% because company solvent but cash-tight.
Agreed value:
$37,400 of the $44,000 advance treated as marital receivable.
Remaining $6,600 risk/impairment.
The $14,000 Diane returned fully.
Thus dissipation smaller than I feared.
There were also $9,500? included in14. yes.
Then legal-fee transfer? accounted.
Nathan’s separate business appreciation:
At marriage $105k.
Now $124k.
Potential marital active appreciation $19k.
We agreed half of that, $9,500, to me as offset rather than litigate.
No seizure of his 40%.
Then house.
Nathan eventually admitted he could not refinance.
Listed.
Sale price later:
$556,000.
Mortgage and costs left net around $174,000.
We needed final split with offsets.
But before financial settlement, criminal case advanced.
Nathan rejected prosecutor’s plea offer.
He insisted:
“Rachel agreed to ritual.”
Video disproved.
His lawyer said at pretrial:
“My client believed consent existed because this was a joking family interaction.”
Then prosecutor requested permission to introduce audio where I said:
“No.”
“Stop.”
“You’re hurting me.”
Judge ruled admissible.
Obviously relevant.
Then Nathan’s lawyer changed strategy.
Not consent.
“Momentary lapse of judgment.”
That was more plausible.
May you like
But it did not explain canceling clinic beforehand.
Continue to the next chapter: Nathan proved gentle during supervised visits with newborn Nora, but that did not erase the prenatal assault—and the criminal case was now narrowing toward one devastating question: why had he helped cancel Rachel’s medically necessary appointment before the “momentary lapse” supposedly happened?
