The Promise of Stardust by Priscille Sibley Page A

sorry this happened to Elle, but—”
    I clenched both my fists. “Don’t you dare make a martyr out of her!”
    He fell silent long enough for me to think he couldn’t come up with a rebuttal. Or maybe he knew if he tried I’d kick him out. “Understood,” he said. Then he began rambling on about a Pennsylvania case. “The judge ruled in favor of guardianship, but I don’t believe it would have withstood an appeal.”
    I got up and paced the small conference room. “So this strategy, asking for guardianship, has a fifty-fifty chance? At best?”
    Jake blinked a yes. “But we can do better because, as you said, this isn’t an abortion case. You’re trying to preserve what remains of your family, your child. As a father, you have rights, or at least you will after the baby is born. This is a particularly compelling situation.”
    I leaned on the table, palms pressed down. “But my rights don’t kick in until after the baby is born unless you can get the world to change and get me guardianship?”
    â€œExactly,” he said.
    I glanced over at the copy of Elle’s shaky handwriting on the hospital admission record from our son’s stillbirth. “And what about the fact she said she didn’t have an advanced directive?”
    â€œI will definitely use that first. But you have to realize, Elle’s brother will probably testify, and the judge may be swayed by what he says.”
    â€œChristopher? How do you know what Christopher has to say about this?”
    â€œHe was on the evening news.”
    â€œHe what!” Blood pounded at my temples.
    â€œSit down.”
    I complied, dumfounded that Chris had the audacity to go to the press.
    â€œThe local news got him first, but it played on the networks tonight. Essentially, he said that his sister’s injuries were fatal, but you were keeping her on life support because you had some misguided desire to save her. He said Elle had explicitly expressed her wishes that she be allowed to die in her living will. He said that although she was the bravest person he’d ever known, she was afraid of being kept alive this way.”
    â€œShit,” I said.
    Jake grimaced. “Do yourself a favor, and watch that mouth of yours—at least in front of the cameras. The press is going to be all over this. It will be important how you present yourself.”
    â€œAnd you think that ‘golly gee whiz’ is going to ingratiate me?”
    Jake shook his head. “I believe you when you say that under these circumstances Elle would stay on life support. We’ll use everything including that there are states which prohibit the removal of life support when a woman is pregnant, but I want to you to understand I’m trying to protect you. Some people will vilify you for going against her wishes. It may look like you’re willing to let her suffer for months. The fact is you are going against the wishes she expressed in her advanced directive.”
    I gulped down the meaning of his words, which burned like swallowing lye.
    â€œYou need to look like you’re half grieving husband and the other half saint.” He pushed a folder at me. “My fee agreement. This one’s the retainer.”
    I gawked at the plethora of zeros and whistled. I had eight years’ worth of Ivy League school loans, and I hadn’t been in private practice long enough to pay them off much less sock that amount away.
    â€œI can do this, if the judge gives us half a chance and doesn’t immediately act on her advanced directive, Matt. I promise you that I’m your best bet.”
    â€œI don’t have this kind of cash. Hell, I don’t have a checkbook with me if I did.”
    â€œDon’t worry about the retainer,” he said. “I’ll forgo the retainer. We’re friends. I want this case because I believe in it. We can even talk about a reduced hourly