Chapter 4 - The emergency order
Child protective services did not simply hand Lizzy to me forever because I found her.
A hospital is not a coronation.
A caseworker named Denise Harper arrived before sunrise.
She interviewed:
Lizzy.
Me.
Gloria.
Walt.
Separately.
Then she spoke with police.
Because Gloria was legal guardian, changing placement required authority.
The county sought an emergency protective arrangement.
By eleven that morning, a juvenile-court magistrate approved temporary placement with me pending a fuller hearing.
Not permanent guardianship.
Temporary safety.
Gloria was furious.
She stood outside the courthouse afterward and said:
“You have always wanted her.”
I stared at her.
“What?”
“You thought I was too old from the beginning.”
“I never said that.”
“You resented Rachel choosing me over you.”
“Mom.”
“That’s what this is.”
I almost shouted.
Then remembered the hospital social worker.
Accuracy.
“No.”
Gloria stepped closer.
“You broke into my house, took my ward, photographed private financial records, and now you are trying to take custody.”
“My niece called me from a locked closet.”
“She was in time-out.”
“For four hours.”
“She was not.”
“Dad said seven-thirty.”
Walt flinched.
Gloria looked at him.
Then me.
“You’re twisting everything.”
I said:
“The judge can decide.”
May you like
That sentence enraged her more than any insult.
Because Gloria Bennett had spent most of her adult life being the person who decided.
