Surrogates (completed)

26

Karla's POV

My hands are clammy, my feet are aching, and my nerves are anything, but steady. This outfit is definitely not my style, but the lawyer Ricardo hired for me says otherwise.

"Hey, you got this. Just tell the truth." Nara tells me as she takes her seat behind me in the courtroom.

"We are all here to support you." Ricardo says as he sits next to Nara.

I smile at Ricardo, Nara, and Alex. They all came to support me and that gives me just a little more confidence.

"I'm going to talk to Anthony before it starts." Alex says quietly to Nara, but I still heard it. I feel bad for Alex because she is on one side and her best friend is on the other, but this must be done.

I turn my head and watch as Alex hugs Anthony. They start to chat for a little bit and then I see Jamison and Billy. They both look angry as if they are bickering right now. It only reminds me why I'm fighting for custody in the first place.

At first Billy and Jamison were great people. They cared for me and provided for me when I couldn't provide for myself. We became friends and then I made a mistake by falling for Billy. I know it was wrong, but why does Billy still get to be apart of Maite's life when he made the same mistake? If I do just walk away then Maite will be forced to grow up with parents that fight all the time.

"All rise!" The bailiff says. "The honorable Judge Francis."

I rise and then take my seat. I take a deep breath and then the judge starts talking. "So from what I understand is that Karla Martinez started off as a surrogate for William Gardner and Jamison Richards. What I don't understand is all that took place after that, will the plaintiff like to explain?"

"Yes, your honor." Says my lawyer, David. "I would first like to call Ms.Martinez up to the stand to speak for herself."

I stand up and walk around to the stand. "Do you Karla Martinez swear to say the whole truth and nothing, but the truth?"

"Yes, I do." I nod and sit down.

"So tell me, Ms.Martinez. What made you become a surrogate to begin with?" David asks.

"I needed money. My roommate and I were broke and we about to be evicted and I saw an add to become a surrogate. I was skeptical at first, but once I met with Billy and Jamison I felt at ease. They seemed so desperate." I say.

"How was your relationship with the defendants during your pregnancy?" David asks.

"It was fine. They came over my house all the time and we became friends. We were a family."

"And after your pregnancy?"

"I moved in with them to bond with my daughter. Everything was fine until I made a horrible mistake."

"What mistake was that?"

"I slept with Billy. We began to have an affair and one day my roommate and Jamison walked in on us having sex. Jamison became enraged and he threw me out of the house and told me I would never see my daughter again."

"What happened after you were thrown out?" David asks.

"A few days later I started to feel sick and when I went to the hospital my doctor told me I was pregnant."

"Then what happened?"

"I went to Billy's house to tell him the news."

"How did he take it?"

"He said his hands were too full with Maite. He told me to have an abortion. He told me that he would pay for me to get rid of my baby."

"How did that make you feel?"

"Like I was nothing. Like everything we had was a lie. "

"No further questions." David says before taking his seat.

Billy and Jamison's lawyer gets up and walks over to me. He looks so intimidating, but at least Billy is not representing himself.

"Ms.Martinez, did you sign a contract with the defendants before getting pregnant?" He asks.

"Yes." I nod.

"And in that contract doesn't it declare that you are not the mother of the child and that you will have no rights to said child?"

"Yes, and I understood that."

"Did you?"

"Yes, but that was before they allowed me to be apart of my daughter's life. That was before they let me her mother and now they just want me to vanish, but my daughter and I are connected."

"What type of environment would you be able to provide for your daughter? Billy and Jamison have provided a nice home, they both have nice jobs, and they have done a good job of providing for the child already. What would you be able to contribute?"

"A mother." I say. "Without me, Maite doesn't have a mother and every girl needs her mom. I may not be a lawyer like Billy or a dentist like Jamison, but I work. I have an apartment and I will love my daughter forever. I also have the support of my boyfriend and my best friend. I can take care of Maite."

"How can you take care of her when you can't take care of yourself?"

"Objection!" David yells.

"Withdrawn." The lawyers says. "No further questions."