“Why should I be afraid? They’ve done much good and no harm at all.”
“May I link with my sitik now?” Moki asked. “I think it would help both of us.”
Sohelia glanced at her watch. “We only have a few minutes. Can you do it that quickly?” the lawyer inquired.
Juna linked with the Tendu. They soothed away her fear and nervousness. She emerged from the link feeling relaxed and ready to face the hearing. She took a deep breath and opened her eyes. Sohelia was watching her intently, her face alight with wonder.
“That was fascinating. I could see the worry lines smooth out,” she said. “You look much more relaxed.”
“I am,” Juna said.
“Good.” Sohelia checked her watch. “It’s time to go.”
Juna finished her coffee, grimacing at the taste. “This is almost as bad as Survey coffee,” she said. “Let’s go.”
The judge brought the hearing to order. “Please call in the next witness.”
The doors opened and Toivo rolled into the courtroom. He smiled at Juna as he passed by her. A fresh breeze seemed to have blown in with him.
Sohelia had him describe the accident and his subsequent hospitalization. Juna stared at the scarred metal table-top, unable to watch as Toivo answered her lawyer’s questions in a calm, level tone of voice.
Then Sohelia had him describe what occurred while the Tendu were healing him. Toivo’s dark face lit up as he described the first signs of life in^his formerly paralyzed body.
“And now, Mr. Fortunati, how would you describe the extent of your recovery?” Sohelia asked.
Toivo grasped the arms of his wheelchair, and with a look of fierce concentration and determination, pushed himself onto his feet. He stood on his own two feet, and looked at the judge. “Your Honor, this is how I describe my recovery. I’m weak, but every day I get stronger, every day I have more control over my body. I think I’ll be able to walk again soon. It was all because of the Tendu. Without them, I’d still be paralyzed.”
He lowered himself carefully back down into his chair.
“I have no further questions, Your Honor,” Sohelia said. “Thank you, Mr. Fortunati.”
The prosecutor rose. “That was a most remarkable display, Mr. Fortunati. I’m sure that you’re very grateful to the Tendu for their work.”
Toivo remained silent, waiting for the prosecutor’s question. Juna saw Sohelia smile approvingly.
“When did you first realize that your sister wanted children?”
“She’s wanted children for a long time. I remember her telling me how much she wanted children back when she first got married.”
“How long ago was that?”
“About fifteen years ago.”
Startled, Juna did the calculations in her head. It really had been that long since her marriage. That meant that it was almost eight years since her divorce. It was a long time to be alone.
“Why didn’t she have children during her marriage?” the prosecutor asked.
“Her marriage fell apart.”
“Why?”
“Objection, Your Honor,” Sohelia said. “Speculation.”
“Sustained.”
“Did she tell you why her marriage fell apart?”
“Yes. She said it was because she was away so much on long Survey missions.”
“After her marriage fell apart, how did she act?”
“She seemed sad.”
“Do you know why she didn’t leave the Survey when she got married?”
“She loved her job. She loved being on the edge of known space.”
“Even though it meant sacrificing her marriage?”
“Objection!” Sohelia cried.
“Sustained.”
“Do you know if she still wanted children when she left on her last Survey mission?”
“I don’t know. She didn’t talk about it much after her divorce,” Toivo explained.
“Did she do anything that might lead you to believe— ”
“Objection!” Sohelia protested.
The judge looked down from the bench. “Counselor Parker, if you continue to ask the witness such speculative questions, I’m going to have to ask you to abandon this line of questioning.”
“Yes, Your Honor. No further questions.”
Sohelia touched Juna’s arm. “I’m going to call you next. Are you ready, or do you want me to ask for a recess first?”
Juna swallowed with a throat suddenly gone dry. “Let’s get this over with.”
Sohelia nodded. She rose. “Your Honor, I would like to call the defendant, Dr. Juna Saari, to the stand.”
Juna rose, and was sworn in, and seated herself in the witness chair beside the bench. The safe comfort of her seat at the defendant’s table looked a long way away. Moki, sitting in the front row, was dark green with reassurance. Toivo, on his way out of the courtroom, turned and smiled, his teeth white in his dark face. He gave her a thumbs-up as he went out the door. Juna tried to smile, but her face seemed frozen. So much was at stake here. The calmness she’d felt after linking had vanished.
“Dr. Saari, could you tell us your side of the story, please?”
Hesitantly, Juna began telling what happened. At first, Sohelia had to prompt her about details of the story, but eventually she relaxed a bit and the story fell into place.
When she was through, Sohelia asked a few questions underlining details and re-examining certain key events. Juna’s nervousness had almost vanished when Sohelia turned her over to the prosecutor.
Juna watched the prosecutor pace in front of her as she sat in the witness box. It was hard to believe that this plump, friendly-looking man was out to get her. He looked like somebody’s favorite grandfather.
“Dr. Saari, have you heard of the BirthRight organization?”
“Yes, sir, on the news,” Juna replied. He was going to try to link her with the pronatalist movement. Sohelia had warned her that he might try this tactic.
“What about Pro-Child?”
“Also on the news.”
“And what about the Parents’ Union?”
Juna frowned, searching her memory. “No I have not.”
“Do you know Aaron Elijah Miller?”
“Yes, sir, I do. We went to school together. His family stayed behind when the other Amish left,” Juna said, wary and puzzled by this seemingly innocuous question.
“Are you aware that he is a member of BirthRight?”
“No, sir.”
“Were you aware of his political beliefs?”
“I never really thought much about it,” Juna said. “They helped our family prune the vines, and we helped them plow and plant their barley.”
“Didn’t you ever wonder how he and his wife managed to have five children?”
“I just assumed that he had saved up enough money for the child-rights. They lived very frugally. It was none of our business. We were just glad for the extra hands his family provided.”
“And he didn’t try to help you get pregnant?”
“No, not in any way.”
“Didn’t he visit you after word of your pregnancy got out?”
“He came by the house. My father saw him. I was asleep.”
“Your father didn’t discuss the nature of their conversation with you?”
“No,” Juna said.
“Objection, Your Honor,” Sohelia broke in. “What is the point of this line of questioning?”
“That’s a good question. Counselor Parker?”
The prosecutor frowned down at a sheaf of papers. “It appears my informant was mistaken.” He turned back to Juna. “Do you have connections to any pronatalist organizations?”
“Of course not. I do not share their political sympathies.”
“Yet you are illegally pregnant.”
“Yes, by accident.”
“And you wish to keep the baby.”
Juna rested her hand on her abdomen. “Very much so. But only with a legally purchased child-right. I didn’t plan on being pregnant, but now that I am, I don’t want to lose my daughter.” She felt tears of longing beginning to form behind her eyelids. Juna looked at the judge, trying to tell her what was in her heart. “I’m not part of any political or religious movement. I just want a child.”