Worry pushed through her headache. Something must be wrong for Julia to have let Magda sneak past in violation of the law. Lori gathered up Magda, inhaling the precious scent of baby shampoo, and stood. She paused halfway.
Silhouetted in the doorway stood Gray.
Sounds dwindled around her—the dim din of protest from the other attorney, gasps from the couple, a call for order from the judge. Lori ignored it all as she finished rising, staring at the man filling the door and her heart.
Gray.
Not just her regular heart-stopping Gray in a flight suit. He wore his service dress blues. Silver wings with a star gleamed above ribbons stacked down the left side of his jacket. Wheel cap tucked under his arm, Gray strode into the courtroom.
And he wasn't alone. Filing behind him with military precision trailed Bronco, Lance and Julia, the squadron commander, Tag and his family.
Gray's parents.
They all slid into the rows behind Lori, like a wall of support, with Gray standing citadel beside them in the aisle. Lori pulled Magda closer and reminded herself to breathe.
Judge Tradd raised a silencing hand. "I assume you have a reason for breaking more than a few laws designed to protect the integrity of my court."
"Yes, Your Honor. May I approach the bench?"
The judge fingered her gavel. "This is highly irregular, but proceed."
Gray strode to the swinging bar and pushed through, the gleaming wood swishing shut behind him. He shot a quick glance Lori's way, along with a reassuring flash of his heart-stopping smile, before he turned his attention to the judge. "We're here to offer family support for Lori."
Lori tucked Magda under her chin and struggled not to bawl like a baby, not a very dignified impression to make on the judge. But Gray's coming overwhelmed her. He'd gathered all these people, these friends, for her. Even after she'd thrown his proposal back in his face and left him, again, he'd done this beautiful thing. He'd brought the family she'd always wanted.
The judge nudged aside her gavel. "I thought Ms. Rutledge didn't have any family other than parents who reside primarily overseas."
Lori winced. Apparently, that had been yet another blot against her, but suddenly, miraculously, she didn't have to face it all alone. Gratitude choked her. Gray was here for her, pleading her case, battling for her. Lori had made it her mission in life to fight for others. No one had ever fought for her.
Until Gray. Towering, blindingly handsome Gray, and she couldn't soak up his words fast enough.
"Blood relatives, yes. But with all due respect, Your Honor, isn't this whole hearing about building a family where there isn't a biological connection?"
"Yes, of course."
"Then we're here as Lori's family as well as friends."
"And you are?"
"Major Grayson Clark, United States Air Force. I'm a friend of Lori's. I was also the chief flight surgeon on the mission that evacuated the orphans from Sentavo."
The couple's attorney began to stand, but Judge Tradd waved him down before he could speak. "Overruled. My interest is piqued. Irregular though it may be, I feel it's in the best interest of the child for me to ask a few questions." She turned back to order Gray to take the stand and be sworn in, before she continued, "So you've spent time with Ms. Rutledge and Magda."
"Yes, Your Honor, we all have. We've been to picnics, to family gatherings, in her home. We've all watched Lori and Magda together."
"What makes Ms. Rutledge the better choice than this couple?"
"I was with Lori when Magda was airlifted out of Sentavo. You wouldn't have recognized Magda then with her ragged dress, thin arms, and big frightened eyes. Lori picked her up and held her just like any mother gathering up a kid of her own. It would be a crime to separate them now. Magda lost one mother. Don't take another from her."
"I understand her mother died well over a year ago. What makes you think she remembers?"
"She told me."
"But she doesn't speak English."
Gray looked away for a scant second, before he braced his shoulders into a military stance again. "She showed me while we were, uh, playing with her Barbies."
A muffled laugh sounded behind Lori, and she turned to find Bronco coughing through his grin. The crowd radiated support with smiles and nods to bolster Lori. They really had come for her as well as Gray. Securing her hold around Magda, Lori twisted back to listen to the judge.