CLAIRE FISHER'S APARTMENT
"Hello,
Claire,"
coos Diane Bishop.
"Diane," Claire says, clearly rattled.
Diane is quiet for a moment, as if
waiting for Claire to make a gesture. When it doesn't happen, she takes
the initiative. "Give her to me."
"What?"
"My daughter. Give her to me."
"Diane--" Claire pauses for a heavy
breath. "Samantha is asleep right now."
"So what? She can sleep plenty when
she's back at the hotel with me. Besides, I'm sure she'll be thrilled to
see her mommy."
Even though Claire knows Diane has
every right to refer to herself that way, it still irks her. Maybe unsettles
her a bit. She tries to brush off the feeling. "Look, she went down for
a nap not that long ago, and
Travis is sleeping, too. You're not going
in there and waking them up."
"I think I'm entitled to see my daughter."
"Actually," Claire says, stepping
up and trying to match Diane's attitude, "according to the custody arrangement,
you get four pre-planned weekends per year. I don't recall any pre-planning
for this."
Diane narrows her eyes. "I don't
think that custody arrangement would exactly hold up right now, do you?"
Claire holds herself together and
opts for a mere lift of her shoulders.
"Come on," Diane pushes. "Let me
take her. If you're nice, I might even let you keep seeing her once I get
custody."
The comment knocks the wind out of
Claire. She is stricken silent.
"I'm just gonna grab Samantha and
I'll be out of here in a jif, okay?" Diane says, entering the apartment.
Claire's face is filled with enraged
protest, but she cannot summon the words to express it. Diane forces her
way past Claire.
And that's when
Ryan steps out to
block her way.
"Hold it," he orders.
"Well, well," Diane says with an
obvious hint of amusement. "What have we here?"
"I want you to leave," Claire says
forcefully. "If you want to see Samantha, call me and we can work out a
time."
The words hang between them for an
excruciating moment, but finally Diane slinks back to the door.
"Fine," she says. "I'll go. But you're
gonna be hearing from me, and real soon."
She walks through the door, never
removing her gaze from Claire. Once outside, she pauses and casts a glance
over at Ryan.
"I guess I can see why you want me
to leave," Diane says, pursing her bright red lips and raising her eyebrows
suggestively. "Didn't take you long at all, did it, Claire?" And she strolls
off.
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