Czernek shot to his feet. 'Objection, Your Honor. Badgering the witness won't-'
'Sustained.'
'-make up for his dearth of-'
'Sustained, Mr. Czernek.'
Ron sat down. Terry slipped his hands into his pants pock-ets.
'What, Ms. Burke, makes you think that Valerie Dalton was deprived of control over her body by transoption but that you were not deprived by abortion? Neither of you knew what be-came of your fetal tissue. Would it have been better if Renata had been sent to a lab to have her liver, pancreas, and brain removed? Would it really have been better?'
Burke stammered for a moment, her composure faltering. 'I...' She stiffened. 'Valerie Dalton expected an abortion, not an embryo transfer.'
'What she expected,' Johnson said, 'is what she contracted for. To be free of her pregnancy.' He pointed to the screen. 'Exhibit A once again. Does the word abortion' appear any-where on it?'
'A legalistic, semantic trick,' Burke replied.
'Is it? Valerie Dalton went into Bayside Medical pregnant. She came out not pregnant. She contracted for a pregnancy termination, and that's what she received. She explicitly signed away any claim to the tissue removed. She took full responsi-bility for her body, Ms. Burke, when she signed this paper. Her pregnancy was terminated just as surely as your pregnancy was, Ms. Burke. Now what's the difference? Why didn't you sue your abortionist?'
'Because I received an abortion. Her fetus lived!'
'So it's not the right to a terminated pregnancy that you de-fend. It is the right to a dead fetus. Your ethical concern is with the life or death of the child. Is that correct?'
'A fetus is not a child, God damn you!'
Johnson slammed both hands on the rail and stood inches away from her. Sweat beaded on his face. An anger that was not feigned burned in his expression. In a voice that thun-dered, he said, 'Everything you say and support screams that a fetus is a child. You have no objection to individual fetal cells living on inside another person's liver or pancreas or brain. The only thing you object to is letting those cells remain intact to become a living, breathing human being!'
'Mr. Johnson!' Lyang slammed her gavel. 'You-'
'No more questions, Your Honor.'
He turned away from Burke and returned to his seat. Karen Chandler hugged him, tears flowing down her face. Dr. Fletcher patted his arm with approval.
The whispering from the spectators threatened to erupt into loud arguments. Everywhere, opinions polarized. Judge Lyang pounded away to no avail.
'Court is recessed until'-she glanced down at her calen-dar-'November tenth. Jurors are instructed not to discuss this case with anyone. Bailiff, clear everyone out!'
XVI
Czernek made a note to call the doctor to reschedule his testimony. 'Let's go,' he said to Valerie, standing to extend his arm toward her. 'Be prepared for a mob.'
Ron became a flying wedge through the crowd of specta-tors. When they reached the double doors at the rear of the courtroom, many of the spectators transmogrified into report-ers, shouting questions and producing microphones from no-where. Lights blazed suddenly, and the black glassy eyes of camera lenses dilated to view the pair.
'Do you think you can win the trial against such a brash young lawyer?' a woman hollered.
'Do you think the expert witnesses harmed your case?' shouted a spectacled man. Ron led with one elbow jutting forward like a ship's prow, cutting through the sea of faces. His other arm twined with one of Valerie's to keep her close.
'I won't comment on the trial,' he said loudly. 'I have a worthy opponent, but we shall win nonetheless. Valerie is the true mother of Renata. Nothing can change that.' He barged through the swirl of reporters that seemed to
