Madeleine tsked. “Not unless you can figure out a way to get this whole mess thrown out by a judge who doesn’t hate our solicitor.” She picked up the landline and addressed her husband, bidding him goodbye. “Talk to you later, sweetheart, we’ll figure something out, OK?”
After hanging up on Tom, she resumed Lucy’s call and uttered a loud sigh. “What a day. Honestly—”
“What did you mean about the judge?” her friend replied, confused. “What else is going on? I mean, from the way you sounded I figured you knew what I was calling about...”
“What do you mean?” Madeleine interrupted, her heart speeding up a little. “I was talking about the court hearing this morning. The judge upheld Kate O’Hara’s claim. But hold on a second, you couldn’t possibly have known that. So what were you calling about?” Concern inched into her voice then, as she wondered what fresh hell was about to be unleashed on them now. It was bad enough that the judge was upholding Kate’s claim, which, incredibly, meant that this thing truly was headed for court. What could possibly be worse than that?
Lucy sighed heavily. “Just...just turn on your television, sweetheart. Turn it to Channel 2.”
“What? Why?” She muttered under her breath a little as she looked around for the remote control, and finally finding it, she turned on the TV.
The lunchtime news was on and Madeleine couldn’t quite believe the headline she was seeing scroll across the bottom of the family TV, or the words that were coming out of herMorning Coffeecopanelist’s mouth.
Gemma Moore was informing the news anchor and lunchtime viewership that “popular blogger and self-proclaimed Mad Mum Madeleine Cooper is at the heart of a controversial legal action—sure to spark a lively debate over Cooper’s stance as an anti-vaccination proponent—that has this very morning culminated in a crushing blow from a High Court judge.”
The journalist was live in a TV studio, calmly discussing Madeleine’s private family business with the news anchor! She knew that Gemma Moore had a reputation for having no limits, but just then theDaily Recordjournalist clearly had Madeleine set firmly in her crosshairs.
“The lawsuit, which outlines negligence, personal injury and a host of other claims, was filed by Kate O’Hara, a single mother facing the ongoing serious illness of her daughter, Rosie, as a result of encephalitis directly caused by measles. Both children were not protected by the HSE-recommended MMR vaccination, and while they were the only two children at the school affected by this dangerous disease, it appeared that Clara Cooper was sent to school by her parents while infectious, which formed the basis for O’Hara’s willful-negligence claim...”
Madeleine felt like she had been hit by a train.
But how could you not feel that way when the carefully constructed persona and platform you had spent so much time building came crumbling down all around you?
“...so this morning’s High Court ruling suggests that this small community could soon be thrust directly into a savage anti-vaccination debate. The question remains: Who really is responsible when children are not vaccinated? Is this a frivolous lawsuit on behalf of Ms. O’Hara? Or can the Cooper family truly be held accountable for little Rosie O’Hara’s condition?”
“Why is she doing this?” Madeleine’s voice shook. “Why would anyone...”
“I don’t know and I’m so sorry. Can I do anything?” Lucy asked quietly.
Madeleine had almost forgotten her friend was on the other end of the line.
“I don’t... I just... No. I’m sorry, I need to go. Talk to you later.” And before Lucy could respond, she hung up the phone and continued to listen to Gemma Moore’s almost gleeful report on the legal action, her corresponding just-published article in theDaily Record, as well as all the background on Madeleine’s celebrity-blogger status, recentMorning Coffeeappearances and often-controversial take on parenthood.
She cringed as the woman repeatedly rattled off the name and website address of theMad Mumblog, just in case the public might need more information.
Or a target, more like, she thought, terrified.
Her vision blurred. She felt dizzy and light-headed. Her whole world was crumbling, and she had no idea what she was going to do.
Her laptop pinged from the kitchen table and Madeleine moved back to it, her hands shaking as immediately, in the wake of the bulletin, she watched comments pop up on her website, blog and various social media channels—almost all at the same time.
Horrible, hurtful, personal comments. She was being openly mocked.
@MumsForHealthWhat a joke. One thing for@MadMumto talk about not taking motherhood seriously, quite another to be downright irresponsible! Vaccinate your kids for god’s sake! #measlescourtcase
This had already been shared a couple of hundred times.
@Journalie Breaking: Irish mummy blogger@MadMumin hot water for her #antivaxx status. #MadMum or #BadMum—your thoughts?
Then all of the follow-up commentary as the entire internet seemed to pile on with relish.
All of a sudden, everyone had an opinion on her and her family. Some expressed a hope that she and Tom “lost everything” in the court case. Others even bleated for social services to take away their kids...
As Madeleine scrolled through the rapidly increasing traffic, which had both her own name and that of her blog trending almost instantly nationwide, her panic levels rose in accordance.
Mercifully, she saw that there were at least one or two people defending her in the midst of the melee, but they were few and far between. Complete strangers tried to talk reason, while others expressed outright hatred.
@MumtoCharlieGive her a break, we don’t know the full details yet. Maybe there’s a reason her kids didn’t get vaccinated. Could be allergic or vulnerable? #trolls #innocentuntilprovenguilty
