“Objection, calls for speculation.”
The judge looked irritated. “Overruled, Mr. McGuinness. It’s already been established that the child was ill enough for the school to send her home, and the witness’s opinion will be helpful in further illustrating the reality of Ms. Cooper’s condition.”
“Well...she did seem a little feverish, yes, but I wouldn’t have said—”
Nevin began walking away. “Thank you, Mrs. Murphy. No further questions.”
Lucy looked a little perturbed at not being allowed to fully have her say, but her face showed relief at another chance to do so when the defense barrister approached the witness stand to cross-examine.
“Mrs. Murphy, you mentioned that you and Mrs. Cooper had been friends throughout early motherhood and beyond. During this time, did Madeleine Cooper ever discuss with you her decision not to vaccinate her children?”
“Yes. And while I didn’t share her opinion, I could perhaps understand it all the same. Madeleine, or indeed Tom, doesn’t make decisions lightly. They would have thought through all of the options and discussed the pros and cons at length. And, in fairness, when Jake came down with measles at eighteen months and came through it OK, it became less of an issue.”
“How so? Do you mean that Jake Cooper contracting the illness and recovering from it without incident justified the Coopers’ decision?”
“Well, perhaps not justified it, but it certainly suggested, to me at least, that it was less of a big deal than it might have been before that.”
“I understand. And when Jake Cooper was diagnosed with measles as a baby, did Mrs. Cooper make you aware that her son might be contagious?”
Lucy thought about it. “Yes, she did. We’d met up with the kids the previous week and Madeleine phoned to check if Stephanie was OK, or had any signs of infection. But Stephanie had been vaccinated with MMR, so I didn’t have too many concerns on that front.”
“You’re saying that Madeleine went out of her way to check? She was not—as is suggested by the plaintiffs—cavalier about other children’s safety?”
“Objection. Witness cannot speak for the defendant’s actions in any scenario other than the one in question.”
But Lucy answered anyway. “Of course she did,” she said, shaking her head. Then she took a deep breath. “Look, Madeleine is a good person and a wonderful mother, despite the fact that this trial, and certainly the accompanying publicity, is trying to suggest otherwise. I know it in my bones that she wouldneverharm anyone intentionally or otherwise. Yes, she might have made a mistake that morning, but any working parent could very easily have done the same. And while her approach might come across to some as unconventional, she’s always done things on her own terms. She’s never wrapped her kids in cotton wool, never mourned or fretted over every little scratch or lump and bump. And unlike my own two, who I’ll admit were perhaps a little too indulged as babies and now still require much cosseting, Jake and Clara are confident, happy and well-adjusted children. Say what you will about Madeleine and Tom’s style, but no one can deny that their children are all the better for it.”
“Thank you, no further questions.”
Oh, Lucy... Now the tears had begun to fall freely from Madeleine’s eyes. After all this time, being the target of such horrible accusations and having to rethink (not to mention defend) every parenting decision she’d ever made, she really needed to hear that. The judge and the media needed to, too. But, most of all, she thought, glancing across to the other table, Kate needed to hear it.
She wasn’t a bad person or a terrible mother. She was just...human.
Thank you.
But Patrick Nevin stood up immediately to redirect.
“And what of Rosie O’Hara?” he asked. “Mrs. Murphy, would you also say thatsheis the better of Madeleine Cooper’s approach?”
Lucy’s mouth dropped open, and McGuinness jumped up to object, while just as quickly Madeleine’s heart plunged into her stomach.
“Mrs. Murphy, answer the question, please,” urged the judge.
Lucy exhaled loudly. “I feel terrible about what happened to little Rosie, of course I do. But if you’re asking me if I think Madeleine set out to harm her or is to blame for what happened to her, then the answer is absolutely not.” She looked down at Kate, her eyes full of sorrow and regret. “No one is to blame for this. It’s a horrible situation—of course it is—but sometimes, bad things just happen.”
42
At home later that evening, my mind was troubled following events of the day.
It appeared that things had for the most part gone well for us with Lucy’s testimony confirming Madeleine Cooper’s intent, and following that another convincing expert from the Health Service Executive, who outlined the government’s current recommendations on childhood vaccinations and produced proven studies discrediting any link between the MMR vaccine and autism, or indeed any other disorder.
Following her own appearance that afternoon, I’d invited Lucy back to the house for catch-up and a bite to eat as a thank-you for agreeing to take the stand. I’d always known that today would be very hard for her, and understood that while she’d given us the necessary “proof” we needed to show negligence, she’d also mitigated a lot of the damage our side had caused to the defense.
I guess I’d hoped that she wouldn’t come across so overtly sympathetic toward Madeleine on the day, but deep down I’d always known that she’d try her utmost to do right by both of us.
And I couldn’t help but admire her for that.
Now she stood at my sink, insistent on washing pots and pans as I sat at my kitchen table—Rosie parked beside me in her wheelchair.
