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Chapter Twenty-three 3 page

Bailey hesitated, then said, “Or you could take us to work with you today to help us get over the trauma of our parents splitting up.”

“You know I haven’t had time to think about that.” I suppose I should feel bad about the fact that so many years of a commitment are over. “You won’t be bored to death at the office?”

“I’ll spend the day researching a paper due at the end of the month, and you can take us to lunch.”

“Just for today. Then we go back to a somewhat normal schedule.”

“Sure we will,” Bailey said, sounding like Tully was spinning fiction.

Chapter Five

Libby was surprised when Tully came in with her two kids. Tully had often spoken of her family, and it was nice to put faces to the stories.

“Hey, Libby.” Tully returned her greeting. “We thought we’d come by and let you help us with breakfast.”

“Yeah, Mom couldn’t boil water if her life depended on it,” Ralph said.

“This would be my comedian.” Tully put her hand on Ralph’s head. “Libby, meet my son Ralph, and this is the family beauty, my daughter Bailey. Guys, this is Libby.”

“Nice to meet you.” Libby started on Tully’s coffee while smiling at the good-looking group. “Your mom talks about you all the time, so I’m glad she finally saw fit to bring you in.”

“She talks about us all the time?” Bailey asked.

“It’s all good, so don’t worry. You have a very proud parent. I wouldn’t sweat being embarrassed. Well, unless praise embarrasses you.” She handed Tully the cup and wiped her hands on her apron. “What can I get you two?”

Ralph waited while his sister made up her mind and ordered a latte and a blueberry scone, then he said, “Hot chocolate and a scone too, please.”

He’d woken up that morning feeling as if his life had changed, but not because of anything he’d done. He lay in bed angry that everything would be so different but no one had bothered to ask for his input. His comfort had come from his sister, who had shocked him by taking Tully’s side on an issue for once when she came in to get him up for the day.

Libby interrupted his thoughts. “Go sit, and I’ll bring all this out to you.”

They picked a table next to the window, and since the morning rush was over, they had a bit of privacy. Tully put her cup down and turned her attention to Bailey and Ralph. “Guys, I think we need to discuss what happens now.”

“We get to stay with you, right?” Ralph asked in a panic. He had felt sick the day before when Jessica dropped them off, basically telling them she didn’t want them.

“Of course you get to stay with me, until your late thirties if I have any say in that decision, so don’t worry about it. I’m talking about the fact that your mother isn’t going to be staying with us, so we need to make sure we know what we’re all doing so we stay on track.”

“What do you mean?” Bailey asked.

“I mean your brother has practice on some days, you have stuff you do after school, we have to eat something, and we have a house to keep up. That’s just for starters.”

Ralph struggled not to cry. “Mama isn’t coming back, is she?”



“Buddy, I’m going to do my best so that whatever the future brings, you and your sister will be happy. But no, your mom isn’t coming back, at least to me. I’m sure she’ll continue to be as big a part of your life as she’s always been. What happened yesterday has everything to do with me and nothing to do with you.”

She exhaled deeply, trying to curb the urge to light a cigarette. “I’ll let your mom tell you about her new life and how it’ll change your future, because that’s not my story to tell. But for now we, the three of us,” she circled her finger, “are going to do our best to get by.”

“I just don’t understand why she did this,” Ralph said.

“Certain relationships are forever, Ralph. Like mine with you and your sister. What you mean to me will never change. Unfortunately, you can’t say the same about the person you choose to marry. Sometimes those relationships don’t work out, and no matter how much you try, you can’t go back.”

Ralph looked at Tully with eyes the same gray color and the same intensity as her own. “But if you really talked to her, I bet we could go back to being a family.”

Bailey slapped Ralph’s leg. “Mom, maybe you should go help Libby bring our stuff over.”

“It’s okay. He has a right to his opinion.”

“And she might not be able to carry all that stuff, so go on.” Bailey pointed to the counter.

“Do I look feeble?” Libby asked when Tully arrived at the counter and picked up a plate.

“You’re more than capable, but my kids wanted a moment alone so they can talk about me,” Tully said, her eyes never leaving the table. Bailey and Ralph had their heads together, and Bailey was doing all the talking.

“You okay?”

“My life is pathetic and I’m an idiot, but other than that I’m just great.”

Like she often did, Libby put her hand on Tully’s forearm and pulled a little on the jacket sleeve to get her attention. “I’m a great listener, you know.”

“I know, but I have to wrap my brain around a few things before I’m ready to sit and talk.” Tully helped put the cups and plates on the tray, then stood at the counter until it was safe to go back. “How was school last night?”

“Professor Lange was impressed with my newfound knowledge of certain concepts, so thanks. I owe you yet again.”

“You don’t owe me anything. Just knowing that pompous ass gets his comeuppance every so often is payment enough.”

Libby’s eyes strayed to the table where Ralph was now seriously shaking his head at whatever Bailey was telling him. “Will you at least remember that I’m here for you? After all the free tutoring sessions, I’d feel like I’m giving you something in return.”

“How about you start by taking this over there before the drinks get cold, and I’ll take this call.” She picked up the tray and handed it to Libby, then pulled out her cell phone.

 

“Ralph, if you ever repeat anything I’m about to tell you, I’ll kill you in your sleep,” Bailey said as soon as Tully started walking away. “I know you ace every test you take, but you’re the biggest idiot sometimes.”

“Just because I want them back together I’m an idiot?”

“Bro, I realize you got mad yesterday and blamed Mom for Mama leaving, but did you ask yourself why the queen of control had a black eye and a huge cut on her cheek?” She tugged him closer, not wanting anyone to overhear them. “You know how fanatical Mom is about not losing it. It makes her good at work and the best one to come to your room when you’ve done something wrong. Counselor Tully will talk you to death, then forget to ground you.”

“When did you become Mom’s biggest fan?”

“I feel sorry for her. She didn’t exactly say it, but I think she came home and caught Mama in bed with someone else, which is so wrong on so many levels. I mean, step out if you want, but don’t do it at home.”

Bailey was still talking, but Ralph started shaking his head as if the last thing that had come out of her mouth wasn’t true and couldn’t be. “Shut up.”

“Why?”

“Take it back. They’re having problems, but Mama isn’t like that.” He balled his hands under the table, but since Bailey had her head down she saw the angry gesture.

“Did I say she was?”

“You just said she was screwing someone who wasn’t Mom.”

Bailey took his fist and did her best to coax the fingers loose. “They aren’t getting back together, Ralph, and whatever you tell yourself so you can be okay with that is tight with me. And I’m sure it’s going to be cool with Mom. Just don’t keep telling her to go try to make things right with Mama.”

Ralph screwed up his face and looked like he was going to say something loud, so Bailey shook her head to shut him up. It wasn’t easy to say the words, but she had figured a few things out. “For once the work freak wasn’t at fault.”

“She was really with someone else when Mom came home?”

“I think so, but I don’t know for sure.”

Ralph gave her a pleading look. “Why didn’t Mom tell me that yesterday when I yelled at her?”

“Dude, she’d run her tongue through the shredder before she’d try to turn us against Mama. As mad as I’ve been at her lately, I have to give her snaps for that.”

“I feel horrible I screamed at her.” He finally turned his attention to Tully, who was near the entrance talking on her cell phone and pacing, which was normal when she was engaged in a conversation she didn’t want to be a part of.

“You’re the golden child, Ralph. I wouldn’t worry about it.”

 

“You left yesterday, remember that?” Tully said.

“I want to see the kids before you poison them against me.”

“You fuck someone where Bailey and Ralph could’ve walked in on you, and you accuse me of poisoning them against you? Have you started smoking crack on your lunch hour?”

Jessica ran her hand through her hair as she looked out the window of Kara’s small apartment. The night before had been a nightmare of Kara screaming at her and taking painkillers, and it had left her head hurting. “I know you, Tully. When you’re angry you’ll take out your revenge in the courtroom, and I know you’re mad at me. Since this won’t end up in court, you have to take it out somewhere.”

“Jessica, you don’t know me at all. I want you to go back to your maiden name so that my family name doesn’t get dragged down whatever road you’ve decided to take. I want you to reassure our kids that their mother hasn’t gone completely insane, and I want you to leave me the hell alone. You make more than enough money to take care of yourself so forget about alimony, and I want the kids to stay with me.”

“No fucking way.”

“Agree, Jessica, or I’ll take you to court, and when I’m done Jack the Ripper wouldn’t trust you with his children.”

“You’re not a divorce attorney.”

Tully’s laugh made Jessica cringe. “Of course I’m not, but who do you think the best lawyer in the city will pick as a client when it comes to severing this relationship, you or me?”

“It depends on whether you’ve screwed over their family to make a buck, darling.”

“Pick them up from school if you want, but have them home by seven or I’ll come find you.”

“That’s all you have to say, Tully?”

“Not by a long shot. Months from now when your ass is puckering from the knowledge of what’s coming, just remember one thing.”

Jessica laughed and slapped her hand down on her lap to keep from yelling, “finally.” This was the crude Tully who had spent summers working on her father’s boat. The Tully who didn’t know anything about picking a suit or using the correct fork at a formal dinner. The Tully who would be so easy to beat, because when confronted, she always returned to the old standards. She had been expecting this reaction from the moment Tully’s fist connected with her new lover’s jaw. It had taken a day, but here it was. “What’s that, darling?” she said sarcastically.

“We could have done this the easy way or the hard way. You chose the hard way, and that road is paved with every misery I can think to pull out of my nice leather bag.”

 

“Thanks for everything, Libby,” Bailey said. They’d had a great conversation while Tully was on the phone. The day was already educational in that she never would’ve guessed her mom had such a cool friend.

“Hopefully your mom will bring you in before school more often. I promise the extra shots will be on me, and they’re guaranteed to keep you awake for the rest of the day.” Over Tully’s objections Libby had made her another latte to go and packed them all an extra muffin.

“Remember what I told you about being a good listener,” she told Tully.

“Thanks for the offer, and remember to review chapter three for your quiz tonight. It’s boring as hell, which is why the professor loves to take a majority of the questions out of there. See you tomorrow.”

 

Tully and her children rode up to her office exchanging small talk. In the waiting room, they passed a young couple that exemplified sadness, their shoulders slumped in defeat, each face a mask of grief.

When she walked through the office door, the woman immediately looked up and Tully noticed the glimmer of hope that crossed her dull brown eyes. The gaze told her that the woman believed that maybe she could tell her story to someone who would not only listen, but give her what she was looking for—justice.

“Come on, guys, let’s get you settled,” Tully said, ushering Bailey and Ralph into the office.

Roxanne was waiting in the corridor with three files in her hand. “Good morning, handsome family.” She bent slightly to exchange hugs with the kids, who kept up a running dialogue as she showed them into Tully’s office. “Tully, your nine o’clock is early, so if you want to brief yourself I’ll get them some coffee.”

“Give me about two minutes, then send them in. This time I want to hear from them before I read the file. Even if they don’t have a case, I think it’ll help them to tell their story.”

Roxanne smiled and nodded before stepping back to her desk.

Tully focused on her kids. “How about you two go into the conference room, fire up the computers, and do your homework.”

“Can I have your paralegals do my research for my paper?” Bailey asked.

“Can you pay them a hundred and fifty dollars an hour?”

“Like you’re handing out that kind of allowance,” she said with her hand on her hip.

“Then you’ll be stuck doing your research all alone this time around. Save up my more-than-generous allowance and they’re all yours.”

With the kids actually talking to her and having work to keep her mind off things, Tully started to feel her world right a little. She had to be a successful parent and lawyer; Jessica had left her no alternative.

 

Chapter Six

“Tully Badeaux,” Tully said, holding out her hand first to the young woman, then to her husband.

“Elijah and Simone Hebert, ma’am.” Elijah gave a slight nod.

“My daddy always told me if you’re going to trust me with something important, you’re going to have to use my first name. Please call me Tully.” She escorted the couple to the leather sofa in her office, taking the seat across from them. “Now, what can I do for you?”

“We talked to Roxanne,” Simone started. “Her mama and mine go way back, and she told us you could help us.”

“Just take all the time you need and tell me what the problem is.”

“Elijah and me, we’re simple people who wanted more than anything to have a family. We’ve been sweethearts since the third grade.”

Elijah sat quietly next to his wife and held her hand. After telling the first part of the story, Simone paused and swallowed like she had a lump in her throat.

“We got married right out of high school and decided to wait a couple of years on those kids we wanted.” Yanking a tissue out of her pocket, she held it to her mouth and shook her head, rocking back and forth as if some ailment had possessed her.

“Sorry, Tully, this is just hard for us,” Elijah said, moving closer and putting his arm around his wife. “You want me to finish, baby?”

Because Simone didn’t respond verbally or physically, he just started talking. “We were saving for a house, and those first couple of years were good fishing seasons. I know Gaston, your daddy. Always has been good to me, giving me tips, and taught me to get the best price for my catch, so Simone and me did good.”

“If there’s one thing Gaston Badeaux knows, it’s getting a good price for shrimp.” Tully stood up and took off her jacket. “Would you like to take a break before we go on? I really don’t mind, and I want to make this as easy on you as possible.”

“I figure the sooner we get this story told, the sooner you can start working on our case.”

Tully rested the legal pad on her lap and picked up her pen. The next part had to be what was making Simone cry quietly into her husband’s shoulder. “Just tell me if you need to stop.”

“Four years ago, we bought our house and Simone got pregnant. A man couldn’t have asked for more blessings, but I was wrong. When they laid that baby in my arms, I knew my life was rich even if my bank account didn’t agree.” His voice got softer, but he fought through the emotions. “We named her Evangeline and she was just beautiful.”

“Do you have a picture of her?” Tully asked.

After the few minutes it took him to pull out his wallet and flip through the collection he carried with him, his eyes seemed clearer.

“She’s beautiful.”

“Thank you. Right after she was born they told Simone she couldn’t have any more kids, but we were okay with that. Our dream had been to have a big family, but God had seen fit to give us just the one.”

“Was it a health risk for her to get pregnant again?” Tully was taking copious notes.

“The doctor said something about her pressure and her womb being really thin.”

It seemed rather strange to be talking about Simone like she wasn’t there, but she did appear to be somewhere else, probably someplace where the pain wasn’t crippling and she could hang on to the last shred of her sanity.

“I know my questions may sound strange, but I don’t want to put you through this more times than I have to.”

“It’s okay, we understand.” He wiped his face and brought Simone closer. “Things were great at first, but then right after her third birthday Evangeline got sick and we just thought it was the flu. Turned out she had bone cancer, and everyone told us to take her to New Orleans for treatment at Children’s Hospital. The doctors there didn’t sound real hopeful at first, but she responded well to the chemo they were giving her. She was a fighter like her mama.”

“From the way you’re talking, I understand Evangeline passed away from her disease.”

Elijah stared at her blankly like someone who heard the words but didn’t want to process them. “She died, but not from her cancer. She was in a lot of pain and they were having trouble keeping the IV in, so they told us it would be better to get something called a port.” Big tears started to fall down his face, but he kept talking. “It was simple, they said, but she died in recovery. It was an accident, they said, but she was bleeding and no one noticed.”

“What do you mean exactly by ‘she was bleeding’?”

“When they let us see her, her stomach was swollen, and this nurse finally told me that it was her blood. She was bleeding inside, and it didn’t have nowhere to go.”

“Elijah, I don’t mean to interrupt you, but could you hold on a minute.” Tully held up a finger, stood, and walked to her desk. “Roxanne, please step in and bring Jo and Frank.”

“You’re not going to take our case?” Simone’s voice sounded raspy from nonuse.

“The death of a child isn’t an easy thing to cope with, and while telling your story will most probably get easier with time, there’s no reason for you to suffer needlessly. Josephine Newmyer and Frank Tobias are my best associates and will be part of my team if we go forward.”

As if finding a new source of inner strength, Simone sat up and stared Tully down with her brown eyes. “My little girl was sick, but she deserved better than she got. That woman killed her, and I want to hear her say it. This ain’t about the money.”

“Ma’am…” Tully started as the door opened and the people she’d invited entered. “If there’s a case here, whoever is at fault will do more than just admit it, and it’ll be more than just about the money.”

“What do you mean?”

“It’s simple. What was your daughter’s life worth? What would she have become if given the opportunity to do so? To begin, how would you answer those questions? Then what’s the answer to why her life was cut short?”

 

Roxanne and the others sat down as they watched Tully weave her spell. She might have been born a fisherman’s daughter, thought Roxanne, but Tully was smart and personable, unlike many other attorneys she had encountered. Her boss’s ability to make her clients trust her integrity made all the difference in most instances.

Trials were usually won or lost not by the superior mind, but by who could reach the twelve people who mattered most. Tully had a way of getting into the hearts and minds of a jury like no one else Roxanne had ever seen work a courtroom. From her first trial, juries had warmed to her easy manner, razor-sharp wit, and warm smile and joined Tully’s fight to vindicate her clients.

“Simone, lawsuits are more than just about money, at least for me. I went to medical school before law school, so I know what it’s like to have to face people’s expectations and hopes when it comes to their health.” Tully sat again and looked Simone in the eye. “When you or your loved one is sick, you have to trust the person in the lab coat to make you better. I fight hard against those who betray that trust.

“So I try to prove they were wrong so convincingly that the district attorney has no choice but to pick up the torch and prosecute the offender. If that can’t happen, then having to pay a lot of money makes the hospital be more careful the next time they hire personnel.”

While Simone and Elijah nodded in approval, Tully got the others up to speed and had Elijah finish his story.

He described how they had seen their daughter in the recovery room after her surgery, minutes after she’d died. When he was done he sat back and waited, seeming to expect yet another disappointment.

“Rox, you have copies of the file for everyone?” Tully asked. She’d heard their side, so now it was time to fill in the gaps and try to separate grief from fact.

On the first line of the surgical report, flashing like a neon sign, was the name Dr. Kara Nicolas: Jessica’s new lover and Evangeline Hebert’s surgeon. Tully sighed and pinched the bridge of her nose.

“What?” Roxanne asked.

“We may have a problem.” This was the first time her personal life had bled so profusely into her work.

“I checked the file, Tully. Jessica’s not involved at all.” Roxanne was about to flip to the pages again when Tully put her hand up.

“Her name isn’t in there, that’s not the problem.” She turned her attention to her potential new clients since she knew her staff would keep her business confidential. “For me to be your attorney, you have to trust me just like those doctors I talked about.”

“You haven’t called us crazy yet, so I don’t see a problem,” Elijah said.

Tully started with her sexual orientation, which made Elijah shrug. She moved on to Jessica and where she worked, and again he shrugged.

“Believe me,” Tully said, “I’m not boring you with all this to see how open-minded you are.”

“You can sleep with sheep for all I care, just as long as you hand me that bitch’s head on a plate.”

“I want to thank all of you for being nice enough not to mention my face.” Tully pointed to all the bruising. “Yesterday I filed assault charges against Dr. Nicolas.”

“She beat you up?” Simone asked.

“Her face looks worse, believe me. We had a little disagreement yesterday when I found out that my partner of many years is having an affair with her.”

The two associates didn’t show any emotion.

“If you have a problem with that fact I can certainly recommend another attorney for you.”

“Do you believe us?” Elijah asked. “That Evangeline didn’t have to die so soon, I mean.”

“I believe you have a good case, yes.”

“Then I think, if Simone agrees with me”—Elijah turned to his wife, who nodded—“that we want you. You believe in us and you’ve got your own reasons to bring Dr. Nicolas down.”

“Rox, get on the phone and drop all the charges I filed yesterday.” Tully didn’t raise her head from the file in her hand as she circled names and underlined facts. Before long she handed it to Josephine to kick-start her team’s research. “Then get all the necessary paperwork for the Heberts to sign.”

“When do we start?” Simone asked.

“Tully started the moment you walked in here,” Roxanne said. “If you come with me, Frank and his guys will go through everything with you again so we can get your story into our files.”

“It’s important for you not to talk to anyone from the hospital or Dr. Nicolas’s office without one of us present,” Tully advised, moving to her desk to get some cards and handing them to Simone and Elijah. “Here are all the numbers you need to get in touch with me, night or day.”

Simone held it to her chest like it was a winning lotto ticket. “Tully, thank you.”

“I’ve done this for years, but I can’t imagine any other case that’ll satisfy me more to win.”

 

Chapter Seven

“Mom, can we go to lunch?” Ralph asked, and Tully lifted her head up from the file she was reading. The kids had stayed in the law library for the morning, and Tully had spent the time in her office starting on the Hebert case.

“What are you in the mood for?”

“A sandwich from Maspero’s. Bailey said she voted for that too.”

“Maspero’s it is, then.”

When they went to get Bailey and one of her paralegals handed Bailey a stack of papers, Tully looked at her watch, held up four fingers, and mouthed, “Four hundred dollars.”

Libby was leaving work as they stepped out of the building, so both kids immediately flagged her down and invited her to join them.

“Are you sure?” Libby asked Tully. “I don’t want to intrude.”

“These guys are in charge today, so if they asked, I suggest you accept.”

When Tully put her arm up for a cab, Libby had other ideas. “Come on, Counselor, it’s only ten blocks. Let’s walk.”

“Yeah, Mom,” Bailey added.

Tully mentally calculated the time such a trek would keep her out of the office, but weighed the lost work against how open her kids were to the idea. The peace wasn’t going to last, her future fights with Jessica would guarantee that, so she decided to enjoy it as long as she could. Taking the heavy book bag from Libby, she waved everyone down the street, but by the time they reached the restaurant in the French Quarter, she was sweating and craving a cigarette.

“Explain to me why walking sounded so good to everyone?”

Bailey and Ralph took turns slapping her lightly on the stomach and laughing. “The extra set of tires, Mom. We gotta work on that,” Bailey said. “And you can’t puff in here, so chill.”

Tully could feel her ears get hot and knew her face was boiled-crawfish red from the teasing, especially when the kids went in and left her on the sidewalk with Libby. “I raised two comedians, huh?”

“Maybe they’re just concerned about you. It’s good to have someone care enough to look out for you, so don’t worry about it.”

Something in the last statement made Tully stop Libby from going in. “You okay?”

“Just stuff you don’t have to worry about.”

“This morning someone told me she was a great listener. That offer cuts both ways, you know. I’m not only a great listener, but a pretty good problem solver too.”

“With what you make, Tully, I’d certainly hope so,” Libby teased.

“Yeah, but I do my best work when it’s pro bono. I only put on my problem-solving hat and cape when the case is important to me.”

Ralph stuck his head out one of the open doorways. “Are you coming in?”

“They’re waiting,” Libby said.

“You fed them well this morning, so they won’t starve.”

“It’s too long a story to get into now, Tully, and you’re busy later, I’m sure.”

Tully opened the door to appease Ralph, but stopped Libby from going in. “I made a deal with Bailey and it’s working out great for me, so I have a proposition for you too.”

“Gosh, Tully, you’re propositioning me?”

Her ears got even hotter as Libby put her hand on Tully’s stomach, but the sudden heat had nothing to do with the extra weight she was carrying. “Uh-huh, funny girl. After lunch why don’t you come back to the office with me and the kids and tell me what’s bothering you.”

“And what are you going to tell me?”

“If we have time, I’ll recap the last twenty-four hours for you.”

Throughout lunch Tully sat back with her burger, enjoying how Libby got her kids to open up. After the tremendous changes in their life they should have been sullen and depressed. However, Libby spoke their language.

As they walked back to Tully’s office, Libby kept them talking while Tully gave her staff directions over the phone. They had worked through lunch and already gone over the file once after finishing the Heberts’ statements. Now they were compiling their separate files so that Tully could use her medical background to decipher and add to them.

Libby and Bailey window-shopped along the way, but Ralph hung back and turned to Tully every so often as if willing to wait her out. “Just leave them on my desk if they’re done and tell the team we’ll meet later this afternoon.” Tully cut her phone conversation short so that Ralph could talk to her.

“Big case, huh?”

“Could be, but the guessing part of my brain tells me that’s not what you want to talk about.”

Suddenly the hot-pink sweater set in the window of the boutique they were passing seemed to fascinate him. “I’m sorry I screamed at you yesterday,” he said just above a whisper.


Date: 2016-01-03; view: 518


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