Facing the Consequences

[SweetAsSuga]

Closed for Ask For More

Just one more drink, just one more and then she'd leave. After the day she'd had, Elaine had earned one more martini.

After months of preparation, she had finally had her interview with the senior partners of Franklin, Marsh, and Whitaker. Three hours of intense questioning plus her presentation had left Elaine tired, both physically and mentally, but with a sense of elation and pride. The partners had all but said she would be the newest partner, making her the youngest in the firm's fifty years of history.

And so, one more drink was justifiable.

Settling up her tab, Elaine hopped down from the bar stool, wobbling slightly on her three inch heels. Holding onto the bar, she waited for the room to stop spinning. When she'd regained her footing, or had regained it enough to walk a semi-straight line, Elaine made her way out to the bar's parking lot. Her car was parked nearby, she knew it was, if only she could find it. Fumbling around in her purse for her keys, she stumbled fell into the side of a car, whose alarm started to blast loudly in her ears.

"Oh fuck off," she spat at the car, kicking the back tire. Finally, she found her car and, after a few minutes of trying to get the key into the lock, climbed inside.



When had the road gotten so twisty? Elaine shook her head, trying to get her vision to straighten out as she drove down the street towards her apartment. She was nearly there...she thought so at least, everything looked too similar at night. Wait, that mailbox looked familiar. Was that hers? Swerving quickly, in case she'd missed her driveway, Elaine overturned the wheel and sent her car crashing into streetlamp.



The judge loomed in front of her, his scowl making him look like a bulldog. Elaine had been in court with him numerous times, but those were when she was defending a client and not herself. It had been a minor traffic accident, and yet, everyone was acting as if she'd killed someone. The partners were freaking out, the judge was about to pass sentence. Apparently she'd been twice over the legal limit and had done severe damage to public and private property. Elaine couldn't remember any of it.

"Ms. Harrison," the judge said, his jowls flapping slightly as he spoke. Elaine bit her lip to stifle a giggle. "I sentence you to two hundred hours of community service, to be served, at the request of Franklin, Marsh, and Whitaker, in the form of pro bono work in the hopes that you will understand that a reputation is important and must be guarded carefully and that one's actions have tremendous consequences. You acted recklessly and put people, and yourself, in needless danger. You are suspended from practicing any law other than that of your community service until all two hundred hours have been served or until this court allows."

The hammer hit the gavel and Elaine felt her heart sinking. There went any chance of ever being made partner. There went her entire future. Two hundred hours of pro bono work, work that she would never get paid for, work that had been beneath her ever since she joined the most prestigious firm in the city. At least she hadn't been fired, not yet at least. But who knew what would happen once those two hundred hours were up. Would she still have a job to go to when it was all over? Elaine could only pray.

 

[Ask For More]

Why was it so hard to have a quiet drink in this city?

Justin had finished a gruelling 12 hour shift - managing a restaurant was hard enough, but having to do it when staff were off sick was even tougher. He was only supposed to work evening duty, but when three people called in with the flu, he ended up having to work the afternoon too. The same three staff were known for partying hard together, so he would have to carefully consider their employment future once they returned to work. If he let them.

By the time he closed up the restaurant, his daughter would be asleep, so Justin decided to stop by a local bar called Chillis on the way home just to spend some time to himself with a beer or 2. It wasn't the classiest of places, but had a simple decor and a relaxed atmosphere that was perfect for a late night drink. The owner was a 50 year old Mexican called Monty, a 6 foot 3 monster of a man who had a cheerful disposition, and was a retired pro wrestler. The wooden walls were decorated with pictures and title belts from his career, as well as tributes to wrestling legends such Stone Cold Steve Austin and The Rock. Justin was a keen wrestling fan, and had become firm friends with Monty, with the two of them often watching repeats of WWE or Lucha Libre together till the early hours.

The night had been a disruptive one. Justin was already in a rotten mood thanks to work, and after about 10 minutes of nursing his beer and sharing his woes with Monty, one table near the back started making a lot of noise. Turning around, Justin could see one of the bartenders, a young lady called Robin, trying to calm down a table with three suits. They were obviously drunk, or well on their way.

"Shut up bitch!" One of them yelled. "These drinks are so fucking expensive! We're not paying for this watered down crap!"

With a sigh Monty left his conversation with Justin. Usually Monty's size alone would scare most noisy customers into submission, but these three were especially drunk, and weren't on the small side either. When one of them stood up and faced up to Monty, Justin decided to even the odds slightly. At 6 foot, he was taller than the average Chinese man, and thanks to 20 years of martial arts training he was also well built. After a bit more posturing, the suits eventually backed down and paid their bill.

---

It was 2am when Justin left the bar, slightly warmer from the alcohol, which had ended up being free after his assistance with the earlier troublemakers. Although he wanted to stay longer, he needed to wake up early to take his daughter to school in the morning, so Justin had refused Monty's persistent attempts to pour him free tequila, and had made his excuses. The night was balmy and pleasant, and Justin felt a lot clearer after a minute or two in the fresh air.

Unfortunately the air soured very quickly. As he turned the next corner, the three aforementioned suits were standing in the street, looking pumped up and ready for a fight.

"You chink motherfucker! You think you can treat us like that?"

Justin sized them up again. All three were white, ranging from 5'8" to 5'10", wearing the sharp suits that only people working in banking or law could afford. The shortest one was blond, with a thin angular face. The second had a chubby face and build, and the third looked totally undistinguishable - average height and build.

"Three of you waiting for me huh? I'm honoured," Justin replied, casting a look around. The street was well lit but completely empty.

"You think this is funny? How about you get us some fried rice while we laugh?" Blondie smirked at his own comment. "Yeah, I know you work at that restaurant down the street."

"Listen boys," Justin emphasised the last word for effect. "If you really want to do this, don't waste my fucking time. Its been a terrible day, and the last thing I want to do is stand here and trade insults with three clowns."

Chubby walked up to him and stuck a finger in his chest. "Who are you calling a clown?" he asked, his breath stinking of cheap bourbon.

"If you poke me again, I'll break that finger."

"Oooooh," said Chubby, with a mocking laugh. "You gonna go all Jackie Chan on us?" He waved his hands in an attempted martial arts pose.

This wasn't going to end well.

------

The next day, Justin was back at the restaurant for the evening shift. The three sicknotes had returned looking contrite and apologetic, so Justin had decided to give them a chance to redeem themselves. About 7 o clock, two uniformed police officers walked in, so Justin went to deal with them himself.

"Good evening officers, can I help you?" Police normally didn't come in uniform unless they were enquiring about a crime nearby. Justin wondered what was going on.

"Hi, I'm Officer James, and this is Officer Devon. We're looking for a Justin Lee?"

"I'm Justin Lee. What can I do for you?"

"You're under arrest for assault. Can you please accompany us to the station?"

 

[SweetAsSuga]

Around her, the firm buzzed with activity. Lawyers raced to court and meetings with clients, paralegals stumbled around struggling under the weight of the legal torts and books of law that they carried. It was business as usual for them, and Elaine, tucked away in her silent office, envied their activity.

Since her sentencing just two days ago, she had been the subject of whispered gossip and hidden laughter. The rising star that was once her career had sputtered and died, and Elaine was left with nothing. Nothing but a silent office where she could hide away in her shame.

It had taken every once of strength and pride that she possessed just to come into the office. And now that strength was spent and her pride was dashed against the rock, leaving her stranded in a sea of diminished dreams and drowning hopes. Life sucked.

"Here, these are the cases you can choose from," Marcus Whitaker, once her champion in her bid for partner, waltzed into her office without so much as a knock and dropped a stack of folders on her desk. The pile, at least twenty folders high, slid off her desk and landed on the floor, the papers spreading out in a haphazard flood.

"We expect you to pick one by the end of the day." He said, his tone telling her that she had no other option.

When had it all gone wrong? Just a few days ago he had been sitting on the corner of her desk, chatting and laughing and reassuring her that she would do great her in presentation. He had been silently cheering for her all through the interview and had even given her a thumbs up when she shook hands with the other senior partners. Yes, Elaine had screwed up, but how could it all have been so great one moment then gone to hell the next?

As the door closed behind Marcus, Elaine slumped in her chair, the last pocket of her strength rushing away. She laid her head down on the desk, her eyes burning with unshed tears. In the hall outside her office, the sound of footsteps were muffled, voices distorted, but the sound of mocking laughter could be heard clear as day. There was no privacy within the law firm, even the offices had glass walls. There was no way to keep secrets, your every move was on display for your fellow lawyers. But Elaine didn't care if they mocked her, she would have done the same if someone else were in her position. Isn't that what being a lawyer was all about, acting like a shark with the scent of blood in its nostrils, chasing after the weaker, dying opponent?

Elaine cast her eyes down on the papers scattered across her floor. Even the floor seemed to mock her with its crimson carpeting. Sliding out of her chair she tried to sort through the case files, sorting the papers back to their rightful places before she read through them. The cases were all hopeless, there was no way anyone could win them. Which is why they were given to her. Just another nail in the coffin of her career.

Squaring her shoulders, Elaine sat up right, a sudden resolve filling her. She would bear this punishment, she would get through it with no more tears or self-pity. She would show those fools what she was made of and she would climb her way out of this pit and back on top. Elaine didn't give a fuck as to who got in her way, she was bound and determined, now more than ever, that she would regain her rightful place as a partner of the firm.

She read through each and every case file, searching for the one that seemed the most hopeless, the most open and shut. If she was going to revive her career than she needed to do it with style and against the toughest of odds.

****​

Standing outside of his house, Elaine couldn't help but second guess herself. Had she chosen the right case? She had defended plenty of men in her short career, and she didn't care if they were guilty or innocent, but this one, this case, was make or break for her and she needed to make sure that it was the right one.

Yes, she reminded herself, this is the case that will put me back on top. Elaine had spent hours going back and forth between cases until she'd settled on this one. Three successful men against one lower-middle-class man. Their word was stronger, they had friends in high places, and they would no doubt win their case. But the poor defendant had one thing that they did not. He had Elaine fighting for him, and she would not rest until he had won the trail and been declared innocent.

Now it was just a matter of convincing the man that she would fight for him. And that she would fight for free. The man may have been able to post bail, but he didn't make enough to afford a lawyer, at least not one good enough to win his case. Maybe he would just be grateful that someone was there to fight in his corner. But Elaine doubted that.

Raising her hand, she knocked swiftly on the door. As it swung open she didn't hesitate. Smiling broadly she held out her hand.

"Hello, Mr. Lee? I'm Elaine Harrison and I'm going to be your lawyer."

 

[Ask For More]

It had been a humiliating evening. Marched out of the restaurant in handcuffs, staff and customers alike had been in shock seeing Justin being flanked by two police officers. He had barely enough time to pass a message onto one of his staff, a thin faced man called Chin who also happened to be a close friend of his, before being led out of the place and into the police car.

---

Justin had never been in a police station before. It was a scary place - he could see other people being questioned or booked as he was led through the station into one of the interviewing rooms. Prostitutes staring defiantly at anyone who dared to look at them, drug addicts spaced out while officers were desperately trying to get their attention, a couple of teenagers who had probably done something stupid, and a few gangsters, decked out in the usual street attire, adorned with gold and ink.

He'd been given a cup of terrible coffee and left to stew in the interview room for half an hour before someone arrived. The new arrival introduced himself as Officer James, a squat stocky white man with broad shoulders, a slight paunch, and a unshaven face that bore the scars of a few years on the streets. Placing the file on the table, James took a seat.

"Good evening Mr Chan. Thank you for your cooperation in coming in." The officer had cropped black hair that seemed to be receding slightly.

"I didn't have much of a choice?" Justin remarked. He wasn't happy about being dragged out of work. "Listen officer, I'm a law abiding citizen and I honestly have no idea what this is about. Can you please enlighten me?"

"Well Mr Chan," James leaned forward and clasped his hands together on the table. "You've been charged with assault."

"Assaulting who?"

"I have statements here from three gentlemen who claim that you viciously assaulted them last night with no provocation."

"What the.....?" Justin sat back, mouth open in shock. "Those idiots attacked me first! I was only acting in self defence."

"That's not what they say. According to them, they were walking home and suddenly you attacked them from behind with no warning, leaving two of them with head trauma, and the other with a broken finger. Not to mention various cuts and bruises."

------

The fight hadn't lasted very long. Chubby had thrown a wild haymaker which Justin sidestepped easily. A quick tap on the back had sent Chubby sprawling onto the pavement. Average guy had then tried a football tackle only to be floored by a quick backhander while Justin had moved out of the way. Blondie had then tried his luck, throwing a couple of weak jabs he'd obviously learnt in some class in the gym. Justin had dodged both and stunned him with a jab of his own, before sweeping his feet out to leave all three groaning on the floor. Then he'd gone home, leaving all three laid out on the street.

-------

"Officer this is a joke. The three of them racially abused me and then ganged up to try and beat me up. All I did was act in self defence."

"Well it's your word against theirs." James leaned back in his chair. "To be honest, its not looking good. There's no witnesses, and you're sitting here without even a scratch."

"This is bullshit. Pure bullshit."

-------

A couple of hours later, Justin's mum had come in to post bail. Since he was a first time offender it wasn't much, but he was the only one in the family working, and was supporting both his daughter and mother. He could manage, but the huge costs of hiring a lawyer was far beyond him. Officer James had taken a statment, and arranged for him to get a lawyer pro bono.

----

The next day Justin was sitting at his desk trying to work out a plan, when the doorbell rang. He'd been going over his finances to see if he could afford a decent lawyer, but it wasn't looking good. With two family members to support, jail wasn't even an option. Not to mention the shame it would bring on his mother and daughter, even if he was innocent. He was in a despairing mood when he went to answer the door.

What greeted him was a huge surprise. He was expecting a washed up lawyer who could barely string two sentences together, but standing at his door was a woman who looked more like a model then a legal professional. Impeccably dressed and grooomed, Elaine was definitely not what he envisioned. Shaking her hand, he closed his mouth and invited her into his home.

 

[SweetAsSuga]

Elaine nodded brusquely as Mr. Lee invited her into his home and stepped quickly inside. He was surprised at her appearance, Elaine was certain of that as she felt his eyes track her movements. She was no stranger to men being shocked when they saw her. Men didn't want to believe that a woman could have beauty and brains, the very thought seemed to defy all sense of their logic.

All business, Elaine walked into the living room, a seemingly comfortable and lived in room, and set her briefcase down on the coffee table. Settling into one of the arm chairs, Elaine crossed her long legs, which were shown to perfection by her gray pencil skirt, and snapped open her briefcase, pulling out the file on Mr. Lee's case.

She glanced up at him, waiting for him to sit and join her.

"I understand that you feel in over your head here, Mr. Lee," she said, "but I assure you that I am very good at my job and I will make sure that you are acquitted of all charges and that you receive financial compensation for emotional damages done to you and your family."

He looked shell shocked and Elaine couldn't help the small grin that pulled at the corners of her mouth. She quickly squashed the smile.

"Now, if you'll have a seat, we can get down to business."

 

[Ask For More]

She was magnificent, he had to admit. Long flowing dark reddish hair, a body that was certainly complimented by her tight fitting suit, a face that could start a hundred bar fights. Elaine looked better suited to Hollywood than his simple home, but Justin had serious problems and she was his only lifeline.

Sitting down, he started detailing the events of last night. How he finished work, was having a quiet drink at Chilli's when the three suits started making trouble. The subsequent encounter on the street and the fight that followed. As he told the story he became more and more agitated, angered by the fact that he done nothing wrong, and yet he was the one who was having to defend himself.

Leaning back into his chair Justin rubbed his forehead in resignation.

"It's a load of shit. Those guys jumped me in the first place. How can anyone believe that I would try and take on three guys on my own?"

Letting out a sigh he continued.

"I have a 7 year old daughter and my mother who both rely on me - its just the three of us. I have no brothers and sisters who can help us out. If I go to jail, what will happen to them?"

He looked Elaine dead in the eye.

"I know you're doing this for free, but my family is seriously threatened by this case. I'm smart enough to know that its one against three, and they have far more money and connections than I do. At first glance, it looks like I have no chance. But I can't lose."

"If you're not willing to put everything you can into this, then I understand, and I'll find someone else."

 

[SweetAsSuga]

Listening intently to Justin Lee's story, Elaine's mind filed each bit of information away into its own folder. Her hand flew over her pad of paper as she took notes, the words looking more like scribbles than actual words. As Mr. Lee reached the end of his tale, Elaine pursed her lips, deep in thought. His last words brought her from her reverie.

"Let me assure you, Mr. Lee, that I give every single one of my clients no less than two hundred percent of my attention and devotion. Just because you're not paying for my services doesn't mean that you'll get any less." Elaine said brusquely, not appreciating the fact that he, obviously, did not think she would do her damnedest to help him.

"I won't lie to you, either, and say that this is going to be an easy case. It is your word against the word of three very wealthy and upstanding men. This case is going to be long and difficult. Are you prepared for the mud that you and your family will be drug through? Because if you are not then let me be very clear in saying that it would be better to take a plea bargain, which will, no doubt, include some jail time."

Clasping her hands around her knee, Elaine studied Justin Lee. She did not doubt that he was the type of man who would fight just as hard as she to win this case. She just needed to hear he was committed to proving his innocence and that he had spine to stand up to the dirt that his accusers would no doubt throw at them.

 

[Ask For More]

Justin took a moment to assess Elaine's question.

"Didn't I explain myself clearly enough? A plea bargain is unacceptable, I can't go to jail!"

He clenched his fists in anger.

"This whole thing just pisses me off. Those arrogant bastards ganged up on me, and they're the victims? Fucking cowards. All I did was defend myself. I'm not agreeing to anything they want!"

Taking a moment, he realised he had slammed his fist onto the coffee table, knocking over his teacup. Watching the tea spill onto the surface brought him back to reality, and he hurried into the kitchen for a cloth. Leaning onto the kitchen sink, Justin took a deep breath and controlled his anger before returning to the lounge.

"I'm sorry," he said, wiping the table. "I didn't mean to be so.....forceful."

"I won't take any agreements. My family cannot survive without me."

 

[SweetAsSuga]

"Alright then," Elaine nodded brusquely and pulled her briefcase into her lap, "now that we have that settled let's get down to the process of your defense."

Over the next thirty minutes, Elaine laid out the case that she would present to the court. Beginning with the fact that Justin Lee was an upstanding citizen and business owner who provided for his aging mother and was a single parent, and, finally, ending with the fact that the numbers were simply unfair when a single man was attacked by three grown men. She laid everything out concisely, pausing every once in awhile to ask Justin to clarify a question. Finally, as she finished, she looked up from the papers spread out on the coffee table in front of her.

"Do you have any questions, Mr. Lee?" She asked. As she waited for his reply, a little girl flounced into the room, a sandwich clutched in her hand. Peanut butter and jelly if the stains around her mouth and on the front of her dress were any indication. She smiled shyly at Elaine.

Though she was not fond of kids, Elaine couldn't help but return the smile. At the same time, she really hoped the little girl wouldn't get too close as her sticky little hands would, no doubt, ruin the cashmere sweater that Elaine wore.

 

[Ask For More]

Justin was impressed by the amount of preparation she had done. He hadn't expected a city lawyer to walk in the door, and Elaine lived up to the stereotype, putting together a case which made him look like working class hero. Whether it would hold up in court he didn't know, but at least his pro bono lawyer was making what seemed like a concerted effort to defend him.

Just as they were finishing, his daughter Nikki came into the room. She had just turned four and was starting to get quite talkative, as well as adventurous with her food. Surprisingly his mother had made her a peanut butter and jelly sandwich - the matriach of the family was an amazing cook, but didn't usually go for western fare. No doubt Nikki had pressured her doting grandma into making it. What was less surprising was the mess she was making as she strolled around the house with it.

"Come here Nikki," said Justin, gesturing her over. She laughed, mouth full of sandwich, and ran over to his said. "Look at you, making a mess." He picked her up and sat her on his lap. Pushing some of the legal documents aside, Justin pulled a couple of tissues from the box on the table, and laid them in front of her. "Now you eat your sandwich on the table like a proper young lady. I don't want you making a mess in front of our guest."

Nikki looked up and said "Hi!" enthusiastically, "I'm eating a sandwich!". The way she talked always made Justin smile - she seemed like the happiest toddler in the world.

"This is my daughter Nikki," he said. "Her mother didn't survive the birth."

"She's the reason I can't go to jail,' he continued, as his daughter enjoyed her sandwich.