“Yes.”
“I object to this questioning. Ms. Casella isn’t trained to interview a patient for medical details. There are a variety of pain-control measures she probably doesn’t know about.”
The argument was weak, but he could see the jury’s shock and was trying to dilute it.
Hayley rolled her eyes at him.
The judge said, “That’s a frivolous complaint, Mr. Covington. Objection overruled.”
“Mrs. Bailey, how long ago was the surgery?”
“Six months.”
“Are you feeling any better at all?”
“I’m worse. I hurt constantly and I’m in a fog all the time.”
Finally, Hayley said, “No more questions.”
As he stood and approached the stand, Paul knew he had to tread lightly. Mrs. Bailey seemed even more frail up close. Her shoulders were bony and stuck out. “Hello, Mrs. Bailey.”
“Hello.”
“How long have you been suffering from back pain?”
“Most of my adult life.”
“Have pain killers reduced it at any time through the years?”
“Some.”
“Did you want back surgery?”
“They thought it would help. I was taught to listen to doctors.”
“Do you think they did the wrong thing?”
“Objection. Irrelevant.”
“Objection sustained.”
Paul asked a few more question then retired the witness. He wasn’t going to get anywhere with her.
The testimony stretched on with the four more clients who were seeking damages. Same story. Same suffering.
At noon, the judge banged the gavel. “We’ll recess for lunch. Court will resume at two p.m.”
Everyone stood and the judge left, then the courtroom started to empty.
“Doesn’t seem like this is going well, Covington,” Robert Feinstein said. The small man with a big wallet frowned at him. “I hope you know what you’re doing.”
“It’s early, Robert. We haven’t presented our case yet. The prosecution always goes first. We’ll have our time.”
“I hope so.” The Feinsteins left.
When the exit doors closed, Paul looked over at Hayley. She had her head down, writing herself some notes on a legal pad. He noticed some tendrils had come out of the knot at her neck. He’d be damned if he’d be ignored. He crossed to stand in front of her. “Hayley?”
She looked up. Her face was unlined, with no weary ones around her mouth and eyes. Guess she was doing just fine. Unlike him, whose anxiety and confusion had given him wrinkles. “Yes, Paul?”
“How have you been?”
She straightened. “As well as can be expected. You?”
“Pretty miserable.”
Tossing the pen down, her shoulders flattened. “Me, too.”
“What did you do all week?”
“I buried myself in this case.”
“So did I.”
“It’s a distasteful one. You must think so.”
“Everybody deserves a defense.” But even his voice was weak.
She stood. “I suppose so. Well, good luck.”
“You, too.”
She walked down the aisle toward the doors. Her graceful movement, innate to her, made him long for her. He said, “Hayley?”
Turning in the empty courtroom, she raised her brows. “Yes?”
“I miss you.”
Again, the vulnerable expression. “I miss you, too.”
One of the double doors to the courtroom opened and in walked a man. He only had eyes for Hayley. “Hey, beautiful, ready for lunch?”
Paul froze. Already? She had a date already?
He couldn’t see how she reacted to the guy. Was she uncomfortable in her workplace with his greeting? Or did she swoon. Nah, she wasn’t the swooning type. “Hello, Todd.”
Paul walked toward them.
Todd gave him an all-male grin. “Hey, Covington.”
“Hello, Harrison.”
Paul looked at Hayley. “That last thing you said?”
She raised her chin, as if she knew what was coming. “Yes?”
“Can’t be it was all that true.” He transferred his gaze to Todd and said, “Have a nice lunch,” when all he wanted to do was punch the guy in the face.
* * *
Stupidly distraught, Hayley tried to listen to Todd Harrison tell her about his latest, high-dollar case. But her mind drifted back to the abject expression on Paul’s face when he realized she had a date.
“Hayley, are you with me?” The man’s eyebrows, a honey blond, narrowed. Combined with his hair, also light, he was very attractive in a slick sort of way. But she felt no pull toward him.
“I’m sorry. What did you want to know?”
“If you ever thought about leaving the DA’s office.”
“Yes, I have.”
“What would you do?”
“Probably set up my own firm. Take enough high-paying clients to keep the place afloat, then do pro bono work.”
“Why on earth would you give half a practice to pro bono?”
Well, that pegs you, Todd.
“Because I believe those to whom much is given, much is expected. And yes, that’s a biblical reference.”
“Huh. I can’t imagine living in New York and not having a lot of money.”
She didn’t tell him she already had a lot of money.
“So, what about family?” she asked him, changing the subject. “Have you ever been married, had kids?”
“Yes, to both. Luckily, my wallet is still intact.”
“You don’t pay child support?” She couldn’t keep the disgust from her voice.
“Yes, of course. But I got away with the minimum.”
“Do you see your kids?”
“Not a lot. They moved back to Minnesota with their mother. Her family’s there. She got a job with a high-powered law firm, so she doesn’t need much from me.”
You should want to support your kids, idiot.
Hayley didn’t say that, of course. She picked up her menu to order.
She endured the lunch—at least the Caesar salad with chicken was tasty. But Todd talked non-stop about his future plans between bites of his bacon cheese burger and fries. At the end, she insisted she pay for her own meal. He didn’t object.
When they got to the sidewalk, he said, “I’d love to see you again.” He moved in closer, his cologne expensive but a bit overpowering. “You know, maybe get to know each other better.”
She stepped back. “I feel like I already know you very well.”
His eyes glimmered with sexual intent. “In that case, let’s—”
She held up her hand. “No. I wasn’t flirting with you. Answer me one question, other than the helping people thing, what did you find out about me during lunch?”
He caught on to what she was saying. “Well, you didn’t talk much.”
“Why was that?”
“What are you saying, Hayley?”
“This, plain and simple. You were totally self-absorbed. You asked me about business plans but then went on to talk about yours. The whole time.”
“That’s an exaggeration.”