Legal Prejudice 2 - Weather The Storms

Chapter 35

Jeremy sighed sitting at his desk. He'd come into work early ahead of a full morning surgery list, needing some space to think. Robyn was now eighteen weeks pregnant and things felt very strained between them. She was snappy in a way he'd never noticed before, annoyed at small things like a dish left out of the dishwasher or clothes absent-mindedly left in the bathroom. Jeremy felt like he was treading on eggshells, and the suggestion they get Daniel and Allie's cleaner to come over to help was met with Robyn coldly saying, "If you just pick up after yourself, problem solved." Even Mia was a cause of disharmony with Robyn complaining he spent more time walking the dog than being at home. In truth Jeremy was spending longer and longer at work and walking the dog to avoid being in the apartment. He was haunted by the thought that this felt horribly similar to how his first marriage started to fall apart, and he badly needed to talk to someone.

Robyn had taken a day off work to as she said, "Be on my own without anyone bugging me." On impulse he dialled Allie's number. She was driving to the office having dropped Rose at day care and Emmie at school, because Daniel had gone straight to court where he expected to be all day. She smiled seeing his name, "Hi Jeremy. How's it going?" He relaxed hearing her voice, "Hey Allie. Robyn's busy at home today, and when I spoke to Daniel last night he said he was in court all day, so I wondered if you felt like catching up for quick lunch?" Allie smiled and it reflected in her voice, "That would be so lovely. What time will you be free? I've got an eleven thirty, but it won't last more than forty five minutes." Jeremy felt better already, "I should be out of the OR by twelve unless I hit a snag. I'll get food and see you whenever you can get here. I've got an afternoon clinic, but it doesn't start 'til two." Allie pulled into the street just where the parking entrance was, "Excellent, I'm just parking at work. See you later yeah."

Allie arrived just before twelve thirty and he heard her outside his office catching up with some of the staff she'd got to know when she was a patient. He came out of the office and she turned around smiling as he said, "Coffee and food in here, but coffee will be cold if you yabba on out here much longer." He grabbed her hand as she laughed and let him pull her inside. She took a seat and he passed her a bag with a sandwich saying, "Chicken salad" and a latte. She looked inside and said, "Good choice, thanks." She looked up and added, "This is like old times except I'm not falling asleep having killed myself in physical therapy." Jeremy smiled, "Yeah, it felt really quiet at first when you stopped having to come in, you'd become like part of the furniture."

His smile dropped a little and he asked, "How do you think Robyn is?" Allie swallowed a bite of sandwich, "Well she's okay in work, but I don't think she's enjoying the physical side of being this stage of pregnant." She kept eye contact and said gently, "Why? What's going on with you?" He exhaled and looked dejected, so Allie reached out to touch his hand "You don't have to tell me, but maybe I can help." Jeremy nodded and blurted out, "I can't do a thing right Allie. I've started working late and walking the dog for longer just to avoid going home. Thing is, this is how thing's started falling apart with my ex, biting my head off, criticising, clearly not wanting to breathe the same air as me." Allie got up and wrapped her arms around him saying "It's not the same Jeremy." He hugged her back gratefully and she sat back down saying, "Listen, she's full of hormones for one thing, and she has told me she's hating being pregnant physically." He looked confused, "But she's not had any morning sickness and all the scans have been normal." Allie shook her head, "Yeah but her body is changing and she has no control over that, she feels uncomfortable, still wearing her normal clothes but they don't really fit right. Actually I was going to ask her if she fancied coming to the mall with me this weekend to help her pick out some maternity clothes." He took a bite of his sandwich and looked thoughtful, "Right, I hadn't even thought about that. She looks great to me." Allie laughed "Might want to tell her that."

Allie leaned forward, "This is totally not the same Jeremy, but I want to explain something in case it helps you and Robyn." She hesitated before continuing, "When I hit the bottom after losing Michael, poor Daniel came over every day and saw me at my absolute worst, not sleeping, not eating much and I didn't even bother showering some days. I just couldn't focus enough energy to respond to anything he was doing to try and help me. He's never said, but it must have been pretty miserable for him. He had his own home, so he could have easily retreated, but he didn't. He kept coming, and in the depths of what I was going through I couldn't tell him or show him, but somewhere deep down I was so incredibly grateful and thankful that he was there. So Jeremy, don't hide here, or walk poor Mia's paws off, just be there and ask her to tell you how she feels."

Jeremy looked at her choked, "Christ Allie it kills me to hear you felt like that, but I get it, and I will be there from now on, I promise." Allie relaxed and smiled, eating some more of her sandwich. With a small laugh Jeremy said, "I bet you've never had a cross word with Michael or Daniel." Allie shook her head and rolled her eyes, "You see, that's where you're so wrong." Jeremy looked sceptical so she carried on, "Michael and I had a massive falling out over a racism case once. I ended up on a plane back to the UK with Michael accusing me of running away. I thought it was completely over for us." Jeremy looked aghast, "Really?" Allie nodded, "I won't bore you with the case details, but basically Michael didn't agree with me defending this company against a racism accusation. He was right, but I just couldn't see it until I won the bloody case and the penny dropped they really were racist, and had totally used me. Another lawyer from Michael's firm represented the other side, and he was giving Michael grief in work that his girlfriend was effectively prejudiced. What I was in reality was totally culturally unaware, naïve, so I went back to the UK to raise some money to right a wrong. Anyway, that bit's not important. I was pretty convinced we were over. He seemed so angry with me, but what we learned from it was that I could have listened much better, and we both could have communicated how we felt, what was going on. It turned out Michael was angrier with the system than with me, but in my head he couldn't bear to look at me." Jeremy still looked shocked, "When the hell was this?" Allie put the remnants of her sandwich down and grabbed her coffee, "He came over to the UK to bring me home when he realised I hadn't gone in a fit of pique. We'd only been back a week or so when the shooting happened." She looked wistful and Jeremy got up and pulled her close. Allie smiled and reached up to kiss him before saying, "My point is that all relationships hit times where either you can't agree on something or there seems no way around a problem, but if you keep honestly telling one another how you feel it's solved so much quicker and with so much less pain."

Jeremy nodded and Allie was suddenly curious, "Are you in touch with your ex at all now?" He laughed, "Sadly I bump into her now and then at work things. She really hates me Allie. She married again, but I heard they've divorced now and she's seeing someone new."

Allie drank the rest of her coffee hearing gathering voices outside. "Sounds like your clinic patients are waiting, I'd better go. I'll speak to Robyn in work tomorrow about shopping at the weekend." He tossed her rubbish in the bin and Allie grabbed her keys and bag before reaching up to put her arms around him. He squeezed her gratefully and said, "Thanks Allie, you're a good friend to both of us. Love you okay." She squeezed his hand as she walked off, "Call me if I can do anything to help or you just need to talk yeah?" Jeremy nodded and before she opened the door Allie turned and said, "And Jeremy, for the record, your ex, she was a fool."