Love isn't easy

Chapter 9: April 2028

April 2028

A busy Manhattan courthouse. People buzz up and down the hallways moving from one courtroom to the next. Today is Opening Statements day for what is shaping up to be the Manhattan District Attorney's Office highest profile case of the year and the group is justifiably on edge.

After years of keeping sex workers and low income women of color on edge, the NYPD had finally apprehended the infamous Fishing Line serial killer and Manhattan's District Attorney Josie Forrester personally assigned her lauded First ADA to lead the case. ADA Victor Fox and DDA Olivia Summers are serving second and third chair respectively. Those three together were a prosecutorial powerhouse. They were currently considered by many to be the prosecution dream team in the state of New York - potentially New England, maybe even the East Coast if we're being bold - and everyone anticipated they would get the conviction. It would be yet another notorious win to add to Lisa's already exemplary track record.

The entire prosecution team loiters in front of the double doors waiting for the courtroom to open. The lawyers from both sides chat and mingle amongst each other because they're not sworn enemies just yet. Everyone except for Lisa who stands a few feet away from her colleagues calmly pacing back and forth evidently rehearsing her speech. She fidgets with the single button of her form fitting metallic grey blazer, but Lisa isn't nervous. Lisa doesn't really get anxious before trial, she simply wants to make sure she gets this particular one right. Their evidence is not as solid and the case is not as bulletproof as she would like it to be, but she refuses to let this barbarian walk. There are thirty seven women and their families counting on her to prevent that from happening. She needs to ensure that she's at the top of her game.

"PM."

Lisa looks up at the sound of the nickname they had for her around the office.

"Deputy just told us the van with Chris finally got here. We should be less than five out. You ready?"

Lisa nods at Fox.

"Good. Can't wait to watch how you nail the son of a bitch."

Fox smiles at her before walking away and leaving her to it. Lisa feels her pocket vibrate and gets mildly irritated by the interruption. People know not to call her on court days and everyone knew she was in court today because it was all over the papers. There was no reason that phone should be ringing. Lisa goes back to her notes. The phone continues to vibrate. It's quite distracting and Lisa hates it. She pulls her phone out to shut it off but the picture of a much younger Roseanne's smiling face with the word "Husband" across her forehead stare back at her.

Regardless of how long it's been, Lisa still gets amused when she remembers the story of how Roseanne's contact name came to be. For years, every time Lisa would talk about "my partner and the kids" around people who didn't know her well enough, they would always assume Roseanne was a man. Eventually Lisa stopped correcting them, but in particular she stopped correcting any of the new hires at the office. As soon as the opportunity arose, Lisa had the best time trying to come up with the most outrageous ways to introduce them to the beautiful, chesty blonde she shares a bed with. Roseanne always loved to join in and would willingly stop by and play along with whatever ridiculousness Lisa had come up with that time. She remembers when Olivia was hired they pretended the blonde who came to visit Lisa several times that week was her mistress and that Lisa eventually got caught cheating. That was a good one. Roseanne and Lisa got a good laugh out of that one. Overall they both really got a kick out of the reactions to the scenarios which got progressively more elaborate as the years went on.

Lisa stares at the picture of Roseanne until the call goes to voicemail and the screen goes black. It immediately starts ringing again. Roseanne knows more than anyone that trial days are sacred, but particularly on a crucial day like today. This better be important.