Recovery

Recovery - CH 19

Recovery Ch 19

Rick and Lesley met with Joe in Lesley's office at the hospital. They both had incredibly busy schedules that day as they were trying to clear as much off their plates as they could because neither one was going to be there for the next number of days.

"I don't think the trial will take more than a few days," Joe reassured them. "In my opinion, Travis doesn't have a defense and it will just be a lot of posturing by his lawyer. In contrast though, Lesley, we have a very very good case. You have an exemplary reputation in the community both here and down at the waterfront. We have a slew of character witnesses and witnesses who saw you at the clinic with Travis and then here at the hospital."

Lesley let out a breath as she listened to Joe and said, "you keep saying that."

"I'm saying it because it's true," Joe said and looked down at his legal pad. "There is something though that I wanted to let you know about."

Lesley automatically tensed and Rick laid a hand on her knee, "relax," he said softly.

Lesley glanced at him and then back at Joe in the chair in front of them, "okay.... what?"

"I'm adding another witness," he said and looked down at his pad again.

"Who?" Lesley asked. "I can't imagine there's another person who's got something critical to say that we haven't already put on the list."

Joe paused before raising his head to look at the pair, "Jessie Brewer."

"No," Lesley shook her head emphatically, "no, absolutely not. She was there with me as my friend. Because I asked her to stay with me throughout the exam and when Officer Perkins was questioning me. She was there as my friend, and I will not have her take the stand for me. No.... absolutely not."

"She volunteered Lesley," Joe said quietly.

Lesley shot to her feet and grabbed the phone on her desk, "Jessie Hi. It's Lesley. Do you have a minute that you could stop by my office? Now would be better if you're free for a couple minutes....... No, no, nothing is wrong. I'm fine.... Yes.... thank you."

Lesley hung the phone up and refused to look at either Rick or Joe as they waited for Jessie.

The knock on the door was abnormally loud in the tense silence of Lesley's office and when Jessie slowly pushed the door open to poke her head in, she looked from one to the other, "is something wrong?" she asked as she came fully into the room.

Joe started to speak but Lesley held her hand up to silence him, "Joe said you were going to testify at the trial. You don't have to do that...l don't want you to do that...you were there as my friend, Jess."

Jessie looked from Lesley to the two men, "can you both give us a minute please?" and without waiting for them to reply Jessie took a step forward and took Lesley's hands in hers as the door swung shut behind her, leaving them alone.

"I volunteered," Jessie said.

Lesley nodded, "that's what Joe said. But Jessie, I don't want you to have to testify for me and be potentially ripped apart by the cross-examination. You were there as my friend, and you've already done enough!"

"It's because I'm your friend that I want to do this," Jessie said calmly. "And as far as the defense attorney goes.... I'm not concerned because I'll be telling the 100% truth, as you will be."

Lesley shook her head again, "No.... you've done enough. You got me through that exam and the questioning by Officer Perkins, you were right there when Travis showed up and when Ray attacked me in the elevator. You've done enough. If you hadn't stayed with me when I first got here ...after.... I wouldn't have gotten through it."