Echoes of Resilience

51

Isabella was packing her things to go home for the night when Burke's lawyer walked up to her looking tired and defeated. "Are you willing to offer a plea?"

"A plea?" Isabella raised an eyebrow in question. "Meredith's testimony rattled you that much?"

"Everything she said landed with the jury and I now look like a lawyer that bullies witnesses to make my case." Burke's lawyer sighed.

"That's because you are a lawyer that bullies witnesses to make your case." Isabella hummed. "Oh and let's forget all the red herrings to try and confuse the jury."

"Are you willing to make a deal or not?" Burke's lawyer snapped.

"I'm certainly willing to discuss it. I will meet you and your client in conference room B in fifteen minutes." Isabella stated before walking out of the courtroom and going out to the waiting room where Meredith, Addison, Arizona, Cristina, Teddy, Richard, Bailey, and Alex were sitting. "Court is over for the day, but Burke's lawyer approached me wanting to discuss a plea deal so it's possible that the trial will not continue."

"It's day one of the trial and she's already fishing for a deal?" Alex snorted. "Did she realize that all these wild theories aren't going to get the bastard off?"

"Actually, she noticed that what Meredith had to say on the stand landed with the jury and that the jury is now seeing her as a lawyer that is not afraid to bully witnesses if it means getting her client off. She would rather cut a deal than go through the rest of the trial and just further turn the jury against her when she has no evidence, just theories." Isabella explained.

"Damn Mer, you should have testified first." Cristina chuckled.

"I've dealt with bullies my entire life, I'm not doing it anymore. I may have lost it a little bit, but she made me mad." Meredith shrugged.

"You did amazing up there Meredith. I was extremely proud of you." Isabella smiled. "Now I have to go meet with Burke and his lawyer and see if we can work out a deal." The prosecutor waved as she walked down the hall to the conference room where Burke and his lawyer were waiting. She sat down across from them. "What kind of deal are you looking for?"

"What are you offering?" Burke's lawyer asked.

"I'm not willing to offer much considering your client butchered two people and helped a serial killer torture one of his victims." Isabella admitted. "Currently he's charged with two charges of murder one, one charge of rape in the first degree, and one charge of intimidating a victim of a crime. He's looking at multiple life sentences with no possibility of parole. I'm willing to drop the intimidation charge and drop the charge for Rose's murder down from first degree to second degree murder. He's still looking at life in prison, but I'd be open to a possibility of parole after, let's say, thirty years if he allocates in open court to his role in both crimes."

"Rose didn't die until three days after my client went to Derek Shepherd's trailer, even if he did cut her you can't prove that those cuts led to her death." Burke's lawyer argued. "Drop the murder charge and he'll pled guilty to Rose's rape and Izzie's murder, both of which he will allocate to in open court. Life sentence with a possibility of parole after ten years."

"Rose died of blood loss, any cut made to her body contributed to her death and we can prove that the cuts on her body were made by two different people. I'm not dropping the murder charge and the lowest I'll go on the possibility of parole is twenty years." Isabella countered as she turned to face Burke. "That is my final offer. You take it, or you take your chances at trial where you are facing life in prison with no chance of parole, you will die there."

"Unless I'm found not guilty, then I walk out of here a free man." Burke smirked.

"Until you're extradited to Louisiana where your DNA will not be thrown out and you will be convicted. Either way, you're dying in prison, that is unless you take this deal." Isabella crossed her arms as she leaned back in her chair.