Lottery // Harvey Specter

XVI

Rachel and Mike walked into the court room together, Leonard Bailey was alarmed, 'Who's he?'

'Leonard, Kyra, this is my fiancé Mike,' Rachel introduced him.

Kyra smiled, 'Yeah we met, with Harvey.'

'He used to work at the firm,' Rachel explained to Leonard, 'and he has an idea. To let Leonard tell his story.'

Kyra bit her lip, 'It's risky. They'd get the chance to paint him of as a drug user and a criminal.'

Mike nodded, 'They're already doing that and they're not going to stop.'

Kyra smiled, 'You're right, Leonard, this is as much your call as it is ours. What do you want to do?'

'I wanted to say my piece last time, but that lady didn't let me, so please, put me on that stand and give me a chance to say it now.'

'Okay. Don't let them get to you,' Kyra told him sternly.

'Is the defence ready to call their next witness?' the judge asked.

'The defence calls Leonard Bailey, Your Honor. We'd also like to request that Ms. Zane be permitted to question the witness,' Kyra answered, making Rachel stare at her.

'Objection, Ms. Zane is a law student, not an admitted member of the bar,' Larry argued.

'She's also been a practicing paralegal for the last eight years,' Kyra added.

'I don't care if she was the President of the United States. She's not a lawyer and they're laying grounds for a mistrial.'

'Your Honor, it's obvious Mr. Bailey's first attorney didn't care about him at all. But Ms. Zane fought to have this case taken on, and she's the reason we're even hear today. Which is why Mr. Bailey is simply asking that she be with him now. So unless the prosecution is so unsure of its case that he can't handle a law student, we ask that she be allowed to question the witness,' Kyra said while not feeling the need to hide her wicked smile.

Larry sighed, 'Prosecution withdraws its objection.'

'Then your request is granted.'

***

'I was getting high with my friend Maria. I won't deny that. But all I did to those kids was try and help them.'

'Help them how?' Rachel asked Leonard.

'Me and Maria got hungry so we went to get something to eat. That's when we saw them. Lying there on the sidewalk... with blood all over 'em. Maria, she uh... she freaked out. But I wasn't thinking, so I just ran up. I mean, they were kids, you know? They-- they were in trouble.'

'So then what happened?'

'Well, I yelled for Maria to get help. But the boy... he was already gone. And the girl, she just kept asking for help, over and over. I stayed with her. And then the police came. And the next thing you know, I was being charged with murder.'

'Leonard... you were married, before you went to prison, weren't you?'

Leonard  Bailey looked at his hands, 'My wife, she left me two years after I went away. She said she couldn't handle it anymore.'

'And what about your children? Do you still see them?'

'I haven't seen my son in over ten years. And I hadn't seen Maya until you found her and told her I was innocent and that you were going to prove it. That's her right there,' he said as he pointed at the girl.

'Leonard, is there something that you'd like to say to her?' Rachel asked.

'I lost 12 years for a crime I didn't commit. But I won't regret any of it if it ends up being the thing that got me clean and reunited with you. Because if I died with you believing your father did this...' he muttered as his voice started breaking.

'She doesn't think that,' Rachel reassured him, 'She knows you didn't hurt those kids. I have no further questions, Your Honor.'

'Your Honor, we reserve the right to cross-examine the defendant. But for now, since he's claiming he knows what it feels like to be an aggrieved father, I'd like to call Victor Forrest to the stand,' Larry said, making Kyra want to strangle him.

'Thank you for agreeing to do this, Mr. Forrest,' Larry said once Mr. Forrest had taken the stand. 'I know how difficult it must be to you. Would you mind telling us a little bit about your daughter?'

'What can I say? Kim was our everything. She was sweet, kind, incredible sense of humour.'

'She played soccer didn't she?'

Victor smiled a little, 'Used to watch her run up and down the field. Never got tired, she just kept running, big smile on her face. She had such a beautiful smile.'

'It's obvious you loved her very much,' Larry concluded, making Kyra roll her eyes, of course he did, she was his daughter.

'I didn't just love her. I tried to protect her. I warned her about boys. Drugs. And I said, "If you're in trouble, you call me." And that thing that gets me is, she did call that night. Not to say she was in trouble. To say she was coming home.'

'But she never did make it home,' Larry harshly told him.

'No, and I don't care what some junkie witness was gonna say. They found that animal standing over my little girl's body. Her blood all over him. He took away my everything in one night. And he did it for money to buy more drugs,' Victor angrily spat, tears in his eyes.

'And how do you feel about the speech he gave to the jury?' Larry questioned, making Kyra ball her fists.

'He talked about getting a second chance with his family. What about my family? Our lives were ruined that night. My little girl never even got a first chance.'

'No further questions, Your Honor.'

Kyra raised on her feet, 'Mr. Forrest... did you actually see Leonard Bailey kill your daughter?'

'Of course I didn't, but that doesn't mean--'

'No further questions, Your Honor,' Kyra cut him off.