Friction

“Oh, one more thing,” Reeve says, and I can tell by the look on his face that he’s hesitant to say what comes next. “TransBenefit wants me to make clear this is a one-time-only offer. If it’s rejected, there won’t be a counteroffer and the current offer will be pulled from the table.”

Wow. Hardball bastards. “Understood,” I say, then I head out to find Je

After a quick bathroom break, I catch her in the hallway outside the courtroom doors. I pull her away and am relieved that no one else is around, the jury having been called back in and seated in the box. I’m sure Judge Henry has advised them that the break has been extended, but he won’t tell them we’re discussing a settlement. He wouldn’t want to bias the jury with that information.

“We have an offer,” I tell Je

“How much?”

“Five hundred thousand, with two hundred up front and three hundred paid in installments. But trust me, they’ll pay the five hundred thousand in cash if we push them.”

Je

And here is where my job gets tricky. If it were my breasts that were mangled and my autistic son who was suffering because of my inability to earn a living, I would want more. I’m a risk taker by nature, and I’d tell them to shove it. I feel good about this jury. I feel great about this case.

I would tell them to go fuck themselves.

But this isn’t my case. Those weren’t my breasts, and I most certainly don’t have an autistic child. I will go home every night, comfortable and secure, not having a worry in the world when it comes to paying my bills or covering medical expenses.

“I can’t tell you what to do, Je

Je

I nod in understanding. And she will get every bit of it. When Je

Je

“It’s going well. The jury is with us, I believe. Summerland was horrible. Your testimony was fantastic. The experts are clear. I think they’re going to find that Summerland was negligent in causing your injuries. The question, though, is what they’ll compensate you. It could be more, it could be less. It just depends on how inflamed they are toward him.”

“Such a crapshoot,” she murmurs to herself.

“It is.”

Je

“Je

Je

Tears spring to Je

As I pull away, I search her eyes to make sure she’s clear on what she’s telling me to do. She looks back at me with resolute courage, and I give her a nod.

“Can I go smoke another cigarette?” she asks.

“Sure,” I tell her. “It’s going to take a few minutes to convey this to opposing counsel and the judge, and see if they stick to their guns and don’t make a counteroffer.”

Je

His head swings my way and his eyes are worried. “What’s she going to do?”

I walk up to him, giving him a small smile, and say, “I’m sorry. She won’t take it.”

Reeve turns his face away and mutters a curse. When he looks back at me, he reaches out and grabs one of my hands. Leaning in, he says in an urgent voice, “You need to take this offer, Leary. It’s good money. It will give her a new life.”

I’m a little surprised by the hint of what could be hysteria in his words. Giving his hand a gentle squeeze, I pull away from him. He watches me like a hawk. “I’m sorry, but Je

Reeve swallows hard, and I see a wave of sadness overcome his face. It makes me feel strangely uneasy and something cold settles inside my chest. But then it’s gone, and he gives me a resolute nod of his head. “We better go tell Judge Henry.”

He turns away from me and that unsettled feeling remains. Reaching out, I tug on the sleeve of his suit jacket. “Wait.”

Reeve turns back to me, his eyes clouded and fatigued.

“Is there something I should know? Am I missing something here?”

Lifting his chin up, Reeve blinks a few times and clears his throat. “No, why do you ask?”

“I’m a little surprised you’re bothered I turned down the offer. I feel like my case is going amazingly well, and the jury is going to give Je

I look closely at Reeve, waiting to see if anything surfaces to give credence to the uneasy feeling within me. Instead, he looks back at me with clear and confident eyes. “No, you’re not missing anything. I just happen to think it’s good money and you’re risking a lot to turn it down.”

“I understand the risks well,” I tell him calmly, my eyes still flicking to his to see if his countenance reveals anything. “I never think a verdict is guaranteed. I understand Je

No reaction but a slight tightening of his jaw, and Reeve gives me a small smile. “Well, that’s good. If you’re comfortable with the risks, then so am I.”

I follow Reeve back to Judge Henry’s office. We convey that the offer has been declined. Even though Reeve advised us there would be no counteroffer, the judge makes us go through the motions and exhaust negotiations in a formal ma

Reeve talks to his clients and is back in less than two minutes.

No counteroffer is forthcoming, and true to their word, the $500,000 is pulled from the table.

This shouldn’t have bothered me.

I felt fine just minutes ago out in the hallway with Je

But something doesn’t feel right to me, and it all boils down to Reeve. I can’t put my finger on it and I really can’t ask Reeve about it, either, because we promised not to discuss this case. While I feel pretty strong in our evidence and know exactly how the rest of the trial is going to play out, I can’t get over the feeling that I’m missing something critically important.