by Jade Winters
‘St Thomas’. Abi asked if she could see you urgently. She thinks she might have messed up her divorce case.’
‘Tell her not to worry about anything. I’ll be there as soon as I can.’ Harper was already on her way out the door as she spoke.
Shay looked up at her from her desk as she hurried by. ‘Something’s come up. I’ve got to go.’
‘Oh?’ Shay looked up at her quizzically.
‘I won’t be back today, I’ll see you tomorrow.’ Harper decided against telling Shay the news for her own good. Harper knew it would remind Shay of a time when she herself had been in the grip of darkness and despair. No, she wouldn’t do that to her friend.
Twenty minutes later a taxi dropped Harper in front of the hospital. The initial adrenaline rush from Tia telling her the news had dissipated. Now her mind was full of worry. What could Abi have done to spoil her chances of getting a fair divorce settlement? When she hadn’t heard from her she assumed the mediation went well and they were moving forward. So it was with great surprise that things had turned sour so quickly. Unless it has nothing to do with the divorce and there’s something else bothering her. She wouldn’t have to wait long to find out what. Harper hurried towards the reception.
It took several minutes for Harper to be given the name of the ward Abi was on. Soon after she was walking along a narrow passage, peeking in each cubical to find Abi. Harper passed several nurses stood chatting behind the nurse’s station. Straight ahead she caught sight of Abi, sat up in bed, holding a sleeping baby. Looking at the loving way Abi held her son, it was hard to believe that she could have attempted to take her own life and leave him behind.
Abi glanced up as Harper neared. Harper noted the trembling of Abi’s bottom lip and soon tears welled up in her eyes. ‘You came.’
‘Of course I did.’ Harper leant over and kissed Abi’s cheek, then turned her attention to the baby. ‘He’s beautiful, Abi,’ Harper said stroking his face.
Abi smiled. ‘Thanks. You haven’t met my sister, have you?’
‘No, not in person. We spoke on the phone.’ Harper turned to face the blonde haired woman and held out her hand which Tia took in a firm grip.
‘Thanks for coming,’ Tia mouthed.
Harper smiled and looked around for an empty seat.
Tia rose to her feet. ‘Why don’t I take him to the café so you two can talk,’ Tia said holding out her arms for Jake.
‘Thanks.’ Abi kissed Jake’s forehead before handing him over.
‘See you in a bit,’ Tia said before disappearing behind the drawn curtain.
Harper sat down in the vacant chair and pulled it closer to the bed. She rested, what she hoped was a reassuring hand, on Abi’s arm. ‘Do you want to talk?’
‘You must think I’m a pathetic and horrible mum.’
‘I would never judge you, ever,’ Harper said softly.
It was several minutes before Abi spoke, when she did her voice shook with emotion. ‘I just couldn’t take it anymore. Robyn threatened to apply for full custody of Jake,’ she said wiping away a tear that had spilt from her eyes. Her voice rang with panic. ‘The thought of Robyn taking Jake away from me…’ She shook her head. ‘I just lost it and well....’ She lowered her chin to her chest. ‘You know the rest.’
Harper cocked her head. ‘I thought during mediation you were sorting out visiting rights, what turned it in to a custody battle?’
Abi looked uneasy. ‘It’s my own stupid fault. I went to see...’ She hesitated for a moment. ‘A friend. She was smoking weed. I know I shouldn’t have gone into her flat—’
‘—You don’t have to explain your actions, Abi. Carry on, what happened?’
‘Robyn came round unexpectedly and could smell weed on Jake. She accused me of taking drugs. I’ve never taken drugs in my life. I swear.’
Harper squeezed her arm. ‘I doubt a judge would take your son away from you if you have no history of drug abuse. She’d have to provide evidence. Robyn saying Jake smelt like weed really wouldn’t cut it. It seems she was trying to frighten you.’
Abi snorted. ‘It worked.’
Harper wasn’t too bothered about the accusation. It was Robyn’s word against hers. ‘If she carries on with her nonsense I’ll arrange for you to take a drug test,’ she said with an air of confidence. ‘That will soon put her back in her box when it’s negative.’
Abi twisted the thin blue sheet around her fingers. ‘There’s something else.’
Feeling uncharacteristically alarmed, Harper steeled herself. The look of fear in Abi’s eyes told her it was going to be something she didn’t want to hear.
‘I sent a letter to Robyn’s solicitor telling her what a shit mum I am and that Jake deserves to be with Robyn. I didn’t see the point in there being any confusion about who Jake should live with if I wasn’t going to be around anymore.’
Oh shit. That is bad. Could she ask Dylan to ‘lose’ the letter? Harper couldn’t bring herself to do it. It was unprofessional and unethical. There must be another way. How can I prove that it’s Robyn’s actions that have pushed Abi over the edge? Her only chance was to find some sort of evidence that Robyn was abusive.
Harper stood and paced the small cubicle wondering what she was going to do. An idea sprang to mind. ‘Abi, you said before that Robyn sent you emails, abusive emails, before she kicked you out. Did you use an email program or a web based service?’
‘I used the program Outlook. Why?’
‘Do you still have the laptop?’
‘No, well yes, but not at home. It’s at Robyn’s house. Because she bought it, she said it was hers. But anyway, she deleted my whole inbox before I left.’
Damn. That put a stop to that idea straight away. Harper’s eyebrows furrowed. ‘Maybe there’s a way of retrieving them.’
‘Really?’
‘It’s a possibility.’ Harper tapped her foot on the floor. ‘And there’s definitely no way you can get the laptop?’
Abi’s eyes remained fixed on Harper’s when she said, ‘Is it illegal to enter someone’s house if I still have a key?’
Chapter Forty-Three
‘Dylan, have you got time to speak?’ Harper said down the phone to Dylan.
‘Of course I have. You sound upset. Take a deep breath and tell me what’s wrong?’
‘Were you aware that Robyn has withdrawn from mediation and wants full custody of Abi’s son?
‘Well, yes. I had a meeting with Robyn. She said—’
‘—Why the hell wouldn’t you have told me?’ Harper said. ‘Abi’s in hospital. She nearly died because of you and your fucking client.’
Dylan’s jaw dropped and she slowly rose to her feet. Cathy appeared in the doorway holding her mail. She indicated for her to leave it on her desk then waved her away. ‘What happened?’
‘Oh so you didn’t know your client withdrawing from mediation was going to send Abi over the edge?’
‘That’s awful,’ Dylan said in a low tone, her eyes falling to the floor and looking for a suitable emotion in her scarce reserve of feelings. The one that came to the fore was not one she was familiar with—contrition. ‘Harper, I swear to you—’
‘—Your word ain’t worth shit to me. I know you’ll probably use this information against my client but do you know what. I don’t care. You need to know the harm your actions cause to innocent people.’
‘If you just listen for one min—’
‘—Why should I? Your client has totally worn Abi down to the bone with all this shit.’
‘Harper,’ Dylan addressed her firmly, ‘I’m starting to get really pissed off with your accusations. Don’t lay the blame at my feet. I’m not the one responsible for this mess. If you want to have a go at someone, call Robyn Massey, not me.’
Dylan pressed the end call button with force. Oh I hate these bloody mobile phones. She dropped the phone on her desk with a clang. Dylan wished Harper had called her on her work phone so she could have slammed the phone back on
to its cradle. It was so much more satisfying than hitting a button. If Harper had actually listened instead of jumping down Dylan’s throat she would have known the outcome of her meeting with Robyn. That Dylan had advised Robyn that going for full custody was a waste of time and money. But no, she wouldn’t hear her out. Harper was so self-righteous sometimes it drove her mad.
In the haze of her annoyance Dylan picked up her mail and flipped through it. She looked down at a crumpled envelope that someone had tried to straighten out. Tearing it open she took a step away from her desk and eyed it cautiously. It was a handwritten letter from Abi.
As she read the letter something terrible dawned on her.
What was to stop Abi from going through with it next time Robyn pulled one of her stunts? Did she really want Abi’s blood on her hands? If Harper disliked her now, she would hate her for an eternity. Dylan stood motionless for a few seconds.
Suddenly she became animated again and made her way to Gregory’s office for what she knew would be the death blow to her partnership. If she was going to lose Harper, there was no use in keeping the very job that had caused her loss.
Minutes later she entered Gregory’s office. He looked up in pleasant surprise. ‘I thought you’d be busy on the Massey case.’
‘That’s what I need to talk to you about.’
‘Sit.’ He gestured to the empty seat opposite him.
‘Dad…’
He raised his eyebrows and gave her a look of disapproval.
Dylan sighed. ‘Sorry, Gregory. There’s a bit of a problem.’
‘I thought we didn’t have problems, Dylan, only solutions.’
‘There’s only one solution. I can’t work on the Massey case anymore. I have to leave the company.’
‘Leave? Why?’
‘Because…’ Oh God this is so embarrassing. She felt the heat rushing to her cheeks. ‘Because I slept with the solicitor whose dealing with Robyn’s wife’s case.’
There was a long silence. Dylan didn’t realise she was holding her breath until she was forced to exhale through her mouth. Where she had expected to see shock on his face there was only a look of indifference.
‘And?’ he finally said.
‘And…it’s unethical.’ Bloody hell, I’m even starting to sound like Harper. What’s next?
‘Unethical? Did you have sex in public?’
Dylan dropped her gaze to the floor. She really didn’t want to be talking about her sex life with her father, whether it was relevant or not. ‘Of course we didn’t.’
‘So no one else knows?’
‘That’s not the point.’ Her voice lowered to barely a whisper. ‘I have feelings for her.’
Gregory made a face. ‘Feelings?’
‘Yes feelings, you know, that thing when you love someone.’
Gregory burst out laughing. ‘You have a one night stand and you think you’re in love. Come on, Dylan, I expected more of you.’
‘It wasn’t a one night stand.’ She stood up abruptly. ‘And another thing. Abi Massey is in hospital. She tried to kill herself because of the stress of this case.’
Gregory made a church steeple with his fingertips as he paused to consider her. ‘Tried and failed.’
‘That’s beside the point. I don’t want her death on my conscience if she tries it again. I can’t be involved in the destruction of people’s lives anymore. Not for any amount of money.’
Gregory’s voice was cold as he stood up and walked behind his chair. He gripped the edge of the seat with both hands. ‘And you want to give up your chance of partnership and career here because of a weak willed woman trying to top herself. It might not be this case, if she’s so inclined, anything could push her over the edge.’
Dylan stifled a scream, electing to keep her temper under control. ‘This is a human being we’re talking about “Dad”. A real person whose life is going down the drain because of the likes of us,’ she said. ‘You know I used to think there was something wrong with people who didn’t see the world like us. It’s taken this to realise, it’s not them, we’re the ones that are damaged. We’re vultures, picking away at the dignity of victims until they’ve got nothing left.’
His voice softened. For a split second they were father and daughter. Not boss and employee. He threw her an embarrassed look. ‘I get it. You’re having your woman monthly thingy. Believe me I understand. Why don’t you take a few days off? When your hormones are back to normal come back to work, and end this goddamn case.’ He finished with a sharp edge to his tone.
Dylan’s jaw tensed. Gregory was starting to piss her off with his refusal to take her seriously. That was one of the things that irked her about him. Her dad always thought he knew Dylan better than she did herself. ‘I’m not having any “thingy” as you put it. And I’m not going to change my mind,’ she said adamantly.
Gregory shook his head, a benign smile on his face. ‘Leopards don’t change their spots, Dylan, you should know that.’
If he was expecting his analysis of her to be met with a whoop of joy he was sadly mistaken. ‘That’s where you’re wrong, and I’ll prove it.’ Dylan hoped she’d said enough to make him realise that she was done screwing people’s lives up. The thing was, it wasn’t her dad that she had to try and convince—it was Harper.
Chapter Forty-Four
Dylan was apprehensive. It wasn’t an emotion that sat well with her. Abi’s letter was securely in the back of her jeans. She still didn’t know what she was going to do about it.
After the discussion with her dad, she finally saw him for what he really was—a cold, uncaring, calculating bastard. Had he shown one ounce of humanity she could have forgiven his interest to move on with the case. But to dismiss the woman’s troubles as if she’d told him Abi had stubbed a toe was unforgivable. Dylan knew she could be single minded but her dad’s behaviour was downright nasty.
Dylan stopped her car outside Harper’s flat. What the hell am I doing here? I’m the last person Harper will want to see right now. Despite this, Dylan found herself walking towards her flat and up the flight of stairs. She hesitated before knocking. Can I hear a baby crying? She pressed her ear against the door. She wasn’t hearing things. It was a baby.
Intrigued, she pressed the door bell and waited. A minute went by before Harper answered. The look on her face said it all. She hated her.
‘What?’
‘Can I come in?’
‘I really don’t think that’s a good idea. I’m busy.’
‘So I can hear.’ Dylan glanced over Harper’s shoulder. ‘You didn’t tell me you had a baby. Were you saving that one until you had me hooked?’ she teased.
Harper’s face remained expressionless. Okay so humour isn’t going to do it.
Dylan’s finger tapped nervously against her thigh. Harper was the only woman she knew who could make her feel on edge. She had a knack of making Dylan think she was in the wrong, even when she wasn’t. ‘If you won’t talk to me inside, we’ll talk here.’ When Harper made no move to slam the door in her face she continued. ‘How’s Abi?’
‘Like you care.’
Dylan let out a heavy sigh. She wanted to step forward and shake some sense into her, maybe even yell at her, I AM NOT RESPONSIBLE FOR ABI TRYING TO TAKE HER OWN LIFE. Knowing that wouldn’t go down too well she just said, ‘Give me a break, Harper. How can you think for a minute this sort of news wouldn’t have shocked me?’
‘I’m sure it’s not the first time your actions have had such dire consequences.’
Dylan stepped back as if Harper had struck her. She might as well have. It was as if someone had punched her in the stomach. ‘That’s a bit below the belt.’
A blonde woman came into view carrying a baby, stopping behind Harper. She glanced at them both before saying to Harper, ‘Do you mind if I heat him a bottle.’
‘No of course not.’
The woman started to turn around. Dylan eyed her suspiciously. Had Harper moved on so quickly? It hadn’t been
more than twenty four hours since they’d been wrapped in each other’s arms, surely it meant more to Harper than a meaningless shag. ‘Aren’t you going to introduce us?’ Dylan said.
The woman shifted the baby onto her opposite hip and held out her hand and introduced herself. ‘Tia. And this little fellow’s my sister’s son Jake.’
Dylan swallowed hard as it dawned on her who the woman was. She looked frantically towards Harper. Harper glared back at her with narrowed eyes.
‘And you are?’ Tia asked.
Words failed her. ‘Dy—
‘—She’s an old friend of mine,’ Harper interjected quickly.
‘Nice to meet you,’ Tia said before heading back down the hallway.
Dylan felt a lump form in her throat. Even in these circumstances when Harper must have thought she was a despicable person, she still protected her. ‘You didn’t have to do that you know.’
Confusion clouded Harper’s eyes. ‘Do what?’
‘Not tell her who I was. I’m a big girl you know. I don’t need protecting.’
‘Don’t I know it? Look if you came to find out about Abi, she’s gonna be fine, okay?’
‘Harper.’ Dylan took a step closer and reached for her. Dylan would have given anything to hold her in her arms for even a second. To rewind the clock back to that morning in her apartment. Only this time, she wouldn’t rebuff Harper when she noted how much Dylan had changed. She would agree and tell her it was because of her—Harper Anderson, the kind, gorgeous woman that she had fallen in love with.
Harper shuffled back, her expression pained. ‘Please don’t make things harder than they already are.’
‘But—’
‘—I can’t do this. I’m sorry.’ Harper gave a small shake of her head and started to close the door.
‘Wait,’ Dylan pulled Abi’s letter from her pocket. She couldn’t believe what she was about to do. ‘I think somebody sent this to me by mistake.’
Dylan handed Harper the paper. Without waiting for her to read it, Dylan turned and walked towards the stairs.
‘Why would you do this?’ Harper called out after her. Some of the coldness in her voice had gone.