by Candy Caine
He climbed upstairs slowly to his bedroom and stripped off his soiled clothes. Then he took a hot shower, careful not to wet the bandage on the back of his head. Pulling on a robe, he heated up some leftovers and called Dottie. He needed to thank her for finding a way to convince Raven to take his case.
Afterward, he crawled into bed. His last thought before he fell asleep was of Raven and how she held his fate in her hands in more ways than one.
Lucas slept the entire day. When he awakened, his first instinct was to call Raven to find out what was next, but he remembered her telling him she’d keep him up-to-date. The last thing he wanted to do at this point was to irritate her. From her actions, it was clear that she’d taken his case out of duress.
He ruefully thought about what would happen if his case made it to trial. It could ruin his reputation and ultimately destroy his practice. If he was convicted, he’d lose his license and end up going to jail. No. He had to put his faith in Raven’s getting him out of this mess. Would her investigator get enough evidence to help her prove that Susan had engineered the entire thing to exact revenge for her dead sister? Raven needed all the evidence she could get her hands on to convince the prosecutor to drop the charges.
If not, he could always work in an ice cream parlor.
* * *
Raven continued her prep for Lucas’s trial. Chase Harwood was the lead investigator for Raven’s firm. He promised to have a complete report on Susan and Heather O’Neill in a day or so. She reminded him that she needed it yesterday. If the evidence turned out to be sufficient and compelling, and she could illustrate how Susan had engineered the entire thing, it just might be enough to get the prosecutor to drop the case. The worst thing would be for this case to proceed to trial, because it would ruin Lucas’s reputation and destroy his practice. No matter what, he didn’t deserve that, and she swore she’d do everything in her power to prevent that from happening.
* * *
Two days later, Charles Harwood strolled into Raven’s office holding a binder.
Raven looked up and smiled at the tall, rugged-looking man casually dressed in jeans and a leather jacket, his shaggy, blond hair flowing over the jacket collar.
“Is that the info on the O’Neills?” she asked.
“Right as rain, Sunshine. Have I ever disappointed?”
“Nope. That’s why you get all my business.”
Chase chuckled. “You’re going to have a field day. Enjoy. Let me know if you need anything else.”
“Thanks, Chase.”
He saluted her and left.
Raven opened the binder and began to read.
Chapter Twenty
Cherise Wilson, the ADA prosecuting the case against Lucas, was top of her class at Columbia and now a rising star in the DA’s office. Having won all of her cases thus far, she proved to be a formidable litigator. Along with her smarts, she had the instincts of a barracuda and prosecuted only those cases that she perceived to be winnable.
Not wanting to be blindsided on this case, Cherise had her own investigator check out Susan O’Neill, aka Susan Smith, and Dr. Lucas Lusk. She was informed that Lusk was involved with Raven Gould, who was acting as his attorney, but she couldn’t use that to her advantage. He had a stellar reputation, as did Gould.
However, Susan O’Neill did not. Granted, that shouldn’t matter, because everyone was entitled to a fair trial—but it did matter with the “she says” and “he says” part. Susan had a DUI and two arrests for shoplifting, which made her less credible. Cherise was wondering how wise it would be to pursue the case. A preliminary meeting with Raven Gould was set for the next day. She decided to see what her opponent had come up with before making any decisions about the case.
* * *
Raven had constructed a solid alternate theory to what had taken place in Lucas’s office and was very confident that the charges would be dropped. Cherise Wilson would be a fool to pursue such a dog of a case. She took the ADA step by step through what the evidence.
“First Susan O’Neill gained entry to Dr. Lusk’s office by breaking the lock. She then proceeded to toss the office to make it look as if a struggle had taken place. When finished, she made her distress call to Dr. Lusk’s service and waited for the doctor to call her back. Dr. Lusk, being a conscientious and caring professional, told her he’d meet her at the office. She then took the baseball bat that Dr. Lusk kept at the office and lay in wait for him to come.
“When Dr. Lusk showed, Susan O’Neill allowed him to gain entry to his office and then hit him from behind. The injury to Dr. Lusk’s head could only have been caused by a blow from behind. Now Dr. Lusk mentioned to me that he could not find his gloves when he left earlier that night. His receptionist left at the same time and remembers him reaching into his coat pocket and not finding them.” Raven paused to gather her thoughts.
“The gloves were already in Susan O’Neill’s possession. My client remembers as she left his office she clumsily reached for a tissue from his desk and knocked several items from his desk to the floor. The gloves had been among them.
“Now, as for the bruising on the plaintiff’s face, Dr. Lusk had nothing to do with that. According to hospital records, Susan O’Neill visited the emergency room six times over the last two years for various bone breaks and severe bruising. You can cross-reference the times she was in the emergency room with her missed appointments with Dr. Lusk in the past few months. She has been living in an abusive relationship with a James Stokes, and obviously she didn’t want the doctor to know about this abusive relationship.
“Susan O’Neill had been planning this setup for a while. She blamed her sister’s suicide on Dr. Lusk. They had been engaged, but Dr. Lusk had found Heather O’Neill in bed with one of the maintenance men and broke off their engagement. Subsequently, Heather took her own life.” Raven was elated when she noticed the ADA was busy taking notes, even though she had turned on a tape recorder.
“Dr. Lusk,” she continued confidently, “has done nothing to deserve Susan’s animosity and to go through a grand jury and subsequent trial would be foolhardy. The evidence under scrutiny does not support her claims, but it does favor my client.”
After hearing what Raven had to say, Cherise Wilson turned to her associate and he nodded. She now knew what she had to do. As a result of dropping the charges, Lusk could now file a complaint and Susan could be charged with assault if Lusk desired.
“Call your client and we’ll go before the judge,” Cherise said to Raven.
Raven tried not to smile at her opponent’s obvious discomfort. She gathered her materials and returned them to her briefcase, glad for Lucas.
“Will your client press charges?” Cherise asked Raven.
“I’m glad you brought the subject up. Susan O’Neill has already done harm to his good name and hurt his practice. No one wants to go to an alleged rapist for therapy. They don’t seem to hear the “alleged” part. So here’s what I think he’ll want. If you can get her to make a public apology in court, stating she fabricated the whole thing, I think my client will not press charges. However, if she refuses, that may very well be his course of action. I will appreciate your explaining this to her and getting back to me on her decision.”
Lucas had been waiting for Raven’s call. Though he believed in her skill as a litigator, he still feared things might not work out for them as a couple. He nearly jumped when his phone rang.
“It’s done. The ADA agreed to drop the charges. The judge has to sign off on it, so I need you in court now.”
“Where do you want me to meet you?” Lucas asked.
“Outside the courtroom we were in the other day.”
* * *
Raven went to the cafeteria for coffee. As she sipped, she thought about Lucas. Why couldn’t they have met under different circumstances? Better yet, after everything that happened, why did she still care for him? She couldn’t shake the feeling that she’d been a fool taken in by a scam artist. He’s a psycholo
gist and should’ve known better. Nobody likes to be tricked. She had felt the same way after the Gordon White debacle. Only, she could let Gordon go easily, but she was finding it more difficult with Lucas.
Since he’d been gone from her life, she’d hardly slept or eaten. Nothing seemed to feel right any longer. She didn’t want to think about this anymore. It made her head hurt. Having finished the coffee, she rose from her chair and threw her empty cup in the garbage.
* * *
Lucas dressed and drove to Mineola. On the way he called Renee and Dottie to tell them the good news. He felt as if a weight had been lifted off his shoulders. For the first time since Susan had whacked him in the head, he felt better physically. Emotionally he was a mess. If only he could get his relationship with Raven back on track, he’d be one happy man and never want for anything else.
Raven was sitting on a bench outside the courtroom. She saw him approach and stood up. His heart sped up. Dressed in a black suit that hugged the curves of her body, she looked beautiful. He wanted to enfold her in his arms and kiss her. It was a battle for him to fight that temptation.
“Thank you for helping me.”
She nodded. “Let’s go in.”
The proceedings were swift and painless. Lucas was a free man. And Susan agreed to the public apology rather than face charges.
Raven grabbed her things quickly and began to walk toward the exit of the courtroom.
“Let me walk you to your car,” Lucas said, calling after her.
She shook her head. “Don’t bother.” She needed to flee. She could hardly stand near him a moment longer for fear her heart might make her stay and never leave his side.
Lucas caught up to her. “You have to let your anger about Dottie and me go.”
“Really? Why should I? You both deceived me.” Raven replied, glaring at him.
“Yes, we did, but for all the right reasons.”
Raven rolled her eyes. “Oh, so it’s okay to lie and cheat if it’s done for the right reasons according to Dr. Lusk,” she said with unabashed sarcasm.
“You’re twisting my words.”
“So says the great interpreter of actions and deeds.”
“Raven, please stop sniping at me.”
“Why? Can’t you take it, Doc?”
Lucas shook his head. “Because—oh, hell.” Lucas moved quickly and pulled Raven roughly into his arms, kissing her until she was breathless.
Raven pulled away and their eyes met briefly before she forcibly pushed him away. She then rushed out of the door without looking back.
Lucas hurried out after Raven. He caught up with her just as she reached the car. She tried to push him away again, but this time he was ready and caught both of her hands, kissing each palm one at a time. Then he leaned his forehead against hers.
“You have to let your anger go. I can’t live without you. I’m sorry for any pain I’ve caused. None of this was supposed to happen. I felt sorry for Dottie. All I was going to do was buy an ice cream and end the matter. Then I saw you and I was lost.”
Raven bit her bottom lip, but said nothing.
“I will do anything—everything—to make things right between us. All I ask is for the chance. But—if you want me out of your life, I need to hear you say it. I promise to honor your request if you’ll never see me again.”
Lucas straightened up, still gripping her hands. Raven turned away. She chewed her bottom lip.
“Raven, look at me. Please.”
Reluctantly, she turned to face him, her eyes misty.
“Tell me you don’t love me anymore.” His voice cracked with emotion. “Tell me right now. I need to hear you say it.”
She blinked hard in an attempt to dispel the tears filling her eyes.
“I…” She tried to push past him again, but he grabbed her arm and swung her back into him.
“It’s simple. Tell me you don’t want me, and I’ll go.”
Raven’s cell phone trilled. She fished it from her purse and glanced at the screen. The heavy lashes that shadowed her cheeks flew up as she pushed the accept button.
“Yes, this is she,” she answered, worried and very shaken as she listened to the person on the other end.
Finally, she spoke, her voice shaky. “I’ll be there. Thank you.” She ended the call.
“What’s wrong, Raven?” Lucas asked.
She faced him, her eyes glistening with tears, her lips trembling.
Tenderly, he took hold of her shoulders. “Has something happened to Dottie?”
“She had a stroke. That was North Shore University Hospital letting me know.”
“Come. I’ll drive you.”
All the defiance had drained from Raven and had been replaced with a tight knot of fear. She allowed Lucas to guide her to his car. As he closed the passenger door, he leaned in.
“Raven, you must believe she’s going to be all right.” Then he kissed the top of her head and got in on the driver’s side.
As Lucas pulled the car out of the lot and headed towards the hospital, Raven spoke.
“This is all my fault,” she said, her lips quivering.
“How can you blame yourself?”
“I stormed out of the house, leaving her on her own.”
“And if you were there, could you have prevented the stroke? Be reasonable, Raven. This was not your fault.”
Raven didn’t answer. Instead she turned her head to stare out of the side window and nothing more was said until they reached the hospital and parked.
Raven shuddered as she entered the hospital. Lucas noticed and tried to place his arm around her shoulder, but she pulled away. She identified herself and was directed to where her aunt was waiting to be transferred from emergency to a ward upstairs.
Dottie was lying on the bed hooked up to tubes and monitors. Her complexion was ashen and her eyes were closed. Raven’s eyes filled with fresh tears at the sight of her aunt.
“Don’t die on me, Aunt Dottie,” she said. “I’ll never be able to forgive myself.”
Dottie’s eyes fluttered open and focused. She tried to smile at Raven, but half her face was frozen and didn’t respond. In a slurred voice she said, “Don’t write me off yet.”
Raven’s tears flowed faster down her cheeks and Lucas came closer to wipe them with a tissue.
Dottie saw Lucas and tried to smile again. “Thank God you’re back together. That’s the best medicine for me.”
Raven was about to say something to the contrary, but Lucas put his hand on her shoulder and said, “All we want is to see you well, Dottie. Nothing else matters.”
Raven got the message, loud and clear. Telling her that they weren’t a couple could worsen her condition. Just then the doctor arrived to check on Dottie’s vitals. He introduced himself as Dr. Khan. Afterward he took Raven and Lucas aside to speak to them.
“Is my aunt going to be all right?”
“Her stroke was mild, but as you’ve probably noticed, there was some damage to her left side. With rehabilitation, she should regain most of her motor skills quickly. We don’t think there was any damage to her ability to think or reason, but we will know more in the next day or so. She was very lucky. It could have been worse. With proper medication, she’ll be okay. She should be heading upstairs to a room soon.”
“Thank you, Doctor,” Raven said.
The doctor nodded and was off to see his next patient. The place was filled to capacity, and some patients were on beds in the hallways. She could hear moans and groans, which unnerved her. Lucas, noticing her discomfort, placed his arm around her shoulders. This time she didn’t pull away. Instead, she buried her face in his chest and sobbed.
“You heard, Dr. Khan. Dottie is going to be all right.”
Raven looked at Lucas through blurry, red-rimmed eyes. “If only I hadn’t upset her like that.”
“Strokes are caused by physical changes within the body like blocked arteries that prevent the flow of blood to the brain. You didn’t cause
it.” Lucas gently touched her damp cheek, wiping a tear away with his thumb.
“I certainly contributed to it. That last night we had dinner together, I went off on her. The things I said to her…”
“Despite all that, you didn’t cause her stroke.”
They went back to Dottie and found her sleep. Raven watched her closely to confirm she was still breathing. She gnawed at her bottom lip as fresh tears filled her eyes. Granted, she may not have been the cause of her aunt’s stroke, but there was a leaden feeling weighing her down that suggested she’d taken her aunt for granted all these years.
She also realized it took only a moment for a tightly wound world to unravel. And she had the power to stop the unraveling. It all came down to whether or not she would give her relationship with Lucas a second chance. Lucas interrupted Raven’s thoughts.
“While she’s asleep, let’s get some coffee.”
Raven followed him out to the cafeteria and sat down at a table while he fetched the coffee. He moved along the line and selected a turkey sandwich for her and a roast beef for him. His thoughts were on Raven. She was filled with so much guilt over Dottie that it was consuming her. He glanced back at the table where she sat like a broken doll and hoped he’d somehow be able to reach her. She had to accept the fact that she wasn’t complicit in her aunt’s condition.
His mind flashed back to the moments before the phone call. He’d cornered her, forcing her to finally answer him about her feelings for him. At that moment, if he’d read her correctly, she would have said that she loved him. He loved her with all his heart and would not have let her walk without a battle.
Now walking back to the table, Lucas knew what he had to do next.
“Thought you might be hungry. Even if you’re not, try to eat,” Lucas said as he placed the turkey sandwich and coffee in front of Raven.
“She looks so awful. Like she was dying.”
“Babe, no one looks too good after a stroke, and looks can be deceiving. The doctor had no reason to lie. She’s going to be fine,” Lucas said to reassure her. “Please try and eat.”