The Advocate - 01 - The Advocate

by Teresa Burrell

  “Sure. I’m just glad she’s with you and she’s safe. Something must have happened to make her sneak out. She’s not one to break the rules. I hope someone hasn’t hurt her there.”

  “I don’t think that’s it, but I’ll see what I can learn. See you in court tomorrow.” Sabre hung up the phone and turned to Alexis.

  “I’m sorry,” Alexis said. “I didn’t mean to scare anyone.”

  “I know you didn’t. It’s okay, but next time just call me and I’ll come get you. Alright?”

  “You will?”

  “Of course I will. You have my cell number so you can reach me anytime.”

  With her brow wrinkled, Alexis looked at her advocate. The wrinkle started to melt and she took a step toward Sabre and gave her a hug. They remained clenched for a minute before Alexis let go.

  “Listen, Alexis, since you’re here, maybe you could help me with some things in the office.”

  “Sure, what can I do?” Her voice brightened.

  “Lots of things; I need these papers shredded, pencils sharpened, and copies made.” Alexis took directions well and asked questions when she didn’t understand something. At first, she worked without saying much, but after a little while she seemed to relax and started chattering.

  Sabre worked and tried to listen at the same time as Alexis spoke, “… and then Joey got his foot caught between the bars on the chair and he couldn’t get it out. They tried everything, but he was stuck. They had to get maintenance to come and take the chair apart so he could get out. Joey thought he would have to walk around the rest of his life with a chair on his foot. He wouldn’t even be able to get dressed. How would he put his pants on?” They chuckled.

  After Alexis described Joey’s predicament, her voice grew quieter. “My father came to see me today. He said I’d be going home tomorrow. Am I? Am I going back to live with him?”

  Sabre laid her pen down, walked over to Alexis, and knelt down so they met eye to eye. “When we go to court tomorrow, the judge will decide whether or not you’ll return to your father. I’ll make a recommendation to the court and so will Marla. The judge will listen to the reasons why you should or should not go home and then she’ll make the decision. What would you like me to recommend to the court? Do you want to go home?”

  Alexis lowered her head and responded in a whisper, “No.”

  “Alexis, why don’t you want to go home?”

  “I just don’t,” she said. After a few seconds of silence she added in a louder voice, “I like it at Jordan. It’s fun there. And what about Jamie? Will Jamie stay at Jordan?”

  “I think so, at least for now. Later, he may be able to go live with you and your father if everything checks out okay.”

  “No, Jamie is safe where he is and I need to stay at Jordan with him. He needs me.”

  “Did you tell your father you don’t want to go home?”

  Alexis spoke emphatically, “No. And you can’t tell him, either. Just make the judge leave me where I am.”

  “Alexis, I can’t just tell the judge to not send you home. I need a reason. I need your help here. Remember, I can’t tell anyone what you say, unless you tell me it’s okay. So maybe if you shared with me what you’re afraid of, I can figure out a way to help you.”

  The tears started to well up in Alexis’ eyes as she pleaded, “Please, Miss Sabre, just let me stay at Jordan … with Jamie.”

  Sabre took the fragile little girl in her arms and held her, not sure what to do. She didn’t want the children separated, and she didn’t know if Alexis was afraid to go home or if she just didn’t want to leave Jamie. Sabre needed more information, something explaining Alexis’ reluctance to return, something to give her a reason for a continuance.

  They sat for a long time in silence, with Alexis in Sabre’s lap and Sabre’s arms wrapped around her. Their embrace was interrupted by a knock at the front door. Sabre loosened her grip and stood up, “You stay here until I see who it is. It’s probably someone from Jordan checking on you. Just wait here.”

  Sabre walked down the short corridor into the reception area, and peeked through the peephole. Just as she did, the mail slot opened and something flew at her. It hit her in the stomach, swirled around, and bright red color came zooming toward her head. Sabre screamed.

  She dodged and ducked, trying to avoid contact, but it seemed to keep coming at her. She saw some white on its back and chest amidst the red blur. It appeared about six inches long with a long, narrow wingspan reaching at least a foot. At first, she thought it was some kind of strange bird. When she realized it was a bat, her fear escalated and Sabre panicked.

  Screaming and twirling around the room, she crashed into Elaine’s desk, knocking over the desk lamp when her foot caught in the cord. Weaving and bobbing, she tried to avoid the missile streaking at her, until the bat dug its claws into the collar of her blouse. Sabre swung at it over and over again, her hands flaying around as she tried to remove the bat from her body. The bat, close to her throat, made her gasp for air. When it finally let loose, she tried to run, but the light cord wrapped around her foot threw her off balance. Sabre felt herself falling, and fought to untangle her foot and regain her balance, but the floor came at her quickly. She reached out to hold on to the desk. Her hand slipped across the top and her head hit the corner, knocking her out.

  Alexis ran into the room just in time to see Sabre twirl and fall and the bat free itself from her blouse. She knelt down by Sabre and started to shake her, “Wake up. Wake up,” Alexis said, but Sabre didn’t move. The bat flew around and around the light near the ceiling. Scared, Alexis ran back into Sabre’s office and slammed the door behind her.

  She stood by the door trying to figure out what to do. She knew she needed to call someone, but she didn’t know who. If she called 911 the cops might come and take her to jail for running away. “What do I do? Who can I call?” she said aloud. “Marla. I’ll call Marla.” She reached for the phone.

  “M-M-Marla, Sabre’s hurt.”

  “Alexis? Is that you?”

  “Y-yes,”

  “Where are you?”

  “S-Sabre’s office.”

  “Is anyone else there?”

  “No,” she whimpered.

  “Are you hurt?”

  “No.”

  “You said Sabre was hurt. Do you know how bad she is?”

  “I think she’s d-d-dead.” Alexis began to cry. “I can’t get her to wake up.”

  “I’m coming right over. I’m on my cell phone so I’m going to keep talking to you until I get there, but I’m going to pick up the other phone and call and get Sabre some help. So you may hear me talking on the other line. Just hold on, okay?”

  “Okay.”

  Marla kept the cell phone to her ear and picked up her landline. She called 911 and told them what little information she had. She explained she’d be there shortly, and if they got there before her, to not frighten Alexis. She hung up the phone and climbed in her car. She could hear Alexis breathing on the other end. “I’m leaving right now. The ambulance may arrive before I do. You just keep me informed and I’ll tell you what to do, okay?”

  “Okay.”

  Marla continued speaking to Alexis as she drove to Sabre’s office, but all she could determine was something had come in and flown at Sabre, Sabre lay injured on the floor in the other room, and Alexis was in Sabre’s office with the door closed.

  The police and the ambulance arrived before Marla did. With some work and encouragement from Marla on the phone, they convinced Alexis to unlatch the back door. She refused to go to the front door because “the flying mouse” might be in there. Shortly after Marla arrived, the paramedics carried Sabre out on a stretcher, alive but unconscious. The bat had been captured. Other than that, she obtained little information. Marla remained there while they took Alexis’ statement, then she and Alexis drove to the hospital and waited for Sabre to awaken.

  14

  A haze of pure white surrounded Sabre.
Unrecognizable voices bounced off the fog as the room spun. She struggled to focus, blinking her eyes and straining until the fog finally dissipated and she saw a familiar face staring down at her.

  “Ron,” she murmured. She reached up for the figure in front of her, but her arms seemed to be glued to the bed. They wouldn’t move. “I’m dead,” she whispered, and the darkness came again.

  She struggled for the light, needing to see Ron again. Although she tried to open her eyes, her eyelids felt too heavy to move. Sabre concentrated on focusing, putting every bit of energy she could muster into opening them. As she summoned the strength from within, she could see some light streaming through. She continued to concentrate on getting her eyes open until she saw Ron’s face.

  “Good morning,” he said.

  Sabre tried to respond, but nothing came out. Her mouth felt like cotton. She wanted to ask for water, but no words came. Ron’s concerned face became clearer, his body leaning over Sabre’s, clad in blue scrubs.

  She heard the voice again, coming from Ron, but it didn’t sound like him. Ron’s voice was strong and resonant, yet soft and comforting, unlike this ordinary voice. She struggled to stay conscious, to keep her eyes open.

  “Sabre, can you hear me?”

  “Uh … huh.”

  “You’re in the hospital.”

  Sabre responded with another guttural sound. Still confused, her mind raced with crazy thoughts about why she was in the hospital and what Ron was doing there. Was she dead? Was this heaven? Limbo perhaps. Would she remain in this state of flux and confusion for all eternity? She heard the voice again. “Sabre, I’m Dr. Steele. We met the other day when you visited Carla. Remember me?”

  Things started to make sense to Sabre, though she didn’t know whether to be happy or sad. She thought Ron had returned, but only Dr. Steele stood before her. At least she was alive. She nodded her head, “Hm … mm.” Her mouth dry, she scanned the area, looking for water. Dr. Steele reached for a glass and put the straw to her mouth.

  “Just a sip,” he said.

  The water felt good in her arid mouth. She swirled it around. Licking her dry lips she said, “Why am I here?”

  “You had an accident. You fell and hit your head, but you’re going to be okay.”

  Sabre tried to remember what had happened, but her head hurt. She could only remember Alexis had been with her. “Alexis?” She was afraid to hear the answer.

  “I don’t know who Alexis is, but no one else was hurt, just you. To be sure, I’ll have someone check on her for you. You’ll be able to have visitors in a little while, but for now, you need to rest. I’ll be back in a few hours to check on you.”

  The sedative Sabre took made her sleep for most of the morning. As soon as she woke up, she called Marla to check on Alexis. Just as Sabre hung up, they delivered lunch to her room.

  “Just set it right there, thank you,” she said.

  Sabre sat up and pulled her tray towards her, although she didn’t feel very hungry. She worried about getting her work done, and her head pounded.

  Bob walked in and saw Sabre sitting up in her bed, with her untouched chicken breast, green beans, and orange Jell-O in front of her. “Hey Sobs. Boy, some people will just do anything for a little attention.”

  Her face lit up. “Hi.”

  Bob stepped up to her bed. “How you feeling?”

  “Well, if you could just lift the eighteen-wheeler off my head, I think I’d be okay.”

  “You’re in a hospital. Maybe you could have it surgically removed.”

  Sabre chuckled. “Did you just come from juvey?”

  “Yes, I covered your cases. I stopped by your office early this morning and picked up your files. As usual, your notes were great. So, I only had to continue a few cases.”

  “What would I do without you?”

  “Just completely fall apart, I imagine,” Bob responded. “By the way, I settled the Stevens case.”

  “What do you mean, you settled? I thought I had it all worked out. What happened?”

  “Donna, the ‘I’m-an-idiot-minor’s counsel,’ happened. She wasn’t sure she wanted the baby placed with the mother.”

  “For gosh sakes, the grandmother moved in with her. There’s no way she would let any harm come to her grandbaby.”

  “Yeah, well, Donna nearly had the social worker convinced. She almost went sideways on us until County Counsel put some pressure on her. Anyway, it’s done now.”

  “How did the rest of the cases go?”

  “I did everything except Jackson, Billings, and Murdock. They all had to be continued. I wrote the hearing dates on your forms in your files. I hope I didn’t mess up your calendar too much.”

  “It’ll be fine. Whatever dates they are, I’ll be there,” she said. “Do you have a trial this afternoon?”

  “No, why?”

  “I have the Curry trial. I just need you to get another date. My client is whacko. You’ll love her. She’s the one I told you about who calls at two or three in the morning and screams and cusses on the voice mail expecting someone to pick up the phone. It’s nice when she’s in custody, because I don’t get those phone calls.”

  “No worries. I already had the pleasure. I met with her this morning in the interview room. She yelled at me, and when I didn’t get riled, it made her angrier. Mike offered to take her out of there, but I didn’t care. After trying to calm her and put her at ease, to absolutely no avail, I just told her what I needed to tell her and left. When we did the hearing, she started yelling at Judge Cheney because she wanted her kids out of foster care and back with her and her crack-dealing boyfriend. The judge couldn’t get her to stop yelling and cussing, so she sent her back to lock-up.”

  “So, you did the case this morning?”

  “Yup, we just got a new trial date, and it made Mike happy because he could put her on the early bus back to County Jail.”

  “Thanks, Bob. You’re an angel.”

  “No problem. I enjoyed dealing with Madam Curry. It spiced up my morning.”

  “Do you remember what the date is for Murdock?”

  “Yes, as a matter of fact, I do. It’s set over to next Monday. Gilley wanted an earlier date, but then his calendar conflicted with the court, so you got a week.”

  “Good, I need the extra time.”

  “How is Alexis? Have you heard?”

  “I spoke with Marla this morning. She said the incident shook Alexis up pretty good, but she’s okay. She received such a good reception back at Jordan for being brave and helping me, she didn’t get much flack for running away. She’s meeting with the psychologist today to help deal with it all. I’m more concerned about why she ran away in the first place. Alexis told me last night she didn’t want to go home, but she wouldn’t say why and she didn’t want her father to know.”

  “You’d think she’d be anxious to go home. Do you suppose it’s because she doesn’t want to leave Jamie behind?”

  “That’s part of it, I’m sure. But I don’t think she knew Jamie wouldn’t be going home with her, at least not until after she said she didn’t want to go home. I guess it’s possible someone else told her, or she just assumed it. No, I think it’s more than that.”

  “I don’t know. Murdock sure appears to be a decent guy. If he is in fact snowing everyone, he definitely plays the game well. Most of those derelicts can’t keep up the front this long. They usually crack within the first few weeks if they’re faking. He’s either really good at it, or he’s genuine.”

  “I agree. He’s quite the southern gentleman. Maybe he’s for real.”

  “By the way, have you heard any more from Atlanta?”

  “No, but I’m going to try to reach the maternal grandmother again. I haven’t heard from Detective Carriage in a while, so I think I’ll call him this afternoon.”

  “So what happened last night? I heard something about a bat. Was it a bat or a bird?”

  “It was definitely a bat. Someone knocked on the door. B
efore I could even look out the peephole, they stuck it through the mail slot. The dang thing came right at me, and it scared the dickens out of me. I screamed and tried to get away from it, but it just kept coming at me and then it got caught in my blouse and I couldn’t get it out. I somehow knocked the lamp off Elaine’s desk and got my foot tangled in the cord. I must’ve hit my head on the desk when I fell. I don’t remember anything more until I woke up this morning. I thought I had died. Everything looked foggy and I thought I saw Ron standing by me, but as it turned out, it was just the infamous Dr. Steele.”

  “That must have been eerie. He was on duty when you came in last night. I’m not sure he ever went home. He was very helpful this morning. He even spoke with me personally when I called to check on you.”

  “He’s been very kind, but it sure is uncomfortable being around him. I don’t want to say anything to him because he’s been so nice. He came back in this morning to check on me and said I could go home tomorrow. I tried to convince him to release me today, but he wouldn’t. He wanted to keep an eye on me another day just to be safe.”

  “Well, I’m sure he won’t keep you here any longer than he has to. They need the beds.” Bob paused for a moment. “Do you have any idea who did the bat thing?”

  “Not a clue.”

  “Got any jealous wives looking for you?”

  “My life should be so exciting.” Sabre chuckled. “It was obviously intentional, though. What I’m not sure of is whether someone played some kind of sick prank or if it was malicious, and if they intended it for me or someone else in the office.”

  “Well, we do make our share of enemies in this business, but it could be a random act of idiocy. Have you spoken to the police?”

  “Yes, a detective came by this morning and took my statement.”

  “Did you tell him about the other strange things you’ve been experiencing at the office? It’s just too coincidental, so many things happening at your office and only when you’re there alone. It seems someone is, at the very least, trying to scare you – probably some sick client, or a parent of a child you represented that you ticked off somewhere along the line.”