After finally getting Gosalyn off to school, Drake went into the kitchen where Launchpad was just finishing his breakfast. Gos had fought hard to stay home from school; she wanted to help Launchpad and Drake decide how to help reform Bushroot. Drake had promised not to leave her out and that they would discuss it when she got home. He left out that he wouldn't leave her out unless he had reason to believe it could become dangerous. He still wasn't completely convinced that Bushroot really wanted to be good.
"So, have yah got any ideas about how we're gonna help Bushroot, DW?" Launchpad asked as he helped with the dishes.
"Well, I think we need to have a talk with him first. If he wants our help, we'll put in a good word for him with the judge at the Five's trial. We'll also talk with Charlie and Annie and see if they'll do the same. Do they know anything about your mental conversation last night?"
"No, I thought I should tell you first."
"Well, if we can convince them, I think the judge will be more inclined to listen. He may or may not listen to us, but the word of two cops should carry some weight."
Later, at the jail, Bushroot was surprised to see Darkwing and Launchpad.
"What are you two doing here?"
There was no anger in his tone, just curiosity.
"We wanted to talk to you about last night," Darkwing said.
"Does he believe you?" Bushroot asked Launchpad. "Does he know I wanted to help Gosalyn?"
"I'm not completely convinced, Bushroot," Darkwing said before Launchpad could answer, "but I am willing to accept the possibility now. If you want our help, we'll see what we can do."
"I do!" Bushroot cried eagerly. "I want to be good! I want to be worthy of Heather!"
Darkwing stared at him. He really did like that girl. He hadn't been using her.
Darkwing didn't think Heather would have anything to do with Bushroot after last night, but thought it wouldn't be wise to say so.
"All right, Bushroot. We'll make a deal with you. Launchpad will tell the judge about the conversation you two had, about you wanting to help Gosalyn and how Negaduck intimidated you into helping him last night."
"Will you tell him about Heather, too? Will you tell him I never tried to control her?"
"I will if it comes up," Launchpad said.
"Maybe she'll believe me if she hears it from you," Bushroot said hopefully.
Darkwing and Launchpad looked at each other, both thinking that Heather probably wouldn't be at the arraignment hearing, or the trial, unless someone called her to testify. Charlie and Annie might have told the District Attorney about her; if they had, the lawyer would definitely want her to testify for the State.
"I'm going to ask the judge to let you spend a trial period with Launchpad and me," Darkwing continued. "We'll try to help you reform, under certain conditions."
"What conditions?"
"Well, some of them will depend on what the judge wants, if he agrees. Ours are simple, though. You do one evil thing, for whatever reason, and we'll tell the judge it didn't work and you'll be back in here where you started."
"Do you think the judge will agree?"
"I don't know. For now all we can do is wait and see."
Max listened to this conversation with disgust. He was also a little worried. If Bushroot could convince Heather that he'd changed, Heather just might take him back. Max didn't know how far the relationship between his wife and the freak who was sharing a cell with him had gone, but he thought Bushroot was telling the truth when he'd said they were just friends. It didn't matter. Heather was Max's and this plant duck had no business hanging around her.
But Bushroot really did want to be good, if he was telling these two strangers the truth. What if he did reform? What if these two guys managed to help him turn over a new leaf? Max winced at his mental pun. He hated puns of any kind. This one had slipped through his brain before he could stop it.
"It doesn't matter," he thought. "Regardless of what happens with Bushroot, Heather is mine. I'm the one she's going to take back. I can convince her that I've changed. She'll never know I'm the same crook I was the day the cops put me in here."
Max had been covertly helping crooks like the Beagle Boys for a share of the loot ever since he'd dropped out of school. This was the first time he'd ever been caught, and he was going to do whatever was necessary to make sure it was the last. He'd had a lot of time to think in the last year. He decided his mistake was going after one of the big guys. From now on, once he was out of jail, he would stick to the small time victims who didn't have good security systems, and often had no security system at all. If he committed enough crimes, his wealth could add up and he could get rich quicker than anyone he knew. His family was going to have the best of everything, as long as Heather behaved herself.
After leaving Bushroot, Darkwing and Launchpad went to find Charlie and Annie. They were just about to go on their lunch break, so Darkwing and Launchpad went with them so they could talk about the case away from the cops who didn't like Darkwing. They listened carefully to Launchpad's recounting of his mental meeting with Bushroot and agreed to be as objective as they could be where Bushroot was concerned. Things had been so crazy last night that there wasn't much they could say about him and Heather. They had seen her watching and they had seen Bushroot's face when Launchpad had brought him to the car, but that was about it. They couldn't really help or hurt Bushroot's case.
While Darkwing and Launchpad were talking with Annie and Charlie, Heather came to have Max sign the divorce papers. Bushroot watched, hoping Heather would say something to him, but she didn't even look at him when she walked in. She was grateful to him for getting Max to give her the divorce, but it changed nothing. Reggie was still a criminal and she couldn't ignore what she'd seen last night. Also, the nagging question wouldn't leave her mind. "What did Reggie do to get Max to give me this divorce?" Max seemed genuinely afraid of him. Reggie had obviously bullied him somehow.
Heather had mixed feelings. She felt like a hypocrite for accepting the divorce. It was what she wanted and she'd been fighting with Max for it for over a year. Reggie had somehow scared Max into giving her the divorce. But she was so glad to finally be free of Max, and once she was free of him she would be free of Reggie, too. But Reggie had helped her with Max. Wasn't it wrong to reject him now? But it was definitely wrong to be his friend out of gratitude, especially when he was a criminal. She couldn't do that to Marvin, or to herself. She and her baby needed to put both of these men behind them and find someone with the right morals and values. This was the right thing to do. Wasn't it?
She hated this self-doubt! Of course it was right, she decided. Marvin came first and being with either of these men was not in his best interests. But she was still feeling hypocritical. She had turned her back on both of them because they were criminals, but now she was accepting the divorce that Max was obviously giving her under threat of- what? Heather had no real proof that Reggie had forced Max. He was signing the papers, and he hadn't actually said outright that Reggie had hurt him. He didn't look hurt either.
"Wait," Heather said as Max took the pen. "I have to know something first. Reggie, how did you get Max to agree to the divorce?"
"Well, I-" Reggie began, but Max cut him off. This was his chance to make Heather think he'd changed. If he made this guy look good, Heather would think Max was being less selfish. Bushroot could help him get his wife back without even being aware of it. "I don't know if you know this or not," Max thought, smiling at Bushroot with fake sincerity, "but you're my meal ticket back to my wife and kid."
"He just had a talk with me. He told me how unhappy you were and made me see that it was because I was forcing you to stay in a marriage that you didn't want. I want you and Marvin to be happy; if you're not happy, Marvin won't be happy, so I'm giving you the divorce."
"Then why did you sound so scared when you called me this morning?"
"Did I?" Max asked innocently. "I guess he just caught me off guard last night. I needed some time to get used to rooming with a mutant plant duck. But Bushroot's an OK guy."
Max gave him a smile that didn't fool Bushroot one bit. Heather was so relieved to have Max allay her fears that she smiled at both of them.
"So you still want me to sign the papers, right?" he asked sadly.
"Yes, Max, please, I want this to finally be over."
He signed them and Heather thanked him, then thanked Reggie for convincing Max to do the right thing. She gave them both a smile of gratitude before she called the guard to escort her out of the jail.
She forced away the niggling doubt that Max was telling the truth. What reason would he have to lie? He had to know she would be angry with Reggie for threatening Max into giving her the divorce. They both had to know she wouldn't approve of that. If Max wanted to make more trouble, all he had to do was tell her that Reggie had scared him into signing the papers. She told herself everything was fine and this was all for the best.
She decided to stay for Reggie's hearing. She was curious to know what would happen to him and the rest of the Fearsome five. She wouldn't stay to watch him go back to jail, though. She was sure that was what would happen. She had been Reggie's friend for a short time. In fact, she'd been his only real friend in a long time until last night. She owed him at least this much for what he'd just given her. She would be his moral support just this once. She wouldn't help his case, but she wouldn't hurt it either. She probably wouldn't even be called to the stand; she would most likely be a spectator.
The arraignment was set for two that afternoon. Bushroot was the only one of the Fearsome Five to plead guilty. The public defender entered the plea, but claimed extenuating circumstances, namely the intimidation by Negaduck. Bushroot had committed yesterday's crimes, and especially last night's crimes at the park, under extreme duress.
The judge listened without interruption to all the testimony, until Launchpad got to Bushroot's part in the whole mess.
"You think this plant is good."
"Yes, Sir, I think he can be."
"Do you have any hard evidence to prove this?"
"Well, no, but I had a psychic talk with him last night, and DW can tell yah Bushroot's teamed up to help us a few times. He's not all bad, Your Honor, and he wants to be better; he told me with his mind last night."
Launchpad explained what it was like to be in Bushroot's mind. He explained that Bushroot might have been able to fool him with his thoughts, but not with his feelings. They had been too intense to be dismissed as a trick.
When Darkwing testified, he backtracked to the night he and Launchpad had found the Fearsome Five at the Saint Canard Elementary school and the talked he'd had with Launchpad afterwards. He wanted the judge to know that Darkwing wasn't just rushing into this, that he had needed to be convinced that Bushroot had some good in him and that he wouldn't be asking what he was about to ask if he didn't trust Launchpad's instincts, as well as his own. He made it clear to the judge that Launchpad had been the one in Bushroot's mind and that Darkwing trusted Launchpad implicitly.
"I don't know about this, Mr. Darkwing," the judge said when Darkwing had made his request. "You say you needed convincing. What if you were right the first time?"
"Then, I'll gladly let you do whatever you want with Bushroot, Sir, but I think we should give him the benefit of the doubt considering everything that's happened."
The judge looked at Launchpad for a long moment before he spoke again. He had been watching Bushroot and paid close attention to the looks he was giving Launchpad. There was no mistaking the looks of trust and gratitude.
"From what I've seen today, young man, Dr. Bushroot seems to trust you. He seems to believe you'll help him. Would you help him even if Darkwing wouldn't?"
Launchpad felt uncomfortable. He was DW's sidekick, and his best friend. How could he help Bushroot if DW wouldn't?
"I'm loyal to DW, Judge."
"I don't doubt that, but if you believe Dr. Bushroot is good, wouldn't you want to help him?
"Well, yeah, but-"
"I'm not asking you to betray your friend, Mr. McQuack. I'm only asking if you believe in Dr. Bushroot enough to want to help him, even if Darkwing didn't believe you, if he still thought you were crazy for even thinking Dr. Bushroot could be reformed. You've answered my question to my satisfaction."
"Does that mean you'll let us try to do this, Your Honor?" Bushroot asked hopefully.
"Yes, but on the same condition that Darkwing stated; mess up once in the next six months, Dr. Bushroot, and you land right back in jail. Also, you're not to go anywhere without the supervision of Mr. Darkwing or Mr. McQuack. We're also going to put a monitor bracelet on you. Reginald Bushroot, I release you into the custody of Darkwing Duck and Launchpad McQuack for a period of six months, at which time, we will reconvene for a follow up and I will determine whether or not you will need further punishment, or have reformed enough to be a viable member of society. Since the rest of the Fearsome Five have pled not guilty, their trial date is set for January second at 9:00 AM."
When it was over, Heather asked Darkwing and Launchpad to give her and Reggie a little privacy.
"I know you can't leave him alone; you don't have to leave his sight. I just want to talk with him for a minute."
Darkwing and Launchpad went back a few yards, far enough that they could still see Bushroot, but not close enough that they could listen to them.
"I want to thank you again, Reggie. You have no idea what a relief it is to have this divorce over with. That's why I stayed; I figured the least I could do for you was to offer you moral support today. But I still don't think we can be friends after last night. I'm not saying this to hurt you; I just didn't want you to have false hope after seeing me in the courtroom."
Bushroot looked at her sadly for a few seconds, then brightened a little.
"What if you give me a trial period, too?" he asked hopefully. "Six months, just like Darkwing and the judge."
"I don't know," she said doubtfully. It sounded fair, but Max wasn't getting a trial period from anyone. How could she do for Reggie what she refused to do for Max?
Bushroot knew what she was thinking. Max had told her he'd changed, too. She didn't believe him, so why should she believe Bushroot? She knew Max for years; she'd only known Bushroot for a few days.
"I understand," he said quietly, feeling defeated. "I really blew it last night."
He turned to walk towards Launchpad and Darkwing.
"I'm really sorry, Reggie. I wish things could be different, but I just-"
"So do I, but it's OK. I hope you find someone who makes you and Marvin happy."
Heather left the courtroom feeling horrible. Part of her wondered what would be so wrong with giving Bushroot a trial period. The judge was doing it. So was Darkwing. Launchpad believed Reggie was good. But then she thought of Max. She knew instinctively that he hadn't changed. She knew his facial expressions and body language; they had been together since High School. He was lying to her every time he said he'd changed.
"Then how do you know he's not lying to you about Reggie and what made him change his mind?" a nagging voice asked in the back of her mind. "Did Reggie threaten him, or was Max lying to make himself look good by making Reggie look good? Was he really scared of Reggie like you thought, or do you just want to believe what Max told you?"
Heather hated that particular mental voice. It sounded like her mother and piped up every time she had serious doubts about something.
She had called her mother and asked for the rest of the day off so she could be at the hearing. Her mother had reluctantly agreed, but managed to throw in more than one comment about how this couldn't be good for Heather's emotional health. Elizabeth was the most over protective mother Heather knew. She always found something to worry about.
Heather argued back mentally, pointing out that Max had smiled at Bushroot.
"He smiled at you every time he said he was sorry and that he was a different person, too."
"But this was different. Yes, he was acting strange, but maybe that was because he still wasn't used to Reggie. I mean, he's half plant. If I wasn't so fascinated by him and relieved that he'd calmed me down the other day I probably would have been afraid of him, too."
She knew she was rationalizing, but she was annoyed with the voice in her head, with the doubts. What did it matter? She would never see either of them again. She was not going to be two-faced. She wasn't giving Max a second chance because she knew him well enough to know he wasn't sincere. She hardly knew Reggie at all and had no reason to believe he was any different from Max.
But he had helped her with Max. Didn't that mean he was different? She wished she had an impartial friend she could talk to. All her friends hated Max for what he'd done to her. None of them would believe her story about Reggie unless they saw him for themselves. All her friends were so down to earth. Sometimes they bored her, but they were all good people and she liked them.
She wished she could talk to the plants like Reggie did. They would probably be able to give her some good advice, an incite into Reggie that no one else had. Since she couldn't do that, she would just have to find a way to prove or disprove her doubts on her own.