Sorry, didn't mean to scare you," Daniel said to Nicole.

"Scare me? Don't flatter yourself, Jonas-I don't scare that easily. I was just the tiniest bit surprised, maybe. I've been tiptoeing around, trying to make sure you don't have any excuses for getting out of bed before you absolutely need to, and here you are. What are you doing, anyway?"

"Just brushing up on a couple of things." Daniel's eyes didn't move from his screen. "I'm not up on the latest treatments for heart disease. It's just not my specialty."

"What? There's something medical you don't know?"

"I know. Shocker." Daniel almost smiled. "I don't expect to know enough to say definitively what Parker needs, but I figured instead of walking in there blind, if I can just get enough of this research into my head to form an intelligent opinion, maybe it'll up his chances of getting the best care." Nicole started to say something, but Daniel cut her off before she started, saying, "I have to do something, Nicole. I can't just sit here waiting for the hospital to decide his fate."

"So you keep telling me," Nicole said. "Hurry up and wait's not my style either. Want me to check into the cardiologist's background to make sure she's the best one for the job?"

"Nah, not necessary." Daniel glanced up at Nicole for the first time. "You heading out?"

"You know me, I hate to say goodbye but I'm always rushing somewhere. Did you need me?"

"Not exactly." Daniel looked like he wanted to say something else, but he didn't.

"Okay then." Nicole put her hand on the doorknob, then turned around. "It was kinda nice staying here last night," she said. "It felt like things were almost the way they were before."

"Yeah." Daniel turned back to his computer.

"Daniel?" Nicole pretended to be looking for the right key while she waited for Daniel to look up again. "Uh...what happened last night...it's not going to make things awkward between us, is it?"

Daniel's eyes widened but all he said was, "Don't worry about it. I was tired, you were tired...it's already forgotten about."

"Okay. As long as we're on the same page."

Daniel nodded.

"I'll… I'll check in later to see how Parker's doing," Nicole said. She hurried out of the apartment, closing the door behind her. Yeah, she thought, leaning against the wall. Same page but in a completely different book.

Marissa headed to her therapy appointment early. It was a nice day, and anyway, getting out of the dorm room instantly made her feel a little better despite the fact that once again she hadn't slept very well. This time it was weird dreams where nothing really happened, but she kept jerking awake and sitting straight up in bed like something had terrified her.

As she walked across the town square, she saw JJ hurrying in the other direction. She smiled ruefully, telling herself, Keep walking. He's going to think you're stalking him, the way you keep popping up wherever he is. She found herself calling his name anyway.

JJ turned around. "Uh… hey… I'm kinda in a hurry, Marissa."

"Okay," Marissa's heart sank-why was JJ being so cold to her all of a sudden? "But listen… instead of us running into each other at random times, why don't we, like, plan something?" Her heart beat fast but she kept going. "I mean, you've owed me a conversation for a long time, and I'd really like to have it." JJ didn't answer and Marissa asked, "Where are you going, anyway?"

"Rory's bail hearing."

"Oh. I hope it works out for him. If I didn't have this stupid appointment, I'd go too. Not… not cause of you… or not just cause of you anyway. What happened to him was a travesty and I want him to know he has my support."

"I'll tell him." JJ glanced at his phone. "Listen, I don't wanna be late...for all I know they close the doors when they start and I don't want Rory to think I flaked on him. Can I catch up with you later?"

"Student center at like, 11?"

JJ nodded before hurrying off. Marissa sighed as she checked her phone and went off in the other direction.

As soon as Rory's escort had sat him down at the defense table, Aiden approached the DA. "Aiden," she said, surprised. "I can't believe you're taking such an insignificant case."

"I could say the same thing." Aiden gave her a half smile-it couldn't hurt. "What do you say we make this go away? We plead guilty, he gets a couple days community service, maybe a required meeting or two, and we call it a day."

"With his arrest record? I don't think so."

"Come on, Lindsay. Are you really going to waste the taxpayers' time and money playing hardball on this while hardened criminals go free?"

"Look, if it were up to me, I'd be happy to plead out. But I'm under orders to make an example of this kid. The weed's not that important, but he's in and out of jail, plus with all the drug crime in Salem, the prosecutor's office feels that overlooking minor offenses is just going to lead to even more major offenses. Someone has to start paying, and unfortunately for your client, that someone is him."

Aiden crossed his arms. "So there's no kind of deal we can strike here?"

"Not one that doesn't include jail time. Now I know what you're going to say, so don't bother opening your mouth. I may be stubborn, but you're the one who's threatening to try a case he can't possibly win without resorting to technicalities and other tactics. Your boy's guilty, period. Let him do some time and we'll call it even."

Aiden crossed his arms. "Three days, with credit for time served." The DA gave him a look and he said, "Come on, don't tell me you're looking for a long jail term over this."

"He might have robbed somebody! Besides, a sentence that amounts to him going free is no sentence at all. He serves a full 30 days in addition to going to AA meetings, a year's probation and submission to random drug screenings."

"No can do. I guess we're going to trial." Aiden walked over to Rory, ending the conversation.

JJ felt as nervous walking into the courtroom as he did during his own hearing. He looked around, trying to get his bearings, as he headed for the front row. Memories were flooding his brain… talking with Aiden right before his hearing began… Theresa coming up to him and trying to mess with him… the way the judge looked at him…

He shook his head. That was then, this was now, and he'd been out of trouble for over a year. There was nothing to be nervous about, not as far as his own freedom went, anyway. He could see Mr. Jennings up front with Rory, and the DA… the judge hadn't come in yet.

JJ continued looking around as he slid into a seat in the front row. The room was mainly empty, which didn't surprise him, though he was disappointed that Bev wasn't there. She was probably being selfish, enjoying some time with Cole instead of supporting Rory. I know Cole set Rory up, JJ thought. I just have to find a way to prove it.

Someone else was coming in now. JJ turned to see who, and was shocked to see it was Jeff. The two boys locked eyes, then both turned away at the same time. Jeff came down and sat down next to JJ.

"Didn't think I'd see you til class on Tuesday," Jeff said.

"Yeah, me either."

"You here supporting your friend?"

JJ nodded. Nicole hadn't told him to keep his job secret, but he had this feeling he wasn't supposed to tell anybody, especially not Jeff.

"Sorry to tell you this," Jeff said, "but he doesn't deserve your support." He leaned forward. "See, Rory might put on this cool stoner vibe, but it's all an act. Underneath that mellow exterior beats a black little heart. That boy robbed me and tied me up and they had better do something about it."

"Why are you here?" JJ asked. "Don't you have a big story to chase?"

Jeff laughed. "This is why you're not a reporter like me. No instincts." He leaned back. "This is the story, dude. Either they'll lock Rory up til his trial or they won't. Either way, I get to write about it, show how justice works or doesn't work in this sleepy little town. Small comfort after what just happened to me, but it's better than nothing. Just wait til I walk into Nicole Walker's office with my write-up. She'll see what I'm made of."

"Yeah." JJ swallowed the rest of what he really wanted to say, adding only, "I ran into her yesterday, dude. She's looking for you."

"Of course she is." Jeff grinned. "I knew she'd see what she has in me eventually. I pulled a little trick, man, one she will be proud of."

"You mean telling the cops you work for her?"

Jeff's face fell. "How'd you know?"

"She was pretty pissed off about it. I was trying to get some peace, play my guitar in the park, and she comes along wanting to know did I know you. She was really gunning for you, dude."

A scowl flashed across Jeff's face, but he quickly replaced it with a smile. "She'll get over it once she sees my write up. I'm telling you, man, this is my day. She's gonna hire me by this afternoon. You'll see."

The bailiff announced Judge Walston just then. JJ looked at Jeff out of the corner of his eye as he rose. Jeff's eyes were sparkling and a half smile crept across his face, giving JJ the chills.

"I'm so glad you decided to come see me today," Marlena said, smiling at Marissa.

Marissa sat up straighter, her eyes narrowing. "Why?"

"Well, when we last spoke, you were determined to handle the after effects of your attack on your own. It takes a lot of strength to admit that you aren't doing as well as you'd like and to ask for help." Marlena picked up a pen. "Now, before we get started, I do want to tell you that the work we will be doing together is completely separate from the work we may do in order to help the police catch the person who did this to you."

Marissa crossed her arms. "I don't know what you're talking about."

"Oh. You must not have got in touch with Detective Brady yet. I'm going to be working with her-and perhaps with you-on some techniques that may help you remember more about what happened to you so that the police can more easily apprehend your attacker. But that's not important right now. As I said, the work we're doing together right now is completely separate from that."

Marissa sat quietly biting her lip. Dr. Evans remarked, "You look like you have something to say."

"I have a lot to say." Marissa breathed deeply. "In answer to your unasked question, Dr. Evans, no I have not got in touch with Detective Brady, and I'm not going to, either. Maybe you can help me and maybe you can't, but one thing's for sure: expecting the cops to do anything for me is just a waste of time."

"Oh?" If Dr. Evans was upset, her face didn't show it. "What makes you say that?"

"Because it's true." Marissa blinked back tears. "They asked me the same, painful questions over and over like they expected me to have some different answer, and then they go and arrest the wrong guy. And okay, anyone can make a mistake, even a cop can make a mistake, but they don't listen to the victim when she says in no uncertain terms that this isn't the guy who did this to her? No, the only one who made a mistake was me… and that mistake was in thinking that Detective Brady gives a damn about getting this guy. All the cops care about is getting someone, anyone, so they can rest easy and say that we're all safe when we're not, when this guy is still out there…" Marissa suddenly felt like she was talking too much, revealing too much. She cut herself off abruptly. Her eyes refused to stop burning no matter how many times she blinked and she found herself wiping them with the back of her sleeve as if she were three years old again.

"I see." Marlena made a note on her pad. "You know, Marissa, refusing to engage with the detectives on your case can make you feel in control again, in a way you haven't since your attack. But consider this: your very refusal, your choice to do nothing to help put the perpetrator of the attack behind bars, may in the long run cause you to feel even less power in this situation. So why don't we begin by talking about the real source of your feelings of powerlessness? Tell me what you experienced during your attack."

As Hope was walking into the police station, a young man came running in behind her. "You're that detective that's related to JJ, right?"

Hope turned. She put her purse behind her desk and said, "I'm Detective Hope Brady, if that's what you're asking. Why?"

"Yeah. Detective Hope Brady. Yeah. JJ said that was your name once. I'm Kurt, um, Kurt Adams."

Hope gave Kurt a puzzled look. "How can I help you?"

"My little brother is missing," Kurt said, talking very fast. "The other night, um, I was kind of not at my best, and he didn't come home. And I told JJ yesterday, I told him, tell Rory to call me, right? And he said okay, but still I never heard from Rory so I figured, I figured I'd have to overcome my fear of this place-cause I don't like cop shops, I have to tell you, they're not my favorite place… anyway, I figured I should fill out one of those missing person reports or whatever."

"I can save you the trouble," Hope said. "I know where your brother is."

"You do? That's great." Kurt grinned. "So um, Detective Brady, um, where is he?"

"Your brother's in the courthouse," Hope said, "waiting to be arraigned on drug charges."

Kurt looked upset for a second, but then he laughed and said, "Great! He's not missing! Thanks Detective!" He ran out of the police station.

Hope sat down at her desk, shaking her head. What is going on in Rory's home life? she thought.

Eve had barely got out of the shower and gotten dressed when someone pounded on the door. Who in the world? she thought, going to answer it. Paige said she was having breakfast with that friend of hers first, and anyway she has a key. She opened the door to find Jill standing there.

Jill pushed past her, coming in without being invited. "I'm tired of playing games," she said. "You didn't even give me enough for one night at the Salem Inn. I had to stay in the park last night. Do you know how creepy that place is after dark?"

"My heart just bleeds for you, it really does, but I told you that the room isn't available until the end of the week. Now get out!"

"I don't think so."

"Now come on, Jill. You don't want me to have to call the cops to come get you after all we've been through, now do you?"

"You're going to call the cops on me? When I'm pregnant and I have no place to stay?"

"I don't want to, believe me I don't, but if I have to, I will."

"Good." Jill plopped down on the couch. "I'd love to tell them all about what you hired me to do...here I am, a poor girl desperate to get off the streets and you pay me a lot of money to drug your daughter's boyfriend. Is Paige coming over today, by the way?"

Eve glared at Jill. "What do you want?"

"I'm not waiting til the end of the week to move in. I'm staying here from now on. Your precious daughter will just have to deal with it."

Eve's eyes widened. She picked up her phone and started to disappear into the other room. "Hey!" Jill said. "What are you doing?"

"Calling your bluff." Eve went into the bedroom, leaving the door open just a crack so she could see Jill sweat. She dialed a number, lowering her voice. "Eric? This is Eve Larson. I am so sorry to have to bother you, but I couldn't think of a better person to call to help a poor homeless girl who just crossed my path. I'll explain more in person… now I hate to ask this, but is there any way you could head over this way right away?"

When Daniel rushed into the room, Parker was sitting up in bed, smiling and playing with the toy Elizabeth Harper had given him. He turned towards Chloe, trying to catch his breath. "From your message… I thought…"

"Yeah," Chloe said. "So did I. I thought I heard his monitor going crazy, but I… I guess I was hearing things."

"Wait...where were you?"

"I had to take a call."

"You had to take a call." Daniel rubbed the bridge of his nose. "Our son… our son, Chloe, he's… you told me to go home and then you, you walked out of the room to take a call."

"I didn't leave him alone. Maxine was here."

"Maxine. She has… she has been a wonderful friend to me, and to Parker and I guess to you… but she… she is not his family, Chloe."

"Really?" Chloe's eyes widened. "So it's okay for you to leave him with Jennifer while you go do God knows what, but if I need a minute, that makes me a horrible mother?"

"He knows her. God, Chloe, I cannot believe I have to explain this to you."

"You weren't here!" Chloe blinked back tears. "They wanted him to do another x-ray, and he was freaking out, and I couldn't… what was I supposed to do, Daniel? I was here by myself with him and yes I stepped out for a second, but don't you dare come waltzing in here after the fact judging me!"

"You're right. I wasn't here. Cause you told me not to be."

"I told you to go home and get some sleep. I figured you'd be back first thing in the morning, that you'd want to be back. My mistake. I should have realized, everyone in the world is worth being saved by Daniel Jonas except his own son!"

Parker began to cry. "Mommy, Daddy, Mommy, Daddy."

"Now look what you did," Chloe said. She turned towards the bed. At the same time Kayla came in.

"Hey!" Kayla said. "What is wrong with the two of you? Parker doesn't need this kind of drama, and neither does the rest of the ICU." She glared at both of them. "I understand that right now this is a stressful time for everybody, but this is not acceptable. Don't make me treat you like children and assign times for each of you to be in this room with Parker...alone."

Chloe had her back to everybody. She was sitting by the bed, singing quietly to Parker and trying not to let tears seep into her voice. Daniel's arms were still crossed but he said, "You're right, Kayla. Chloe, uh, I'm sorry I jumped down your throat. I kinda panicked when I got your call."

Chloe kissed the top of Parker's head. "It's okay, sweetheart. Daddy and I aren't fighting anymore." She turned towards Daniel, her eyes wet, and said, icily, "Yeah. You did."

"Chloe," Kayla said softly, "I know you want more support, but do you mind if I borrow Daniel for a minute?" Chloe nodded. Kayla gestured to Daniel to follow her out of the room.

Judge Walston took the case file and said slowly, reading aloud, "Rory James Adams, one count of possession of less than 2.5 grams of marijuana." He looked at Aiden and the DA over his glasses. "Dare I presume that the two of you are going to come to an agreement on this one?"

The DA glanced at Aiden, who shook his head slightly and said, "Unfortunately, we were not able to do that as of yet, your Honor."

"Well, try harder. I don't want to waste too much of the court's time with this. But in the meantime, how do you plead?"

"Not guilty, your Honor."

"Bail?"

"Own recognisance, your Honor," Aiden said. The judge nodded but the DA said, "Your Honor, with all due respect…"

"Please tell me you have a good argument for keeping this defendant in custody prior to trial."

"I know this particular offense doesn't seem like it's very important," the DA said, "but it's a question of frequency rather than degree. His arrest record would kill quite a few trees to print out. In and out of juvenile detention from the age of 13, drug dealing, assault, vandalism, theft… and that's only what he's been caught doing. Your Honor, his own mother had to call the police on him several times because she was afraid of him, and he no longer resides with her as a result of that fear. Not to mention, your Honor, that these drugs were found on him during a routine search after an arrest on suspicion of multiple counts of armed robbery."

"Counts that you couldn't make stick," Aiden argued, "and therefore are not relevant. Your Honor, what does any of this have to do with whether or not my client is a flight risk? He's a student at Salem University who has already missed two days of classes due to his arrest, and to keep him in jail awaiting trial seems needlessly punitive. It seems to me that the district attorney is determined to go around your authority over sentencing and put my client in jail regardless of whether the court ultimately plans to limit his freedom."

The DA crossed her arms. "Your Honor," she said, "are you really going to allow this attorney-and I use the word lightly-to sling accusations around your courtroom like that?"

"I know what I won't do. I won't have this descend into a circus. Both of you be quiet and listen to my decision."

"No." Marissa's voice was almost a whisper. She pressed her arms tightly against her chest. "I spend way too much time going over it again and again. Whenever I close my eyes, I see it." Her eyes darted to the floor, than back to Marlena. "All I really need is a good night's sleep, just one, so I can think clearly again. I was hoping maybe you could prescribe some sleeping pills."

"Getting sleep will help, but one night's sleep won't cure it. I think you're looking for something easy. Take this pill and it all goes away. Unfortunately, that's not how it works. When something as traumatic as what happened to you occurs, the only cure is time. Time and talking. The more you talk about your attack, the easier it will be for you to heal."

"I said I don't want to talk about it!" Marissa got up. "This isn't going to work. I'm sorry, Dr. Evans, to have wasted your time."

"Tell you what." Marlena put her pen down. "Let's at least finish the session. If you don't want to talk about what happened to you, perhaps talking about something else will be helpful for you." Marlena gestured towards the chair. "For example, let's talk about what's causing you to have so much difficulty sleeping."

"First things first," Kayla told Daniel in her office. "As Chief of Staff, I have the authority to reduce patient loads as needed. I'm sorry, Daniel, but until we start seeing some movement in Parker's condition, I'm taking you off the surgical roster."

"With all due respect, Kayla, this… this is not necessary."

"I disagree." Kayla put her pen down.

"I'm an excellent surgeon." Daniel turned his back to Kayla. "And right now - "

"Nobody is arguing with that. But you know as well as I do that no matter how good a doctor is, he can't do his best for the patients if he's distracted. You're not going to be able to turn it all off and give your full attention to the patients on your operating table while your son is lying in the ICU with a potentially life-threatening condition. I couldn't, if it was Joey. Dr. Chung couldn't, if it was Peter lying in that hospital bed. No doctor can, Daniel. Not even you."

Daniel bit his lip, trying to get his words together. "Not only, Kayla, not only do my patients need me, but I need this. On a selfish level, I… I need that distraction, Kayla. I cannot just sit in that room thinking about Parker, thinking about what's going on with him and what might happen. You say I can't turn it off to assist my patients but Kayla, turning it off completely is how I am surviving this. If I can't operate, if I can't do my job, I don't know how I'm going to function."

"I see," Kayla said, giving Daniel a puzzled look. "Don't you want to spend more of your time with Parker?"

"Of course I do. Every minute I'm away from him, it kills me."

"You can't have it both ways, you know." Kayla's voice was soft, sympathetic. "You can't be in his room 24 hours a day and at the same time perform complicated, lengthy surgeries. And really, Daniel, nobody is going to fault you for taking time off when your son is this seriously ill."

"What are you trying to say?"

Kayla sighed. "As the chief of staff in this hospital, I have to do what's best for the patients. And as your friend, I also have to tell you I'm concerned about you. I don't think you can be there for either your patients or Parker the way you need to be right now. You're frazzled, you're stressed out, and that's affecting everybody negatively. So as of today, I'm giving you some time off so that you can just be there for your son. And in the meantime, I also strongly urge you not to try to handle this on your own." Daniel stiffened and she said, "I'm not going to push Elizabeth's services on you. But if you don't want to talk to another professional, at least lean on your friends and family. You're right, you can't be in Parker's room all the time. Neither can Chloe; that's why she stepped out. But when you need a break, don't go see patients. Go home and relax. Spend time with Nicole… Brady… Eric… Maggie… all the people whose lives you've touched and who are waiting in the wings to be there for you the same way you're always there for them."

Daniel was quiet, thinking. It suddenly popped into his head that he had promised Jennifer a continuation of a conversation about JJ. He didn't think he had the energy for her right now though, or for anybody. He'd slept fine despite worrying that he had somehow led Nicole on, let her think that they could ever be more than friends, but now a tidal wave of weariness hit him and he sank down into a chair, unsure whether they were done or whether Kayla was still talking.

Marissa sank into the chair. "I'm so tired, Dr Evans," she said. She held on tight to the arms of the chair while she tried to put her words together. "Every night's the same. I'm exhausted, so exhausted my… my bones hurt, and I think, I have to sleep tonight. And then I lie in bed and I close my eyes and… and I see things I don't want to remember."

"Memories of your attack?"

"I guess. Sometimes it's like… like a movie in my head. Other times it's just… a shadow moving on the wall that I think is something else… or a voice in my head asking me if I'm sure I locked the door, am I sure nobody's in the room. It goes on all night and then morning comes and I think, I must have slept, that couldn't have been going on all night. But I'm tired, so tired, and coffee doesn't help and a shower doesn't help and nothing helps." Marissa's eyes burned, this time from exhaustion. She blinked and said, "So you see, that's why I need sleeping pills."

"I'll prescribe them," Marlena agreed, "on one condition."

"What?"

"I want you to make another appointment with me. Your insomnia as well as your mood swings and your panic attacks are all symptoms of your mind and body trying to make sense of what has happened to you. As we discussed earlier, that's not something that can be cured in just one session. For now, I'd like to see you twice a week. If you will agree to that, I will try you on mirtazapine and see if that helps relieve your symptoms enough to allow you to sleep."

"That sounds like blackmail," Marissa objected, but she was too exhausted to be forceful about it.

"That's one way to look at it. Another is that I'm trying to be as conscientious about your care as possible. Even if I weren't a believer in therapy as an adjunct to medication, I'd still need to see you to monitor how the medication is affecting you and make sure you're on the right dose. Now you should know," Marlena said, picking up her prescription pad, "that this isn't a sleeping pill, strictly speaking. It's an antidepressant, and it may take some time to start working. But I think you will find that soon enough you'll be able to regulate your sleep and some of your other symptoms. In the meantime, our work together will certainly help you get the control over your life that you want. So all that's left is for you to agree to our next appointment."

Marissa nodded.

"Both the DA and the defense attorney make a point," Judge Walston said. Just then, the courtroom door opened again. JJ turned, along with most of the courtroom, as Kurt ran into the room, allowing the door to slam closed behind him. JJ tried to catch his eye, but Kurt looked the other way, maybe on purpose.

The judge banged his gavel. "I will have it quiet in here. Young man, I don't know who you are, but I expect your presence at these proceedings to be more respectful than your entrance. Do I make myself clear?"

"Yes your… your Honor." Kurt seemed to be slurring his words a little.

"Good. Now, as I was saying… both sides have a point when it comes to the bail in this case. I am not pleased that this case is even going to trial. Mr. Adams-"Judge Walston gave Rory a pointed look-"if the police mistakenly arrested you for a serious crime, perhaps you should take a good, long look in the mirror to figure out why they would think such a thing. In any event, it is illegal to possess even small amounts of marijuana, and the fact that the drugs were found during an arrest you or your attorney plans to object to is irrelevant. Now, you have the right to claim innocence and to put on a show to try to convince a jury-and perhaps myself-that there is some reason we should all overlook the letter of the law, but I hope you choose instead to simply take responsibility for having broken it, and that the DA's office in response exercises leniency."

Judge Walston gave the DA an equally pointed look. JJ, feeling like he was the next to be on the receiving end of the judge's annoyance, made an effort to get rid of the scowl he could feel creeping onto his face.

"Now," Judge Walston went on, "regarding the bail itself. It is true enough that this defendant has a lengthy arrest record, but that is neither here nor there as far as this case goes. Despite the fact that he was initially accused of a serious, violent crime, the defendant cooperated fully with the police during his arrest, demonstrating that he respects the authority and seriousness of these proceedings, even if he does not appear to respect much else. As Mr. Jennings points out, the defendant is a full time student, and it seems to me that to keep him in custody is to deny him the only chance he has for a future outside of a jail cell. At the same time, I would be remiss if I didn't take into consideration his full history. Ms. Rubin has a point as well-it is more than probable, given this history, that the defendant simply has not been caught for a more major offense than the one he committed, and part of the reason for keeping defendants in custody is to intervene with their tendency to wreak havoc in our community. Thus, for the defendant's sake, the sake of all of Salem and most importantly for the sake of my own conscience, I am splitting the difference. Bail is set at $500, and trial is set for two weeks from now. The defendant will remain in lockup until such time as bail is paid in full."

Rory looked around the courtroom as the judge's gavel came down. He doesn't have $500, JJ realized. He racked his brains trying to figure out what to do. Maybe he could take up a collection or something.

As the guards began to escort Rory back to his cell and what few spectators there were emptied out, Kurt said, loudly, "Excuse me, your Honor!" The judge turned slightly, his lips pinched together. Kurt said, fishing some bills out of his wallet, "I just got paid, I have the $500. Do I give it to you or something?"

"See the clerk," Judge Walston told him, "and if I were you, I would try to at least appear sober so that he can accept your payment."