A/N: Hi all, I hope you enjoy this next chapter and that all my US peeps are looking forward to a short work week. Happy Tuesday!

Ch. 37 – Return to the Real World

I left the hospital two days later. Even though I expected the reporters, I was still amazed by the throng awaiting my departure. Of course, I'd seen the papers just before I left the hospital - "Successful Shreveport Lawyer Attacks Firm Associate in Her Home" - so I wasn't complete surprised. This was a big story in an otherwise relatively small town. I knew I wouldn't give the press an interview, not on an active investigation; the one I gave to the police was bad enough. But what got to me more than anything was the speculation about Bill's motivation. The questions were all over the place: "Ms. Stackhouse, was Mr. Compton a jilted lover?" "Was this an office romance gone wrong?" "Was Mr. Compton a stalker who decided to act out his compulsion?" "Rumor has it you were working on his cases, was this related to work, or personal?" They just went on and on. Of course, I did have to correct them in their thinking that I was somehow involved in a relationship with Bill. I couldn't stand to have that bad opinion about me out there.

When I left the hospital, Jason and Gran were with me. God bless them, they did their best to fend off the reporters and their inappropriate questions, all while shuttling me into a dark sedan that firm had arranged to pick me up. Once I got into the safety of the back seat, I was thankful for the dark windows. However, the brightness of the flash bulbs made me wonder if they could penetrate the tinted windows; they were so blinding.

Eric and I talked about it beforehand and decided it would be best if he wasn't there when I was discharged from the hospital. It would just fuel speculation – whether this was some sort of love triangle – and neither we nor the firm needed that at the moment. So, needless to say, we'd still managed to keep our relationship a secret, but in light of the events, that was the least of my worries.

I was on edge the entire way to my apartment. Gran wanted me home with her so she could look after me, but I was determined to reclaim my life and what Bill tried to take from me. Luckily Eric had the crime scene in my apartment cleaned up before I got home. He's also had the security detail at the apartment doubled and some guards were now armed. More security cameras were added too. And everyone in the building got new security cards. Eric even had my locks changed, although Bill got into my apartment when I opened the door to him. He never had a key. Nonetheless, Eric was doing all he could to make me feel safe, and I appreciated it.

Sophie Ann insisted I take some time off from work, but I couldn't just sit around my apartment all day doing nothing. And until the reporters let up, I wasn't inclined to go walking about town either. So, I worked from home until the partners cleared me to go back to work. Luckily, with remote access, it was easy to work from home. I had my calls forwarded too, but I didn't answer the phone unless I recognized the number. The reporters were relentless about getting my statement. At the end of the week I had started to feel like a prisoner in my own home.

While I was in the hospital, Eric told me Lorena quit the firm. She swore she knew nothing about Bill's involvement in the theft or his intention to attack me and she seemed to be doing her best to put some distance between them. The partners didn't demand her resignation, but she knew that her marriage to Bill was association enough to kill her reputation in Shreveport. She ended up moving back to Jackson, Mississippi, which is where she was from originally. The partners offered her a position in that office, simply out of courtesy, but she knew this scandal would follow her there and she wasn't interested in that. I heard she was applying for in-house counsel positions. Fewer lawyers there, so fewer folks would probably know about Bill.

I was anxious to get back to work … good anxious in that I was ready to get out of the house and bad anxious in that I dreaded how the others in the office would treat me. I wasn't disappointed. I tried to go in early thinking I could miss the crowd and just work, but as soon as folks started coming in, it seemed everyone stopped by my office. God, this was worse than the plane crash!

It was 9:15a.m. and I literally had Alcide, Chow, Thalia, and Indira in my office. My only consolation was that after the attack and subsequent police involvement, Victor and Betty Jo returned to their respective offices. My visits usually started with, "Oh my god, are you okay?" "I wanted to come by the hospital but Sophie Ann said you were not to be disturbed." "Did Bill hurt you bad?" "Did Bill, you know…." "Did you know he was in a coma?" "Did you know Lorena quit?" "Did you know Selah was having an affair with Bill?" – okay that I did know and Selah was mighty upset when she found out her beau went all psycho on me, but the firm wouldn't fire her since Bill was her superior and technically, their relationship would be sexual harassment. Finally Eric came to rescue me, in the form of Pam.

"Party's over folks," she announced as she waded through the bodies crowding my small office. "Sookie, Mr. Northman needs to see you right away. You heard me people, chop chop!" Pam's entrance was like watching the parting of the Red Sea. Everyone skedaddled and I breathed a huge sigh of relief and mouthed "thank you" to her. Of course, Pam just winked at me and I gathered my things to head to Eric's office. I immediately closed the door, not wanting anyone to stop in on us thinking I was free for more chit chat.

I plopped down in the chair across from Eric and he could tell I'd already had a long day and it still wasn't even 9:30a.m. "The first day is the hardest. They won't ask you anything else after today for fear of being too gossipy," Eric consoled.

"I know, it's like coming back after the plane crash only ten times worse."

"Want me to help take your mind off of it?" Eric waggled his brows.

I just laughed. He always knew how to make me feel better. "Well, are you thinking a quickie at home or right here in the office?" I sauced back.

"Oohh, you're a bad bad girl. I was talking about work, to take your mind off of things. Our case goes to trial in two weeks. And with all of … this … that's been going on, I had to do some smoothing over with the client to assure him we aren't all psychopathic fuck ups."

"Well, that's nowhere near as fun as what I had in mind, but I suppose it will have to do," I pouted.

Eric had actually not approached me sexually at all after my discharge from the hospital. I knew that with my near rape, he didn't want to push me. Actually, my cracked ribs pretty much put the damper on any amorous feelings I had but my ribs were starting to feel a lot better. So much so that I really hoped I could show him how much I appreciated him rescuing me.

He felt … and still feels … all kinds of guilt, but I've been trying to let him know I'm fine. I didn't break… well, not my spirit anyway. Of course, I wanted him to tell me everything. He said the scariest thing for him was finding us like he did. Bill lying on top of me and me half naked and unconscious. He said he may have kicked Bill once or twice when he was down and out, and was awfully tempted to pick up the skillet and use it on him some more, but well, he knew it would have my finger prints on it and it was clear I was acting in self-defense, so he just kicked Bill aside and off me and then cradled me until the ambulance and police arrived.

"Well, what did you have in mind?" I asked, ready for work and the diversion it would give me.

With that, we talked shop and trial prep. Luckily prepping for trial takes a ton of time and work, so I had a feeling I wouldn't have to think about Bill and the theft for a while at least. As we wrapped up work and I was about to leave Eric's office, I did have to ask, "Anything new on the theft?"

Eric sighed and ran his hand over his face. Clearly he'd been holding out on me … no doubt trying to protect me. However, since I asked, I knew he'd tell me what I wanted to know. He wouldn't affirmatively keep something from me, not when I'd been hurt by what I didn't know. "We still aren't much closer to finding out who Bill's accomplice is. The phone records show his call went to an untraceable disposable phone." Of course, I gave him a pointed look, because even if they didn't know definitively, I knew Eric had his theories. "I think … but I'm not sure … at least, not admissible-in-court-sure … that it's someone in Vegas. Whether at our firm or another firm, I'm not sure. Bill traveled quite a bit to Vegas over the years, on work and pleasure. It is no secret he enjoys gambling, but his losses were a secret, until Lorena sold him out that is. Selah knew a little about it too it seems. We think he was to get a big pay day to relieve his debts in exchange for setting up Sophie Ann to look incompetent so that she'd be forced out. Who would benefit from that …. We're continuing to investigate on our own, although officially the police have taken it over," he shrugged.

"Okay," I said. What else could I do? I left his office and worked the rest of the day, but Eric would no longer allow me to leave the office alone anymore. He always escorted me home.

A/N: Have I told you lately how much I love tabularasa88? Well, I do, and if you enjoyed this chapter then you know why!