Chapter Seven: Two Peas

"There's no way they can make this stick!" I adamantly told her after she'd explained what had happened. "The judge dropped the case. You can't be punished again for it!"

"That's what I thought too! But it didn't stop someone from issuing another warrant, did it? And from getting me suspended from my internship!" she cried out in frustration.

I sat back and thought for a minute. "You say your blood alcohol level was under legal limits?"

"It was barely point zero-four," she reminded me. "I drank less than half a glass of wine."

"And the arresting officer ticketed the other driver, correct?"

"Yes. I didn't even receive a warning! He hit us on the passenger side and critically injured himself."

She hiccupped and took a drink of water, obviously trying to stop herself from crying.

"It's okay," I told her. "Let it all out. Sometimes, it helps."

"Thanks," she said as the tears began to roll down her cheeks. "We'd been engaged for a month before the accident and were celebrating with friends. He drank too much and I insisted upon driving. I'll never forgive myself."

"But it wasn't your fault! You said so yourself. You did the right thing. You were t-boned by a drunk driver. I just don't see how anyone can blame you for their deaths."

"I was the one who delivered the news to his mother. You should've seen her face. I've never seen anyone so crushed. He was her only child."

She was still carrying the guilt with her; that much was obvious. "Would you care to go to my next counseling session? Not everyone present is a veteran. Some are just there for support for a variety of reasons."

"I don't know…" she pondered while playing with the napkin on the table.

I reached out and placed my hand over hers, immediately noticing she didn't flinch or even pull it away. It was a bold move, but I had a feeling she needed the simple touch.

"You're still grieving. Allow yourself the time to process it."

Her body shook with a silent laugh. "That's difficult to do when it keeps getting thrown back in your face."

I patted her hand and removed my touch. I didn't wish to make her uncomfortable. "What about your parents? Can't they help?" It hadn't escaped my notice that she had never mentioned them. Maybe we had something in common after all.

"I lost my mother as a child. I don't even remember her. My father had cancer and died while I was in high school. I lived with my grandmother for a while but she passed as well. I have a sister, but we don't keep in touch. I'm pretty much on my own."

So much disappointment for someone so young. "I'm an orphan as well," I informed her. "The kind couple who adopted me both died two years ago. I loved them, but they were old when they found me, so I didn't get to spend nearly enough time with them."

"Aren't we the happy pair?" she said, displaying a tearful smile.

My heart ached for her. There had to be something I could do to help!

"I tell you what," I said after an idea began to form. It may not be the best plan, but it was all I could think of. "I'll find out which judge issued the warrant and go have a talk with them. Surely, they'll change their mind after looking at the evidence."

Her eyes widened at the thought, but I wasn't sure if she agreed or was thinking I should mind my own business.

"I'm coming with you!" she told me excitedly. "We'll leave tomorrow morning."

I wasn't sure if her showing up in person to face this judge was such a good idea. "Perhaps it would be best if I handled this as a professional police matter."

"I'm coming," she repeated, leveling her gaze at me; a look I'd never seen her display before. It revealed strength, confidence, and perhaps a bit of danger.

"Does that stare work on sixth graders?" I asked, trying to lighten the mood.

"Most of the time," she acknowledged with a quiet laugh. "Tell me. Did it work on a… How old are you?"

I let out a short chuckle of my own. "Thirty-four. Too old?" The last two words slipped out before I could stop them, although I was kinda glad they had. That way, I would know where I stood with her. A surprising thought indeed.

"Ten years difference? No, that's fine. I actually prefer older men. They seem more settled somehow. They already know what they want out of life. Ani was still struggling to decide..."

"Ani?" I couldn't seem to quit blurting things out! "I consider myself a pretty modern guy and I try to keep up with things. You were engaged to a guy, right?"

Her reaction to my playful question would tell me if she had changed her mind about me or if she was still judging me as harshly as before. I was hopeful she realized I was joking.

"Yes," she told me a relieving sparkle in her eye and a twist of her lips. "It's short for Ananiah. He hated that name."

And he thought Ani was a better choice? I was actually glad I kept that comment to myself.

"How old was he?" I was curious, but was also doing my best to keep our conversation going. I was enjoying her company and wanted our evening to continue.

"Only twenty when he died," she noted sadly. "We met in high school and were planning on getting married as soon as I graduated. Obviously, that didn't happen. I had to take a year off and am just now trying to finish up my degree."

"So this happened not long ago. No wonder you're still grieving. You need to give yourself more time," I suggested. It had been four years since the war and I was still struggling.

"What I need to do is find out who's trying to ruin my life! Can we start in the morning?"

I didn't blame her for being eager and was actually looking forward to spending more time with her.

"Sure," I announced. "Let me talk to my boss. I'm sure he'll give me some time off. We'll head out first thing in the morning."

"It's a three-hour drive," she informed me. "We'll need to leave pretty early."

"I'll pick you up outside the apartment at six. We'll stop and eat a nice breakfast along the way. I know of a good spot about thirty minutes east of here."

"Sounds great," she told me with a smile.

"It's getting pretty late," I told her after I'd checked my phone, "and since we have to get up before daylight, I suggest we call it a night."

"Good idea," she agreed. "Thank you for this. You didn't have to help, but I'm glad you are."

"No problem," I replied. My typical response was that it was part of my job, but this was more than that. She'd been on my mind since I'd met her, whether I wanted her there or not. I had a strong suspicion the more time we spent together, the worse it was going to get.

Chief Quinn was going to have a field day with this!