Chapter 8
The court was swarming with people. Everyone who was someone had decided to attend the messy socialite divorce. It seemed the talk of the town, and everyone was anxious to hear the ruling. Karen was a mess. A complete mess. Just when it had seemed she was doing so well, Karen had dropped back down into a sad little depression. She wouldn't come out of the bathroom. Jack sat outside, waiting impatiently for her. If it hadn't of been a public place he would have charged in after her.

Suddenly a flash of red in the crowd caused Jack to look up. Excitedly he flung his arms around, calling out to Grace. Grace saw him and stopped in her tracks. She quickly turned and walked towards him. "Hey, Jack." She smiled. "What's wrong?"

"Karen's hiding in the bathroom." Jack looked flustered.

"She's what? She's supposed to be in court." Grace cried.

"I know, she said she had to go to the bathroom and when she didn't come back I knew she'd locked herself in. Anyway, you're a girl. Go get her." Jack cried. Grace nodded and went into the bathroom. She stopped, hit by the silence of the bathroom verses the noisy hall she had just come from. It was dimly lit, very expensive looking, as most courthouse bathrooms were suppose to look. Grace stepped in, her heels clicking on the marble floors, the sound echoing through the bathroom.

"Karen?" She asked, searching from stall to stall, until she saw those very familiar Chanel sling backs Karen was so fond of. "Karen." Grace stated, waiting for a response. "Come on, sweetie. They're all going to be waiting for you." After another long pause she tried again. "What's wrong, Kare?" Grace leaned up against the door. She could hear Karen's uneven breathing coming from the bathroom. Suddenly she heard her vomit. "Karen!" Grace turned, trying to push against the door.

"Go away!" A raspy voice called from within the stall. She heard Karen fall against the door, and then slide down to the floor.

"No, Karen. I told Jack I'd come get you. And I'm not leaving until you come with me." Grace said definitely, also siding down the bathroom stall door, after giving up trying to push it open. They sat in silence for a rather long time. Both determined to not leave.

Karen felt sick. She'd thought the whole withdrawal along with morning sickness had passed, but she had guessed wrong. Finally she broke, feeling a bit Closter phobic and knowing she couldn't run from this court date forever. "Okay." Karen reached up and unlocked the stall. She pulled herself up and opened the door. Grace fell backwards, bumping into Karen. "Oh, Lord. You're always falling for me aren't you?" Karen reached down and helped Grace up. She felt a bit light headed and after Grace was up, Karen leaned against the sink countertop, trying to still her swirling head.

Grace came up behind her and wrapped her arms around her middle. "Are you okay?"

"Yeah, fine, honey." Karen turned around in her arms and smiled at her. "I just got a little light headed."

"You don't sound too good. Are you going to be able to make it through court?" Grace asked.

"Yeah. Grace I'll be fine." Karen nodded.

Just then a bathroom stall opened and out walked Lorraine Finster, Karen's deceased husband's lover and her soon to be ex-husband's daughter. She was dressed businesslike and had an expressionless look on her face.

"What are you doing here?" Karen gasped, almost falling backwards.

"I'm here to see how all this ends." Lorraine said in her Britishy way. With that she left.

Karen was also eager to see how all of it would end. She sat between her divorce lawyer and Will, who was there to speak on her financial behalf. She couldn't look over at Lyle. It would make her so mad to just see him. She saw Lorraine, however, seated behind him, messing with her suit top.

Karen pried her eyes from Lorraine and watched as Lyle's divorce attorney tried to defend his point. Every now and then Karen's attorney would stand up and object, and the judge, a rather stout black woman, would almost always side with him, not swayed by Lyle's attorney. Finally Will got up and testified to the Judge, explaining how Karen was financially stable and that Stanley Walker had left her with money that couldn't be touched, except by her. Finally the judge called for further persons who would like to sway her. Karen's attorney surprised her by calling Lorraine Finster to the stand.

"What the hell does he think he's doing?" Karen asked Will queasily. The courtroom seemed a whirl to her because she felt so out of it.

"Just listen." Will whispered to her. So he was in on this surprise calling of Lorraine too. She knew she should have gotten the other lawyer.

Karen focused in for the first time and listened to what Lorraine was saying.

"Nothing should be given to my Daddy. He's really horrible. He was only with Karen for her money, it was obvious. I suppose I should have warned her in the beginning, but I knew she wouldn't have listened to me. Not after Daddy shunned me!"

"Bloody hell! Lorraine, you're my daughter!" Lyle jumped up out of his seat.

"Attorney Smith!" The judge called out to Lyle's lawyer. "Please contain your client."

Lyle's attorney turned to him and whispered in his ear. Lyle got a defeated look on his face and sat back crossing his arms.

Karen was in a state of shock. Lorraine was on her side!

"Alright, carry on." The judge nodded at Karen's attorney. Lorraine went on to explain why her father shouldn't get anything and then was dismissed to go sit back down. This time she went and sat behind Karen, next to Jack who hugged her.

"I think I've heard enough. I'm going to call a recess and when I come back we'll get down to my decision." She exited with everyone standing and after the door closed everyone sat back down, or turned to their neighbor to start discussing what they thought should happen. Karen turned to Lorraine and watched as Jack talked to her. Finally she caught her eye and Lorraine went up to her.

"Why?" Karen asked.

"Because I screwed your bloody ex-deceased husband and I feel I owe you. Plus I heard you in the bathroom, I know you're not doing so well. I called Will and asked him if I could help." Lorraine said modestly, not wanting any praise for her doings. "And as you know, Daddy isn't very nice. You saw how he threw me out that night you wanted to surprise me, which I think was in good taste. I deserved it."

"Well thank you, Lorraine." Karen smiled.

Just then the officer overlooking the court called out, "All rise for the..." And with those words Karen's heart skipped a beat. She'd forgotten about what could possibly happen. She felt Will's hand on her wrist. He squeezed it in reassurance.

The judge was seated, as was the rest of the court, and then she began. "Karen Finster is to pay the amount of $5,000 to Lyle Finster..."That was it. Karen was so happy. She'd still get her mansion, her money, it was all still in tact. She overjoyed when the Judge said, "Court is adjourned." The judge slapped her gravel onto her desk and got up.

"Well that's not bad." Will turned to her after the Judge had left and hugged Karen.

"No, it's not." Karen smiled and then turned to her divorce attorney. "Thank you." She said as they hugged.

"Well the Judge owed me one." He winked and was on his way.

Then Karen found herself face to face with Lyle. He was red, absolutely red. She laughed at him and it took some strong willpower on his behalf to hold in his rage at her...

Is anyone going to review? :(