Chapter 48

Eve pulled her car to a stop at the curb and turned off the engine.  Exhaling, she leaned her head against the headrest only to force herself to a more conscious state moments later.  Rolling her head to relieve the tension in her shoulders, she pivoted in her seat and reached over to push the door out and climb out, shutting the door quietly in difference to the quiet neighborhood before making the walk from curb to door of the 'Firehouse' with heavy steps. Automatically, she pressed the bell and then turned and leaned against the wall next to the doorway as she waited for someone to answer.

"That something they teach you in med school?" a voice asked causing her to jerk away from the wall and blink to clear her vision as she turned her heads towards him.  "Huh?"

Shaking his head as he took a bite from the apple he held, Scott laughed slightly, "sleeping upright.  Did they teach you that in med school?"

"No, it's just an acquired talent," she shot back as she pushed away from the wall and took a step towards him.  "Thanks for watching Danny for me tonight," she added as she swallowed and looked over his shoulder, slightly uncomfortable that he was only in his pajama bottoms.

"It wasn't a problem.  Besides, if you want to thank someone you should thank Serena," he smiled as he stepped back and indicated that she should come in.

"Oh," Eve sighed as she unconsciously rubbed at her eyes and moved past him.  "Where is Danny, by the way?"

"Asleep in the guest room."

"Oh," Eve sighed as she bit her lip trying to figure out what to do.  "I really hate to wake him up."

"So don't," Scott suggested as he sat down on the couch and watched her.

"I suggested it so it's not an imposition.  Besides, you don't look like you're going to make it down the walk, never mind home.  So you might as well stay."

"If I didn't know better. . ." Eve started only to stop herself from saying more.

"You'd what?"

"Just forget it," she breathed as she staggered towards the couch.  "I appreciate the offer, but with things with Ian the way they are I can't."

"Eve, Ian's shaking up with Lucy.  You sleeping here--- alone--- isn't going to do as much to damage your case as you falling asleep behind the wheel and getting into an accident would."

"And here I thought you were propositioning me," Eve replied in a tired attempt to inject levity.

"Nah, if I was doing that I'd have pulled out Twister," he retorted carelessly as he pushed to his feet, only to curse under his breathe at the realization and the memory said realization brought: "now that was insensitive.  I'm sorry."

Eve swallowed as she shrugged: "happens when there's a history between friends," she replied as she looked down and fiddled with her watch band.  "So, ummm, where am I bunking tonight?"

"If you can stay awake long enough for me to change the sheets, you can take my room."

"Scott. . ."

"Hey, I'm fine on the couch.  Besides, Christina's probably going to be getting up soon anyway."

"She still hasn't developed a decent sleeping pattern?" she asked as she followed him towards the stairs.

"With Lucy as her primary caregiver, you're really surprised?" Scott asked as they started going up the stairs.

"Yeah, you have a point," she conceded as she followed him up, making sure she had a tight grip on the handrail.  They continued to the top in silence and walked down the hall, stopping to look in on Danny on the way.

Stepping away from the guest room and turning towards the master bedroom, Scott decided to break the silence.  "So how does it feel to be working on such a high profile case?"

"What?"

"Just wondering how you feel about working with the former First Lady and having to answer to the former White House Deputy Chief of Staff," he answered as he paused at a linen closet, opened it and took out some bedding. 

"I don't know what you've heard. . ." she started to protest.

Laughing slightly, Scott turned towards her: "other than the fact that Joe didn't realize who she was, I didn't hear a whole lot.  Just figured it out."

"Scott, don't try to use this to your political gain. . ." she started, immediately jumping to the wrong conclusion.

"If I used some of those players to gain politically I wouldn't be here now.  Hell, I'd probably be in the Attorney General's office," he replied slightly offended, but not quite surprised as he moved towards his bedroom.

"I'm missing something here aren't I?" she asked as they crossed the threshold and moved to the bed, falling into easy companionship they started to strip and remake the bed.

"Lee went to Harvard Law with Noah Lyman."

"Let me guess, Josh's father?"

"Yeah," he confirmed as he watched her across the bed.  "Leo McGarry was also there at the time and the three of them were good friends.  Not to mention that I knew Josh growing up and we roomed together when we attended with this guy named Chris."

Raising her head, Eve stared at him: "so you knew who Donna was then?"

"No," he sighed as he tucked in the edge of the sheet and then sat on the bed staring at his hands.  "Josh and I didn't see each other often.  I think the last time I actually saw him and had a conversation not concerning politics was when I was heading to Canada after Serena was born.  I stayed with his parents for a night and he happened to be there.  Guess we just. . ."

"Grew apart?" she suggested as she sat on her side of the bed and watched him over her shoulder.

"Maybe, although I'm not sure that's right.  I mean we'd only see each other over the summers for like a week or two when we were kids and we just picked up.  It's probably just that we got too busy with life to do more than send holiday greetings and a couple of five minute calls once in a while.

And I guess I should've known who she was.  I spoke to her when I was trying to get information on DV, and when Josh was in the hospital after the shooting.  She was definitely a force to be reckoned with."

"I have to admit, it's a bit hard to picture her working there. She's seems too easy-going."

"Oh, she wasn't.  When Josh was recovering, I'd called and she monitored how long and just what he was talking about to make sure he didn't overexert himself."

"I'm guessing politics were out, so what did you talk about?"

"Theoretical physics," he responded, watching her yawn.  "Look, I better let you get some sleep.  You want me to wake you up at any special time."

"No, I'm sure that Danny will take care of that," she replied as she lay down and he rose to his feet.  She watched him walk towards the door from under lowered lashes, "and Scotty, it's kinda nice."

"What is?" he asked as he stopped in the doorway.

"Working on such an important case.  The fact that I'm working with someone of her caliber, is pretty amazing. . ." she stopped on a yawn.

"I'm glad.  Go to sleep, I'll talk to you in the morning," he answered as he shut the light and the door and went back downstairs.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Courtney Corbin smiled as she walked into the on call room and over to her locker.  For the first time in her life she felt like she was getting somewhere--- making something of herself.  Reaching up behind her she pulled a scrunchy out of her hair as she dialed her combination.  Once she opened her locker, she put the scrunchy in and started to take off the pink sweater she was wearing and folded it to place on a shelf, all the while her mind reviewing things she had done that day and still had to do.  At the sound of a door opening, she paused and looked over her shoulder, nodding in acknowledgement of the doctor who had walked in before turning her attention back to getting ready to leave for the night.

With a slight frown, Ellie Barrington took in the young student nurse.  She knew it was irrational, but she couldn't help but be annoyed at the young woman, whom, if what information she had was true, all but sold her self-respect to get here.  Of course, no one was supposed to know that Ms. Corbin was only in the nursing program here due to strings pulled by her former in-laws in what was rumored to be part of her divorce settlement, but when Treasury did their homework and annoyed doctors talked of special favors, it was hard to keep secrets.  On the other hand she had been on the receiving end of some of those rumors, but whereas they forced her to strive harder to prove her detractors wrong, Courtney Corbin had done nothing to distinguish herself from the other members of her class. With a roll of her shoulders, Ellie crossed the room to stand at the locker next to the younger woman's and waited.

At the feeling of eyes on her, Courtney turned slightly and lifted her eyes to the doctor's and then down to the floor  before turning back to her locker and uneasily moving around some of its contents.  "I believe you and I need to have a little chat," Ellie said simply.

"I ummm, I wasn't aware I was working on any of the cases you were overseeing, Doctor," Courtney replied haltingly.

"No, you're not, and for good reason," Ellie replied with slight annoyance.

Courtney swallowed unsure of what to make of the response as she pulled her purse out of the locker and swung it closed.  Slipping the strap over her shoulder Courtney looked at Ellie and forced a smile.  "Then I don't see what you would want with me," she said sweetly as she turned to start to walk out.

"Not so fast," Ellie replied with a slight tilt of her head, at which one of the agents on her detail blocked the door, causing Courtney to spin around and look at her in surprise.  "You see, I need to ask you a few questions."

"I don't see why."

"Because you were married to AJ Quartermain."

Courtney swallowed at that as she fiddled with her purse strap and bounced nervously on the balls of her feet.  "Only for a short time.  It was mistake.  I was too young," she prattled.

"So he wasn't. . .I don't know. . .abusive?" Ellie asked, gaining her answer in Courtney's gasp and lost of color.

"I. . .I don't know what your talking about," Courtney hedged as she looked to the blocked door. 

"Sure you don't."

"I  can't. . ." Courtney shook her head.

"Yeah, you can."

"You don't understand."

"You're right.  I don't.  I just can't understand why a young woman would have the guts to leave, but not take her self-respect with her."

"Excuse me?"

"You heard me.  You think that no one around here knows your little secret--- that your ex's family bought you your place in the program."

"Like you can talk.  People say your parents bought you yours."

"Only till they see my work.  Can't say the same about you."

Courtney laughed slightly at that, "I work hard and do the best that I can."

"And without their help it wouldn't be enough, now would it?"

"You have no idea what you're talking about."

"And you're a liar."

"What?"

"See, Ms. Corbin, what I have for you is a proposition.  You lied when you filled in your paperwork.  And considering some of my family's history--- well, I wouldn't be hard pressed to help you keep the things you want to keep private private. If you were to refuse to talk to me now, well, I would have to let the directors of the program know about certain aspects of your past, after all, they do make my detail very uncomfortable."

"You bitch."

"I've been called worse."

"You know if this is a test by Alan and Monica and the rest of them . .."

"No, this is very real.  And I've very serious."

"Why do you even care?"

"Because you, as much as you might want to pretend otherwise, aren't his only victim and you weren't his last."

"I don't understand."

"He put a very good friend of mine in the hospital."

"No. . ."

"He threw her down a flight of stairs.  The same ones he threw your former sister-in –law down from what I hear."

Shakily Courtney sank onto the arm of a nearby couch and buried her head in her hands.  "No. You have to be wrong.  AJ. . . he gets mad and yells, maybe throws things or grabs. . . he never. . .I mean, it was more emotional abuse."

"How so?"

"He ummm. . .his family disinherited him when we got married.  We didn't have a lot of money and my waiting tables at Kelly's wasn't enough. I. . .I ended up. . . dancing," she started embarrassed.  "I became close to Jason, AJ's brother.  He had seen me one night at the club and would come or send one of the guys who worked for my brother to keep an eye on me.  AJ got jealous.  Then he found out the truth and made me quit.  I was OK with it.  He even said he had a job lined up."

"Did he?"

Courtney shrugged: "He left town, only. . . Well, I started to get these threats, and I told Jason.  I didn't want to tell my brother because he would have lost it.  Anyway, we found the guy and then found out that AJ hired him to stalk me.  He thought I'd turn to him, you know? I left him then, especially after I found out. . ." she stopped herself.

"Found out what?"

"I can't, all right? I mean, they made me sign papers saying I wouldn't say anything.  Hell, I've already said too much.  I need this job, you know.  It's all I have.  I don't have parents who can help me follow my dreams.  Or who really care all that much.  My brother would kill AJ if he knew. . ." she shook her head.  "If I don't have this I'll end up dancing again.  Or eventually working cons like my parents did.  I want more than that for myself.  I want my self respect back.  I do."

"Well, I hope protecting him helps you get it," Ellie sighed sarcastically as she started towards the door. 

Biting her lip Courtney fought back tears as she stared at the other woman's back: "Dr. Barrington…"

"Yes?"

"I can tell you this much.  He has a thing for fires."

Ellie looked over her shoulder at that, "what does that mean?"

"I'm sure you'll figure it out," Courtney sighed, then added: "I'm really not a bad person you know."

"I know.  And. . . well, as long as you don't have contact with your brother around here, I won't say anything," Ellie replied softly.  "And if I were you, I'd start trying a whole lot harder.  Prove that you really do belong," she added before walking out, a guard behind her.

"Easier said than done," Courtney whispered to the closing door before shaking her head and turning back to her locker and the task of finishing getting ready to leave for the night.