"Times Square?" Ben echoed. The one thing he had wanted to know about for so long, and here she was offering it to him. He couldn't have planned it more perfectly if he'd tried. "What happened in Times Square, Evelyn?"
She opened her mouth to reply, when Jenny's piercing wail erupted through the air and she closed it again. "Jenny's crying," she said after a moment.
Torn, Ben hurried in to where Jenny was lying in her cot and lifted her up, hugging her gently and softly soothing her. "Please don't cry," he told her, more for the fact that he didn't want the moment with Evelyn to slip away, "Come on, Jenny, for Daddy…" It took almost ten minutes, but finally Jenny's cries died into a whimper and finally she was asleep again, tears hovering on her eyelashes. Ben put her carefully back into the cot and then hurried out into the living room.
Evelyn was on the phone, "I'd love to!" she was saying, her face alight with enthusiasm, "Sounds great! Ok, I'll see you there in ten. Ok, bye!" She hung up the phone and grinned at him, "I'm going out."
"I didn't hear the phone ring."
"You couldn't hear a bomb over your daughter," Evelyn replied, pulling her jacket off. "That was Lizzie. We're going for a drink." She hurried into the bedroom and started undressing. Ben followed her and watched as she started pulling clothes out of her wardrobe, "God, I don't know what to wear!"
"Evelyn," he tried to get her attention.
"What?" she asked absently.
"Evelyn, Times Square?"
"Sorry?"
"You were going to tell me about Times Square."
Evelyn turned to face him and he saw that her expression had cleared, "Oh Ben, for goodness sake! I don't want to rake over that old ground again." She pulled out a sparkly blue top and held it against her, "What do you think?"
"It's great, but listen…"
"But what pants should I wear?" Evelyn mused, "Jeans, or smart pants? Where are we going anyway? Russo's….hmm it's quite fancy…God I don't know…" She pulled some more outfits out and then chose a pair of dark blue jeans from the pile. "Are you getting your kicks standing there watching me getting changed?" she cast him a look over her shoulder.
"Evelyn, you just buried your mother this afternoon," he reminded her, "and your father said something to upset you and I want to know what it was!"
"Oh for Christ's sake!" Evelyn turned angry eyes on him, "You never give up, do you?" She pulled her top over her head viciously, "You have to know about every aspect of my life. You can't possibly allow me to keep some things to myself, can you? God, you're so…infuriating! Sometimes, I have no idea why I ever married you!" She was yelling now, her face turning redder, "You smother me, Ben! Shit, it's like living in prison!" She stormed past him into the bathroom and vigorously pulled a brush through her hair.
"I'm just concerned for you, that's all!" he retorted, following her, "You've barely had time to digest what's happened. You're not thinking straight…
"Oh so now I'm crazy!" she swung around to face him, "You fucking bastard. How dare you speak to me as if I'm a fucking idiot! Just leave me alone!" She grabbed her bag, stormed towards the door, opened it and slammed it hard behind her, causing Jenny to start screaming again.
Ben soothed Jenny back to sleep and then spent the rest of the evening pacing around the apartment, not able to settle to do one thing without thinking about Evelyn, wondering if she was ok. Around eleven o'clock, the phone rang.
"Hello?" he said, trying to keep the concern out of his voice.
"Is that Ben?" an unfamiliar voice said
"Yes."
"Hi, Ben, it's…it's Lizzie. Lizzie Young? Evelyn's friend?"
"Hi," he said, "having a nice evening?" Despite his anger, he didn't want to let Lizzie know how he was feeling.
"Um…well, that's the reason I'm calling."
"What's happened?"
"Well…Evelyn's crashed out on our sofa. She's…she's a little bit drunk and…well…Paul and I thought she could just stay here for the night."
Ben sighed heavily and ran a hand over his face, "Ok, as long as it's ok with you."
"Yes it's fine," Lizzie assured him, "She'll be back in the morning." She paused, "I'm really sorry, Ben."
"It's not your fault," he replied, "thanks for letting me know." He put the phone down and then slammed the cradle against the table. He was so furious, with Evelyn, with himself, with her father, with everyone.
SSSS
It was eight-thirty before Evelyn arrived home the following morning. She looked tired and hung over, with dark circles under her eyes and her clothes crushed, but she put on a fantastic performance.
"Hey sweetie," she bent and kissed Ben who was sitting at the table folding up the paper, "Sorry I never made it back last night, but you know what happens when girls get together." She walked into the kitchen and started making herself some coffee.
"So you thought you'd just get roaring drunk and crash out on Elizabeth's couch?" His voice was tight.
"Oh, come on," Evelyn tried to placate him, "it's not as if I do it every night. I haven't been out since Jenny was born."
"I wondered when you'd remember about her," Ben stood up, "She was restless last night."
"And you obviously managed marvellously because I can't hear a peep out of her."
"You're her mother, Evelyn…"
"Lizzie and I were talking last night," Evelyn interrupted him, "and I've decided."
"Decided what?"
"That I'm going back to work, as soon as."
Ben froze, "What?"
"I said I'm going back to work." She grinned at him, "Don't you think it's a good idea?"
"What about Jenny?"
"There's places that take babies during the day."
"She's only four months old!"
"So? It's not as if she's going to be picky."
"Evelyn…" Ben glanced at his watch, "I don't have time to talk about this now, but when I get home tonight…"
"There's nothing to talk about, Ben," she replied with a smile that didn't quite reach her eyes, "I'm going back to work and that's that."
SSSS
"The case is good," Carter told Ben and Bowyer, "the murder weapon was found at his home, he has no alibi, he fought with the victim…what more do you want?"
Ben glanced through the notes, but his mind wasn't fully on the case in hand. He was still thinking about Evelyn's revelation.
"You listening, Stone?" Carter demanded.
"Yeah," he looked up, "it seems pretty straightforward. What's…" he checked again, "Mr Franklin's story?"
"He claims he was at home, alone, all evening," Haywood replied, "but, no one can vouch for him and he can't remember what he watched on TV. I mean, even the worst liars can at least pull one show out of the hat."
"And the weapon was found where?"
"In the kitchen," Carter replied impatiently, "It's all there." He stood up, "Sure you can handle it?"
Ben momentarily forgot his own issues and shot Carter a steely look, "Yes I can."
"Good." With that, the two cops left, Haywood casting an apologetic look over his shoulder.
Ben looked through the file notes. Tom Nicholls, an eighteen year old drug addict, had been found stabbed to death in Central Park. It hadn't taken long for the police to identify James Franklin as a potential suspect. He had been seen arguing with the victim the afternoon of his murder and, as Carter had pointed out, the murder weapon had been found at his home and he had no alibi. It seemed as if there could be no problem in gaining a conviction. No problem that was, until Ben received a phone call from a rather smug sounding Jack Burns.
"I hear you're going to be prosecuting James Franklin."
"That's correct," Ben replied tightly.
"My firm is defending him. Not guilty by reason of mental disease. I hope you're ready to be walked over." Burns laughed uproariously.
"I'm looking forward to the challenge," Ben replied, knowing there was no point in being outright rude.
"Challenge?" Burns's tone was one of incredulity, "Well if that's how you want to look at it. I'm assuming that coming up against your wife won't be a problem."
Ben paused, "My wife?"
There was a laugh at the other end of the phone, "Don't tell me she hasn't told you? We were really excited to have her back and I'm sure that this is going to be the first of her many triumphs." He chuckled, "We'll both be in to see you tomorrow."
SSSS
"Ben, I don't know what you're getting so worked up about!" Evelyn said that evening as she made dinner, "Jack called me this morning and asked me if I wanted to take the case on. My first time in court trying a proper case! It's a great privilege that Mr Burns chose me himself." She grinned at him excitedly.
Ben was pacing, rocking Jenny in his arms, trying to get her to stop crying. She had been wailing ever since he walked through the front door and found her in her baby seat while Evelyn was poring over the case file. His anger at being told, by Burns of all people, that Evelyn had willingly taken the case without discussing it with him…he could barely put his feelings into words.
"Evelyn, Jenny is four months old! She needs to be with her mother, not packed off to some child minder!" He glared at her, "I don't know how you can even think…"
"She's been with me every day since she was born, Ben. I'm sure she'll appreciate the change." Evelyn dumped the pasta into a dish and started stirring the sauce through, "Besides, you can't expect me to spend the rest of my life cooped up in here with a screaming child. Or are you saying that really you're a closet chauvinist who doesn't think women should work once they have children?"
Ben didn't say anything. It wasn't that he thought Evelyn shouldn't work, but he wanted his daughter to have the sort of upbringing he had had, where his mother was at home for him every day. Where she would make his dinner and ask him how his day had been. It had been a small glimpse of calm before the storm of his father coming home from the pub and the bottomless pit of need that always emanated from him opening wide.
Evelyn took his silence as acquiescence, "For God's sake, Ben! We never said that I would stop working forever! We always said that I would go back. We agreed…"
"I know that!" He snapped, still pacing, as Jenny continued to scream, "It's just…"
"You're scared to come up against me, aren't you?" Evelyn turned surprised eyes on her husband and laughed, "You're worried that I'll wipe the floor with you and everyone will say that the great Ben Stone got done over by his own wife!"
"That's not true!"
"Yes it is!" Evelyn was grinning broadly, "You're afraid…"
"No I'm not because it won't happen!"
"What won't happen?"
"You won't beat me!" The words were out before he could stop them. Evelyn's face instantly fell, "Evelyn, I didn't mean…"
"Yes you did," she replied, her tone icy, "You meant every word because you're under some misguided illusion that you're better than everybody else. That you're better than me. You're starting to believe your own press, Ben, and it's not an attractive quality."
Ben looked at her, stunned, "My own press? I'm thinking about what's best for our daughter."
"No, you're thinking about what's best for yourself," Evelyn's eyes flashed angrily, "You're more concerned with maximising your own career and screw everybody else's, including your own wife's. Just because I had a child, doesn't mean that my working life is over." She dumped some pasta onto a plate and slid it viciously across the table towards him, where it teetered dangerously on the edge, "Enjoy your dinner, Mr Assistant District Attorney. See you in court." She stormed into the bedroom and closed the door.
Ben ate his dinner slowly, periodically checking on Jenny who had fallen into an exhausted sleep, tears still on her cheeks. He thought about what Evelyn had said and wondered if it was true. Was he more concerned with his career? Was that why he didn't want Evelyn to go back to work? He pondered those questions as he washed up the dishes and looked at the plate of pasta Evelyn had put out for herself but never eaten. He heated it up in the microwave, took some cutlery from the drawer and walked over to the bedroom door. He knocked gently, "Evelyn?" There was no reply, so he pushed the door open, "Evelyn?" The lights in the room were off, but he could make out her form on the bed. "I brought you some dinner."
"I don't want any," her voice was muffled.
"I'll leave it here for you." He put it down on the dresser and turned to leave.
"Why do you love me?"
He stopped and turned back around, "What?"
"I asked why you loved me?" Evelyn switched on the bedside light, bathing the room in a yellowish glow which showed up her tear-stained face, "You don't seem to respect me, or my goals, my ambitions…"
"That's not true."
"Isn't it? Then why don't you want me to work? Why don't you want me to use what I worked so hard to get?"
Ben sighed and sat down on the edge of the bed. He recounted what he had been thinking himself, about someone being at home for Jenny, taking care of her. He explained he had never understood parents who had children and then fobbed them off on someone else.
Evelyn listened patiently until he had finished, "And that's what you think I'm doing? Fobbing her off on someone else?"
"By sending her to a childminder, yes."
"But you've never considered giving up your own job," she said quietly, "you say you want someone to be at home for Jenny, but it's not going to be you."
"Maybe…" he sighed, "maybe I'm selfish."
"Maybe you are," she agreed, "but if you are, then I am too. I want my career, Ben. This is my chance." She looked at him seriously, "I seem to spend my entire life begging you to understand me. I'm not sure how many more times I can ask for your understanding." Ben looked away, "Let me do this case and then…we'll talk about it." He looked back at her. "Agreed?"
Ben nodded, "Ok."
"Thank you," she leant forward and wrapped her arms around her. They stayed like that for a long moment, "You didn't answer my question."
Ben gripped her tightly. He didn't need to ask her to repeat it. "Because you're you."
He felt Evelyn smile against his neck, "Liar." She pulled back and wiped he eyes.
"You never did tell me about Times Square," he said, taking his opportunity, "or about what your dad said." Evelyn's face seemed to close down again. She climbed off of the bed and started fixing her hair in the mirror. "Evelyn?"
"Not now," she said, "I think I can hear Jenny crying."