The Burden of Love: Life after Love Revised
by tarskeewee08
"Wow
you can't be serious Nora, they eloped?" Evangeline said smiling
in the phone moving around her papers on her desk. She just couldn't
believe it.
"They sure did. Surprised every one in town…."
It had been over a year since she left Llanview. She kept in contact with Nora for the latest gossip and updates on her wild little sister, Llanview and the people there will always have a special place in her heart.
After the release of Christian Vega she was consumed by Todd Manning's case, the harder she fought for him the more impossible his plight became. When she lost the case she was devastated. Todd is now serving a life sentence in prison for something he didn't do and she felt like a failure. The only bright spot was Nora came out of her coma and she was able to help with her recovery.
Focusing her energy on her friend's health and shying away from her personal life was her way of escaping. So many things had happened in her life and she was so jaded from it all. She basically moved into Nora's. Playing mom to Mathew to make sure his needs were taken care of and helping Nora with her short term memory exercises per doctor orders, were her new life and she enjoyed it. Nora was still a little sluggish from her partial paralysis on her left side but within four months her best friend was good as new. It was as if somebody needed her and she could really help, she felt useful.
She saw John less and less. He was in the middle of his battles over his Christian involvement. Suspended from the station and spurned by Natalie he turned to alcohol to drown his demons. Michael even showed up to Nora's asking her to help. God she wanted too so bad. She loved that man with every fiber in her being, but she couldn't. It was beyond her and she was so tired of the empty feeling of not being loved in return. From what she learned from Bo's visit the force forced him into counseling, which he did for awhile but they were worried that he would stop going. Well she wished him well.
Then she got a call from her college roommate and childhood best friend that she was starting a practice in Chicago. Evangeline was considering leaving law altogether after Todd's case but her friend told her it was an opportunity to get her hands and feet dirty with cases that were usually ignored by the legal system. It was her turn to give back to the community and right some of the wrongs heaped upon people that didn't have a fighter in their corner. The offer was tempting.
Sitting on the deck with Nora a month before she left they discussed it.
Nora
reached for her glass of tea on the lawn table and Evangeline noticed
the slight tremble of her hand. Sitting up she reached to grab it for
her but her friend snapped at her. "I can do it!"
Evangeline looked at her and smiled, with each day that passed Nora was coming back in full force. She loved it!
The side of her head where it was shaved for her brain surgery was healing nicely. Her red vibrant hair was growing back and covering most of that wound. She wore a thin pink cotton pair of sleep shorts and a pink spaghetti strap t-shirt, that revealed how nicely tanned her arms and neck were from their afternoon rituals of lounging in the sun.
Nora drank some of her tea and looked down as she wiggled her toes. Evangeline had given them both pedicures and Nora wanted hot pink polish, something she rarely wore. She told her friend it was as far as a walk on the wild side she could take with this slow recovery process.
"Well are you going to take it?" Nora asked with a raised eyebrow.
Evangeline sat back in her chair sighing. She had her hair up in a ponytail and no make up. Her silver hoop earrings swayed against her neck as she shook her head no. "I can't move to Chicago, what about…"
Nora waited for her to say more and Evangeline's voice just trailed off. She looked back at her friend and smiled "Guess I have no more what abouts hunh?"
"Nope…you're fresh out." Nora said winking at her.
Evangeline looked down at her pink toes. She was different now. Her pain over the loss of her man was all but gone. She accepted that John and her just weren't meant to be. She no longer believed in the justice system with the wrongful incarceration of Todd and Christian. Now she just didn't know what she wanted out of life.
"Listen to me sweetie" Nora said putting down her glass. "You know I love you and I would hate to see you go. But you loved practicing law. I have watched you hide here for months, avoiding this town and your life. Its time to reclaim it. To be the woman you were destined to be."
"I guess you have a point" Evangeline said pulling her darkly tanned legs up to her chest. She wore a peach short set with matching flip flops while enjoying the spring sun. Looking out across Nora's lawn she thought about the town of Llanview. So much had happened to her here. She made the best friend in the world and had a love affair of a life time. She'd gained and lost a lot but she lived…she lived more in these past four years than she lived her entire life. Smiling she made up her mind to live again. If that meant Chicago then so be it.
"When you see Marcie you tell her I said good
for her!"
Nora laughed "I will and I will tell Michael too"
"Well kiss Mathew for me." She said closing the last file for
the day.
"You take care sweetie, talk to you again next week.
Love you"
"I love you too Nora" she said hanging
up.
Charlotte came charging in the office before Evangeline could hang the phone up completely "Have you read this?" she said tossing the paper onto her desk.
Evangeline frowned and picked it up. The byline stated that a young sixteen year-old African American boy was arrested in the cop-killer crimes that were terrorizing the south side of Chicago. Evangeline stared at the face of Cletus Jones and her chest tightened. She and Charlotte had defended Cletus only six months ago on armed robbery charges that he was unjustly accused of. Now this?
"What on earth is going
on?" Evangeline mumbled
"Its that damn Police Superintendent
Barnaby that's doing this. He has been gunning for this kid since
we got Cletus off and made that station look like the joke it is!"
"Charlotte…"
"No Van! We promised his grandmother we
would help him. Cletus would not be killing cops, it's not
something he would do!"
"How do you know this? I mean the
other cops were all killed at the scene of robberies and breaking and
entering…."
Charlotte put her hands on her hips and glared at Evangeline. She was a medium pecan brown petite woman. Her hair jet black was cut into a low short cropped style with tiny precision curls that faded into a closely shaven look on the side. She had green eyes and for her skin complexion it was a striking contrast.
Everyday she came in polished in the most expensive suits with manicured nails and prefect makeup and you'd think of her as some prissy uptown attorney consumed by her own material value. Well don't be fooled….inside she was a tigress and her only mission in the world is to help those she feels the justice system wiped their feet on. It was now Evangeline's mission as well.
Charlotte stop glaring and began to pace in front of her in a navy suit with a light blue silk blouse draped outward. Putting her hand on her hip Evangeline watched her contemplate what she said. There could be a possibility that Cletus was responsible, could they risk another case where the client was just using their talents to side step the law?
They were both living off their savings to make this practice work and the strain was beginning to seep through. Having left extremely profitable law careers to start this practice was a daunting task. Instead of enjoying the vibrant social scene of Chicago they put in over 60 hours each a week building a new reputation for themselves. Charlotte stopped pacing and fixed her green eyes on her friend. "He's innocent Van! We're taking this case!"
Evangeline shook her head "You take the case…I need to find something that will bring money in this door!"
Charlotte narrowed her eyes on her "Money? We started this
practice to help those that can't help themselves!"
"We
need paying clients Charlotte!"
"We need to fight against
pigs like Barnaby that want to pin inadequate cop work on innocent
urban kids"
Evangeline sighed "What do you want me to
do?"
"I want you to go down to that station and find us a way
to help Cletus. You are much better at that than me Van, I go down
there and I swear to god…."
Evangeline saw her face darken with anger. She loved her deeply but Charlotte was ruled by her emotions. Although she was a brilliant attorney her irrational outburst and quick temper caused her to loose focus quick making her victories even harder to obtain.
She became obsessed when working at her firm she took on a case of a wealthy landowner accused of raping his maids 10 year old daughter. The county had a sorry district attorney that even put the child on the stand humiliating her. Charlotte had to tear apart the child's testimony and she felt like a monster. But the worst of it was after winning the case the 10 year old took a bottle of her mom's sleeping pills and ended her life. That little girl's ghost followed Charlotte around wherever she went.
"I'll go tomorrow!" Evangeline said giving
up.
"No!" Charlotte snapped "I spoke to his grandmother and
she's in a real state of panic. Please! Go see that damn chief and
make him tell you why he picked Cletus up!"
"Oh good grief! Fine! But this is your case Charlotte….I have a client coming in tomorrow for a malpractice case and I want to take it. Are we clear?"
Charlotte flashed her pearly white smile "Crystal"
"John come in…"
John walked in with his hands in his pockets. Looking around the office at all the accommodations he smiled. On the shelf where pictures of family members and fishing trips, he also saw the picture of Jacob and his dad on one of their fishing trips back in Atlantic City. He walked over to it and picked it up.
"What brings you to Chicago?" Jacob Barnaby asked walking around his desk.
John
lowered the picture to the shelf and smiled. "You can call it
therapy"
Jacob looked at his best friend's son and frowned.
John stood there in a black suit and white shirt. He looked every bit
of his dad except for the eyes. His blue eyes were dark and guarded.
He could tell something was wrong.
John noticed the look of concern and ignored it. He had been through a lot but the last year was the toughest. Therapy revealed how compulsively self destructive he was. Who knew? The time spent on dealing with his fathers death alone led to a mental breakdown so profound he took to his bed through the depression; he retreated inward and pushed everyone around him away. Now he had to fix himself and that meant facing what happened to his father.
His therapist acknowledged that most would tell you to just forget and move on. After going through John's dilemmas he determined the exact opposite was needed in his case. John would only be able to heal if he channeled that energy toward closure. He was to face and resolve what happened to his father. Why he found him outside of their house after school shot in the chest on their driveway dieing with his mom at work. Who killed his dad and why were questions he needed answers to. He walked into his therapist office and told him he was going in search of his answers.
He then proceeded to spend the past year working the cold case of his father's death and actually uncovered a name, Ryan O'Reilly. He was responsible for a rash of robberies during that time and it was suspected that he was doing the cop killings his dad and Jacob were investigating but never proven. Now he traced O'Reilly here and he wanted to get the Chicago PD to open to help him find the bastard.
Taking a seat he smiled "How's Mary?" John asked about Jacob's daughter who was Mike's age.
"Mary's
great, she's married with two kids"
John smiled "That's
wonderful"
"Are you married Johnny?" Jacob asked
John clenched his jaw. It was a painful question. The pain over loosing Evangeline still felt raw after all this time. He didn't know where she was and didn't ask, he had hurt her so badly and in so many ways that he was determined to stay out of her life so she could find happiness elsewhere.
Funny how therapy helped him see his motivation in keeping the woman he loved at bay and holding onto the woman he didn't. Now he was forced to deal with the fact that love wasn't an option and that worked for him. But when he heard the question, "Are you married?" or "Do you have someone special in your life" it picked at the scab on is heart for the loss of Evangeline.
"Nope not married" he said dryly.
"We got
word from Eve that Mikey eloped" Barnaby said smiling
John
nodded and said nothing. He and Mikey weren't exactly close
anymore. To be honest he wasn't close to anyone. He was working
those issues out in therapy before he dropped the sessions. Why he
kept everyone at arms length. But he was happy for his brother and
called him the other day and wished him congratulations.
"Well
what brings you to the windy city?" Barnaby asked
"Dad"
Jacob
leaned back in his chair and looked at John shocked "What?"
"I
want you to reopen Dad's case"
"I don't…"
"I
need you to reopen it and let me assist on working it."
Jacob ran his hand through his silver gray short hair. He was in his late fifties and stood at around six feet. Skin pale and stomach round, he looked like a man school principal rather than Superintendent and cop that he was for over 30 years. "Aren't you employed with the LPD?"
John rose from the chair and walked over to the far right side of his office to see the downtown busy street below. "I was suspended and subsequently quit."
"Your mom never
said…"
John turned and looked at him "Doesn't matter, mom
doesn't know and Mikey was told not to tell."
"Johnny
what's going on with you?"
"I need a job….and the first
case I want is my dad's"
"That's a case in NJ I can't
reopen it here!" Jacob said frustrated.
John turned back to the
window. "Ryan O'Reilly is here…I read where you guys are
dealing with a cop killer. I think we should look into it"
Jacob stared at John's back. "Son, Ryan O'Reilly is not our killer we made an arrest already…."
"I saw that in the paper…"
John said not turning around
"Look Johnny, the job I can do…but
this cold case "
John looked over his shoulder "You owe my
dad justice. I want to bury my ghosts Jacob and the only way to do
that is to bury the SOB that killed my father."
Before he could say more his office door opened and Evangeline walked through "Chief Barnaby we need to talk!"
John turned around shocked at the sight of her. She was wearing a grey suit with a bone colored blouse and pumps. Her hair swaying across her shoulders as she breezed in with her briefcase she looked as beautiful as she did the last day he saw her. He couldn't comprehend her being there. She glared at his dad's friend and would actually have to turn her head to see him. Dropping her briefcase in the chair in front of her she put a hand on her hip and tilted her head in the way she does whenever she wants to challenge someone. "What is it you have against Cletus Jones?"
Jacob glared up at her "How dare you walk into my office and interrupt a meeting!" he snapped.
Evangeline folded her arms "What meeting?" she shot back looking around. Her peripheral vision catching a figure to her right causing her to turn her head. When she looked into his penetrating blue eyes she literally jumped out of her skin. She and John remained frozen for several minutes and Jacob frowned at them.
Evangeline reached in front of her and grabbed her briefcase never dropping her gaze from John. "I…um…I"
John smiled at her "Hello
Evangeline"
Pulling her briefcase she backed up "I'm sorry
that I interrupted" she mumbled and turned making a hasty exit out
of the office.
John didn't bother to stop her but he stared at the door as it closed. Jacob looked at him stunned. "I have never seen anyone make her shut the hell up!" he said chuckling.
John flashed him angry look and Jacob realized this was personal "You know Evangeline Williamson?"
Ignoring
the question he asked one of his own "She practices law
here?"
Jacob nodded "Her and that quick tempered partner are
the bain of my existence."
Looking back at the door John could
see her fleeing out of it and wondered what she thought of finding
him here. Maybe he should have gone after her? Shaking his head he
dismissed it. She's probably happy with someone new and he would do
nothing to disturb that.
Turning he looked at Jacob "Now about that job?"
Evangeline literally twisted her ankle racing down the front steps of the station out onto Clark Street where her car was parked. She felt like an idiot for running the way she did but all she wanted to do was escape to the safety of her car. Using her keyless remote she unlocked the black Mercedes and got in before she'd even thrown in her brief case. Tossing it to the side she closed the door and let out the breath she was holding.
"Why is hr here?" she mumbled
"What is he
doing here!" she said aloud.
Looking back at the station she frowned. He didn't chase or even try to stop her. He wasn't here for her. God even now she entertained the thought that he would come for her. Starting the car she leaned back in her seat and shivered. Pushing in her a/c button she let the warm blast from the vents blow the sweat from her brow. She never thought she would see him again.
He barely crossed her mind….except when people would ask "Why don't you have someone special in your life?" that dreaded question always reminded her of him. Her cell phone buzzed in her briefcase and she came out of it. Reaching she saw it was Charlotte.
"Hey…"
"Char….I couldn't do it
Barnaby wasn't there" she said lying. Charlotte knew of John from
what she read in the papers on her kidnapping and they had an
unspoken rule not to discuss their pain. She ignored the way
Evangeline pushed male suitors away and Evangeline ignored the way
she carried 10 year old ghost with her.
"Well can you go
first thing in the morning?"
"Char…you will have to do this
sweetie. I just can't take it on"
Charlotte got quiet. "I got a lead. I spoke to his grandma and just left from over there. She told me that Cletus was working for this O'Reilly character and that she thinks he's the reason he was in the wrong place at the wrong time. I plan to go and check it out"
"Okay….well
call me tonight. I will assist all I can but you will have to talk to
Barnaby on your own"
"Are you okay Van?"
Evangeline looked over at the precinct again. She saw John walk out of the front. He couldn't see her watching him from her car and she was grateful for that. Not much had changed but the way his hair lightly blew on his shoulders and that strong brooding jawline made her stomach flip. Grabbing the steering wheel tightly she stared at him holding her breath.
The evening breeze blew at the hem of his jacket as he walked down the steps with his hands in his pockets. He seemed different. She watched him walk to a parked car on the street, his face expressionless he soon disappeared inside. Why was he here? Of all places Chicago?
"Van! Do you hear me!"
"Oh
Char I'm sorry sweetie. Yes I'm okay"
"Okay….I will
call you in the morning."
Evangeline hung up without saying bye. She watched him pull onto Clark St and drive away. Whatever the reason was for him being here she would not deal with it. They were over and they both preferred it that way. Pulling from the curb she drove off in the opposite direction.
