"I hear you were the star witness in court today. Sorry I missed it," Benny said after exchanging pleasantries with Ashton on the phone.
"Don't believe everything you hear."
"My source is reliable and tends to call them as he sees them," he told her.
"Who knew our somewhat unconventional way of dealing with our jobs would come in handy?" Ashton replied and turned down the volume on the television.
"You really never discussed work with each other? Even now?"
"Nope. It gave us both a chance to decompress from the job and think about something else. It still does. I tend to be a bit of a workaholic myself on occasion."
"I hadn't noticed," Benny chuckled and then seriously asked, "Are you okay?"
"Yeah, why?" she asked.
"I've been in court once or twice," he said lightheartedly. "I'm sure Diana Lindsay did not go easy on you."
"Did your source tell you that too?" Ashton inquired. Before Benny could form a reply, she continued, "It's okay, I expected as much going in."
"You haven't heard from Bull at all?"
"No. The trial isn't over." Ashton said.
"I thought he may have called you after court adjourned for the day since you're finished."
"You should know better by now," she told him. "What's going on?"
"Bull's been living at the office lately," he told her.
"Sounds about right. You were expecting different?"
"It's all day, every day, Ash. If he isn't at court, he's going through files, making notes on the case I'm working on. And, when you try to talk to him he's short-tempered and I'm pretty sure he's not even hearing what anyone is saying."
"That also sounds about right."
"He hasn't been like this since you two split up," he told her.
"Benny, if you're concerned, you need to discuss it with Jason…and good luck because he is always convinced he's right," Ashton said after taking some time to carefully frame her reply.
"Not exactly the response I thought I'd get from you," Benny said slowly.
"I'm fine but it's been a day. It's one thing to go to court; it's another to deal with your ex's ex while you're there," she explained.
"One day you'll see the humor in that," he said in the hopes of further easing her mind.
"Today isn't it," she replied seriously.
Ashton got off the phone with Benny a minute or two later after doing her best to reassure him that her mood was due to being tired. She had barely put her phone down when it rang again. Looking at the display she saw that it was Matty calling. Ashton had left a message when she had returned from court quickly saying that everything went well in the hopes of avoiding a call. She hesitated a second or two before picking the phone up; not answering would just prolong the phone tag and the inevitable ensuing conversation.
"Don't you miss sleeping in a real bed?" Benny asked poking his head around Bull's partially opened door. As he walked in Bull's office, he found the psychologist stretched out on the sofa in his office reading some papers contained in a manila folder.
"I thought you left for the day."
"I did. I came back. Thought you might like some company that isn't a piece of paper," Benny said as he entered the room. He tossed down a paper bag containing sandwiches that he had picked up after speaking with Ashton. His other hand held a six pack of beer.
Bull slowly sat up and swung his feet to the floor. He reached for the bag and pulled out the sandwiches, carefully inspecting each. He chose one, fully unwrapped it, and grabbed a bottle of beer. Benny took off his suit jacket and grabbed a nearby chair; he pulled it closer to the coffee table and sat down. The lawyer then flipped Bull the bottle opener after opening a beer for himself.
Benny casually inquired if Bull had spoken to Ashton recently after thoughtfully chewing on a bite of sandwich and taking a long swallow of beer. He already knew the answer but decided to take his chances and see what Bull had to say.
"So, this is less about company and more about if I've talked with Ash?" Bull asked sharply. He removed his glasses and placed them on the table with a shake of his head and disapproving glance at the lawyer.
"I came back because I'm your friend and I'm concerned about you," the lawyer replied. "You've haven't been home in over a week as far as I know. All you do is work – you won't even leave here for a drink and a quick game of darts."
"I'm trying to catch up on things and make sure we don't miss anything," Bull said.
"Uh-huh," Benny said. The disbelief was clearly evident in his voice.
"Assuming Diana Lindsay loses her case, I'd like to be able to pay everyone next month. That includes you."
"You could call her, maybe have a nice dinner somewhere. Relax," Benny said refusing to take the bait and get distracted from his original question.
"I assume you mean Ashton," the psychologist said.
"You're a real piece of work, you know that," Benny replied. He balled up a napkin and tossed it angrily on the table. "You walk around here never caring about who thinks what about you or what you're doing. It's full steam ahead. But now…"
"Now?"
"Ashton's finished testifying. What does it matter if you see her, or speak to her?"
"It matters," Bull said.
"If I didn't know better, I'd think you're more concerned about upsetting Diana Lindsay than making sure Ashton is okay," Benny said.
"Quince isn't okay? She did fine on the stand and looked okay when she was leaving," Bull said and put his glasses back on.
"Are you listening to yourself? You say you care about Ashton and yet all you can tell me is that she looked okay as she walked out of court – after your old girlfriend was determined to make her seem like a liar."
"Benny, I know you think of Ashton as a sister, but don't you dare question my feelings towards her."
"Why not? First, you weren't sure if you even wanted to keep seeing Ashton. Now, you won't even talk to her because of the trial," Benny countered. "Your marriage broke up because you were focusing more on work than your relationship."
"Do you think I haven't wanted to call her or see her? I've lost count of the number of times I've picked up my phone and almost called or sent a message," Bull said as he stood up and began pacing the length of his office.
"Then call her. What's your problem?" Benny asked.
"I won't jeopardize the future of TAC and everyone who works here, maybe you don't understand that," Bull replied.
"Bull, I'm saying this as family and your friend…not everyone gets a second chance. I don't want to see you make the same mistake twice."
