Heroin and Vodka
Author's note: Ok. I'm pushing out this chapter faster than I thought cuz I had been planning it for months on end and now is the time I execute it. I hope I will be able to satisfy you guys. Anyways, without further ado let's begin.
Disclaimer: I do not own How To Get Away With Murder. Its characters and plot are the sole property of Pete Nowalk and Shonda Rhimes.
Chapter 22
As Bonnie declared Isaac's name, Annaslise's eyes widened. She quickly pulled Bonnie down.
"Why did you ask him? He's got nothing to do with any of this." she whispered in a low, harsh voice.
Bonnie smiled softly.
"Don't worry. We've got this. We're going to get you out, Annalise." she replied softly, before turning to face the court once again.
Annalise let go of her hand and sat back down. She prayed that Bonnie knew what she was doing. She was a bit resentful at Isaac as well. He had purposefully disregarded his words and gone ahead with whatever insane plan Bonnie had concocted overnight.
As she watched Isaac step forward and take the stand, she gulped.
Something in her gut told her that things were going to go horribly wrong. She had been in the courtroom for 25 years. She could always judge the palpable atmosphere and tell when things would go in her favour.
In this case, something told her that things would pretty much go south from here.
Isaac walked up to the stand and took his seat. He placed his hand on the Bible and the guard uttered the Oath of Trut.
"Do you swear to tell the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth?" he asked.
"I do." Isaac replied.
After that, Bonnie approached Isaac.
"Dr. Roa." she asked. "Tell me. What is your speciality?"
Isaac cleared his throat.
"I'm a doctor of psychology and a licensed drug and alcohol counselor."
Bonnie nodded.
"And it is in this capacity," here she indicated Annalise, "that you've been treating my client here?"
"Yes." Isaac replied, his gaze briefly resting on Annalise. " She was referred to me through the Bar Association's disciplinary board."
"And how long have you been treating Ms. Keating?" Bonnie asked, continuing the line of questioning.
"I began treating her from March of this year. So it has been approximately eight months."
Bonnie nodded.
"That's quite a time period, Dr. Roa." she replied. "So, in your words, would you say you know Ms. Keating well?"
Isaac's mind briefly flashed back to the night Annalise has lost her sobriety. He remembered as she had kissed him when he had attempted to put her to bed.
He quickly shook his head to clear it.
"I'm sorry. Could you repeat the question?" he replied, a little flustered.
"Of course." Bonnie replied. "Would you say you know Ms. Keating well?"
"Yes. I daresay I do." he replied.
"Alright Dr. Roa." Bonnie replied. "Could you please inform the court of your whereabouts on the night of November 6th?"
Isaac nodded.
"I was at home. Which also serves as my clinic. I had just finished seeing my last patient and was about to turn in for the night."
Bonnie nodded, before pausing. She took a deep breath and continued.
"And where you alone on that night?" she asked.
Isaac shook his head.
"No." he replied. "Shortly thereafter, Ms. Keating showed up at my place."
Bonnie raised an eyebrow.
"Ms. Keating?" she asked. "But wasn't she at her house on that night?"
"No." Isaac replied. "She came over to my place, a little shaken. I asked her what was wrong. She was about to answer me when she received a call on her phone and rushed back to her home. She asked for a ride with my car. I offered her one."
Bonnie nodded. She then turned to the judge.
"Your Honour, I find it highly negligent that despite my client having a solid alibi on the night of Wes Gibbon's death, she was charged with arson and first degree murder. I find that highly implausible and only probable if Ms. Keating is capable of being at two places at the same time."
The judge nodded before replying.
"The court duly takes the evidence into account."
Bonnie nodded.
"No further questions, Your Honour." she replied, before turning to Denver. "Your witness."
Denver nodded and grabbed a file off his desk and walked up to the stand.
As Isaac watched him approach the stand, his mind flashed back to meeting the very man a few minutes before the trial proceedings.
Begin Flashback
Isaac was about to walk into the courtroom, when he heard his name being uttered. He turned around and came face to face with none other than Todd Denver.
"Good morning, Dr. Roa." Denver replied with a smirk. "I never expected to be seeing you this morning." He turned his attention to a sheet of paper he had been holding. "Looks like you are the Defense's first witness."
Isaac nodded, not liking the smirk on his face.
"What's wrong?" he asked, spotting the look on Isaac's face. "Are you not confident in your testimony?"
Isaac glared at him.
"I don't know what you are planning here but Annalise is innocent. She is being framed."
"Is that so?" Denver asked, raising an eyebrow. "Well. We'll just have to see about that." he replied, before walking into the court room.
End Flashback
"Dr. Roa." Denver's voice was heard, breaking him out of his thoughts. "What is it that you do?"
"Objection." Bonnie called out. " Asked and answered."
"Sustained." the judge replied.
Denver nodded.
"Sorry then. I'll cut right to the chase." He turned to face him once again. "Dr. Roa. Your career as an addiction counselor started as a result of your own drug addiction in the past, correct?"
"Objection." Bonnie called out. "Inflammatory."
"Goes to his credibility, Your Honour." Denver replied, facing the judge.
The judge nodded.
"Overruled." She turned to Isaac. "You may answer."
"Yes, Your Honour." He turned to face Denver. "I am a recovering heroin addict, yes. I find that its one of the things that best helps me to empathize with the struggles that my patients suffer."
"Interesting." Denver replied. "Is it also true that you were investigated as a person of interest in the death of your daughter, Stella?"
"Objection." Bonnie replied, standing up. "Dr. Roa's personal life should not be taken into account here."
"If we're supposed to trust Dr. Roa's opinion about the accused's whereabouts on the night of the murder of Wes Gibbons, certainly his actions regarding his own daughter speak to his credibility."
"Overruled." the judge replied. "I'll allow it."
"I was interviewed briefly. The police informed me that it was routine, and they eventually determined that she, uh…committed suicide."
"How did she commit suicide?" Denver followed up.
Isaac's mind briefly flashed back to Stella's dead body, cold and still, lying in the bathroom. He gulped painfully.
"Pills." Isaac replied immediately.
"What kind?" Denver asked.
"Oxycodone." Isaac replied.
"Which is an opioid., like heroin. Is that a coincidence?" Denver asked, skeptically.
Isaac was silent.
"Objection." Bonnie called out. "Calls for speculation."
"Let me offer proof." Denver replied, walking back to his seat and handing a file over to Bonnie. Perplexed, Bonnie opened it and began to peruse it.
"During the vetting of Dr. Roa," Denver continued. "our investigators uncovered that Stella Roa had no history of drug abuse."
"She had a history of mental health issues." Isaac replied.
"You claimed that you found her unconscious when she died, but the security system shows that you entered the house fifteen minutes before you called 911. Now what elapsed during this time? "
"Your Honour." Bonnie called out. "This case has been closed for several years."
"Were you staging your daughter's suicide?" Denver continued, paying no attention whatsoever to Bonnie.
"Any evidence from opposing counsel hasn't been verified yet, Your Honour." Bonnie replied, standing up.
"Not true, Your Honour." Denver replied." Due to this new evidence, the D.A.'s office is in fact reopening Stella's case and investigating Dr. Roa for murder. I am personally undertaking this case and overseeing it as we speak."
"Sanction Mr. Denver immediately." Bonnie called out.
"Mr. Denver, not another word." the judge called out.
"Why kill her?" Denver continued, ignoring the judge's orders. "Were you molesting her? Were you afraid she would tell her mother?" he asked snidely.
Isaac remained silent, confident that if he spoke another word, he would break.
"Your Honour." Bonnie protested.
"Mr. Denver!" The judge called out. "One more word and I hold you in contempt."
"Apologies, Your Honour." Denver replied.
Bonnie sighed in relief.
"But I beseech the court to strike Dr. Roa's testimony from the record as unreliable, due to his status as a suspect in an active homicide investigation." Denver continued. Satisfied, he walked back to his seat and reoccupied it.
"How is he?" Annalise asked Bonnie as soon as she returned.
Bonnie sighed.
"I don't know, Annalise. I couldn't catch him. And his car isn't in the parking lot. I guess…he left."
Annalise paused.
"Is it true?" Annalise asked Bonnie shortly. The court was at recess and would be back soon to declare its verdict. "Are they investigating him?"
"You heard Denver." Bonnie replied. "He's personally overseeing the case."
Annalsie inhaled deeply.
"Of course." she replied. "And I bet he's ordered his cahoots to make it look as real as possible."
"Unless it is real." Bonnie replied.
"They're framing him." Annalise replied softly. "Just like they framed me."
Bonnie shook her head.
"I'm just saying that the evidence they have on him looks real."
Annalise sighed.
"I'm the devil." she replied. "I dragged him into this mess."
"You didn't cause this. I did." Bonnie replied. "I put him on the stand."
"But if I had never gone to his place that night, he wouldn't have felt the need to—"
"Stop alright." Bonnie replied, cutting her off. "You cannot afford to make this about yourself right now. You've got enough on your plate without worrying about him as well."
Annalise paused. Despite the silence that now pervaded them, her mind kept flashing back to the pained look on Isaac's face as Denver had questioned him relentlessly.
"The court has arrived at a decision." the judge declared. "While under normal circumstances, an alibi is sufficient to secure bail, but on circumstances such as these and the new evidence that we've come across during the cross' examination of Dr. Roa, I'm afraid I have no other option other than to strike his testimony from the records. As such" she glanced at Annalise "bail is denied to Ms. Keating on grounds of no available alibi."
The judge banged his gavel and concluded the hearing.
Author's note: There you go. Things are not looking up. For either Annalise or Isaac. I had to rewatch quite a few scenes from Season 3 to write this chapter. Anyways, don't panic. Things will get better from the next chapter. For both of them. Besides, what do you guys think of Season 5 so far? Annalise has fallen off the wagon again. I was very upset to see that. On the other hand, I am glad she's back at C&G.
Anyways, the next chapter won't be out till the end of November as I have exams coming up in December and need to prepare. In the meantime, read and review.