Chapter 31: Finding Her Place in Atlanta
That night when Jebb called Kira she told him about the arrangement that she had with Tom for while she was staying at the mansion. Both agreed that working with Tom was the best that she could have asked for since it gave her a chance to be as independent as possible without feeling helpless since she'd be working primarily on her own while researching. Plus she'd be able to work at the library with as little assistance as possible on the days that Shawn planned to work from the mansion rather than the office downtown. Something told Kira that he didn't plan to make her stay there any more pleasant than he could help it while she was wheelchair bound.
The two made plans to see one another on the weekend before Kira hung up. The next morning she began physical therapy despite not looking forward to it. By the end of her hour with the therapist she swore that the man was being paid to torture her. Some of the exercises had to be modified since she not only had to work her injured shoulder but she wasn't able to stand yet either. For the most part the therapist had her work on her grip and moving her arm at her elbow. It amazed her that even holding a stress ball in that hand could be so strenuous. Afterwards the therapist worked with her on her right leg to try to build strength back into it even if she couldn't put any weight on it just yet. Through the whole process Kira just reminded herself that the therapy would help her get back on her feet and on her own that much faster.
After Kira's therapy session she spent the rest of the day at the legal library and waited until late in the evening to be taken back to the mansion so that she could avoid Shawn for as much time as she could. Fortunately in her absence from town it looked as if he and his wife had finally had that grandchild that Ben had so desperately wanted them to give him when he was alive. Shawn had gone home to play the happy family man before Kira had returned home. That was something that Kira still couldn't picture. Shawn having a kid after knowing that neither he nor his wife had ever shown an interest in children in the past. She felt sorry for the child. Some people just weren't meant to have kids. Ironically, Kira figured that was the only thing she really had in common with Shawn Kyle.
Over the next several weeks Kira continued her physical therapy while working for Tom at the firm. When her hard cast on her leg was replaced with a soft one she felt she was making some progress at least. During therapy she was slowly able to start putting her weight on her newly healing bones. Then she was able to restrict her usage of the wheelchair to only when she was out of the house while using a walker at the the mansion. Though to be honest, she wasn't sure what made her feel worse. Being treated as an invalid in the wheelchair or looking like an old person using the walker. Perhaps that was why she only used the walker in the house. She knew that the staff who felt like extensions of Ben still living in the house wouldn't judge her. Around them, she was at ease.
Along with her progress came one negative. Once Kira began to get around without her wheelchair Shawn made it very clear that he felt that it was time for her to remove herself from his childhood home. He was particularly anxious to have Kira leave his father's study behind. Kira knew that going up the stairs to her old room was still beyond her capabilities but there was one thing that she did feel that she could do. She reluctantly decided to start looking for a place of her own.
While at the office one day she mentioned her plans to Michelle casually only to be surprised when the woman handed her a list of potential apartment buildings to look into at the end of the day.
"Michelle, I appreciate the thought but this wasn't necessary. I think that I can find a place on my own."
"Yes, but after hearing from Jebb just what kind of place you'd found for yourself in Mobile I would feel better if you chose one of these places. They are nearby so the commute will be short and everything that you'll need will be close by."
Kira eyed the list and shook her head. Clearly Michelle and Jebb had already discussed her future living arrangements without her. How else would the old business partner of Ben's already have such a comprehensive list? At least she knew that the woman had created it because she cared. If Shawn had given her a list like it she would have tossed the paper right back at him. As it was, however, Kira figured that she now had plans for the next several days.
That weekend she went to the last apartment on the list. The buildings that Michelle had encouraged her to look into were all in moderately well-off areas; many of them even had doormen at the front entrances. It hadn't taken her long to rule out each location since she just couldn't see herslf living in such a lavish style.
Staring up at the tall apartment building, Kira took in the site with just a bit of awe. Reaching for the door, she noticed that instead of having a doorman this building had a buzzer system to grant access inside. She pressed the button to indicate that she was there to see the manager of the apartment building.
After speaking with the well-dressed man for a short time, essentially being interviewed to determine if Kira would be an asset to the apartment community, she was taken to view one of the vacant apartments. She was given the option of being shown a furnished or a non-furnished apartment. She opted for the former since the idea of trying to shop for an apartment's worth of furniture just didn't appeal to her.
As she carefully walked in with her walker Kira took in the appearance of a spacious one bedroom apartment. It even had a faint hint of fresh paint to indicate that it had recently been remodeled. She checked out the bedroom and sat on the bed briefly to check the firmness of the mattress. She then smiled to herself as she made her way back out to the sitting area using her walker where she'd left the building manager.
She knew that she'd found herself a new apartment that she felt that she could feel comfortable in.
Kira waited at the office after the rest of the staff left out to start their weekend. She had moved her things, with the help of the staff at the mansion, to her apartment earlier in the week. Tonight she had plans with Jebb and she'd asked him to meet her in town rather than the mansion. Kira couldn't wait to show her new place to Jebb.
Part of it she knew was because she wanted to prove that she really did know how to choose a safe place to live. Despite the dilapidated trailer that she'd lived in while in Alabama. There, she'd found a place to sleep that looked as abandoned and neglected as she had felt before Ben had found her and how she'd felt after he had died. Now she was in a better place. Both mentally and emotionally. True, she wouldn't have gone looking at the building without Michelle's prodding but in the end she had been the one who had made the choice of where to live.
When she heard the chime of the elevator down the hall Kira grabbed the cane that the therapist had given her to start using earlier that day. Just one more visual bit of proof that she was getting better; even if it was at an excruciatingly slow pace in her opinion. After shouldering her bag Kira headed toward the elevator to meet Jebb.
"Well, look at you! Looks like you've graduated on up to having a free hand again," Jebb grinned as he noticed that Kira had ditched the walker in favor of a cane.
"Careful. You don't want to know what I can do with that free hand." She tried to look serious but the affect was ruined when she snickered. Kira was in too good of a mood to really sound too annoyed at Jebb's teasing. She started to grin despite herself as the two got onto the elevator and he took her bag from her.
"So, why'd you have me meet you here? Shawn deciding to work out at the house a bit later again tonight? Anything to make life anything but boring, huh?"
"Actually, I figured that I'd wait until you got here to tell you, I've gotten an apartment and moved out this week."
Jebb eyed Kira at the mention of moving out of the mansion. After seeing the trailer that Kira had lived in while in Alabama he wasn't sure if he wanted to see the kind of place that she'd chosen in Atlanta. "Really? I kind of figured that you'd wait until you were all healed up before you moved out."
Kira shrugged. True, she would have liked to have stayed a bit longer if given the choice but she knew that every day that she stayed now that she was up on her feet she was pushing her luck. She'd miss the mansion but it really wasn't the same being there without Ben. "Well, with all things considered, I figured that it'd be best to move out sooner rather than later."
"Alright, so, just what kind of place did you find? Please tell me one thing. The doors in this place at least lock, right?"
"A lock? Who said this place even had a door?" When Jebb eyed her suspiciously Kira lightly back-handed him across the chest as she added, "I'm kidding. I'm not inept, you know."
"Hey, with your track record, you can't blame me for asking?"
"Sure I can." Kira shrugged as the elevator door opened and she stepped out to lead Jebb toward the parking lot. Still smiling as she went. The two then left the office behind and Kira took Jebb to her new apartment.
Kira opened the door to her apartment and stood back to let Jebb get a look at it.
"Not bad. If you got to live in the city this place looks to be a nice place to do it." Jebb turned to look around the room and busted out laughing when he saw Kira's still wrecked motorcycle in the corner of the room; at least it looked like Kira had put down a protective mat under the vehicle. "Nice parking space."
"Didn't see a point in paying for an extra space down in the garage since I had plenty of room up here." Kira shrugged as she joined Jebb in his laughter. "So, what do you want to do tonight?"
Kira sat at her desk and looked up at surprise when Tom handed her a case file. It was a case that he didn't just want her to do research on but to actually join him as second chair in court when it goes to trial. Tom figured that it was time for Kira to start using her degree for what she had gone to college for. Kira flipped through the file, one that she'd already seen when she thought that she was only assisting with the research for the case rather than going to court as one of the client's attorneys. She wasn't sure if she was ready for that step but clearly Ben's old law partner did.
"I thought that Shawn would be working as second chair."
"He has his plate full with his own cases." Tom smiled since he knew that the young woman was still trying to find her place in the world. He figured that there was no time like the present to start spreading her wings. He'd given her time to heal up from her injuries that had brought her back to Atlanta but now that she is cane-free, even if she wouldn't be running any marathons anytime soon, he figured that she needed a new challenge.
Over the next several days Kira did her best to be prepared for her first day in court sitting second chair. She made sure that she had all of the contact information that Tom may need as well as made sure that the motions and documents were all in order. She did her best to make sure that she could anticipate any information that would be needed during the trial. As various witnesses were interviewed on the stand, both for the defense as well as for the prosecution, Kira would do her best to read the jury and pass on her observations to Tom so he knew which buttons to press to garner support from the jurors as he spoke to the witnesses on the stand.
By the end of the trial, Kira felt a bit more comfortable with the idea of assisting with the cases at the law firm in a greater capacity than just researching for them before they reached trial. In fact, she even allowed herself to start remembering the reason why she'd wanted to get her law degree in the first place. Serving as a defense for those who could afford firms like the one that Tom and Shawn ran wasn't it but it would help her learn all that she needed to. She started to work toward her new goal; to become a Public Defender for those who couldn't afford a good defense otherwise.
Kira packed up her brief case and headed toward the elevator just as the courthouse was about to lock up for the evening. She and Tom had a case coming up before one of the judges whom she'd yet to assist with a case in front of. Wanting to get a feel for the judge's style she'd observed his courtroom for most of the day. As she waited for the elevator she caught a few stray comments regarding the judge that she'd been observing.
From what she could gather, the judge's twelve year old daughter had disappeared from school earlier that day. Rumor had it that she'd run away after being told that her parents were getting divorced the night before. Kira frowned as she heard the various court employees gossip about the new family drama unfolding. After hearing a few more bits of information, Kira stepped onto the elevator and made her way toward the parking garage where she'd left her truck. She needed to get home.