A/N – Thanks for the comments! My eye is a lot better. Glad you liked the court scenes!
Chapter 53
Hugh stood and strode towards the bench. "Mr. Roth, do you have any reason to hate Mr. Lansing?"
"Maybe."
"Please answer yes or no," the judge instructed.
"Yes."
"And why is that?"
"He went out with my baby sister and dumped her."
"They were consenting adults, maybe it just didn't work out."
"That's not what she told me."
"So you have a grudge against him?"
"I wouldn't go that far. I just dislike him. If you're implying that I'm lying, I can assure you that I'm not that kind of man."
"Did you threaten him?"
Mr. Roth was starting to get angry. "I told him to stay away from my sister."
"Or what?"
"Or he'd be sorry. This was a year ago and anyone would have done the same thing if some slime ball did what he did."
"Your honor, please have the last sentence struck from the record."
"I agree. Jury, please disregard the last comment."
"No further questions." Hugh smugly walked back to his chair.
"Re-direct." Diane stood, trying to figure out a way to salvage things.
"Go ahead."
"Mr. Roth, you said that the incident happened a year ago."
The man took a deep breath to try and calm down. "It did."
"Yet you went back to work with Mr. Lansing, right?"
"Yes. Men work things out in their own way. I let him know to stay away and he agreed and that was it. I have a mortgage. He apologized and we moved forward."
"So, you may not have totally respected him on a social level, but on a work level you dealt with it."
"That's pretty accurate."
"Would you like to add anything?"
"He didn't have as much experience as Mr. Corinthos. It was a hard adjustment working for him, but it wasn't totally bad."
"Thank you for your testimony. No further questions."
"You may step down."
Diane perused the faces of the jury. They were hard to read. She then glanced at Jason and noticed that he looked uncomfortable. "Your honor, would it be okay if my client stood for a minute. I don't want his leg to cramp."
"I think we could all use a break. Ten minute recess."
The jury stood, but definitely witnessed Elizabeth rushing to Jason's side to make sure he was okay and the soft, loving smile he gave her.
"Are you in pain?"
"A little bit, but I don't want to take a pill." They made him loopy.
Alan went to his side. He and Monica were switching on and off so that at least one of them could attend every day. "You should walk a little."
Jason nodded and Alan took his arm and they walked to the other end of the courtroom and back.
"You really shouldn't look at him during the trial," Alan said when they were far enough past Ric.
Jason made a weird growling sound and Alan grinned.
"Tell me how you really feel."
"If I could just get him alone…"
"You don't want to do that because he would call the cops. He's a little weasel."
They walked past Ric again and Jason didn't give him the time of day.
"He tried to intimidate my girl."
"Don't worry, he'll pay one way or another. If Diane doesn't get him, there's always Edward."
Jason smirked. He made his way back to the chair and Liz handed him some water. "Thanks."
She gave him a quick peck and then whispered in his ear," I'll give you a massage later."
That elicited a full out smile. "Where?"
She laughed, drawing everyone's attention as they watched how cute the two of them were.
"If you play your cards right, I'll give you a special one."
Carly smirked. She had just gotten there. "They are totally talking about sex."
Sonny chuckled. "Then they have the right idea…"
"You are insatiable."
"Maybe."
"Are you up next?"
Sonny nodded. "Yes."
"Are you nervous?"
"No. Ric will get what he deserves."
"He better."
The judge returned and court resumed.
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Francis backed Sarah up against the wall of the on call room. "Are you sure we're safe?"
She nodded and started to take off her shirt when her pager went off. "Dammit!"
Francis groaned.
"Hold on."
She quickly pulled out her phone and dialed. "What's up? Okay. I'll be there in a minute." She put it away. "Bus accident. I have to go." She grabbed the hair at the nape of his next before laying a hot kiss on him and then pulled back. "I'll make it up to you later."
He watched her run out of the room and then took a few deep breaths to get himself under control. She was going to be the end of him.
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Sonny cleared his throat as he waited for Diane to start questioning him.
"Mr. Corinthos, what is your relationship to the defendant?"
"He's my half brother."
"Did you always know about him?"
"No. I found out he existed a few years ago."
Diane moved closer. "And you welcomed him into the business?"
"Well, I made him get a license first."
"And how has that worked out for you?"
"Apparently, not so well."
"You fired your brother. Do you think you had cause?"
"Yes. He walked off a job. You don't do that at my company and he used substandard materials. I have worked very hard to establish myself in the area."
"And did he take it well?" Diane asked.
"No. We haven't spoken."
"Do you have proof that he purposely used bad materials?"
"I thought I did."
"Care to explain?" Diane walked away, giving Sonny some room.
"One of the men told me. He said Ric advised him what to use and told him not to worry about."
Hugh stood. "Objection! That's hearsay."
"Sustained. Strike it from the record."
"Sorry your honor. No further questions."
Hugh quickly approached Sonny. "Mr. Corinthos, are you in cahoots with Ms. Webber to bring my client down in order save face?"
"No."
"Are you saying that your reputation means nothing to you?"
"Of course it does, I'm nothing without it."
"So, you are punishing him?"
"Mr. Hughes, no employer would have kept him on after what he did."
"Did your brother have any prior warnings?"
"Yes."
"Was it for using substandard materials?" Hugh asked.
"No."
"So you expect us to believe that after complying to the rules since he came under your employ that he just suddenly threw caution to the wind and purposely endangered the lives of children and adults?"
"It's your job to spin it, don't let me stop you."
The jury chuckled.
"Your honor, I would like to ask that he be regarded as a hostile witness."
Diane stood dramatically. "Since when is being snarky hostile? He's answering your questions perfectly fine when they aren't baiting and full of frivolous hyperbole."
"Enough! You two can bicker later. I agree with Ms. Miller. The witness is not being hostile. Mr. Hughes, clean up your questions and Mr. Corinthos, try to hold back your tongue."
"Sorry your honor," Hugh said.
Sonny looked Carly. He was going to need a drink after this.
"One more question."
Sonny focused in on him.
"Where is this witness you mentioned?"
"No one knows." They had been trying to find him, but he had disappeared.
"Isn't that interesting? No further questions."
Sonny stepped down and went back to his seat.
"I call Mr. Morgan to the stand," Diane said.
Jason slowly rose and limped his way to the box. He was sworn in and then took a seat and gazed over at Elizabeth who gave him some non-verbal encouragement.
"Mr. Morgan, we had Elizabeth's view of the collapse, can you give us yours?"
"I had discovered that the beam was faulty so I investigated."
"How did you determine that?"
"I noticed that the bolts didn't look like the right size and the wood looked stressed, so I called an inspector and took some pictures and sent it to him and he thought I was on the right track. He was driving back from the City, so he said that he would come over in the afternoon."
"That was Mr. Collier who testified earlier, right?"
"Yes."
"Go on."
"I went to Elizabeth's office and asked her to come with me so I could show her what was wrong. I had just done that when the storm hit."
"So, you ran for it and ended up getting trapped beneath the rubble. Do you remember any of it?"
"I remember all of it."
"You had amnesia, correct?"
"Yes. I didn't remember anything and it was difficult dealing with that."
"And the pain?"
"I kept passing out it was so intense. I was scared that I was really hurting Elizabeth because I was crushing her."
"And when you woke up from surgery, that must have been quite an adjustment."
He nodded. "It was. I didn't get my memory back for weeks and I was stuck in bed."
"What scared you the most about not getting your memory back?"
"I was scared that I'd forget my mom. She died of cancer when I was in high school."
Ric almost rolled his eyes.
"People could make an argument that you've gained a lot because you were in this accident. You reunited with your family and met Elizabeth."
"While that's true, I'm still in pain. I can't go back to work full-time. I was in mental anguish for weeks, not knowing who I was or anyone around me."
"Why did you want to sue Mr. Lansing?"
"I wanted him to be held responsible for what he did. Without the wing, children are not getting the care they deserved. It's not just about me and my pain or the horrible experience I went through. That was bad enough. It goes deeper."
Diane watched as the jurors seemed to be listening intently and then pushed further. "Mr. Morgan, you let Sonny off the hook and settled with him. Why?"
"He was apologetic and did something about the issue and was willing to do the right thing and make sure that the wing got rebuilt."
"So, if Mr. Lansing had the same attitude, you would have settled with him?"
"I would definitely have considered it."
"Do you think that making him pay will make you feel better"
"I will feel like I got justice. It won't take away the pain, but actions have consequences."
"No further questions, your honor."
Hugh slowly walked over to Jason. "Mr. Morgan, was Ms. Webber the one who convinced you to file this lawsuit?"
"No. She didn't have to convince me of anything."
"And where did you come up with the sum of money you were asking for?"
"I conferred with my lawyer."
"Are you receiving money from Mr. Corinthos too?
"Yes, we settled."
"And yet you still didn't think that was enough?"
Jason didn't flinch. "No. Mr. Corinthos was willing to pay for the consequences of having Ric as an employee, but Ric should be held accountable too. He was not acting on Sonny's orders."
"So this is about revenge."
Jason sighed. "You just don't get it."
"Make me."
"Like I said, actions have consequences. I was taught to be a man and own up to my mistakes and be humble about it. I was crushed under concrete because of his decision-making. I don't find it unreasonable to expect that he answer for that. If he was more worried about his checkbook, then he should have made sure he followed code. I can guarantee you that if anyone in this courtroom had that happen to their child, they would not stop until the person responsible was held accountable. That's all I'm asking."
"That sounds really noble, but why should I believe that you aren't after revenge or just about the money. You didn't grow up having any. Your mother put you in some sketchy situations in the name of money—"
Diane stood. "Is there a question in there or are you just baiting the witness?"
"I agree. Mr. Hughes, get to your point."
"Do you hate Mr. Lansing?"
"I do now."
There was murmuring in the courtroom.
"And why is that?"
"Because today I found out that he disrespected my girlfriend and I don't like people that intimidate women."
Diane could have hugged Jason. He had just scored big with jury.
"If you don't win today, will you go after my client?"
Jason's head tilted. "I wouldn't dirty my hands. I'm going to leave here with a clear conscious. Can he say the same?"
Liz bit her lip. She couldn't wait to get him home. Jason caught the look on her face and smiled.
"Do you think this is funny?"
"No."
"Then why are you smiling?"
"Do I have to answer that?" Jason asked the judge.
"Yes."
"Well, I just looked up and saw my girlfriend biting her lip and I couldn't help it. She's beautiful and I love her. With one look, she totally diffused me and it just makes me smile to think she has that kind of power over me."
Liz blushed and the jury was amused right along with Jason.
Hugh rolled his eyes. "No further questions."
Ric cursed under his breath. He was going to have to bring it on the stand and get them on his side.
"Ms. Miller, do you have any additional witnesses?"
Diane had exhausted her list. "No further questions, but I reserve the right to recall some of the witnesses later." They needed to find the missing worker. She had Spinelli on it and hopefully, the young man would come through before closing arguments.
The judge agreed. "We'll adjourn for the day."
Jason stepped down and Liz rushed to his side and led him back to the desk.
"You were brilliant," Diane said softly.
"I just told the truth."
"Good job."
His family circled them and he looked up and caught Sonny's gaze and nodded.
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Steven grabbed a beer and handed it to Trevor.
"Thanks."
"You have some catching up to do."
Trevor smiled. "I'm getting right on that."
"Jason, you need another?"
He nodded. "Yeah, thanks."
"Mr. Dillon…"
"Please, call me Trevor."
Audrey smiled. "What do you like to do for fun?"
"I love watching sports and having a beer with my friends. I play some mean poker too."
"Are you single?"
"Grams!" Liz said, perking up.
"What?"
"Are you asking?" Trevor cracked.
Andrea grinned.
"Heavens no. I'm not a cougar. Well, not this week."
Sarah's mouth dropped open and Francis started to laugh.
Trevor laughed loudly. "This family is great."
"Don't take the bait. She tries to play matchmaker and it's a road you do not want to travel down," Steven said.
"Oh please, thank God Emily rescued you from yourself."
Emily almost snorted due to the look on Steven's face.
Jeff arrived. "Why does it look like Audrey isn't behaving herself?"
Audrey smirked. "I have no idea what you are talking about, dear."
Steven pretended to choke.
"I hope everyone is hungry."
"I'm starving," Liz said.
"Let's all go into the dining room then."
They trudged into the other room anxious to find out what Audrey had cooked.
