AN: I'm so glad that some of you are enjoying this story!
There's been some concern about Phantom Hearts, and I assure you that it has not fallen by the wayside. I've got a couple more chapters here that I just have to get out so that my muse will focus elsewhere and not just keep bringing me back here. Then next on my list is a new chapter for Phantom Hearts. No worries!
I hope you enjoy! Let me know what you think!
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Michonne kept checking her watch in an attempt to keep track of time. She didn't want to call too early and make Carol wake up before she had to, but she needed to make sure that she gave her enough time to get ready before she came to pick her up. They had a busy day today, even though Carol wasn't aware of it yet.
The office, for the most part, was quiet. Michonne had very few things that she needed to take care of, and she was thankful for that because it allowed her to sink all of her attention into what she needed to do for Carol. She had full intentions of making sure that Carol got everything she deserved out of this, and when she was determined, she seldom failed.
Though she had represented Ed a few times in other cases, she'd passed his file off for this. She was representing Carol and that was that. At the moment she didn't care if she never even got paid for it. She was almost doing this as much for herself as she was for the woman that she'd left sleeping in her guest bedroom. Ed would be represented by someone from the county, though she had no idea who it would be and she didn't care. However ruthless his attorney could be, she was going to be sure to have a monkey wrench to throw into every one of their gears. Ed Peletier would pay through the nose so bad for he'd done that he'd have to mortgage his balls just to begin to make ends meet.
Michonne was going over her checklist for at least the fifth time, having consulted her father twice on the matter, when her phone rang, distracting her momentarily from her work. She reached over and answered it without really looking up from what she was doing. It took a moment for her to realize that it was Damion on the line.
"Hey babe," Damion said.
Michonne sighed and rolled her eyes. She didn't feel like being interrupted.
"What's up, Damion? I'm kind of busy," she said.
"I had an interview today with Harbeson Concrete," Damion said. Michonne perked up a little at the news.
"Oh? And? What happened? Did they offer you a job?" She asked. She paused in what she was doing and put her pen down.
"They did, but I didn't take it," Damion said.
"Why the hell not, Damion? You've been out of work for almost three months now!" Michonne said. She realized more and more that she was sick of this man.
"I went out for management, but they wanted to start me at the bottom. I'm not going back down to the bottom of the ladder," Damion said.
"Damion, you lost your job with County. You need to start wherever the hell they'll put you. You need a job, Damion," Michonne said.
"Babe, we're talking about grunt work here," He responded.
"I don't care if you're bagging groceries at the A and P," Michonne said. "I don't think you understand that I'm not paying your bills again this month."
Michonne was frustrated now. She had been in a pretty good mood imaging the look on Ed Peletier's face when he realized exactly how screwed he was going to be, but now Damion's phone call had wrecked any feeling of joy that she had.
Why am I still seeing this sorry motherfucker? She thought to herself. Damion had swept her off her feet at first, but then the picture that he painted of himself at the time was very different. He had a good job working in a management position for the county and he was coming around telling her how beautiful she was, how her husband had been an ass for letting someone like her get away, how much he loved children and didn't mind that her daughters weren't even a year apart. He had told her everything she'd needed to hear at the time.
Now was a different story. Now he was terminally unemployed, had no manners, mooched off of her constantly, and was always insisting that she look for babysitters or find some other way to keep the girls entertained so that they weren't in his way. She couldn't even remember the last time they'd slept together because something about the terminally unemployed did something to her sex drive.
"It's not that bad," Damion protested. "I might actually have something else lined up."
"What is that?" Michonne asked. She checked her watch again and then sat absentmindedly rolling her pen back and forth across the open file in front of her.
"Well, yesterday when I left your house I swung by Lula's to get something to eat," Damion said. "By the way, babe, you really need to go to the store, you're almost out of everything…"
Michonne rolled her eyes. There was plenty of food in her house if you weren't too lazy to cook something. Furthermore, there would be a lot more food in her house if he wasn't over there eating like he was training for some kind of contest on a daily basis.
"Get on with it, Damion, I've got appointments," Michonne said, not trying to hide the fact that she was frustrated.
"Well, anyway, I was in Lula's and guess who I saw there…Ed Peletier. So I started talking to him about his wife and stuff, and then I asked him if he was looking for anyone to work for him, and it turns out…" Damion continued speaking, but Michonne had stopped listening.
"You did what?!" She said suddenly. Damion was quiet for a moment.
"I went to Lula's," Damion said.
"After that, Damion, did you tell me you fucking talked to Ed Peletier? What in God's name were you thinking?!" Michonne yelled. Damion chuckled nervously on the other end of the line.
"Babe, it's not a big deal. I was just shootin' the shit with him to talk up a job," Damion responded.
"Where you fucking shooting the shit with him about his wife?" Michonne asked. She stood up and paced around the desk, ignoring the fact that she was tangling the phone cord around herself.
"All we did was talk about guy stuff, you know, the old ball and chain," Damion said.
"What the fuck did you say to him?" Michonne asked, trying to calm herself.
"I just asked him if he was happy to be getting rid of that weight," Damion said. "It was nothing."
Michonne couldn't even respond. She slammed the phone down without saying anything else. She heard the familiar beating on the paneling wall telling her that she was too loud. Her father probably had a client who didn't need to hear her outbursts.
Michonne untangled herself from the phone cord and sat back down at her desk. She put her elbows on the desk and rested her head in her hands for a moment. It had very likely been her who had been at least somewhat responsible for last night's events, and the thought made her want to vomit. She took a deep breath and looked back at the notes littering her desk. She might not be able to undo what was already done, but she could do her best to make sure she made it up to Carol somehow. She picked up the phone and called the locksmith first, demanding that someone be sent to her house as soon as possible to change the locks. Then she sighed and dialed the house, waiting for the machine to pick up.
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Carol couldn't remember the last time she'd slept so well. Despite the fact that she felt bad and there were throbbing pains especially in her head and chest, she had still slept deeply owing simply to the fact that she had known that there would be no one waking her rudely from her slumber. She'd woken slightly in the morning to the sound of Michonne apparently getting ready and getting the babies ready, but she'd drifted back off after orienting herself to the unfamiliar noises.
When she'd gotten up, she'd made her way into the kitchen and fixed breakfast, trying to make a mental note of what she'd eaten so that she could be sure to pay Michonne back as soon as she got a job. She was going to go later to see about getting some waitressing jobs. She also needed to look for a place to stay since she had little intent to keep imposing on Michonne. If she got a few jobs she'd be able to afford an apartment soon, cutting down on her time in Michonne's guest room and also helping her to build up some savings toward her own little house and maybe even a car.
Carol had gladly washed up the dishes in Michonne's sink after she'd eaten breakfast and wiped down the counters. The house was almost immaculate and she didn't want to be the one to dirty it up. It appeared that Michonne was a woman who liked order. Carol passed through the living room as well, picking up the baby toys that were in the floor and putting them in the corner where there was a large toy box, all the while daydreaming about her own little two bedroom starter home that she would be able to afford before too terribly long.
When the phone rang, Carol jumped. The house was so quiet that the sudden sound was startling. She listened to it ring until it finally went to the machine. She listened as Michonne's message played, and then she heard the woman's voice coming over the machine again.
"Carol, it's Michonne. If you're there, pick up the phone…" she paused. "Carol, I hope you're there, pick up the phone."
Carol walked over and quickly plucked a cordless phone off its charger on the table beside the couch.
"Hello?" She said.
"Oh good, you're there. I was afraid you'd gone out," Michonne said.
"No," Carol said. "I was going to go later to see about a job, but…well…it's a long walk into town and I was hoping that if you're not too busy later you could maybe drive me…" Carol suddenly felt bad asking for even more favors than she was already being offered. "Or, I can find someone, it's not a big deal," she finished quickly.
"Yeah…no…listen, Carol. I'm happy to drive you wherever you need to go, but right now I need you to get dressed. I'm coming to pick you up. I've got to take you to fill out some paperwork about Ed, and you've got a doctor's appointment. Then we'll get some lunch and I'll take you wherever you need to go," Michonne said.
"I've got a doctor's appointment?" Carol asked. Her insurance was under Ed and she didn't know how that worked. She didn't have any money, and she certainly didn't have any money to pay for medical bills of any kind. "I'm fine, I don't need to go to the doctor," Carol protested.
"I'm not arguing with you," Michonne said. "Just get ready and I'll be there to pick you up in less than a half hour."
"Wait," Carol said.
"What is it?" Michonne responded.
"Michonne, really, I don't have money. I can't afford this," Carol said.
"You're not paying for it," Michonne said. "It's for the case, it comes out of legal funds," she lied. "You don't have a choice. Just get ready."
Carol hung up the phone and went to get dressed. She had never done anything like this before, but she really hoped that at the end of it all she was going to be able to afford everything that it would cost to get divorced from Ed. She didn't know how much a divorce would cost, but right now she would give anything just to get one. She hadn't wanted anything as bad in her life before as she wanted to be completely free from Ed now.
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"What the fuck, Merle?" Daryl growled, sitting at the card table they pretended was a dining table. He held the cereal box upside down and shook it, but it was just as empty as he feared it would be.
"What's wrong, princess?" Merle asked, passing into the kitchen in his boxers.
"Ya ain't even fuckin' left me nothin' ta eat an' now I gotta go ta work!" Daryl said. He got up from the table and stared into the barren refrigerator. He plucked the carton of juice out and drank straight from the container, draining the last swallows.
"Ya gonna cry now like a lil' girl just 'cause ya old brothah ate ya Fruity Pebbles?" Merle asked.
"Why don't ya fuckin' get some money from ya boss an' buy some food?" Daryl asked. "I'm done workin' on credit an' I ain't even been on the job but a couple a' days. Where the hell is your damn paycheck?"
"Ya just hold tight, lil' brothah, I'll talk ta Ed about it today an' I'm sure I can bring us home a couple a' bucks so's ya can buy yaself some more cereal," Merle said, snickering.
"I don't fuckin' have time for this," Daryl growled. He grabbed the truck keys from the hook by the door. "I'm gonna fuckin' be late."
"How the hell am I supposed ta get ta work?" Merle asked.
"Walk," Daryl said, bounding down the termite ridden staircase. "That's what the hell ya get for eatin' all my damn cereal," he called back.
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Michonne sat in the waiting room beside Carol who was fidgeting.
"Are you sure I don't have to pay for this?" Carol asked for about the fifteenth time. Michonne was tired of hearing it, but she tried to access the patience center of her brain that kept her from exploding every day when she forced to read "Goodnight Moon" a half a dozen times for Anjelica. It hadn't taken long to fill out the paperwork pressing charges against Ed, but the doctor's office was much slower than they'd been at the jail.
"I'm positive," Michonne said. She rifled through some of the papers in her lap, checking her list again. The truth was that she was paying the bill, but she'd lied to Carol and told her it was customary that the law office pay for such things if the medical report would be beneficial to the case. She knew that Carol wouldn't stay planted in the uncomfortable waiting room chair if she had any idea at all that she was footing the bill.
"Ms. McAlister," a nurse called.
"That's you," Michonne said.
Carol turned her head and the young nurse smiled at both of them.
"Come on back and we'll get your lab work done," she said. Carol nodded and got up, leaving her purse with Michonne. Michonne welcomed the few moments of calm. She wanted on record exactly how much damage Ed had done. That, coupled with old files, would be enough to prove a case of long term, and probably severe abuse, though she hadn't quite yet acquired all of Carol's old files.
Michonne leaned back in the chair and glanced around the room. There was an old couple sitting across from her. She knew them, but not well. She couldn't recall their names, but she knew that the woman had once worked in the cafeteria at her Elementary school. She remembered the woman because she had tried to get lunch on credit one day, having forgotten her lunch money, and the woman hadn't allowed her, declaring in front of several other students that she couldn't give her credit in case she wouldn't pay it back.
It seemed funny to Michonne now. The old woman surely didn't remember her, and wouldn't remember the event, but Michonne had never forgotten the embarrassment of it. The thought that she wouldn't pay back a seventy five cent debt seemed ridiculous now. It was ridiculous then, as well, but now it was truly ludicrous. She managed her money well and she knew for a fact that she was currently one of the best to do people in all of Sweet Junction.
Carol came back a few minutes later and sat down next to Michonne, pressing a cotton ball in the crook of her arm.
"I talked her out of two suckers," Carol said with a smile. She held out two suckers to Michonne. "Take your pick."
"I'm good," Michonne said, snickering. She wondered how Carol could be in such a good mood right now when she looked like she did. Then again, she also couldn't imagine how it might feel to look like that and know that the man who had done it to you wasn't getting his hands on you again.
"Here, take your pick," Carol said, smiling and pushing the suckers toward Michonne again. Michonne smiled and took one of them. Carol pulled the wrapper off the one she was left holding and put it in her mouth. "Why is all this necessary again?" She asked around the sucker. Michonne removed the wrapper from her own.
"Because we need records that show exactly what kind of man that Ed was and what he did to you. It strengthens your case, and it's going to get you a lot more in restitution," Michonne answered. "I'm going to order the rest of your records too. Were there hospital stays, anything like that tied to Ed?"
Carol nodded.
"A few," she said. "Mostly I tried to take care of everything at home. There were a few broken ribs, a broken wrist once, a concussion…"
"Did he ever," Michonne paused, "did Ed ever force you to sleep with him when you didn't want to?" She hated asking these questions, but she needed to know these things. Carol looked a little embarrassed at first, but finally she just nodded.
"There were times," she answered.
"But not last night?" Michonne asked. Carol shook her head.
"Fine, at least I don't have to order a kit," Michonne said. "Did you ever report any of it?" Carol shook her head again.
Of course not. He had her trained exactly like he wanted. She would just tolerate whatever it was that he wanted to do to her. There was a paper trail, but it was going to be limited. Ed had been an expert at maintaining an abused wife. Michonne would have this medical report as the only guarantee, and hopefully she could shrug up some doubt on the other injuries that had been documented.
They called Carol back again and Michonne waited patiently until the doctor was done. When he'd finally come out, per Michonne's requests, he filled her in on everything. Last night's injuries were enough to prove that Ed was an animal. Her nose had been broken, and at least one rib was cracked, though Carol hadn't complained about any of it.
"Could ex rays show if others were cracked?" Michonne asked.
"Well, yes," the doctor responded.
"Could ex rays show any old fractures or breaks?" Michonne asked.
"Well, sure," the doctor said.
"Order them," Michonne said. "Everything. We need to know anything that we can get. Just have the nurse give my secretary a call and let her know when the appointments are. We'll be there."
After they left, Michonne loaded Carol back into the car. She checked her watch.
"We'll go and get some lunch," Michonne said, "and then I'll take you wherever you need to go."
"Don't you have to go back to work?" Carol asked.
"You're my only client today," Michonne said.
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When Daryl got home from work he was tired and sweaty. He came into the kitchen of their apartment and looked in the cabinet. He cursed when he remembered that there wasn't any food left. If Merle didn't bring some money home, he was going to have Hershel for more wages, and he'd already spent almost a month's worth of wages just covering the rent, gas for the truck, and the little bit of food that they'd already gone through. He didn't want to have to ask for more and fall even farther in the hole.
When Daryl realized that Merle wasn't home, he knew exactly where he'd find him. He would probably be down at the Water Ho drinking himself stupid and shooting the shit with Ed. The only reason it didn't make Daryl even more furious was that he knew that Merle was drinking on Ed's tab, otherwise he'd go down there just to rip him a new one for spending money that they didn't have.
Daryl started out the door of the apartment and made his way the down the dimly lit sidewalk to the garish neon sign. He walked through the front doors of the bar, dodging the regular drunks that ambled about the pool tables. Merle was sitting at the bar, just as he'd predicted, but Ed wasn't with him. The waitress, Andrea, was leaned up on Merle and it appeared that Merle was trying to talk something up. Daryl wasn't surprised.
"Did'ja get any money from ya pal?" Daryl asked, approaching Merle and ignoring Andrea's presence. Andrea, apparently realizing she had other customers, scampered off to wait on them. Daryl pulled himself onto the barstool and nodded his head in acknowledgement to Loretta who put a shot down in front of him.
"Hold yer horses there, brothah. Ed weren't at work today. Seems his old lady got him locked up. His right hand man was there handin' out orders, but he don't handle the pay," Merle said.
"We gotta fuckin' have some money soon, Merle," Daryl growled. "We ain't got no damn food an' we gon' have ta pay for water an' shit. I can't keep askin' the old man to fork over money when I can't even get a week's work in ta make up for the damn month's worth a' pay I done asked for."
"Easy, boy, I'ma get paid just as soon as Ed get's outta the clink. 'Parently that hell cat a' his got pissed off an' Jerry said they got him in there 'til further notice, whatever tha hell that means, won't even let nobody bail his ass out. That must be how justice works 'round here," Merle said.
"You talking 'bout Ed Peletier," Andrea asked, wiping down the bar in front of them.
"Yeah, sugah," Merle said. "What you know 'bout it?"
"I know everything that happens in this godforsaken town," Andrea said. "Ed's wife called the law on him last night. They say he got a little carried away or somethin' an' she turned him in. He ain't done nothin' but bitch about her since I moved here three years ago, so I imagine that he'd be happy to unload her ass."
"Yeah…" Merle said, "That's why ole Merle don't do commitment." He winked at Andrea. She smiled at him.
"That's why I don't do commitment either," she said.
"Why buy the cow an' havta deal with all that shit when ya can get the milk for free, ain't that right?" Merle said, laughing.
"Why by the whole dirty ass pig when you only want a little bit of sausage?" Andrea responded, smiling at Merle. He chuckled at her.
Daryl rolled his eyes and took another shot.
"I don't give a damn why his worthless ass is in the clink, Merle, but ya better find some damn money or we gon' be right back where we was before we got ta this damn place," Daryl said. "Ya need ta get'cha a side job or somethin' 'cause it don't look like the one ya got's gonna pay for nothin'."
"Don't'cha worry 'bout it, Derlina, ya big brothah's gonna get'cha some more Fruity Pebbles," Merle said with a sneer. He reached in Daryl's pocket and plucked out the pack of cigarettes, lighting one and putting the pack down on the bar. Daryl snatched the pack back and stuffed it in his pocket.
"An' stop smokin' my damn cigarettes," Daryl growled.
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AN: OK, OK, I promise the meeting is coming soon. I'm probably just as excited about getting them introduced to one another as you are, but I realized that I don't want to get ahead of myself since some things will come into play later and I don't want to leave them out.
No worries, it may take us time to get there, but I promise that Caryl is in the cards. ;-)