Carol Robinson was standing in front of the podium she had arranged to have set up outside New Oak Haven. This was in readiness for the press conference she had organised to commemorate the moment of JR's release.

She had hoped for a better crowd. Henderson had been keeping his promises and there was a reporter from every one of the papers and news companies in his empire, but only one or two others. This trial wasn't going as planned. She had greatly underestimated the sympathy Bianca Montgomery could foster or how much power Erica Kane could wield.

She was fairly confident about the outcome of the trial. She only had to disprove Jesse's unsubstantiated evidence, the rest would be simple. Her greatest worry was the effect this trial was going to have on her media image. She had tried hard to paint herself as the protector of the downtrodden… only now according to the world's press she was fighting for the bad guy.

The leaving present left from the troublesome Inquirer editor had been below the belt but the new editor they'd got had much fewer problems with his morals and would quickly turn that around by tomorrow's edition.

No, there was a lot of work to do behind the scenes to sway public opinion back her way, but she was going to make it happen, starting now.

Carol noticed a signal from her assistant and moments later the doors to the secure medical facility opened and there was JR clutching a sack of belongings, frowning at the unexpected press conference waiting for him.

Her assistant led JR up to the podium and arranged for him to stand beside her as Carol turned to address the small company of press.

"Ladies and gentlemen of the press, thank you for coming out on this cold November morning. I would like to read a statement from my client." It was a lie, JR had no clue this was going on; when Carol turned to smile at him, JR only glowered back – he wasn't playing the game! She carried on regardless. "My client is happy to be released. He has been struggling a long time with his illness and is heartbroken that it has allowed his son to be alienated from him. After the trial he hopes once more to be reunited with his son."

A member of the press raised his hand in question. Carol frowned she recognised the meddler from the Times.

"You seem very confident at winning this case." He stated.

"That is because these allegation, which have been so damaging to the relationship between JR and his son, cannot easily be proved. The shooting of Marissa Tasker was terrible, one of a number of terrible things that happened that night. But the world seems to have forgotten JR was the one to save so many lives with his actions and now one stray bullet has marked him is a murderer. That ladies and gentlemen of the press; that is the real crime. My client has been pilloried in the press, he is an ill man but he has gotten the help he needed. All he wants now is his life back and I'm here to see that he gets it!"

Carol smiled at the flashing camera bulbs, very pleased with her reply. There hadn't been a word of a lie in there… because god knows she knew her client wasn't an innocent man… but as every good lawyer knows criminal law is simply the job of being a good magician… as long as the judge and jury were concentrating on your right hand (a father who loved his son so very much…), they couldn't see what was hiding in your left (… he would kill to keep his son from being taken from him)!

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