Chapter Two. WEARY WATCHDOG/ATC THE TRIAL IS OVER ATC 1a
They are now at home, at last, but it does not mean that Della will get a free ride. There will be adjustments down the road, but her salvation comes rom an unexpected source. Thanks for the great reviews. Thanks to my BETA, Little Miss Ruth. Chapter Two. WEARY WATCHDOG/ATC THE TRIAL IS OVER ATC
Almost miraculously, the clues he had received from Paul sent him looking for information, and in a starling turn of events the real killer was caught. Sitting afterwards in Lt. Anderson's office Hamilton Burger came in with the verdict the jury had never given. Perry stated, "there are some things I'd rather not know," as he set it on fire to the chagrin of the district attorney.
They escorted Janet Brent to her home, decided not to have their regular 'after a trial' celebration and ended up at Perry's apartment. Della sat on his sofa and with tears in her eyes said, "I can't believe I am sitting here a free woman."
He looked at her seriously, "you know it could easily have gone the other way."
Not looking at him she said softly, "yes I know."
Mason sat beside her and placing his fingers under her chin made her look at him. "Della," he began his voice choking "I want you to promise you will never ever do anything like that again."
She put her hands on his shoulders. "Perry I am so sorry I got you into this. How can I ever thank you or repay you?"
Again, he said, "Promise me you will never do anything like this again."
She couldn't hold back the tears, "I promise." Her voice was filled with emotion.
Perry pulled her into his arms and began kissing her curls. "I felt so helpless all I could think about was losing you. I tried not to be angry, but as things looked blacker the more I wanted to ask why you didn't think of the consequences of your actions. You had seen what had almost happened to so many of our clients who lied or didn't follow my advice.
"I know, I know, but Janet seemed so desperate. I am her only friend. What else could she do?"
Pushing her slightly away so he could look into her hazel eyes he confessed, "I guess what hurt the most was that you didn't feel you could trust me enough to come to me for help," He explained.
"Perry," she began, "I asked her to talk to you, but she begged me to not tell anyone and I promised."
Looking hurt he asked, "am I just anyone?"
"No, of course not," she explained. "I never expected you to give me all that money. Then when you said with no questions and no thanks I thought I could convince her to see you. Everything just careened out of control."
"Yes, it certainly did. I hope you realize how lucky we were that we managed to squeeze out of there by the skin of our teeth." He asserted.
Looking up into his blue eyes she finally asked, "can you ever forgive me?"
The lawyer took a few agonizing moments before he told her, "I am so grateful that I am sitting here next to you and not visiting you in jail. I don't want to have to defend you ever again for more than a traffic ticket the rest of our lives."
She smiled. "I hope that means I am forgiven and I promise I'll try to not get any speeding ticket either."
"Then," he said, "I think we should have our own private celebration starting with a drink and see what we can do next to take our minds off Mrs. Brent and her problems. Just so you know the Brent's will be paying for her representation and yours, and no protests."
Later as Della lay in Perry's arms and took her hand to caress his face she confessed, "I was afraid we would never be here together again, Perry. I didn't know if you would ever trust me again. There was no way if I lost you my life would ever be the same.
He leaned down and kissed her tenderly, "I have been wanting to do this for weeks. I just could not allow myself to be vulnerable and do justice to the case. That fact that you didn't feel you could come and confide in me hurt so much."
Tears slid down her face as she agreed. "I know, and I realized too late what a stupid mistake I made. Janet seemed so helpless and alone I didn't want to be one more person who let her down."
Raising up on his elbow he asked her, "you do realize now that Mrs. Brent created a lot of her own problems?"
"Yes," Della admitted, "but the worst thing I faced was the thought of losing you. I knew you were so angry with me."
He smiled at her for the first time in many weeks. "I was angry at first, then I was frustrated, and finally, I'll admit afraid of how I could save you. We know Burger was out for blood."
"So?" she questioned as she gazed longingly into his beautiful blue eyes, "You have really and truly forgiven me?"
Showing his amazing dimples, he seemed to hesitate, keeping, her in suspense. Finally, the lawyer admitted, "you have your friend Paul Drake for making me see the light."
"How so?" she was very curious.
"Well young lady he reminded me of how single minded and stubborn I can be when I am defending a client. How often I have gone out on a limb and taken you along with me. To prove his point, he cited the cases where you were called in at all hours of the day and night without a complaint. He reminded me how you went to jail, taking part in one of my crazy schemes, hours before we were to take a round the world cruise. Did I realize how often you have been left behind, at the office, to deal with the police, irate wives or husbands, newspaper reporters, and women who just had to see only Perry Mason. He wanted to know if I realized that you were my biggest defender and while you might caution me against an action, you still backed me all the way?"
"Paul said all that?" She wanted to know.
"Not only that but if I wasn't smart enough to have you in my life he was quite willing to take my place."
Della couldn't help smiling, "and just what did you say Mr. Mason?"
Pulling her close he said, "after I warned him to back off?"
She nodded her head as she snuggled closer.
"I told him I may be dumb, but I'm not stupid. I know a treasure when I see it. I didn't admit to him how worried I was that I might not be able to get you this out of this mess. Of course, it is not his business that I love you so much I can't imagine life without you, but if you ever…"
Della kissed him quickly and kept kissing him, so he couldn't talk. Finally, when they had to come up for air she told him solemnly, "Never ever will I keep anything like this from you again for the rest of my life."
"Never?" he asked skeptically.
With a mischievous look on her face she admitted, "well hardly ever."
He looked down at her beautiful face and she took his breath away as he realized what he almost lost. "suppose we agree to never go to bed angry and always talk over anything that might jeopardize our love for one another?"
"I can assure you of that my love because what did you promise many years ago? The best is yet to come."
As he was leaning down to kiss her once again he whispered, "only if you are walking by my side, and giving me your love."
"From now and into eternity, Perry Mason, I will love only you."
As he ran his hand down her leg he said, "then I think it is time to make up for lost time."
Della couldn't help teasing him, "again so soon?"
He looked at her, blue eyes mischievous, and asked, "who's counting?"
FIN
Almost miraculously, the clues he had received from Paul sent him looking for information, and in a starling turn of events the real killer was caught. Sitting afterwards in Lt. Anderson's office Hamilton Burger came in with the verdict the jury had never given. Perry stated, "there are some things I'd rather not know," as he set it on fire to the chagrin of the district attorney.
They escorted Janet Brent to her home, decided not to have their regular 'after a trial' celebration and ended up at Perry's apartment. Della sat on his sofa and with tears in her eyes said, "I can't believe I am sitting here a free woman."
He looked at her seriously, "you know it could easily have gone the other way."
Not looking at him she said softly, "yes I know."
Mason sat beside her and placing his fingers under her chin made her look at him. "Della," he began his voice choking "I want you to promise you will never ever do anything like that again."
She put her hands on his shoulders. "Perry I am so sorry I got you into this. How can I ever thank you or repay you?"
Again, he said, "Promise me you will never do anything like this again."
She couldn't hold back the tears, "I promise." Her voice was filled with emotion.
Perry pulled her into his arms and began kissing her curls. "I felt so helpless all I could think about was losing you. I tried not to be angry, but as things looked blacker the more I wanted to ask why you didn't think of the consequences of your actions. You had seen what had almost happened to so many of our clients who lied or didn't follow my advice.
"I know, I know, but Janet seemed so desperate. I am her only friend. What else could she do?"
Pushing her slightly away so he could look into her hazel eyes he confessed, "I guess what hurt the most was that you didn't feel you could trust me enough to come to me for help," He explained.
"Perry," she began, "I asked her to talk to you, but she begged me to not tell anyone and I promised."
Looking hurt he asked, "am I just anyone?"
"No, of course not," she explained. "I never expected you to give me all that money. Then when you said with no questions and no thanks I thought I could convince her to see you. Everything just careened out of control."
"Yes, it certainly did. I hope you realize how lucky we were that we managed to squeeze out of there by the skin of our teeth." He asserted.
Looking up into his blue eyes she finally asked, "can you ever forgive me?"
The lawyer took a few agonizing moments before he told her, "I am so grateful that I am sitting here next to you and not visiting you in jail. I don't want to have to defend you ever again for more than a traffic ticket the rest of our lives."
She smiled. "I hope that means I am forgiven and I promise I'll try to not get any speeding ticket either."
"Then," he said, "I think we should have our own private celebration starting with a drink and see what we can do next to take our minds off Mrs. Brent and her problems. Just so you know the Brent's will be paying for her representation and yours, and no protests."
Later as Della lay in Perry's arms and took her hand to caress his face she confessed, "I was afraid we would never be here together again, Perry. I didn't know if you would ever trust me again. There was no way if I lost you my life would ever be the same.
He leaned down and kissed her tenderly, "I have been wanting to do this for weeks. I just could not allow myself to be vulnerable and do justice to the case. That fact that you didn't feel you could come and confide in me hurt so much."
Tears slid down her face as she agreed. "I know, and I realized too late what a stupid mistake I made. Janet seemed so helpless and alone I didn't want to be one more person who let her down."
Raising up on his elbow he asked her, "you do realize now that Mrs. Brent created a lot of her own problems?"
"Yes," Della admitted, "but the worst thing I faced was the thought of losing you. I knew you were so angry with me."
He smiled at her for the first time in many weeks. "I was angry at first, then I was frustrated, and finally, I'll admit afraid of how I could save you. We know Burger was out for blood."
"So?" she questioned as she gazed longingly into his beautiful blue eyes, "You have really and truly forgiven me?"
Showing his amazing dimples, he seemed to hesitate, keeping, her in suspense. Finally, the lawyer admitted, "you have your friend Paul Drake for making me see the light."
"How so?" she was very curious.
"Well young lady he reminded me of how single minded and stubborn I can be when I am defending a client. How often I have gone out on a limb and taken you along with me. To prove his point, he cited the cases where you were called in at all hours of the day and night without a complaint. He reminded me how you went to jail, taking part in one of my crazy schemes, hours before we were to take a round the world cruise. Did I realize how often you have been left behind, at the office, to deal with the police, irate wives or husbands, newspaper reporters, and women who just had to see only Perry Mason. He wanted to know if I realized that you were my biggest defender and while you might caution me against an action, you still backed me all the way?"
"Paul said all that?" She wanted to know.
"Not only that but if I wasn't smart enough to have you in my life he was quite willing to take my place."
Della couldn't help smiling, "and just what did you say Mr. Mason?"
Pulling her close he said, "after I warned him to back off?"
She nodded her head as she snuggled closer.
"I told him I may be dumb, but I'm not stupid. I know a treasure when I see it. I didn't admit to him how worried I was that I might not be able to get you this out of this mess. Of course, it is not his business that I love you so much I can't imagine life without you, but if you ever…"
Della kissed him quickly and kept kissing him, so he couldn't talk. Finally, when they had to come up for air she told him solemnly, "Never ever will I keep anything like this from you again for the rest of my life."
"Never?" he asked skeptically.
With a mischievous look on her face she admitted, "well hardly ever."
He looked down at her beautiful face and she took his breath away as he realized what he almost lost. "suppose we agree to never go to bed angry and always talk over anything that might jeopardize our love for one another?"
"I can assure you of that my love because what did you promise many years ago? The best is yet to come."
As he was leaning down to kiss her once again he whispered, "only if you are walking by my side, and giving me your love."
"From now and into eternity, Perry Mason, I will love only you."
As he ran his hand down her leg he said, "then I think it is time to make up for lost time."
Della couldn't help teasing him, "again so soon?"
He looked at her, blue eyes mischievous, and asked, "who's counting?"
FIN