Possessing Morgan:
A Matter of Conviction
by Aurelia
Part 15
See Part 1 for Disclaimers
Chapter 15
Morgan arrived before visiting hours and was refused admission. Of course, she would be. It was before the sun had even woken up. It was only at the triage nurse’s insistence that she got to see her at all. She was beginning to wonder if the woman ever went home. Slipping into Andrea’s room in her new loafers, she scuffed the floor slightly as the new footwear kept tripping her up. Between that and the new bra, she was feeling like a fish out of water. Sports bra, my ass! It was a damned sport alright just to wrestle the thing on.
She stood at the foot of the bed, her bouquet of flowers shaking nervously in her good hand. Spotting an unused vase on the window ledge, she shuffled around the bed to claim it. Flowers for her girl. Good God, she felt a bit like those young boys going to their first dance. Stop it!
Absently she filled the vase, removing the paper from around the stalks and trying to arrange the blooms in the water. She placed her small offering back on the window sill pleased to see the color brighten up the otherwise drab white of the room. Carnations. She thought about red roses but roses were very, very personal… the color of passion… then again, maybe not.
For the umpteenth time since last night she debated with herself about what she was doing. She looked over at the still body in the bed, studying her without the distraction of being watched. Green eyes grazed the mass of white gauze covering the small blonde’s right shoulder, hiding from sight the ugly hole underneath it. Those eyes hungrily slipped up the soft skin of Andrea’s throat, watching as the pulse throbbed in a calm even beat.
Morgan licked her lips involuntarily at the thought of residing there, to feel the fluttering of skin against her own lips gently pick up speed as she caressed it. She closed her eyes for a moment, trying to dissipate the sensual images crossing her mind but despite her best efforts, she couldn’t remove them. They just sat there, boldly tempting her to erase them if she could.
It was at that point that the detective fully understood the predicament she was in. If she tried to deny this attraction between them any longer, she was not only lying to those around her, but she was lying to herself. Damn it, Henry’s right, but I’m not gonna tell him that… yet.
Several moments went by before she was aware of brown eyes groggily looking up at her while those beautiful lips spread into a wide grin. “I didn’t know you had a card to my hotel room.”
“Umm, we’re not in your hotel room.”
“We’re not? Where are we?”
“Ummm… you’re in a hospital, sweetie.”
Confusion furrowed her brow. “I am? How did that happen?”
“You had uuhhh… accident.”
“Accident?” Andrea’s eyes glazed over. The medication had a hold of her and she was repeating random words like a mynah bird.
“You sort of… well, ummm, you kind of… got shot.”
“Shot?” Andrea was really not comprehending the conversation at this point.
“You know? Shoot you with a gun? You kind of have this hole in your shoulder.”
“I do? Huh. Well, I’ll be damned.” Drug hazed eyes tried to look to her shoulder, seeing only a mass of white in her vision. "How 'bout that."
"Hmm. That pain killer must be some pretty good stuff, huh?" She was almost tempted to push the small woman off the bed and plug herself into the pain meds. She could use a little break from reality right about now.
“I’m glad you came to visit…” Andrea’s words drifted off as her eyes closed. Her final words were slurred, barely heard by Morgan. “You called me sweetie…” and she was once again welcomed into Morpheus’s arms.
* * *
Morgan came away feeling…restless, anxious, confused and very, very tired. All that was going on in her life was wearing her down. She stopped at their favorite restaurant for breakfast… ha, what a laugh that was and most unexpected. Who would have thought that her future was being built around two Big Macs? That woman had the knack of alleviating her fears. Smart chick…
As she ate she tried to turn her mind to work. Who was she kidding? Home, work, asleep or awake, her mind was occupied with the counselor. This had been her opportunity to shine at work and nothing had gone right. She would use this morning to get her mind back on track, to make some phone calls, organize interviews and statements and basically get herself back into gear. Or at least she would try.
She wandered into the squad room, sidling up to the coffee maker and putting on an air of nonchalance at her tardiness. Looking around, she could see that they just didn’t care. “O’Callaghan.” She looked up to see her boss, one solid finger beckoning her to come. She adjusted the sling to settle her arm into the protective curve of her body, and made her way through the quiet room towards the captain’s office, coffee mug in hand.
“Take a seat.” His voice was calm and friendly, one that she didn’t hear very often. “How’s the counselor?”
“She’s about as well as can be expected. They think she’ll be in hospital about a week, but I don’t know how long it’ll be before she’s back at work.”
“How are you coping?”
“Me?” His steady stare asked more than he was voicing. “I’m good.”
“What do you want to do about the case?”
“Do?”
“Do you want me to find someone else to take over Vaughan’s case now that you have the counselor’s case as well? I have the District Attorney’s office breathing fire down my neck about this.” She nearly said ‘yes’, but she then thought of Arthur. Her replacement would most surely lock him up as the first item of business. She weighed her options carefully, one life against another, and despite her heart crying out to protect Andrea, her head took the tougher route.
“No… no sir, I’m good to go.”
That surprised him, considering her reaction when the young woman was shot. “Why?” He could see her baulk at the question. “What? Is there something I don’t know about?” He waited for a response before continuing. “Maybe you’re a little too close to the case, Sergeant. Chang is your second. I’m sure he can handle this.”
“Ah… errr….” She was now caught between a rock and a hard place. The case was slipping though her fingers as priorities were changing rapidly, so maybe this would be the only chance she had to express her concerns. “It’s not that, Captain. I can handle the pressure just fine. It’s just… “
“Come on, Sergeant, just spit it out. Off the record.”
“I’m worried about the Vaughan case.” She breathed deeply, willing herself to calm down. “I’m sorry, Captain. The evidence alone has eliminated him. No GSR and the blood spatter suggests he wasn’t the shooter.”
Markham thought for a moment, trying to find a solution to this convoluted problem. “Alright then. Are we dismissing him as a suspect?”
“Yeah.”
“Okay, then what’s the problem?”
“Besides no new information to point to our killer you mean?”
“What about the wife?”
“Either she’s just plain out stupid or too smart for her own good.” Morgan continued, “We've hit a brick wall for the moment. The money trail has gone cold but everything is telling me that the location of the money is the key.”
His mind shifted back to their ADA. “Okay, what about the shooting? This is TWICE now that the counselor has been involved in an incident. The first one we might have been able to overlook. The second incident... was an attempted assassination. What the hell is going on here?”
“I’m...hell, I don't know. I...ahhh...got a call yesterday... warning me to drop off the Vaughan case.” The older man raised an eyebrow. “Yeah, that’s what I thought. It’s a stupid move really, except to try and distract me. We just can’t drop the case, even he knows that. Anyway, it seems that the...ahhh... hit and run... was a warning to... ME. Not the counselor. I can only assume that he is stepping up his campaign with the shooting.... to get MY attention. If that’s his reason, then it’s a bit of overkill if you ask me.”
“What?!? So, are we looking in the wrong direction here? Is this about you or about Worthington?” “And why in the hell is this the first I’m hearing of this?” His voice steadily rose in volume, his anger growing with every syllable.
What could she say? She should have told him, now she was paying. “I’m not sure. If you had asked me yesterday, I would have said that the hit and run was a fluke, but now… I can’t afford to not take the warning seriously. If he wanted to get my attention, he’s got it.”
“So, you are telling me that these two cases are connected? She is in the hospital because of you and the Vaughan case?” He couldn't believe that the sergeant was that careless. She knew you couldn’t dismiss anything in this business. Certainly not something that could put the counselor’s life in danger.
“And not only that, he has the balls to do it on my own goddamned front porch!” Markham stood pacing erratically around the room. “The fucking ADA, O’Callaghan! How could you let this happen?”
“Let it happen? Let it happen! Now hang on one goddamn minute! I’m not a friggin' mind reader! I can’t be everywhere at once. Or I would have damn well have taken that hit for her!” Morgan knew the conversation getting out of control but she wasn’t going to take that shit from anybody. “I’m just trying doing my fuckin’ job… Captain.” She enunciated every syllable with venom. “If it ain't good enough for you, well you can.....…”
“Whoaaaaa! Slow down. Easy, easy.” He leaned back in his chair, taking a deep breath. The woman was under immense pressure, he knew that. He was the one who had put her there. He also knew damned well how much she liked the counselor. He wasn't stupid. She would have taken that hit, too. “Look… all I’m saying that you ignore nothing, okay? Everything is important here. Everything. Including you! No Lone Ranger shit from you. I need to know. The DA’s office needs to know.”
“Fine.” Morgan was tight-lipped, fearing that she would say too much. It was probably already too late.
"We will get him. And he will pay. Got me?" Markham wrested back control of the conversation. He didn’t need his best detective at odds with him right now. “So, the bottom line is that if you don’t drop the case, the counselor is gonna pay.”
“It’s beginning to look that way.”
“Okay. So, why the counselor?”
“I really don't know.....good question.” Why indeed? Hadn’t she been asking herself that question since the hit and run? Why her? Why not, for instance, her partner?
“Okay, so here's another one for you. If we still ignore his warnin,g then what?”
Morgan almost choked at the realization of what could happen next. “Then… I suppose he’ll try again.” They both knew what that meant. He would ultimately kill the small woman, but not before drawing out her agony with several more attacks.
“I’ve got a couple of uniforms outside her room around the clock. I want you and Chang to keep an eye on things. “
“I’ll take care of the visitors list.”
“Now, what about the Vaughan case? What’s the status?”
“I re-interviewed the daughter yesterday morning, clearing up a few anomalies in her statement. The final results from forensics are in. Oh, and of course, the report on that search through Connie Vaughan’s financial records. We know the money went into the account but we don’t know where it went when it was transferred out of the account. We’re still trying to track down that accountant, Perkins. We’ll also begin background checks on the rest of Vaughan’s employees today. That should keep us busy for the next twenty-four hours.”
“Yeah, you’ve got a long day ahead of you, Sergeant. And what’s your opinion on this case?”
“My opinion? That someone was trying to stop Vaughan from changing his will unless, of course, there’s another explanation that we haven’t found yet. Hopefully Perkins will clear up that point when we find him. But going on what we know so far, things are pointing towards Vaughan’s wife setting up her husband.”
“I sense a ‘but’ in there somewhere.”
“But…,” she smiled. “But, it’s like the entire case. It all just seems too perfect to be true. Only an idiot would siphon off money like that just before she sets him up for a murder, and Connie Vaughan ain’t no fool.”
“So what are you saying here, Sergeant?”
“I’m saying that this case isn’t over yet, and I think there are going to be some more surprises before this thing is finished.”
“And the counselor?”
She dropped her head at his frank perusal. “I was going to visit her on my lunch break.”
“Her family should have been notified last night, so they’ll probably be there when you go. Oh, and do the Department’s best wishes for the recovery thing, okay? And tell her for me, we'll get him.”
Oh, just great… the in-laws. A small voice inside her whined. Did I just say "in-laws"? God. Clearing her voice, “Yes sir, I will.”
“Good. Get outta here, Sergeant.”
As she moved to leave, one final thought crossed her mind. “Any news yet on the… ahhh... homefront?”
The look of apprehension made her wish she hadn’t asked. “Not yet, but I should know in the next day or so.”
“I’ve got my fingers crossed for you.”
“Thank you, Morgan. It’s good to have a friend here. Not many of them I’m afraid. Keep that in mind. The higher you go up, the less friends you have.”
“About that, Captain… I’m having second thoughts.”
“Why? You would make an excellent lieutenant.”
“And the further up the ladder I go, the less chance I have to leave the office. I don’t know if I could stand being tied to a desk up to my neck in crap paperwork everyday.” She said with a wink.
“Why am I not surprised? Alright then, Morgan, I’ll put your application on hold. Let me know if you change your mind… again.” A quiet chuckle escaped his lips.
* * *
Morgan approached Andrea’s ward, a dozen roses in her hand. She had debated with herself over the reason why she bought roses. Was this going to be interpreted as a sign of her acceptance of their situation? Did she want it to be? Why in the name of God did she buy these damned flowers in the first place? Her head was fuzzy enough without adding the extra burden of these questions. The muffled voices halted her outside the door, reducing her to eavesdropping on Andrea’s family…
“Andrea... dear... what on earth are you going on about?”
“Mother… Look, I have tried and tried to accept the plans you had for me...had for me and Joel, but I...I just can’t do it.”
“Andrea, darlin', what... why now? I thought we were fine with this.” Morgan’s ears pricked up at the masculine voice. So this was Joel…
“And we were, for a while anyway, but didn’t you feel there was something missing in your life, Joel? Something important? No? But I did… and I still do. Coming to New York has been the best thing that ever happened to me.”
“Andrea, don’t be ridiculous. You’ve been shot, dear God. It’s made you confused. Once you’re back in Charleston you’ll see everything is fine.”
“I'll arrange some time off from the office and we can spend some time together. How about that... sweetheart?” Joel looked toward Jefferson Worthington, receiving a small nod in return.
“Nooooo, I... am... not... going... anywhere.”
“Of course you are, Andrea. Isn’t that right, Jefferson?”
“Andrea sugar, your mother's right. Don’t go making any rash decisions right now. You’re upset, we can see that.”
“This is most certainly not a rash decision… Daddy. Coming to New York has been the best thing that ever happened to me.” She looked up at her father, taking in the large aquiline nose and graying temples. She always did think he was a handsome man, and it was obvious by the number of society woman who congregated around him at the soirees they held that other women thought the same. He was a handsome, debonair and very smart man. A smart man who had a smart daughter.
“New York is the best thing....?! Oh please, Andrea! Look at yourself! Do tell us all why this has been the best thing that ever happened to you." A sense of foreboding tinged Mrs. Worthington’s thoughts but not her words.
“I found myself, mother.”
“Found yourself? We didn’t realize that you were missing.”
“Now Virginia, allow the girl to speak her piece.”
“Jefferson, she is speaking sheer nonsense. When we get her home we can possibly look into some kind of therapy for her. She was shot. She's obviously been traumatized and they are not taking decent care of her here in this... this... place.”
“Mother, will you just butt out? I am fine and I am staying right the hell here!”
“Now don’t you talk to your mother like that, young lady...”
“Well, you have got the nerve…”
“Just stop it, both of you! I’m staying here. Here. Here. Here! I am not leaving… not now.” Andrea snapped her mouth shut, cursing herself for the outburst.
“Not now? What is that supposed to mean?” Blue-gray eyes bore into her to tell the truth.
“Never mind… it’s not important.”
“Well, it was something certainly important enough for you to stay here in this godforsaken place. If you even remotely expect us to leave without an explanation you are so very sadly mistaken, missy."
“Dear God, y'all are killing me here. I am not really not up to this right now.”
“Just tell us why and... we’ll leave. Simple as that... Andrea.”
“Virginia, maybe….”
“No, Jefferson. She is expecting us to just accept her decision. I do not accept that. I will not accept that.” The diminutive woman turned to her daughter. “She is my daughter and she owes me an explanation.”
“I don’t owe you a damn thing whatsoever about her...shi...”
“Her? Did I just hear you say her?”
“Andy, honey. What...just what are you talking about here?” Joel moved to sit on the bed, attempting to hold Andrea’s hand.
* * *
Morgan could feel her hands sweating, soaking into the tissue paper wrapped around the roses. It was so damned strange to hear herself being talked about like this. The entire future of her personal life was being discussed and dissected by strangers. She did not like it. But she also knew that this conversation would never be repeated to her, so if she wanted the whole truth she was going to have to stay.
“She’s a person I work with, Mother... a friend. I’ve never had a real friend before.”
“Andrea, please! Now you’re just talking complete nonsense. Of course you have friends.”
"No Mother, you are wrong. They were simply the daughters of all of your society friends. And I hate to tell you this, but for all their designer clothes, expensive educations, ridiculous plastic surgeries, contracted marriages and their classless affairs... not a single one of them is worth damn.”
“Don’t talk about your friends like that. You have been a part of their lives for many years.”
“That’s because I didn’t know any damned better. Now I do. Do you know what it’s like to have a real friend, Mother? Someone who knows all of you and accepts you just as you are? Someone who gives you everything and asks for nothing in return? That’s a special gift, Mother. One that I’m not prepared to give up.”
“Okay, so what's going on here? What is she holding over you?”
“Good God. She’s not ‘holding anything over on me’! She's done nothing but be a friend to me, Mother... a real honest to goodness... friend.”
“You cannot be serious here. Andrea... honey... we can still go ahead with the wedding plans despite this slight abhorration of yours.” If she had not wanted to risk breaking her other hand, Morgan was tempted to knock Joel's teeth down his throat for that comment.
“Why do you think I came to New York, huh? Why?”
“Obviously to be difficult... dear.”
“No, to get away from you! You and your constant godforsaken harping! And in doing so, wonder of wonders, I have actually found someone that I enjoy being with! Morgan has been a godsend to me. For the first time in my entire life I can finally be myself without all this pretensive bullshit!”
“Morgan?”
With a heavy sigh, “Yes, that is her name.”
“Morgan. Sounds like a man.”
“Ohhhhhh, she’s anything but a man, Mother.”
“So when do we get to meet this… Morgan.”
“When I feel you can be civil to her. She has done absolutely nothing wrong. In fact, she was trying very hard to push me away due to... present circumstances.”
“Push you away? What do you mean "push you away"? Why... what reason....?" Joel was beginning to sense that this conversation was going in an unexpected...and not very pleasant... direction.
“Look, I really didn’t want to say anything so soon, but since you have insisted in putting me in this position, here ya go… Morgan...she has been more than just a friend to me, Joel.”
“More than a... friend? A...what? What??!?” Joel suddenly felt his future begin to slip away.
“Oh. My. God. You cannot be serious.”
“Deadly serious, Mother.”
“I see. Now, how much is it going to take for her to lose her interest in you?”
“Way more than you could ever offer, Mrs. Worthington.” Morgan had heard enough.
Virginia Worthington completely ignored the tall woman who had stepped into the room, her focus burning a hole in her daughter. “What is really happening here?”
“I don't know, call it fate! Fate has brought us together, Mother.” Andrea paused for a moment. “There must be a reason for all this and I am damned sure going to find out what it is. I need space, Mother. And I am going to take it... free of your interference!” Andrea turned to fully face her father. “Daddy?”
“Yes, sugar.” Jefferson Worthington had been noticeably quiet during the argument.
“Do you not have anything to add to this conversation?”
There was silence and Morgan could see the older man deferring to his wife. “Well, honey, it is a bit of a surprise but I think I might have to agree with your mother on this one.”
“That’s it, huh? I want to thank you all for your endearing respect for my opinions and decision making in my own personal life. No one want to wish me well? No one happy for me? Huh?” Morgan thought for a moment she could hear the low chirruping of crickets with the silence that reigned. Apparently her family was not going to accept this readily. Well, she couldn't say she wasn't surprised.
“I’m happy for you,” she murmured. “I may not agree with your choice, but I’m happy that you’re happy.”
Vases of flowers were everywhere, her meager offering from this morning nowhere to be seen. She laid the flowers on the bed before she turned to face Andrea’s family. Extending her hand, “I am Detective Sergeant O’Callaghan. Morgan O'Callaghan.”
“Detective?” Morgan’s hand was dutifully ignored. She was given the once-over by a woman who had placed her in the social ranking just below a stray dog. Oh yeah, she was a woman, Irish and a cop... all rolled into one. Yep, the ol' triple whammy.
“Yes, ma’am. New York City Police Department.”
“So… you’re the Morgan.”
“Yes, ma’am, I would say that is correct.”
“So....Detective... this is how you do your job on protecting the welfare of my daughter?”
“Mrs. Worthington, I would give my life to protect your daughter.”
“Then why didn’t you?”
“Mother!”
“No, Counselor, she is right. I should have looked after you better.” Guilt crashed down on her, feeding into the mother’s angry regard of her.
“No, stop it. You could not avoid this. The shooter waited for me. I would have been shot no matter what you did.”
“Shooter? Someone deliberately shot you? I think I've heard more than enough. Jefferson, we have to get her back home, now! New York is no place for her, I think we all know that. There was no need to leave home in the first place. This is ridiculous. She had a perfectly acceptable position back in Charleston, one that did not put her life in danger.” Morgan was being skillfully maneuvered into a corner and she knew it.
“Yes, it is a dangerous place Mrs. Worthington, like any large city, but we… I will do everything in my power to keep her safe.”
“Well, it hasn’t been very effective to date, Detective.”
Pain lanced through her at the cutting words, striking at the very core of her. Her competency as a police officer was being called into question and she was unable to defend herself against the assault, especially now that she knew the attacks were a direct result of her involvement with the woman.
“Ma'am, it is one thing to insult me personally, but to insult the force is unacceptable. They put their lives on the line every single day to protect people like you.”
“Like me? Are you insulting me, Detective?”
“No ma’am, but you will respect the profession. You may not like me…”
“That’s an understatement…” the older woman mumbled.
“Mother….” Andrea was so proud of Morgan. Not everyone could stand up to Virginia Worthington. She might be small in stature but she was big on nasty cutting sarcasm.
“… but I will not allow you to insult the memory of all those officers who have died in the line of duty in this city. They deserve your respect and your gratitude.” Green eyes blazed at the small woman. “Your daughter has chosen an admirable profession in which she excels, one that is greatly needed in a city such as New York, and I will work day and night to find the person responsible for injuring her.” Morgan’s eyes touched Andrea, promising a return some other time. For the moment, however, she knew she needed to leave before she committed a Class A Assault and Battery.
“Mr. and Mrs. Worthington, the Department extends its best wishes for a swift recovery of your daughter at this unfortunate time. Two uniformed police officers are on guard outside your daughter’s room until she is discharged from hospital. After that, she will be under the care of the New York City Police Department until this person is caught... and punished.” She gazed at the blonde for a moment, eyes meeting in mutual support. “Andrea....ahm….” She cast a quick glance over at the fiancé, taking in broad shoulders and a handsome face, and feeling decidedly the ugly duckling in this competition. "If you will excuse me...," she murmured as she stepped towards the door.
“Wait!” The tall detective turned to face the woman in bed. “When will I see you again?”
“Some time soon. Get better... quickly.” But the voice told Andrea everything. Now was not the time to talk of mundane things. Morgan was withdrawing, leaving her stranded with her family, all bent on returning her to the fold.
“I’m very tired right now. Leave me please.” The words were barely controlled as she uttered them. She was in no shape for a pissing match with her mother.
“Andrea…”
“Goodbye, Mother.” With those two words Andrea dismissed her family, closing her eyes to rest.
* * *
Morgan was retreating, she knew that, not able to emotionally fight that woman. Today had been one long up hill battle and she was tired of it. When was this all going to be over? Andrea’s mother was right though. She hadn’t done her job. She had underestimated the threat and now the counselor was paying for it.
All the way back to the precinct Morgan berated herself for even entertaining the idea of courting Andrea. Her little demon sat on her shoulder, whispering every single negative thought she had about the two of them. I told you she was too good for you. She comes from a lot of money and power for that matter... and…more money… and… a hundred other things I am sure. I am barely a middle class street cop with a dumpy one-bedroom apartment and a police pension.
By the time she had reached her desk, Morgan had convinced herself to never see the counselor outside of work ever again. Of course, it would be impossible to avoid her during work hours. No, her mother had won the war with nothing more than words, leaving her feeling very impotent indeed.
Morgan was hazily floating through time for a while trying not to think about anything, period. She didn’t even notice Henry’s return some time later and jerked when he commented, “Hey! Morelli’s wearing a tutu!”
“Huh? Where?”
“I knew that would grab your attention.”
“What time is it, smart ass?”
“Just after two. Where were you?”
“Right here.”
“No, your body was here but your mind was somewhere else.”
“Nowhere. I was nowhere.” With those words, the detective’s head hit her good arm resting on the desk, hiding herself away from the world.
“So, how did the meeting with the parents go?”
“Hmmpemlte…” She mumbled into the desk, hoping the unintelligible answer would satisfy him.
“That good, huh? I gather you tucked tail and ran...?”
She lifted her head, rubbing her hand over her face in frustration. “No, ah, I really didn't. I was just tired of all the fighting.”
“Uh huh. Now that’s the Morgan O’Callaghan I know. You don’t scare off that easily.”
“I thought I gave a good account of myself, but still she was pretty convincing. I tried, Henry, but do you know how hard it is to fight a mother? She came out swinging and all I could do was block. Andy would never forgive me if I’d flatten the woman. She plays dirty.”
“Like questioning your competency as a police officer? A typical cheap shot.”
“Like… Hey, how did you know that?”
“Oh, come on. You take a lot of pride in being a good cop, my friend. And it shows. Wouldn't have taken too much to see that and I know that something like that would hurt.”
“No, her mother was right. I couldn’t even protect her, Henry.”
Henry shook his head sadly, looking benignly at the mass of insecurities sitting in front of him. “Well, I don’t know. The way you’re acting at the moment makes me wonder where our little Morgan is hiding. You’re a coward, woman.”
“Hey!”
“No, you run scared at the first sign of resistance. You must have known that they would react like this, so what is scaring you?”
“Nothing is scaring me…”
“Right, and you’re sitting wallowing in self-pity while her parents are making all sorts of plans to get her home.”
“Awww, Henry, do you have to tell me this? I feel bad enough as it is.”
“And so you should. I know you better than that, Red. You’re a fighter, kiddo, so why aren’t you in there kicking butt? The last time I heard, the legal age was still twenty-one, even in the South.”
“Because the woman found every little crack in my defense. She questioned everything that I had questioned myself. How can I fight that?”
“Are you going to see her tonight?”
“No.” The air of finality sounded like a death knell.
“Well, if that’s the way you feel then maybe you better admit defeat now. Heaven forbid you should be happy.” Morgan glared at her partner, trying to intimidate him with the planted scowl on her face. “That’s not gonna work, honey. If you want her, you fight. It’s that simple.” He kept his voice low, glad that the office was at the edge of lunch hour and still relatively empty. This conversation was definitely not for the likes of the Musketeers.
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