Tabula Rasa

Chapter 15

"Thank you, Counsellor," the Judge said, after Matt finished speaking. "Prosecution, please call your first witness."

Matt took his seat and blew out a breath. Foggy gave him a quick pat on the back. "Good job, buddy," he whispered.

"Thanks," Matt whispered back. The opening statement was done. His voice had held out, and he'd gotten his message across to the members of the jury. He'd sensed a reaction in some of their heartbeats as he'd described the terror Margaret had felt while in the grips of the drug, so he was hopeful a least a few jurors were open to his argument.

Calina's angle - playing to their fear, instead of their empathy - had been the right call.

He breathed deeply, sorting past the various smells of the courtroom - the earthiness of the wood panelling, the oil from the bailiff's gun, the too-strong aftershave of the prosecuting attorney - until he found the fragrance he was looking for.

Strawberries and sea salt.

Calina was here.

He'd picked up the scent the moment he'd walked into the room - she was somewhere at the back of the public gallery - and he hadn't been able to stop the small smile that had formed at the realisation. Foggy had noticed straight away. "You're looking strangely optimistic," he'd commented.

Matt had shrugged. "Maybe I feel good about this."

Foggy had scrutinised him closer. "You look good, too. The zombie-ness has worn off a bit. Are you getting more sleep?"

"Yeah. Actually I am."

Last night's experiment - Calina reading to him - had worked better than expected. It hadn't just helped him relax and clear his head for a while...it had put him straight to sleep.

A deep, restorative, dreamless sleep.

He'd woken as dawn had approached, still on the couch, feeling rested and refreshed, despite the slight crick in his neck.

And the unfamiliar weight against his shoulder.

It had been Calina, fast asleep, her head leaning against him. Loathe to disturb her so early, Matt had relaxed back into the couch. He could afford to take a few minutes, to enjoy the novelty of this feeling - unlike most mornings, he wasn't waking in pain from a fight or a fall. He wasn't still tired from a restless night of tossing and turning. He wasn't shaking off the lingering grief from a dream about Elektra.

He felt...good. Content, even.

And it was all down to Calina.

For some reason he could sleep around her. Soundly. For hours at a time.

And she could sleep just as soundly around him, judging from her deep breaths and the slow, steady thrum of her heart. That soothing cadence - and the warmth radiating from her - was almost enough to lull him back to unconsciousness. He felt the urge to tip his head to rest it against hers, to breathe in the scent of her and feel the silkiness of her hair against his cheek...

But he needed to get up. He had to drop by the office to gather some more files, and he wanted to make sure he got to the courthouse early. He didn't want to give Foggy any reason to doubt him today.

He started carefully shifting out from under Calina's weight, trying not to wake her, but the movement stirred her anyway. She groaned as she straightened up, and the book she'd been reading from last night clattered to the floor. The sudden noise seemed to startle her fully awake. She glanced around the room in confusion before seeing him next to her. "I fell asleep again, didn't I?" she moaned, covering her face with her hands. "I'm so sorry."