Hey friends, enjoy this longish update (and maybe ration it out a bit because I'm *~so s l o o o o w w w w~*, you whiny little assholes). It's close to the end now *tears* love you all!
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Hallie - December twenty fifth
"Hey, Hallie."
"What the hell, Lena? Why did you never tell me you were a lawyer?"
"Wow, fifteen seconds and this conversation's already weird."
"Why didn't you tell me?"
"Tell you what I do for work? I don't know, why didn't you ask?"
"You're not normal," I found myself saying. "Normal people talk about their jobs. It's just what they do."
"Do you really want to hear about my job? No. I keep things to myself when I know no one's interested."
"I just don't know how this didn't come up."
"Did you call to badger me about my profession?"
"No," I recognized. "You agreed to defend Casey Kenny?"
"Are you asking me or telling me?"
"I'm asking."
"Well, that's privileged."
"Okay, fine, then I'm telling you."
"How do you know Casey?"
"Not the time," I frantically said. "She just got arrested and she needs you down at the precinct."
"Arrested?" she repeated. "Already?"
"Yes, already. How fast can you be down there?"
"God, I don't know, Hallie. It's Christmas, I'm with my fiancée--"
"And your client is rotting in jail!"
"How long ago was she apprehended?"
"Three and a half minutes."
"Rotting," she repeated.
"Just get down there, please."
"I'll be there in fifteen," she said.
"What can I do in the meantime?"
"Nothing, really. Is someone watching Cooper and E.J.?"
"You know Cooper and E.J.?"
"Well, not personally."
"You know Casey pretty well for someone who hadn't been arrested yet. How long have you been meeting with her?"
"Privileged," she reminded me.
"She gets more suspicious as the days go by."
"Yes, that's more or less the problem."
"Well, go, get her out of there," I said. "Thank you."
"Okay, but wait, Hallie, I was planning on calling you today anyway."
"You were?"
"Yeah," she said. "How are you doing?"
"Fine," I said guardedly. "Why do you ask?"
"Holidays are tough for addicts," she said. "I remember you had a rough go at Halloween, and I know you're new to the program. I wanted to see how you're holding up."
"I'm holding up fine," I lied, before understating, "Today's just been kind of stressful, so--"
"Why don't you head to a meeting?"
YOU ARE READING
Shortness of Breath
Mystery / Thriller"It was the typical American marriage: day after ceaseless day of betrayal, right up to his very last breath." A full-time surgeon and full-time mother, Dr. Casey Kenny's third career is damage control. Casey's days are spent covering her husband's...
