She's A Lady

14

"How are you feeling?" I asked gently. I hugged her against me tightly.

"Sick. I really hate this." She said honestly. I kissed her hair and walked her to the car. She was so brave, my beautiful sweet girlfriend. I had just sat and watched her lawyers preparing her for the trial ahead and it made me sick to my stomach. I wanted to shout and defend her, but I was told that if I couldn't just sit by and let them do their job then I couldn't even go to support her. It was going to be hard.

"Do you want to grab a bite? See a movie?" I asked as we got in the car and drove away. I wanted to get her mind off things for a while.

"Can we just make popcorn and watch something at your place?" She looked over and I was already nodding and smiling. It was a little sad, but she smiled back.

"Do you see your doctor soon?" I asked quietly, my eyes on the road. She was silent for a few minutes, thinking and I didn't push it.

"Yeah, I see him next week before the trial. We are going to talk about all this beforehand, then I will see him again afterwards." I reached out and squeezed her hand briefly.

"You know; I think you are the bravest woman I know." It sounded awkward but it was the truth. I admired her so much for doing this. She was silent, not responsive to my words, just staring out the window thoughtfully. I got an idea and pulled into the grocery store.

"What are we doing here?" She asked distractedly.

"I forgot to pick something up, give me a minute." I got out and ran in to the store with a big grin on my face. It took a few minutes to track down all the ingredients, and I double bagged it so she couldn't peek at the contents. I could tell she was burning with curiosity now. I pushed her towards the bedroom to change into something comfortable, as great as her skirt looked I thought movies called for pajamas.

"What do you want to watch?" She yelled from the hall, I hid my purchases and followed her to get on some flannels.

"I don't know... why don't you pick something? I think a comedy would be nice though." I pulled on a pair of dark grey flannel pants and turned to see her sliding a t-shirt over her stomach. She nodded and left the room, I waited to hear her steps descend the stairs as I stood in the kitchen again. Once I heard the television kick on, I began getting our treat ready. It only took a minute or two to get both all set up and then I carefully walked down the stairs to hand it to her.

"Oh my god, root beer float! I love you so much!" I wasn't sure if the words were directed at me or the drink because I was being ignored and the float was being devoured. I smiled at the sight and collapsed into the seat next to her. It was hard to ignore the slurping sounds beside me as the movie started. Hell, it was hard to ignore Erin at any time when she was around me. Her giggles made me smile and I was glad I had suggested a comedy.

When this was all over then I could move forward with her. I didn't want to overstress her with everything that was happening in her life. She needed time to get through this and get back to life as usual before I dumped a whole lot more on her. I wanted her to move in with me, I was going to ask her to marry me, and I thought we should both take a vacation. I wasn't really sure what order it was all going to go in but I looked forward to doing it all.

All that was left was getting through the next two weeks, or however long this was going to take.

*****

Author's Note: I understand that lawyers have a bad rep, but having been the child of one gave me a different perspective than most people get. You see, as a good lawyer you must be prepared for any angle. You have to think about every aspect of a case and how it could play out. You have to consider any and every question that might come up, no matter how rude or prejudiced it may be. If you don't, and your client is unprepared to face the ugliness of the world outside their bubble, there is a good chance of disaster.