“Thank you,” I whisper.
Once she’s gone, too, Nikita plops back down next to me. “I don’t like him,” she grumbles. “He’s a self-centered asshole.”
“Yeah? ‘Cause I could have sworn you were about to jump in his court briefs.”
“Ugh.” She puts her face in his hands. “I’m never getting that image out of my head.”
It helps, teasing Nikita about her weird, prickly chemistry with my new lawyer. It keeps my mind off my problems.
Like Eli’s fate.
“Was I wrong?” I ask. “To keep Eli from testifying?”
Nikita shakes her head. “He’s been through a lot. There’s only so much kids can take before they break.”
I remember all she’s gone through. How badly it broke her. “Thank you,” I murmur, squeezing her hand. “For being here with me.”
She doesn’t answer, but I feel her squeeze back.
We stay like that for a while. Ten more minutes, maybe fifteen. By the time Isaak’s gotten back to us, I already know what he’s going to say.
“We lost it, haven’t we?”
“Well, we didn’t get our dismissal.” He shrugs. “But we haven’t lost shit. The fight’s just beginning.”
He brings me up to speed, but Smithers’s arguments fly over my head: parental alienation, lack of best interest for the minor—oh, and the cherry on top.
“He’s suingmefor child abuse?”
“He’s throwing everything at the wall and hoping something will stick,” Isaak says. “A not uncommon strategy, I’m afraid. And you did have that stove incident.”
Right. The stove incident. Not like the universe will ever let me forget. Or my own conscience, really.
“So,” I ask, “what’s next?”
“You rest,” he says. “You start wearing maternity dresses to court. And you leave the heavy lifting to me.”
“Maternity—?”
“Psychological warfare,” he says dismissively. “In court, the suit makes the man.”
“And the belly bump makes the innocent mother?”
He smirks. “Something like that.” Then he pulls out a piece of paper. “Almost forgot. This is for you.”
My fingers tremble as they close on the corners of the sheet. And why wouldn’t they? Lately, nothing good has come of pieces of paper being handed to me.
But then I read it, and my breath catches.
“This…” I whisper. “This says I can be reinstated as a nurse.”
“Your suspension was illegal.” He shrugs like it’s no big deal. “Wasn’t hard to make them take it back.”
“This says I’m entitled to back pay, too.”
“As is your right.” He flips his suitcase shut. “Take care, Ms. Winters. I’ll keep you posted.”
I don’t know what to say. This is… incredible. “Thank you,” I say. “I—thank you, Mr. Noskov.”
