Simply Sonny: An SVU love story

Chapter 70: News

Sonny's phone rings early in the morning and he lazily rolls over to pick it up, "hello?" I hear him mutter. A moment later he sits up abruptly and asks, "and?"

I'm about to sit up when my cell rings so I lean over to get it. My lawyer's number shows on the screen and I know both calls are related, "hello?" I say when I answer.

Sonny is listening intently to his phone as my lawyer says, "the evidence came in. It's not good news but it's not a smoking gun. Let's meet."

"Can't you just tell me over the phone?" I ask. Sonny's now off of his phone and he whispers, "come on" suggesting I get up and get ready.

Mrs. Flynn says on the phone, "no, we need to speak in person. I'll be in my office."

"Alright, see you soon," I say to her and hang up, following Sonny into the bathroom to get changed. Almost an hour later and the two of us are waiting in Mrs. Flynn's Office. Sonny told me what Olivia told him, and what I'm assuming my lawyer will tell me. That my prints were all over the apartment but so where Griffin's and prints of a few others. However, none of my prints were on any of the booze bottles, which is something Sonny said the lawyer could work with. Sure enough, that's what she tells us. We don't act surprised, knowing all of this already until she adds on, "but there's one bottle of wine with your prints, but it's easy to say that that was yours already at the apartment."

I sit up, "but it wasn't. I didn't keep any alcohol there after the incident." I say, confused. How can there be a wine bottle with my print on it? I wonder to myself.

Sonny and I glare at each other, trying to put together the pieces but my lawyer waves my concerns, "doesn't matter if it was or wasn't yours, we can make it work." I look to Sonny, hating the fact that she doesn't care either way if I did this or not. Sonny tried to explain to me in the past. He even got Barba once to try and help me see why lawyers do that. Why they don't come out and just ask if their client is guilty or not. It was a long dinner conversation that I just never could grasp enough. I sigh heavily but nod, knowing there's no reason to try and explain something to Mrs. Flynn. Sonny squeezes my knee for encouragement and my lawyer goes on, "they are still investigating everything but all of this is circumstantial, nothing they can arrest you on."

"We'll get through this," Sonny says, knowing just hearing the word arrest stressed me out even more.

We talk for another 30 minutes about all the evidence and what our attack plan is. Mrs. Flynn then directs us to her assistant up front to handle our payment. Afterward, on the subway ride home I whisper to Sonny, "I don't know how we're going to continue to pay for Flynn's services."

"She's a good lawyer, Barba recommended her. It'll be okay, this will be over soon."

I shake my head, "even if it's over tomorrow, her cost per hour is ridiculous. There's no way we can afford it on our paychecks alone."

He whispers, "it's taken care of, don't worry about it."

"How?" I ask.

Luckily I don't have to keep asking and he tells me, "my parents will help if we need it." He must read my face and tries to assure me, "look, it's fine. They want to help us. With already putting money down on a wedding they know things are already tight for us."

"You told them what's going on?" My face burns red out of embarrassment, "they probably hate me now."

"Nonsense!" He lifts my chin up to meet his gaze,  "they know you would never do anything like this and they still adore you." He pulls me into an embrace, "and I adore you. It's fine."

I just breathe out of my nose and nod, really wishing I could just believe him. When we get home, we spend the afternoon on the couch together. That evening, Sonny gets a phone call from Olivia and his face goes white, "what is it?" I ask him, my stomach was torn up in knots. He just keeps his eyes dead ahead of him and listens to whatever it is she is saying. When he hangs up he doesn't even say anything to her and I have to ask again, "what's going on?"

He lowly replies, never having heard him so defeated before, "she got Barba to arrange a time for you to come in for an arraignment."

"What?!" I yell and start to burst out crying, "I didn't do anything! How is this happening?" Sonny wraps me into his chest but he doesn't tell me anything. How could he? He doesn't have the answers either. I just sob uncontrollably into him, my brain unable to form any real thoughts. When the sun has long been set, I sit up from his lap and ask through a sniffle, "when do they want me to come in?"

"Tomorrow morning, at 9 am." His eyes are still staring directly ahead as if they haven't moved since he told me the news hours ago.

I wipe at my nose with my sleeve, not caring how gross and crazy I look. I ask him, "what happens at the arraignment. What if they don't let me off with bail?" I question, petrified of the answer.

"You'll get bail, you have no prior criminal record or a reason to flee." He responds, "it's going to be okay, but we should call Flynn, make sure we're all on the same page."

"I feel like I should flee, this is insane." I say through a sniffle.

He nods and brings his phone back up, looking through his contacts for Mrs. Flynn's number.
Mrs. Flynn tells us she'll meet us at the court house tomorrow and that all I need to say is that I am not guilty. We tell her we'll see her tomorrow at 8:30 and hang up. Sonny looks to me and asks, "should we go get some dinner?"

"I'm not hungry." I reply, feeling empty inside.

Surprisingly he replies, "me neither."