Ella was pretending that this time off was a vacation.
Her client's husband, James Vanders, had used his power and shut down her practice. Vanders had some powerful people working for him, so he had used the sheriff of the department as well as the owner of the building she was using to make it hard for her to continue to give therapy.
She had been very upset at first. She had some very young clients as well as other very delicate people who she knew needed her constant help, and now she would be unable to have consultations with them. The only thing that calmed her a bit was the fact that they all seemed to be okay with the changes and promised that they would wait until everything was in the clear again. In the meantime, they would be seeing a psychologist that Ella had recommended. They were amazing people.
"Miss Cortesa?" The younger secretary, Ines called for the third time. It was clear to everyone in the room that this entire week, Ella had been majorly distracted and distant. Her eyes would glaze over and she would just stare into space without even budging when her name was being called.
"I'm sorry, Hope. What were you saying?" Ella snapped out of whatever daydream she was in, even though it seemed to be more of a nightmare than anything.
"We were all just about to leave for lunch. Would you like to come?" Ines offered, her purse already in hand.
Ella shook her head, smiling gratefully. In the state of mind that she was in, she would only put a damper in the mood. "No, it's alight, but thank you. Enjoy your meal." Ella stood up to go take some fresh air in the balcony. She needed to snap out of the moping mood she was in. This situation was fast becoming something long-term, so the sooner she adapted to it, the better it would be for everyone.
"Ella?" Kim stepped out with her, a look of worry on his face.
Ever since the whole lawsuit had taken place, he had promised Elizabeth and Timotheo Cortesa that he would especially watch out for the twenty-three year old. He had known Ella since her parents first began searching for an immigration lawyer here in the States. The fact that the Cortesa family had trusted him so much when he had just only begun his late career meant a lot to him. At the time, Ella's parents were only in their early twenties while Jihye Kim was in his mid-thirties. They also had already had Fransisco, and six years later, they had little Ella.
"What are you doing out here? Ines said you didn't want to have lunch with us." Mr. Kim closed the balcony door behind him, ensuring their privacy before moving to stand beside her.
"I'm just getting some fresh air... well, as fresh as it can get." Ella chuckled, and Kim laughed along, feeling much more comforted at seeing her smile. Kim nodded, looking out at the city of Atlanta.
"Have you given it some thought to going to Spain for a little bit?" Kim hated to have to send her so far away from the place she considered home and grew up in, but he couldn't deny that the idea of her leaving for a couple of months might make it easier for her. "Just while the waters calm down a bit."
Ella sighed, her dainty shoulders moving before sagging down as she leaned onto the fence. "No, not really." She pushed some of her black hair behind her ear. "What would leaving even do for me besides make me look guilty?"
"You know I won't allow that," Kim assured, and Ella shook her head. She knew that if she did leave, she would regret not being here to make sure she did everything she could. The stakes were high; she could potentially lose her license to practice psychology.
"Go have lunch, Jihye," Ella nudged his arm that was leaning right beside her with her elbow.
"Ow," Kim flinched, playfully glaring at her bony elbow. "What do you want me to bring you back? A sandwich, a burger, some fries?"
"A sandwich is good, thanks." Ella quickly agreed, not really feeling an appetite, but she knew that if she refused to eat, she would be starving by dinner.
With Kim gone, Ella eventually entered back into the empty office, deciding to go online at one of the spare computers and mindlessly skim through online shops. Just after she had placed an order for some new running shoes and some doggy treats, she heard the elevator door ping open. Mr. Petrotti walked in, a dark cloud seeming to hover over him as he trudged past her, not even noticing her. Minding her own business, she decided to just shrug it off and go back to shopping.
Damien Petrotti didn't seem to enjoy a lot of company, especially hers. He seemed reserved and quiet, and Ella knew the feeling well enough to back off.
In the empty and silent office though, she could hear him making various phone calls. Each ending with his tone more and more exasperated before all she heard was just silence. Just as she was beginning to worry and lift herself off her seat, the office door opened quickly, Damien stepping out before he paused, finally catching sight of Ella.
"Uh, hi." Ella cleared her throat, not knowing how to interact with his aloofness. "I... you... I mean, I didn't hear anything so I was wondering if you were okay." She explained, looking through the crack of his door. Everything seemed to be in place: no disaster had been created. She wasn't sure how he would react to her after their previous and curt interaction.
Damien checked his watch. "Mr. Kim is usually out for lunch at this time. He should return in about twenty minutes if you would like to wait."
Ella smiled. This Damien person was kind of funny. He clearly wasn't aware of how she had been wandering around this law department for almost a week today. "No, that's... I'm just here to help right now." Damien seemed confused but nodded. Ella sat back down, and Damien walked over to the break room. After several minutes passed, Damien returned, and Ella paid attention to him.
"You said you're here to help?" Ella nodded. "Mr. Kim mentioned you're a psychologist." Ella nodded again. "Would you help me with an evaluation of a client?"
"I would love to." She smiled happily. That would definitely make her day go by faster.
After going into his office, Ella situated herself on a sofa that was tucked against a wall, somewhere where she wouldn't get into Damien's way as he left and returned to his office. After so many trips, she was surprised that he had let her take care of some of the papers he needed. She had offered for the sake of being polite, but having him accept the help was just another task that Ella would happily take one.
"Hey, Ellie!" Oliver entered the small room where all of the past case files were kept for safe-keeping.
"Hey," Ella greeted, not bothering to look at him as she continued to look for the cases she was told.
"What are you looking for?" Oliver asked after finding his own file.
"These," Ella showed him the sticky note that Damien had used to jot down some files he needed.
"Oh, is Kim helping with the case?" Oliver casually made small talk while he walked over to where he had previously seen those cases. He assumed that Ella was helping Kim.
"Um, I'm not sure about that. These are for Mr. Petrotti." Ella followed him, accepting the files he was handing her.
"Ah, I see. Damien is making use of our new secretary." He joked, and Ella laughed. "I'm glad. Mr. Kim's most prized attorney here is Damien Petrotti. He usually gets all of the hard cases, and since we're constantly requesting Ines' and Barnes' help, he tries and does everything himself."
"How come he hasn't been given a secretary?" Ella questioned as she followed Oliver to where he was giving her the last case file.
"He was, but the secretary left. Kim hasn't found someone to help him since, and Damien hasn't complained, so I guess we just all kind of forgot. Out of sight, out of mind, you know?"
"I see." Ella made a mental note to try to help lesson Damien's workload and to talk to Kim about hiring a new secretary. "Thank you," she lifted the stack of documents.
"No problem. See you around." He returned to his own office and Ella returned to Damien's. Once entering, she realized he was on the phone, so she quietly placed the stack somewhere empty on his desk and returned to her own spot.
After ending the call, Damien turned to Ella. "How do you feel about meeting Jamie Parker?"
"The one that allegedly stabbed and killed her abusive ex-husband?"
~~~
Ella found that entire situation story perplexing. She had seen it on the news, and that alone had given her the chills. Now, after agreeing and standing in the room where, in only a few moments, Jamie would enter, had her shivering from how nervous she was.
Damien was more focused on the case and preparing to watch Mrs. Parker for any odd behaviors to notice how Ella was acting.
"Little lady, would you prefer to wait outside?" An officer that was well accustomed to seeing behaviors like such offered Ella.
Damien turned at the sudden interruption of his concentration. He saw how Ella's hands were rubbing together as she shook her head, giving the guard a kind smile. Before Damien could ask Ella if something was the matter, the door connected to the interior of the jail clanged loudly, opening up. Focusing on the task at hand, Ella paid avid attention to Jamie, who honestly looked like she had seen better days.
Her blonde hair that reached her waist was knotted and frizzy. Her face seemed sunken in, like she hadn't had a proper night's rest or meal in months, though she had only been in here for three weeks. Her back seemed to be aching as she hunched over the table, looking at Ella through hopeful and crystal blue eyes.
Ella swallowed thickly. She gave the older woman a shaky smile, which the woman quickly averted her gaze to Damien. "Has something happened?" Her voice was scratchy, and she quickly cleared her throat.
"At the moment, only a bit of news." Damien placed his suitcase over the table. "I'm sure you've seen it already."
"The insurance claims?" The woman sighed, reaching to rub her face tiredly. To Ella, Jamie truly seemed exhausted. "I think that whatever I do, this nightmare is never going to end." Her voice was breaking, and Ella reached inside her purse to silently pull out a brand new water bottle before placing it on the table without Mrs. Parker noticing. Damien pushed it closer to the women.
"Actually, it's good news for us. It proves that you had no motive for killing for husband besides the instinct to survive." Damien did not really seem as upset as Ella would have anticipated, but he had been an attorney for years; he was probably accustomed to this. "What I'm here for is to tell you what the prosecutors have submitted as evidence, and what our opening statement is going be."
Jamie nodded, eagerly. "I'll do and say anything."
"We're just going to reveal the truth, Mrs. Parker. That is all." Damien assured her. The woman only nodded, taking the water bottle and slowly drinking it. "Let's begin," Damien asked her questions about how Jamie and David met. When they married, and how long their marriage was and what it was like.
"I just couldn't. There was no one that was willing to help me. He has..." Jamie kept glancing at Ella unconvinced.
"She's harmless. She won't do or say anything." Damien noticed how Jamie was cautiously looking at her before her eyes would fly back to the guards and then to Damien. She didn't trust anybody at this point.
"Listen, he... David isn't a bad man..." Jamie sniffed, toying with her empty water bottle, "well, I guess, I used the wrong term." She fought to hold back a cry. "Call me crazy, but I loved him. Sometimes I wish I was the one who had passed away and not him. I was just so... so scared. He... I've never seen him behave like that." Mrs. Parker began crying again, her shoulder shaking uncontrollably, and Ella stepped forward, quietly tapping Damien's shoulder.
It was time to go. Jamie had had enough for today. Ella didn't want to push the woman more than she could take. Damien agreed, and after reassuring Jamie that he was going to make sure he served justice, they left.
"What do you think?" Damien asked Ella as they walked outside. Ella sighed in content at being able to bask in the sun after being holed in the dark and cold rooms inside the criminal facility.
"She's been through a lot, that much is obvious," Ella commented, thinking back at everything. "I would like to return whenever you do, if that's okay with you."
Damien nodded, glad that she hadn't made up her mind already. That clued him in that perhaps she wasn't as naive and inexperienced as he had made her out to be.