"So you're saying you have no idea who she is and why she's coming to me, but that she's right at in the lobby." Logan Hemmers eyed his secretary with his brown eyes. They were sunken and red rimmed due to the lack of sleep he had the past 2 nights that had passed submissivly by. The case he was working on wasn't anything too serious, a minor fender bender, a tailgating car got what was coming for her. Unfortunately it didn't go by as smoothly when the girl who's car was hit suddenly had a horrible back problem that came from no where, and suddenly, the fake hospital reports began to ensue and a 3 hour trial turned into a 2 day circus event. Logan didn't get his daily 9 hour night sleep and this morning, all of the fatigue was rushing back to him as if they were in a race. He was arguably losing, but the coffee placed to his right on his polished, mahogany desk, was helping as little as it could. The black of the coffee swooned around the undisturbed cup as Logan wiped his face with his full palm again.
"Sir, I think she's the one you talked to last week."
"I can't remember the last time I used the bathroom. You think I would remember a potential client like that?"he murmmered behind his hand. His secretary, a woman who he liked to call Miss Patty, stood in her short grey skirt with matching top, pushing her galsses higher on the brow of her nose. She was somewhere in her late 20's, just like Logan, and was clearly a lot more alert than he was at the moment. Her face was quivering as she forced herself to keep a straight face. Logan was her boss and she couldn't say anything cocky or sarcastic to him or she'd be out of job. However, for the past two days, he was acting more douchier than usual.
"She's still here to see you, sir. Would you like me to tell her to come back tomorrow?
"Yes."
"...After she's waited for 40 minutes, sir?"
"What are you trying to get me to do? Force me to say no?"he snapped, groaning into his hand like a whining teen. His other hand grasped the handle of the coffee, taking a burning, bitter sip before nodding only e slightest.
"Go get her. Try to be quick about it." Miss Patty bit back a curse word and wheeled around on her black heels, going into the lobby and leaving Logan to kick himself in the foot for not getting any sleep.
Violet Brooks
Violet sat quietly in the law office waiting area, her sneakered foot tapping gently against the other in their crossed position. Her nearly bald head bobbed slightly to the beat. Her well-defined brows arched in contemplation as she stared into nothing, slightly biting her lip. She rehearsed the small portions of secret conversation she'd heard through the thin, faux-wood door at her doctor's office.
You need to tell her what you did about her medication! This isn't righ-... I can't believe you care more about a lawsuit than a patient's life! You know what? I quit!
The shrill pitch of the nurse's hissing voice resounded in her head as she played her mental tape over and over and over again. A slight whine coming from the floor jerked her from her thoughts. She gave a tense smile at the blackish form laying on the floor beside her.
"It's alright boy, I'm sure they haven't forgotten about us."
She had been given Zeus about a month ago when her eyesight had declined enough that she wasn't able to safely get around by herself. She had felt so isolated and alone. He couldn't drive, ride a bike or even walk unaided. Then Zeus came into her life. She was a bit nervous about using a seeing-eye-dog at first, after all what's to say that he wouldn't just walk her out into the middle of the road while chasing after a bird! But those feelings of fear were soon replaced with the immense feelings of friendship, love and trust. Now it was hard for her to think about how she ever lived without "her man".
Violet uncrossed her legs, leaned over and gave him an affectionate scratch behind the ear. She was getting anxious about even coming to see this "Logan Hemmers". She had phoned him last week after listening to an ad on the radio; he had seemed so sincere when his voice was being broadcast over the radio waves trying to pick up clients. However, when she talked to him on the phone she felt that he was listening to her without hearing her. After a less-than-sincere apology for her pain and suffering and a vow to correct her injustice, she was patched through to an analytical woman who scheduled her an appointment and ended with a professional "good-bye". The approaching clip-clop of high heels caught her attention and she held her breath as the door to the waiting room was opened. With a worried look she announced herself.
"Yes, Miss Brooks, right this way. Please excuse the wait. Mr.Hemmers has been...busy as of late."she commented. Her throat made a shallow choking sound as she bit back the few retorts that had laid await in her mind. She hated defending Logan Hemmers even though she was partially right in what she said. Her boss had been here in there in that Bender Case and had even lost sleep over it, the main reason he was so cranky and ill mannered that Tuesday morning in Hem Firm Offices. If there was one thing she admired about him, besides his usual boyish charm, was that he put the case first and would not stop, rest, or falter in his work until it was solved. Miss Patty clamped her special lime green and fuscia pink clipboard close to her hip as led said Violet Brooks and her...'friend' towards his office. Never before had she seen an animal of any sort in the office, which was a surprise, because Logan loved animals. Domestic ones at least. Miss Patty had a soft spot for the creatures to, but finding out the dog was a seeing eye dog laid a weight over a hand that wouldn't let her pet.
The woman herself, Miss Brooks, looked like something off of a St. Jude commercial. Not trying to be stereotypical in the least, but only pointing out the obvious, she had a lack of luscious brown hair on her head, replaced by a brown stubble. Her eyes were ice blue, the type of blue that didn't look natural, adding to the fact that she was going blind or already there. Miss Patty was thankful that she didn't look at Miss Brooks for long or she may have been accused of staring. She was experiencing a lot of 'first time sights' that morning. She could only hope that Logan wouldn't overreact due to his fatigue. Miss Patty turned around, blonde curls bouncing around her petite shoulders as she graced Violet with a red-lipped grin.
"Here you are, ma'am. Just take a seat directly in front of him. He is bound to notice you at some point."she chuckled. Miss Patty was loving the idea of sneaking Violet in the room without Logan being aware. During the vast span of 4 years she had spent working with him, she had known that he really didn't look out for stuff until the last minute. Even a human body would come unnoticed if he was already engrossed in another task. That mindset didn't apply to his lawyer skills, however. Still, it was the only way Miss Patty could get back at him for being unreasonable a few minutes ago. Sending Violet one last smile, she opened the door for her quietly, enough for she and the dog to squeeze through before closing and jogging off like a giggling school girl, high heels clapping against the tiled floor.
Logan rummaged through finalized papers of the trial. In his head, he was trying to get everything situated and make his desk look less like a moldering pile of trash than an organization spree. The red rims around his eyes may have grown darker in the 5 minutes that had passed from his conversation with Miss Patty til that moment. The daily task called for nothing but organizing and finalizing legal documents here and there. Because the case was so long and some false evidence had been given, practically handing the case to the prosecution, he had extra papers that were dutifully announced 'null and void'. Usually Tuesday's were his sleep days.
Something of a whimper caught his attention and he darted his brown eyes upwards a slight notch. To his surprise and dismay, a woman and a giant canine were sitting in the seat directly in front of him. They both were a sight. The woman was a small little thing, tiny facial features amplified by the lack of hair. Her face was the color peach and cream, and she dressed as if she had a thousand other things to do at that moment than be in his office. He could only hope. The dog, on the other hand, was your average friendly, furry companion, except he was strapped by an intricate looking harness. Logan's eyes shifted from the harness, to the girl's eyes, back to the harness, then back to her eyes before coming up with the conclusion.
Violet stood and allowed Zeus to guide her through the maze of waiting room chairs and followed the secretary through the large door. As the female's bouncing frame sauntered down the hall, her voice giving way to small chit-chat, Violet couldn't help but wonder if she'd ever live a normal life again. She could tell by the way the paralegal's pencil skirt form swayed that she was attractive, or at least had the confidence to think so; a confidence that had slipped from Violet when her hair started slipping through her fingers during her daily morning rituals. An abrupt stop and a quieter whisper from the woman snapped Violet back into the presence.
She was about to beg pardon and ask the woman to repeat herself when Zeus tugged ever so slightly under her hand. Nodding and giving a gracious smile, she followed her second pair of eyes into a large office. Zeus bumped her hand against something strong and hard. Molding her fingers around it, she could tell that it was some kind of chair. From the feel it was an antique or at least an expensive replica. The arms swirled in godly whirls at the end, the fabric covering the seat was thick and luscious against the thin skin of her fingertips. Seating herself carefully on this throne of carved wood and tapestry, she heard some papers shuffle from in front of her. Zeus whimpered and seemed to cause a momentary lapse of the soft susurration of thick paper against oiled oak.
"...Can I help you?" A deep, firm yet perplexed voice rang through her ears.
"Brooks, I'm Violet Brooks." She moved her body slightly out of her chair and extended her hand towards the masculine voice, her hand pointing a few degrees in the wrong direction as she tried to distinguish between his giant, tousled desk and the lawyer himself. "We talked on the phone last week? About the medical malpractice?" She stated with a questioning tone. Violet licked her lips anxiously, "I can tell you're really busy, if now isn't a good time..." A calming lick on her hand from her furry friend settled her nerves and she stopped mid-sentence.
Logan took a few more moments of both his and her time to blink. Blinking ensured that his brain was still working and was in perfect coordination with his eyes. He was fearful that maybe his lack of sleep had him hallucinating a bit, but no. Her voice confirmed that she was indeed sitting in front of him with a large seeing eye dog. apparently awaiting his next statement. Logan was not quick to answer at first only because he had temporarily no idea what the lady was talking about. He remembered no phone call whatsoever which wasn't his fault entirely. The case, friends, a night at the bar, and 10 hours of sleep over the span of 48 hours had a great deal to do with that. Miss Patty failed to remind him that he had a conversation with the lady as well, something to write down in his notebook for later employee observation.
"Um.."he said. It was a pathetic and feeble excuse at a conversation but was also all that was willing to come out of his mouth. He straightened his body a slight bit to adjust to the new person in his office. Though his desk looked like a slop, he didn't want to come off as a lazy bum of a lawyer. A little voice floating around in the back of his skull told him that it may have been too late for that. His suit was disheveled, straight out of the dryer, and his hair was tasseled in more than two places. Half of that fact is because he constantly ran his fingers through them more than once in the past 15 minutes. The other half was that he never brushed it unless he was going out on what he liked to call a 'Special Occasion Scenario'. Those scenarios were mainly made up of bars, dates (he hadn't had one in 3 months), and some family meeting that he reluctantly agree to go to. Work? He hardly needed to look his best behind his desk. His clients were there for his information not for his smashing looks. Why was this woman putting him on edge, he had no unearthly idea. It may have been because she could barely see though that would make less sense.
"Brooks...Brooks...Medical malpractice...."he mumbled, ruffling through the papers that he knew didn't contain a sentence of her scenario. Logan brought his eyes back up to her and then everything clicked in place. In fact, it was so obvious, he figured the hallucination theory he came to before seemed very practical.
"Ah. The chemo patient I spoke to last week on that Monday. Yes, ma'am. How do you do?"he asked in protocol, smiling at the altered length of her hand before grasping it in his own. Her palm was so small and fragile that Logan was actually fearful that he may have shattered it with the grip of his hands. Her porcelain like skin was against his, he maintained eye contact or what little contact she could make with her.
"Ah. The chemo patient I spoke to last week on Monday. Yes, ma'am. How do you do?"
"Um, quite well for my circumstances." Violet choked out uneasily as she tried to give a reassuring smile. In theory her smile was full of confidence and vigor, while her brain's translation ended up being little more than slightly upturned lips. Violet reached her hand, the one that Logan relinquished, around the side of her neck, brushing softly at what seemed to be nothing as she reseated herself.
Violet had been unable to make eye contact with people for exactly three months and seventeen days. She could remember, very clearly, the exact moment that this intimate and personal ability left her. Since then she had grown used to looking in the general direction of people, hoping to supply them with some sort of faux-contact and sincerity, deeply missing the view of life and history that could be seen in .5 seconds when looking into someone's eyes. That was, until today.
It started a few moments before Logan took her hand; the queer feeling of being watched, of being seen. It made the hair on the back of her neck stand on end. When he enveloped her small hand with his, a strange sensation came over her. The same type of dichotomous feelings that her sight and intuition used to argue about before placing her spare change in a "homeless" man's cup or when her ex-boyfriend used to "go out with the boys" and come home smelling sweeter than when he had left. This feeling was not one that could be so easily labeled, but a combination of danger and comfort. A mixture of sugar and salt, leather and lace. Enigmatic and unresolved.
Violet cleared her throat and continued, "I'm hoping that you can help me find out if my blindness has been caused by certain measures taken by my doctor." She furrowed her brows and shrugged her shoulders hidden inside a thick, black overcoat. "I'm not sure that going to an attorney was necessarily the first step I should have taken, but I trust someone whom I'm paying and who has taken the time to obtain a law degree over the local authorities, who don't have either of those qualifications." She spoke her words precisely and in a well rehearsed fashion. "As you can tell, I have limitations to the amount of sleuthing and back-door knocking I can do in my... current condition..." Violet refused to accept that her "current condition" would be her "lifelong condition"; especially the part about her life only lasting a few more months. I have too much to do still, she'd always tell herself. Too much to still experience...
Just by the way her smile flickered here and there and her shoulders lifted up and down in a shrug, he could easily tell that she had not been blind for very long. Most people who aren't used to their certain situations pretend as though it isn't as big as everyone else makes it out to seem. Take the amputated leg of a man who had just been shot in the the thigh with no other choice of having it removed. He, after the operation, would not know the severity of his state and will eventually search somewhere for compensation. In that doing, he will smile, nod, and pretend that all is well with himself even though he knows in his mind he will never be able to run again. Logan had seen this diagnosis up close in Violet. He didn't want to dive too much into her vision's states than the actual case, but he was still a curious man. A child would be curious to know why someone only had one eye when they have never witness the phenom before in their short lives, and now Logan was the same. Sure, the television did give him a small glimpse of what it may feel like to assist a one of the blind. It was nothing like reality.
"No, I believe not. You don't necessarily need a lawyer to assist you on the things you aren't in the right position to do, but it looks like you have something of a case on your hands."he said, pushing some of the old files from the closed case out of his way in order to catch just the smallest glimpse of his desk. It wasn't much to make his office tidier, but he needed some space to write down some notes. Logan had to teach himself how to write notes down, listening to not just the important things his clients may have said, but also putting down body gestures and things even the sharpest of people failed to notice, such as the tiniest glint in one's eye. He had his pen and paper at the ready, maintaining as much eye contact with the woman in front of him as she would allow, though also not trying to seem as though he was staring. Lawyering was one thing. Staring was just rude.
"You're saying your doctor is the reason you're like this due to the medicine he is prescribing you for your chemotherapy. I am assuming he hasn't come right out and said it. Why else would you be coming to me?"he asked rhetorically with a chuckle. It was almost as if he were talking more to himself than her which was not a good thing for a lawyer to do. All attention, as useless as they tended to be, needed to be focused solely on the problem at hand. However, Logan again blamed his lack of vigor on his sleep. The dog's panting broke him from his trance like state his eyes held on Violet's eyes before tapping his pen wistfully against the desk.
"I need a bit more information about time and dates you went to see this doctor. Also, if you can manage, when your eyesight began to falter."he said. Logan practiced speaking eloquently to his clients to hide his emotions. He knew it may have bothered her to answer his question about her sight. To do his job was to hurt people. Manipulate and constrict until you eventually get the information you need. It was a dirty and gritty process, much like plundering, but Logan didn't like to see it that way. He had a soft spot somewhere in that immaculate brain of his, when it wasn't being shrouded by thoughts of the trial. The dog's panting snapped his brown eyes back up to Violet while quickly pulling a smile across on his lips to ease her anxiety, if she held any.
Violet sat quietly as the man spoke to her in a deep and confident tone. The way he sometimes made a side comment to himself, complimented with a soft chuckle, eased her. The shuffling of papers cut through the air.
"I need a bit more information about time and dates you went to see this doctor. Also, if you can manage, when your eyesight began to falter."
Violet nodded in consent before her mouth gave her permission to speak. "I was diagnosed with brain cancer 4 months ago after consulting with a neurologist for constant headaches I was having. I was referred to Dr. Richard Quinley." Even stating his name sent chills of anger up her spine. For so many nights she had tossed and turned in her bed, cursing his name and begging karma to give him what he had earned.
"He started me with some high-priced, name-brand medication. Even after my insurance paid a bulk of the price, I was still stuck paying an astronomical amount." Violet cleared her throat, feeling that maybe her tone had become too friendly and animated. She certainly didn't want Mr. Hemmers to feel like she was paying for a therapy session instead of legal counsel.
"The next week, Dr. Quinley called me excitedly, saying that he had found a generic prescription of the medicine that he had prescribed. It was exactly the same drug just much less expensive. Of course I was thrilled and started the new medication right away. My eyesight worsened immediately. Dr. Quinley assured me that it was a temporary side effect of the chemotherapy." She paused as if giving a moment of silence to herself before inhaling deeply and moving forward. "Three months ago is when I was declared legally blind."
Logan sat in his chair as still as a mouse, a placid expression written across his face. He was careful to look her directly in the eye and give her his full attention. He didn't want her thinking that he didn't care by doing other things. Shoving papers into their necessary files could wait. This Violet told her story with some strain, strain that he noted and scribbled down on his pad. Logan was serious about his note taking. He was somewhat reminded of the old timey cartoons that would show a therapist asking rhetorical questions, drawing pictures on his pad that had nothing to do with what the patient was telling him or her. He was almost tempted to do that...but he would have been more than heartless, would he not? To disregard what the poor woman was telling him about her problem. It must have been hard for her, as personal as it was to her. He rested his pen against the base of his jaw while she paused for a breif moment after her explanation.
"Ah. So this Dr. Quinley thought he found a scientific breakthrough for your brain cancer? How many people do you know just form a easier medicinal cure for cancer in a mere month or two?"he asked, raising a questioning brow. He didn't mean for it to come out as sarcastic or not, but it was as legit as he was going to get. He had to know where Violet's train of thought was the entire time. He quirked an eyebrow towards her before looking back down to his notes.
So far, he had that she really didn't take a liking to her doctor. It was an obvious fact, true, but it was more than that. It was more than being angry at him for causing her blindness. She practically shuddered when she said his name aloud. Logan caught the gesture quicker than anything else she had done all day. If he had supersonic eyes, he may have seen bile being swallowed down in the base of her pale throat. The doctor's name alone drew up bad feelings. Logan rest a palm on his chin, tilting his head at her as he awaited her response. He glanced down at his watch.
"So you're saying you have no idea who she is and why she's coming to me, but that she's right at in the lobby." Logan Hemmers eyed his secretary with his brown eyes. They were sunken and red rimmed due to the lack of sleep he had the past 2 nights that had passed submissivly by. The case he was working on wasn't anything too serious, a minor fender bender, a tailgating car got what was coming for her. Unfortunately it didn't go by as smoothly when the girl who's car was hit suddenly had a horrible back problem that came from no where, and suddenly, the fake hospital reports began to ensue and a 3 hour trial turned into a 2 day circus event. Logan didn't get his daily 9 hour night sleep and this morning, all of the fatigue was rushing back to him as if they were in a race. He was arguably losing, but the coffee placed to his right on his polished, mahogany desk, was helping as little as it could. The black of the coffee swooned around the undisturbed cup as Logan wiped his face with his full palm again.
