muses_w_remotes | My Best Friend's Wedding quote
9. "It's amazing the clarity that comes with psychotic jealousy."
| My Best Friend's Wedding
It had to be the intention that interview rooms in a court house be oppressive and stuffy. Windowless, small, a ceiling fan but only rotating at snail’s pace above. Lachlan rested his elbow on the edge of the wide table and tried to massage the tension out of his forehead that had taken residence there since Tara miscarried. Across from him sat the three prosecuting lawyers and beside him his own legal counsel employed on his behalf by Princeton Plainsboro Teaching Hospital.
“It’s all but a confession in her own handwriting,” the only female member of the prosecution insisted, tapping her finger against the bagged letter in front of her. “Not to mention mounds of veiled threats towards Dr Campbell’s wife if he doesn’t agree to meet her face-to-face before the trial. ‘I don’t need to face her in person to show her that I’m better for you than she ever could be.’ This completely turns the prosecution’s case around.”
Lachlan’s lawyer shifted her posture and inhaled purposefully, only to let it out sharply as she flicked through Lachlan’s file in front of her. “Dr Campbell has no wishes or intentions to meet with the defendant for any reason. In fact, we I am strictly advising against it. Until your evidence is wielded to show she sent the letter from the prison, your case to submit the letter into evidence is unstable. The judge will never approve it until your chain of evidence is locked. This is not a written confession. It’s a love letter with intent to threaten the victims. If anything, it could be argued it’s a fabrication to support their application for insanity. The defence may have gotten wind of your intention to call Dr Campbell to testify before the week is out. They’re panicking now they do not have Dr Brennan-Campbell to cross-examine.”
“We can’t prove that,” lawyer #2 piped up. “It’s speculation.”
“As is assuming the letter was written and sent by the defendant. A member of the media could’ve sent it to create hype. The case is already plastered all over the local media.”
“The handwriting matches.”
“Does it?” Lachlan’s solicitor asked. “Or does it just appear to?”
“We’re both on the same team here, Ms Walters,” lawyer #3 interjected gently.
‘Ms Walters’ held up her hand. “I’m on Dr Campbell’s team and his only. His peace of mind, health, safety, and understanding of the situation are my priority. Until you can evidentially prove that letter was written and sent by the defendant, I am not going to support him changing his testimony to include receiving it. Until you get it admitted to evidence, there is no point in you bombarding him with added facts and figures if you aren’t going to be able to rest your case on it. If it can be proved the letter was sent by the defendant, then we will talk. Don’t get me wrong, counsel. We hope you are able to prove that that she sent it and that she was of sound mind in doing so. Unrequited infatuation and jealousy is not insanity. Unfortunately, that is something you will have to prove, not my client and I.”
Lachlan remained silent, his eyes trained on the polished surface of the table as the debate volleyed around him. Since receiving the letter allegedly from the woman who shot him care of the hospital this morning, all hell had broken loose and the shit had hit the fan. The defence had called for an adjournment, the prosecution objected to anything more than a day but were scrambling to access the prison mail system to track the letter back to the defendant. Prosecution wanted the letter admitted, the defence wanted it blocked whether the defendant wrote it or not. Tara’s ward had become guarded by hospital security until the situation was resolved.
Lachlan just wanted to curl up in a ball and be left alone.
As it was, he’d been offered counselling and debriefing following receiving the letter, but he declined. It had been a shock to receive at first, considering he didn’t have very clear recollection of her stalking him prior to the shooting. The wording it in was a lot of hearts and flowers with declarations of love and how she would be a better match for him than Tara ever could be. She also apologised for hurting him, saying it was ‘never meant to be him’. Lachlan had handed it over to his lawyer and went to the nearest toilet to vomit for fifteen minutes straight.
“Has it been adjourned for today?” Lachlan finally mumbled.
His lawyer frowned in concern. “Are you okay, Lachlan?” she asked.
“No,” Lachlan replied automatically but didn’t make attempts to elaborate. “If I’m nay needed and nay going to be formally called today, I want to go back to my wife. I was subpoenaed to testify, nay to sit here while you all decide the difference between your arse and your face. The outcome doesnae make any difference to me. Whatever you do or say isnae going to take away what happened to me. I dinnae care anymore. What I care about is being with my wife when she’s probably worrying about me and her worrying could lead to our bairn dying. So, if I’m nay needed…?”
“We should discuss-”
“No!” Lachlan cut in angrily. “I will testify about what I remember happening to me and I will testify that I received the letter and passed it on to my lawyer. I will not testify about how any of it made me feel. Hard facts and nay anything else! If it’s adjourned and I’m nay going to be called today, you have no legal right to keep me here!”
His lawyer closed the file over. “This meeting is over,” she said succinctly. “We will be back when the case resumes at nine am tomorrow.” The file was folded neatly into her briefcase and she stood up to make way for Lachlan to get out of where he’d been trapped in the corner by the table and chairs.
Anger generally leads to a want to storm away and Lachlan stood far too quickly. He didn’t even have time to realise what was happening. First nausea and then dizziness washed over him; days of barely eating and sleeping caught him in one snappy movement and he was pitching forward in a heavy faint, only just avoiding smacking his head against the chair his lawyer just vacated.
Word Count | 1,081
| My Best Friend's Wedding
It had to be the intention that interview rooms in a court house be oppressive and stuffy. Windowless, small, a ceiling fan but only rotating at snail’s pace above. Lachlan rested his elbow on the edge of the wide table and tried to massage the tension out of his forehead that had taken residence there since Tara miscarried. Across from him sat the three prosecuting lawyers and beside him his own legal counsel employed on his behalf by Princeton Plainsboro Teaching Hospital.
“It’s all but a confession in her own handwriting,” the only female member of the prosecution insisted, tapping her finger against the bagged letter in front of her. “Not to mention mounds of veiled threats towards Dr Campbell’s wife if he doesn’t agree to meet her face-to-face before the trial. ‘I don’t need to face her in person to show her that I’m better for you than she ever could be.’ This completely turns the prosecution’s case around.”
Lachlan’s lawyer shifted her posture and inhaled purposefully, only to let it out sharply as she flicked through Lachlan’s file in front of her. “Dr Campbell has no wishes or intentions to meet with the defendant for any reason. In fact, we I am strictly advising against it. Until your evidence is wielded to show she sent the letter from the prison, your case to submit the letter into evidence is unstable. The judge will never approve it until your chain of evidence is locked. This is not a written confession. It’s a love letter with intent to threaten the victims. If anything, it could be argued it’s a fabrication to support their application for insanity. The defence may have gotten wind of your intention to call Dr Campbell to testify before the week is out. They’re panicking now they do not have Dr Brennan-Campbell to cross-examine.”
“We can’t prove that,” lawyer #2 piped up. “It’s speculation.”
“As is assuming the letter was written and sent by the defendant. A member of the media could’ve sent it to create hype. The case is already plastered all over the local media.”
“The handwriting matches.”
“Does it?” Lachlan’s solicitor asked. “Or does it just appear to?”
“We’re both on the same team here, Ms Walters,” lawyer #3 interjected gently.
‘Ms Walters’ held up her hand. “I’m on Dr Campbell’s team and his only. His peace of mind, health, safety, and understanding of the situation are my priority. Until you can evidentially prove that letter was written and sent by the defendant, I am not going to support him changing his testimony to include receiving it. Until you get it admitted to evidence, there is no point in you bombarding him with added facts and figures if you aren’t going to be able to rest your case on it. If it can be proved the letter was sent by the defendant, then we will talk. Don’t get me wrong, counsel. We hope you are able to prove that that she sent it and that she was of sound mind in doing so. Unrequited infatuation and jealousy is not insanity. Unfortunately, that is something you will have to prove, not my client and I.”
Lachlan remained silent, his eyes trained on the polished surface of the table as the debate volleyed around him. Since receiving the letter allegedly from the woman who shot him care of the hospital this morning, all hell had broken loose and the shit had hit the fan. The defence had called for an adjournment, the prosecution objected to anything more than a day but were scrambling to access the prison mail system to track the letter back to the defendant. Prosecution wanted the letter admitted, the defence wanted it blocked whether the defendant wrote it or not. Tara’s ward had become guarded by hospital security until the situation was resolved.
Lachlan just wanted to curl up in a ball and be left alone.
As it was, he’d been offered counselling and debriefing following receiving the letter, but he declined. It had been a shock to receive at first, considering he didn’t have very clear recollection of her stalking him prior to the shooting. The wording it in was a lot of hearts and flowers with declarations of love and how she would be a better match for him than Tara ever could be. She also apologised for hurting him, saying it was ‘never meant to be him’. Lachlan had handed it over to his lawyer and went to the nearest toilet to vomit for fifteen minutes straight.
“Has it been adjourned for today?” Lachlan finally mumbled.
His lawyer frowned in concern. “Are you okay, Lachlan?” she asked.
“No,” Lachlan replied automatically but didn’t make attempts to elaborate. “If I’m nay needed and nay going to be formally called today, I want to go back to my wife. I was subpoenaed to testify, nay to sit here while you all decide the difference between your arse and your face. The outcome doesnae make any difference to me. Whatever you do or say isnae going to take away what happened to me. I dinnae care anymore. What I care about is being with my wife when she’s probably worrying about me and her worrying could lead to our bairn dying. So, if I’m nay needed…?”
“We should discuss-”
“No!” Lachlan cut in angrily. “I will testify about what I remember happening to me and I will testify that I received the letter and passed it on to my lawyer. I will not testify about how any of it made me feel. Hard facts and nay anything else! If it’s adjourned and I’m nay going to be called today, you have no legal right to keep me here!”
His lawyer closed the file over. “This meeting is over,” she said succinctly. “We will be back when the case resumes at nine am tomorrow.” The file was folded neatly into her briefcase and she stood up to make way for Lachlan to get out of where he’d been trapped in the corner by the table and chairs.
Anger generally leads to a want to storm away and Lachlan stood far too quickly. He didn’t even have time to realise what was happening. First nausea and then dizziness washed over him; days of barely eating and sleeping caught him in one snappy movement and he was pitching forward in a heavy faint, only just avoiding smacking his head against the chair his lawyer just vacated.
Word Count | 1,081