The Cost Of Winning

ASHLEY'S POV :

After I talked to Dina and made her aware of the situation , she checked around and found an attorney she knew working here , and she agreed to take me on as a client . She filed the paperwork to go to court almost two weeks ago , and she just called me this morning and asked me to come to her office for a meeting . It's probably too much to ask , but I'm hoping this means that Fianna has decided not to fight me . Truthfully , I'm not sure how she could , she's apparently only working part - time right now , so I doubt that she has the resources to drag things out , unless she still has some of the money left from her dads life insurance . Her grandma put it back to pay for her education , but since she didn't finish , I'm not sure how it works out .

I drive into the parking lot at her office , and after circling twice , I manage to get a spot when someone moves . I get out , and walk inside , where a short Japanese girl dressed like an old - maid schoolmarm is sitting at the reception desk .

Good afternoon , sir ! How may I assist you ? " , she says .

"I have a 2:30 meeting with Gillian Reed ." , I reply .

"May I have your name ?" , she asks , as she picks up the phone and pushes a button .

I give her my name , and she says something into the phone , then looks up and says , "You can go right in , sir . Room 6 , on the right , everyone else is already there ."

I head off in the direction that she indicated , wondering what she meant by "everyone" . I find out the answer as soon as I open the door and see all the guys sitting around a big conference table , along with Dina , Blasko , and Juliet .

"Whoa , what's going on here ?" , I ask .

Gillian , my lawyer , answers . " Mr .Purdy , I asked Dina to be here , and she suggested that it might be beneficial for the others to come along ."

"And why is that ?"

"Because they're better than I am , or she'd be , at getting you to listen to reason ." , Dina tells me , motioning toward the empty chair next to her .

I sit down and look around at everyone , waiting for somebody to tell me what the hell is going on , and Gillian looks across the table at me and says , "Mr . Purdy , you have a problem ."

"What the hell does that mean ? What problem ?" , I burst out .

"William Emerson Bradshaw , better known around the courthouse as Web , or Big Bill . I was notified a few days ago that he has been retained as Ms . Chandler's council ."

"How is that a problem , exactly ? And how could she afford a lawyer , anyway ?"

"Apparently , he was asked to take the case by his niece , a Ms . Mikaela Bradshaw . And the problem is that he's one of the best in the state , if not THE best ."

"So , what you're saying is that the guy is a shark , right ?" , Blasko says .

"What I'm saying , Mr . .... ?"

"Rob Nicholson" , he answers .

"What I'm saying , Mr . Nicholson , is that if a shark and a honey badger were to reproduce , the offspring would be very much like Web Bradshaw ." , she responds .

"So is he that crooked , or that good ?" , I ask her .

"He's that good , Mr . Purdy . No one has ever accused him of being crooked , but I've only ever heard of him losing a case in court once , and he's been practicing for over twenty years ."

"So maybe it could happen again , y'think ?" , CC asks her .

She gives a short laugh , and says , "I wouldn't get my hopes up, if I were you . The case he lost was a college boy whose parents hired Web to get him off on a charge of possession with intent to distribute . Unfortunately , the nitwit showed up for court in a stolen car , with a baggie of meth in his pocket , and so high he could only be spotted on radar ! Even Perry Mason couldn't have won that one . And , unfortunately , he has leverage ."

"What do you mean , leverage ?"

"Even though this isn't a criminal case , he contacted me , and basically informed me that he considered it only fair to basically follow the rules of discovery , and let me know what I was up against ."

She then reaches into her briefcase , takes out a folder , and pushes it across the table to me . I open it , flip through a few pages , and realize that basically every questionable decision I've ever made is staring me in the face . Fuck ! I didn't think she had it in her .

"So are you saying that you brought my friends here to try to convince me to just slink off and give up on being part of my kids life ? Fuck that !" , I shout .

"No , man , that's not it !" , Andy tells me . "Were behind you , no matter what , but you might want to consider a Plan B ."

"And if I don't ?"

"If you don't , I can almost guarantee that we'll lose ." , Gillian says , " And Web has already informed me that if that happens , he will file for a permanent restraining order against you . And considering that Ms . Chandler has a much .... , well , cleaner record than you do , he could very well succeed ."

I feel like somebody just hit me in the chest with a sledgehammer . She's sitting here telling me that this guy could keep me from ever seeing my daughter ! And Dina isn't contradicting her . Shit , this is not good !

"So what the hell can I do , then ?" , I ask them , hoping that SOMEBODY can think of something .

Dina puts her hand on my arm , and says , "Ash , what you'll have to do is compromise . You made the point awhile ago that Fianna's resources are more limited than yours , so it's doubtful that she'll want to tie this up in court for a long time , so Gillian will indicate to them that you're willing to do exactly that , and hopefully she'll agree to visitation ."

"And if you can prove to the court that you can be responsible , then after six months , or a year at most , we can refile , and petition for joint custody ." , Gillian adds .

"And what if she won't agree ?" , I inquire .

"Then your choices are to either take your chances in court , or give up ."

"Dude , visitation is better than what you have now ." , Jinxx tells me .

"Yeah , you're right . Go ahead and do whatever you need to do ." , I say to Gillian .

"There is one other issue to discuss . You do realize , don't you , that if you gain visitation rights to the child , the judge will most likely require you to pay support ?"

"That's kind of a no- brainer , I'd think . I have no problem with that , as long as I know it's actually being spent on her ."

She makes a note of that , and hands me a few forms to sign , so she can get the process started . She also tells me that I shouldn't try to contact Fianna or Brenna until we go to court , and even though I don't like it , I agree . I sure as hell don't want to give them any more ammunition than they already have .

After I sign everything , everybody gets up to leave , and we all walk outside together .

"So you were so convinced that I was gonna be bullheaded enough to put myself in a no- win situation that you basically set up an intervention ." , I say to Dina .

"It wouldn't have been the first time ." , she responds . "It's just that usually I haven't had to be involved before . Did you really think that a judge would give a touring musician custody of a toddler ?"

"I was hoping , yeah ." , I say . "I really wanted her to feel the same way she's made me feel ."

"Just don't be stupid enough to say that in front of the judge ." , she says . " That sure as hell wouldn't do much to convince anyone that you're thinking about what's best for your kid . I'll be honest with you , Ash , I'm not even sure that I'm convinced ."

I can't think of anything to say to that before she gets into her rental car and drives away , but when I actually stop and think about it , I can kind of see her point . That makes it sound like I only want her so I can get back at Fianna , but I don't . Just the one time I've seen her , I'm already crazy about her . That's my flesh and blood , my kid , and I want to be part of her life . The rest is just a nice bonus . She got away with this for two years , now she'll have to deal with the consequences .

Notes