Page 48 of From the Courtroom to the Court
"Yes, I understand."
"Great. I understand you're nervous, but now more than ever you need to behave in an exemplary manner and not do anything that draws attention. Leah would be delighted if you stayed here tonight, but you must return to the foster home, Aaron. You need to keep trusting your sister, you know she'll do everything possible for you to be with her," Emily says.
Leah stands up when she sees he's calm and has come to his senses.
"I'm going to call your sister to tell her you're here, and then Emily and I will take you to the Morrises' house. Okay?" she asks and ruffles his hair.
"Yes, okay," Aaron accepts, calmer.
"I'll call Elena Morris to let her know too," Anne says, "they're very worried."
"I'm coming right now," Mia says with a rushed voice as soon as Leah tells her that her brother is with her.
"No, Mia. You're too upset and it took us a long time to calm him down. He'll get nervous again when he sees you. It's better if we take him to the Morrises and resolve this before social services finds out," the tennis player says.
"Damn, Leah," Mia mutters.
"I promise you he's fine, Mia, really. He's talking with Emily now and he's calm, she's made him see reason and I'm sure he won't try to run away again. Go see him tomorrow at the Morrises' and spend some time with him, I don't think Elena will object."
Leah hears the voice of who she assumes is Emma Harris advising Mia to listen to her, that it's best for Aaron and for the case.
"Alright, make sure he gets into the Morrises' house, please," Mia begs.
"Don't worry, I won't leave until he does. I'll let you know when I've dropped him off."
"Thanks, Leah."
Almost an hour later, after leaving Aaron at the Morrises' house, Emily arrives at the entrance of the tennis club—now closed—so Leah can pick up her car. She stops at the gate and Leah turns to her before getting out of the car.
"Thank you for everything, Emily," she says and doesn't hesitate to take her hand.
She does it as a thank you, but immediately, their fingers intertwine without either of them being able to help it.
"You don't have to thank me," the lawyer says.
"Of course I do. You don't know what it would have been like for me to wander around alone looking for Aaron without going crazy. You helped me stay focused and then you were so good with him."
"I'm his lawyer, it's my duty," Emily smiles and they both know that tonight she's been much more than a lawyer, at least for Leah.
"In any case, thank you."
Leah leans in and gives her a kiss on the cheek that makes Emily's whole face burn and squeeze Leah's hand tightly. They look into each other's eyes intensely and the air becomes so dense that the tennis player feels she can't breathe.
"God, this is so hard," Leah smiles, releasing her hand to move away and open the door.
Emily gives her a smile and, as a goodbye, blows a kiss in the air that makes Leah's heart skip a beat.
Chapter 24
"Yes, perfect. Then, if you don't mind, I'll stop by to see him tomorrow as soon as I get off work."
Mia Clark is on the phone with her brother's foster mother. The woman sent her a message confirming that Aaron had arrived home and, although he was a bit nervous, he apologized to her, ate a light dinner, and went to his room. Mia, who paces around the small living room of her apartment with one hand on her hip, appreciates that Elena Morris is approachable, someone she can talk to without problems and who also allows her to see her brother occasionally without informing the social worker. With the previous foster mother, she didn't have that relationship – the woman was gruff and found fault with everything, not allowing unscheduled visits even on special days.
"If you notice he's anxious, please call me," she asks the woman. "One of his lawyers has made him understand that this kind of behavior only hurts us, but Aaron is still just a child, after all."
Emma follows her with her gaze. She thought that after receiving the call from the tennis player informing that Aaron was safely at home, Mia would relax and the anxiety that had been consuming her for hours would disappear. It hasn't happened; the caddie doesn't stop moving, clenching her fist, or biting her lips. The lawyer has had to use all her tactics to hold her back. Mia was convinced that seeing her brother that very night would help calm him down, but nothing could be further from the truth, and in their current custody process, it's best to maintain a low profile, not make too much noise, and act intelligently.
Mia says goodbye to Elena, apologizing again on Aaron's behalf. The caddie puts her cell phone on the table and takes a few awkward steps to the couch. She collapses next to Emma and covers her face with both hands before resting her elbows on her legs. The young woman's breathing is rapid, her shoulders are positioned in a way that indicates tension, and the entire time she was talking, her tone was halting.
