14

Here's the thing about that night, everything was like any other night. Brian came home from work, hung his suit jacket on the coat rack, he placed his shoulder bag on the entrance table Jordan came running down the stairs, Brian lifted Jordan into the air and asked how his day was. Jordan proceeded to tell Brian that he met this new girl in pre-school. "She's weird, she follows me around and sits next to me at lunch and it's weird, dad." Brian chuckled, "that's exactly how I got your mother. Ain't that right Marley." Marley pokes her head around the corner, "you being in your twenties when you decided to do that only makes you a stalker. At the rightful age of 6 that makes you cute."

Brian took Jordan into the kitchen, and asks Marley what he could do to help with dinner. Marley, washing the dishes, "I put your plate in the microwave, we waited until 7 to start eating and you still weren't here."
"I'm sorry, I just had a long day at court and we lost a big case. I'm not even sure I can eat." Brian shrugged.
"Well what do you want me to do?" Marley asked.
"There's nothing you can do. I just really could have used a different result in court."
"What do you need from me?"
"Nothing, I just want you to stop doing the dishes and come sit with Jordan, Addison, and I on the couch. I just want to be us."
Marley could tell he was feeling down in the dumps. Brian has had an astounding reputation and yes, he has lost cases, but won many many more. He has never gotten down like this before. Marley was worried. She just wasn't sure why this one was different than the others. Marley picked Addison up and walked into the living room. Brian picked something on TV and they all sat there, even after the kids fell asleep.

"What happened today?" Marley inquired.

"You know that BIG case I've had for over a year?"

"Yes, but why is it such a big deal?"

"The man I was defending, just lost everything. His big house, fancy cars, business, EVERYTHING. Marley his wife took it all. And he is not the nicest man." Brian explained. "He trusted me and I failed. He TRUSTED me to win, and settle this case. But I couldn't fight his's wife's attorney, that guy was prepared!"

Marley placed her hand on Brian's leg, "so what now?"

"I think I need to take some time off work for a little while. This one caught me off guard. Where should we go?"

"Nowhere, we are too busy right now. I think you should work through this and come home each night and kiss your wife and kids and know that you have the best family in the world." Marley smiled.

Brian leaned over as if he was to kiss Marley, paused, "and that's all I need." Then he kissed her. They sat on that couch holding each kid and each other. There couldn't be anything better.

Marley and Brian like to appear like the perfect couple, but they fought, they cried. Brian spent nights at the office. Marley has walked out with the kids only once. But they knew that they just needed some breathing space. They knew how to talk things out. Brian could sometimes be upfront, and Marley could be sarcastic. But they knew that the were made for each other. See, Brian he was a rare catch. He is one of the few that believe in soul mates, fate, hope, and all that stuff. He is the kind of person who will take the shirt off his back for someone on the street. He is the kind of person who will pick up a random person's tab. He knows what he wants and won't stop until he gets it. He can get angry but keeps his cool in front of everyone. Marley, well she is a little bit of the opposite.

Marley, she wasn't looking for the one. She doesn't date to marry, if it happened it happened. She never had a real long relationship with anyone, well simply because she just went with it. But when Brian came around, it was like something switched on. Like something fired up that never was there. Marley knew what it felt like to be loved, but she never really loved anyone. She didn't believe that there is only black and white, she believed that there was grey. She believed that wearing her heart on her sleeve and not giving a damn about what people think was how everyone should be. If she was upset, she wasn't afraid to show it.

They just worked. Brian and Marley just made it all happen. They lived the perfect life, ups and downs. Tears, laughter, and tears from laughter. Heartache and sorrow, but not more than love and smiles. These two children that blessed their lives just made it more chaotic, but a perfect chaos.

Marley drifted off on the couch, and Brian got up, placed a blanket over Marley, then picked up his keys and left. Brian hopped into his truck and drove off down the street. He got to the end of the street and his phone rang. It was his client, he was not happy. "Woah calm down. Take it easy. Where do you want me to go?" Brian drove as quick as he could. He parked his truck and looked up at his office building, "what a beautiful building." Brian never looked at that kind of stuff, but for some reason he took note of the architectural beauty.

He walked up to the front doors, and there his client was. Brian took out his key card and said "shall we?" as he opened the door. The two of the men walked through the door and up to his office. The walk to the elevator no one talked. Neither one talked in the elevator. The doors opened, Brian flicked on the lights. They walked to the door at the far side of the open room. Mr. Swanson asked Brian if he drank. Brian reached over and opened his desk, pulled out two cups and a bottle of scotch, "this answer your question?"

One hour turned into two, two drinks turned into four. Then out of no where, Mr. Swanson pulled out a pistol. "Look, I don't have anything to live for. You really screwed me over on this one. Why the hell would you do this to a person? You should have just pulled out a gun yourself and shot me."

Brian's heart raced, but his face relaxed. "Look, I can appeal it. We can go again, we can get better evidence, we can prove you didn't do those things. We can do this."
"You're out of time. I'm out of time, they kicked me out of my house today. I had to walk here. I have nothing. You ruined me."

"No wait!" Brian stood up from his desk. Two shots. One to the chest, one to the stomach. Then one to Mr. Swanson's head. Brian lay there, choking back blood, one hand over his stomach, and the other dragging him under his desk. Brian didn't see Swanson shoot himself. Brian grabbed his phone, slowly losing consciousness, 911 dialed, send. The phone fell to the ground and Brian lying on the ground.



Marley awoke from the couch, She picked up Addison and walked her upstairs to her room and placed her in her crib. She turned on the night light that sings "Twinkle Twinkle Little Star." She walked back down stairs and picked up Jordan, "There's no way that skipping the gym for a week makes me this weak," she says to herself. "This is the last time I pick him up and carry him upstairs to sleep in his bed." She walks to her room, no one. She shuts the door, walks down the hall slides down the wall and sits next to the kids' room. She texts, "Hey, not sure where you went. Not sure when you even left, just let me know."

Thirty minutes went by, 12AM, Marley then decided to call Brian, "He's on the phone with someone else I guess."

"You reached Brian Scott. Go ahead and leave that message. I'll get to it eventually." Played the recording.

"For a lawyer that definitely could be a little more professional." Marley said aloud. But this was also one of the few times she ever heard his voicemail greeting. Marley sat there in the hallway, something just didn't feel right. She walked down to the living room and sat on the couch, watching the clock, calling Brian every thirty minutes.

3AM, now she's worried. She calls Brian's phone, "I swear if he doesn't answer I'm calling to police." She thought. One ring, "Hello?" Marley asks. There's no response on the other side. "HELLO? Brian, where are you? Just tell me you're ok." Line goes dead.
She sat there on the couch, telling herself every positive scenario, "he said he needed a break, maybe he drove to the ranch and lost service." "Maybe he didn't charge his phone and it died mid call. He did leave for work at 5am to prepare for court today." Scenario after scenario played through her head. But none of them sat well with her. But the one scenario sat there, like it was a person sitting next to her on the couch. She didn't want to think of the worst.

Her phone rang, unknown caller, she didn't want to answer.  One ring goes, two, three. "I can't do it. Don't want to." She just can't think of how to answer. Someway she brings herself to press the button, END. Quietly she sits on the couch. She knew what was on the other side, bad news. Its always bad news when its this late. Glancing up to the clock on her tall living room wall, no good happens after midnight, 3:33am. "Is it really that late, or rather early?" She chuckles, "I guess this is one way to start the day." Legs swung unto the couch, she lies down. Staring at the ceiling fan, she hopes she's just dreaming. Laughing, smiling, and thinking about all that her life has become and what it is going to be.

Knocks on the door.