PATRICK, MARY ROSE and Alice all surrounded Martha with their love as she battled to keep some control of her life, wondering over and over how her attempts to help and heal others had been so misunderstood. Mike had surprised her by offering to pay whatever legal costs were needed.
‘I’m not having anyone attack the mother of my children like that,’ he said firmly. ‘You tell those bastards we’ll see them in court!’
Martha sincerely hoped that it would never come to that as she did not know if she was capable of defending herself by attacking the grieving parents of two people she had cared for.
James Coady was collecting evidence and at yet another meeting in his office he assured her that in a court he would prove that Joshua’s long-term drug addiction, fuelled by the vast amount of his father’s money, was what really killed him.
‘We can request copies of his bank account statements which will prove it, Martha, and this is long before you ever knew him.’
‘I don’t want Joshua’s name dragged through the mud,’ she said firmly. ‘He doesn’t deserve it.’
‘And the Armstrongs?’ questioned Dan, who’d insisted on coming along to the meeting with her.
‘There are full medical records that can be requested showing the child’s congenital heart problem. We can call the anaesthetist who cancelled her surgery, the nurse who cared for her at home – even her father! We have a very strong case. Should we go to court, I think we can win and possibly ask the court for damages.’
‘There you go,’ said Dan.
‘I don’t want it to go to court,’ insisted Martha. ‘How can we stop it?’
James Coady pulled himself up to his full height, lifting his glasses off his long face. ‘You’re my client, Martha. Is that what you really want, even if you can win?’ he asked.
‘Yes.’
‘Then I will talk to Steve Duncan, Mr Harris’s lawyer, and see if we can sort this mess out.’
‘I would like to be present, if that’s all right with you, James,’ said Dan. ‘Glenn Harris is assuming that Martha has very little support – seeing you and I walk into a room together may change his opinion.’
Two days later both sides met at Coady Hill Bennet’s office. Martha, too nervous to attend, agreed to meet them afterwards. She sat outside in the reception area on tenterhooks, praying silently and waiting. Acknowledging Glenn Harris when he walked out past her, she noted how much he’d aged since the death of his son.
‘It’s over, Martha honey!’ called Dan, scooping her up in his arms. ‘They’ve dropped all charges including those against the rehab place.’
‘Thank God,’ she said slowly.
James Coady made her sit back down as he explained it to her.
‘I think that having Mr Kendrick on your side was a big asset, as Mr Harris could take it that costs would not be an issue.’
‘How did you do it, James?’
‘We just showed him our information, which would naturally be released to the press with time, and as you already pointed out, Martha, he’s a man who loved his son, and was not about to let his boy’s reputation be destroyed in open court.’
‘Oh, thank God it’s over,’ she said, covering her face with her hands.
‘The Armstrongs’ suit is also being dropped,’ he confirmed. ‘Mr Kendrick here raised the matter of damages accruing to you as he feels you have been crucified by the press and media over this. Steve Duncan and I settled on an appropriate amount. Glenn Harris is prepared to pay two thousand dollars to you directly.’
‘I don’t want his money, James.’
‘He is prepared to pay it.’
‘Then take it, James, and donate it to that rehab clinic that Joshua was in. I don’t want to see a dime of it.’
Martha was not a wealthy woman, dependent still on Mike to support herself and the kids, but she certainly didn’t want any of Glenn Harris’s money or to profit from his son’s demise. She was so relieved that the threatened court action was finally over that she could only think of going home. ‘I just can’t wait to tell my kids and my mother the good news,’ she smiled. ‘Thank you, James, for looking after everything, I really appreciate it.’
‘It was the very least I could do,’ he said. Fumbling in his suit pocket, he drew out a leather wallet, passing her a photo of a pretty student.
‘That’s my daughter. Probably you don’t remember her, we didn’t want any media attention or fuss. She’s had anorexia for years and we brought her along to meet you.’
‘For a healing?’
‘Yes. Whatever happened the night in the Tanner Radford hall last year I don’t rightly know, cos she sure didn’t want to be there or to co-operate but something you did started the healing process and let our daughter find herself again. If we’d had to go to court Melissa was prepared to stand up and let people see what you did for her!’
Martha was overwhelmed at James Coady’s support and candour. Thanking him again, she and Dan left his offices, Martha feeling like a heavy constricting weight had finally been lifted from her shoulders.