Page 13 of The Defense Rests
"Mr. Kapling, please proceed with the settlement statement that was signed," Mr. Malloy tells Kai. Heather sits up a little straighter in her chair with her eyes sparkling in excitement like a kid getting a Christmas present.
"This case has been going on for over a year, and I'm sure we all want justice and to see this unfortunate chain of events behind us." Kai clears his throat before continuing. "Unfortunately, that will not be today."
"What the hell, Kapling? You said you got it signed."
Have you ever seen those cartoon characters blowing steam out of their ears? Yeah, Mr. Malloy reminds me of Elmer Fudd.
"Actually, I have several things signed to pass along. Two of which are signed by the judge to make this morning's meeting legit." Kai reaches into his messenger bag and pulls out a folder containing some documents.
"What…the hell…did you do?" Mr. Malloy stands, gripping the edge of the conference table. His knuckles turning white. My daddy instincts kick in, and before I realize it, I'm moving, standing between the two of them, eyes fixated on Malloy.
Kai breaks the awkward stare down. "As of 9:08 this morning, I no longer work for Smythson, White, and Malloy.My resignation was submitted to HR, and an email was sent to all partners, effective immediately. Here is a copy of my resignation." Kai takes a deep breath, sliding the paper over to Mr. Malloy. "I met with the judge this morning because I will be the new representative for Dr. Shaun Whitmore. Due to the possible conflict of interest, I sought legal counsel. Since I was only assigned this case a week ago and have not been actively involved, she agreed that it would not be an ethical breach, given that I have resigned from the firm. I explained in detail the lack of support from the partners and the fact that you kept the file with all the evidence from me, and she agreed I wouldn't have been invested either way. It's not common practice, but I was able to get it done on a technicality."
"This is bullshit." Mr. Malloy slams his hand on top of the resignation letter, crumbling it in his fist. "I will see that your license to practice law is shredded by the ethics committee. You will never work for another law firm in this town again." Malloy threatens.
"Like you're trying to do with my medical license?" I challenge. "Don't think I didn't see the fine print in that bogus settlement offer you tried to force me to sign."
"I think we're through here," Heather cuts in with a cracked voice while trying to stand.
"Not yet, Ms. Maddison," Kai tells her, and I have to admit, as much as I love when Kai is in his little headspace, this go-getter is significantly turning me on. "We have one more thing signed by the judge. The reason I was almost late to this morning's meeting." Kai slides a piece of paper in front of Mr. Malloy. I didn't think his face could get any redder, while Michelle's complexion just lost all color.
"He can't do this, can he?" Heather asks Mr. Malloy.
"Looks like they want to play dirty." He responds through gritted teeth.
"Not dirty, lawful." Kai checks his watch. "And if my calculations are correct, the medical practice of Dr. Shannon Thomas is getting served with a court order as we speak to provide copies ofallmedical history records. So Heather, are you still wanting to move forward with this lawsuit?" Kai pulls out another form, which, if she signs, will drop the suit.
Heather picks up the pen and, with shaky fingers, throws it at Kai, and he lets out a strangled laugh. "I take that as a no."
"Fuck you. You lied to me." She screams, tears spilling from her eyes.
"I never lied to you. You believed what you wanted to believe, and that information came from your lawyer, Mr. Malloy. Not me."
"We'll see you in court." Mr. Malloy's voice is threatening, and Kai doesn't flinch. Mr. Malloy storms from the conference room with Heather chatting away hysterically behind him.
Kai puts his portfolio back in his bag and quietly escorts me out of the room.
All the way down the elevator, he doesn't speak and just stands frozen like he's…in shock?
My poor boy. I don't make a move to help, but my daddy-heart is breaking for him.
When the elevator doors open, Kai steps out into the misty weather. It isn't until we're in the parking lot that he leans against his car and slides to the ground, pulling his knees to his chest. Sobs rack his body, and he covers his face with his hands.
"Oh, baby boy," I tell him and squat next to him, pulling him into my chest. As a lawyer, Kai hates confrontations, and that one was huge. "You were so brave up there, and I couldn't be prouder of you." I take his bag off his shoulder and slip it onto mine. After a few minutes of hugging him to my chest, I encouraged him to stand, kissing him on his temple. "I know it'sbeen a rough weekend, and especially this morning. I have the day clear. Let me take care of you."
Kai looks up, and I see tears streaming down his face. "Da-y, I not like dis." He says, already slipping into littlespace.
It’s first time he's allowed himself to be little in years, and I know exactly what I need to do. "I know, baby boy. Let's get you home so Daddy can take care of you."
Eight
Shaun
It's been years since Kai's allowed himself to drop into littlespace. As the meeting progressed this morning, and the stress of resigning from the law firm began to take its toll, I noticed a change in his demeanor, especially when I stood between him and Mr. Malloy. I knew Kai felt safe, and that's why he started slipping into littlespace. I would always take care of him. When I saw him break down by his car, I knew Kai was hovering closer to Little Space than Big Space.
"Baby, I know we have a lot to talk about, but for today, I just want to take care of you. Do you have any hard limits I need to know about?" I ask. I know we can go over everything later to see if anything has changed since the last time we played. Since we always played at the center, it never got sexual. Today is not going to get sexual either; it's about taking care of my boy.
"No, Dada, no lims," he tells me softly.
