Page 16 of Ashes of Us
“Essentially, his parents filed a Petition for the Appointment of Guardian for an Incapacitated Person in Probate and Family Court. They now have to prove that either you're unfit to serve as guardian, there is a conflict of interest, or it's not in the best interest of the incapacitated adult for you to make decisions.”
“But he's not incapacitated,” Danica rolled her eyes and sat back in her chair. “The machines are keeping his heart beating and breathing for him. If we turn those off, what will happen? His body dies, right?”
“Without the machines, his heart and lungs will stop.” Doctor Cuthbert nodded her head, pulling Jasper's chart up on her computer. “There is no brain function at all; he is not in a coma; he is medically deceased.”
“What does the restraining order cover?” Alex spoke up for the first time since they sat down twenty minutes before. “Does it keep Danica away from her husband or stop her from making decisions?
“It just stops us from turning off the machines.” Doctor Cuthbert glanced at the letter on her desk.
“So, if she wants to move him to another room and ban her husband's family from visiting, she can do that?” Alex pressed, making Danica frown and look at him in confusion. She didn't want to antagonize the Prestons’; having them all band together would not work in her favour at all.
“We wouldn't be able to change his room,” the administrator shook her head, looking apprehensive. “If his heart stops, we may not be able to get it going again, which will open us up to a lawsuit. We can fix it so only people she approves are allowed in, but it will require security outside his room twenty-four/seven, which will get costly quickly.”
“And if we supplied our own security, would that be okay?” Alex was already pulling out his phone as he spoke, making Doctor Cuthbert sigh.
“Yes. As long as they're licensed security guards and not a friend who bounces at your favourite club on the weekends.”
“Not a problem.” Alex nodded and stood up. “Thank you, Doctor Cuthbert.” Danica stood up quickly, realizing Alex was ending the meeting for her. “You can let your staff know there will be a security guard outside of Jasper Preston's room from MarSec Group until further notice.” He turned and walked out, already bringing his phone to his ear as the door shut behind him. Danica blew out a vaguely frustrated breath and turned to Doctor Cuthbert, holding out her hand to shake.
“Thank you for clarifying things for me; it makes it a little easier.” She paused. “Has something like this ever happened before?”
The Doctor shook her head. “Not exactly.” She took her hand and shook it. “When something similar has happened, it wasn't the same because the patient was in a persistent vegetative state, but the autonomic nervous system, which controls your heart and breathing, were still active, so they were alive, but not awake or responding to stimuli and the chances of recovery were so low it was negligible. The spouse wanted to let them die, but the parents couldn't let go and fought them on it. I'm not sure what the endgame is here; there is absolutely no chance of recovery for your husband.” She gave Danica a reassuring smile. “I don't think you have anything to worry about.”
Danica managed to give her a weak smile in return and stepped outside to find Alex finishing up his phone call. He gave her a cocky smirk as they started walking toward the elevator and Danica glared at him. “Banning his family from visiting is not a good idea. They will freak out and take his parents' side.” She reached out and pressed the call button, then folded her arms and leaned against the wall beside her. “I can't handle all of them at once.”
“That's why you're going to get ahead of the narrative,” Alex informed her. “Remember what I said about giving them just enough information? You're going to send out a mass text or email, explaining that because Jasper's parent's have gone behind your back and are trying to gain custody of his body without so much as a discussion, you are protecting you and your husband by banning his family from visiting until the court hearings are finished. Make sure you explain that you're disappointed that you were forced to do this and that you hope that they understand why you're taking these steps and that you're more than willing to answer any questions they may have.” The elevator doors opened, and Danica followed him on, considering his words. “You come across as open and communicative, while making his parents come across as shady and secretive.”
She had to admit; he made good points. She knew there were a few of Jasper's relatives who would definitely side with his parents, but she felt that most of them, especially the younger, married ones, would side with her. “Did you call Trista?” He asked. Danica shook her head. Trista Adams was the name of the lawyer he'd given her.
“I figured it was too late to call her.”
“Considering you have to be in court tomorrow at three, no, it's not.” Alex shook his head. “It's only seven-thirty; she's probably still in her office.” The elevator came to a stop in the parking garage, and Alex followed her over to the Impala. “Call her now, since this is going to go through Probate and Family Court, it's in her wheelhouse.”
“God, you're so bossy,” Danica muttered as she got out her phone and found the contact. She pressed call and watched as he shrugged, his eyes travelling over the Impala with a hint of longing.
“Just tell her I gave you her number,” he murmured as he began to circle the car. Danica nodded, fidgeting nervously as she waited for the call to be answered. She handed Alex the keys to the car when he silently held his hand out and pointed to the hood, understanding he wanted to look at the engine.
“Trista Adams.”The voice that answered was cool and clipped. Danica quickly cleared her throat and said hello, introduced herself, explained that she got her number from Alex West, and then gave a brief explanation of why she was calling. Trista listened, interrupting occasionally to ask a question, then explained that while it wasn't her usual area, because it was such short notice, she was willing to meet Danica at the courthouse the next day, listen to the reason why Jasper's parent's wanted custody of the body and they could go from there.“Whether it's me representing you or suggesting another lawyer who would be better able to win, I'll make sure you have the lawyer best equipped to help.”
Danica thanked her profusely. They went over the fees, and they ended the call with Trista promising to email Danica the paperwork she needed to sign. “Just bring everything to the courthouse.” When they hung up, Danica breathed a sigh of relief.
“I take it Trista is going to help?” Alex asked as he closed the hood. Danica nodded, feeling much better about things.
“Yeah, she's going to meet me at the courthouse tomorrow, sit in on the hearing and advise me after we know what Cecil and Amy are going after.”
“Good.” Alex stretched before dropping the keys in her hand. “Let me know what happens.”
“Are you going to tell me why you want me back at work so badly?” Danica asked, wanting a distraction from her issues for a bit.
“Oh,” Alex ran his hand through his hair and made a face. “Well, Craig emptied the vault at the Casino and has disappeared.”
“What?” Danica stared at him; not sure she heard him right. “You can't be serious.” He wasn't nearly as upset as she thought he would be. “What are you doing here? You should be in Vegas!”
“I was in Vegas; I got back yesterday.” Alex rubbed the back of his neck, and now that Danica was really looking at him, she could see he was exhausted. “So far, I've managed to keep everything under wraps, but we closed the hotel and casino while the police and the outside financial advisor I hired do their investigation.”
“Oh my God,” Danica realized she was staring at him with her mouth open and quickly closed it. “That would have cost a small fortune.”
“Oh yeah, cancelling all the bookings for the foreseeable future and moving everyone who was staying at the hotel to another one was a logistical and financial nightmare.” He mumbled something else, which Danica didn't really catch, but did faintly hear “Marcy” and “useless,” which could have been her petty little desire to have Marcy get taken down a few pegs, but she didn't think so. Danica took a deep breath. Depending on how court went, she was going to need a distraction. “I don't know if we'll be able to recover there without doing a complete overhaul of everything.”
