December 24, 2018

It was Monday, Christmas Eve.  The house was quiet.  Gabby was still asleep and Chloe had the “On call” shift the night before followed by the day shift today, meaning she’d spent the night at the hospital. In other words, he wouldn’t see her until they met up at their parents’ house later that evening. 

Being that it was Christmas Eve he technically had the day off.  Court was not in session, and wouldn’t resume until the New Year, and his office was closed until the 27th.   Until Gabby got up, he was free, or so he thought.

At about 8:30 a.m. his phone rang.  Grumbling a bit, he retrieved his phone from the counter then cradled it against his ear as he poured himself a cup of coffee.

“Hey Adam, I didn’t wake you, did I?” a familiar voice said as soon as he picked up.

Adam recognized the voice immediately.  It was his good friend, Derek from the District Attorney’s office.  Inside the courtroom they were often adversaries but outside the chamber doors they were good friends and had been since law school.  It wasn’t out of the ordinary for him to call but given that it was before 9:00 a.m. on Christmas Eve, Adam knew something was up.

“No.  I’m up and on my way to caffeinated.  You’re fine.  What’s up?”

Derek cleared his throat nervously.  Something was definitely not right.

“Umm…well…as your friend I wanted to give you a heads up…”

“About?” Adam asked as he pulled the coffee creamer out of the fridge.

“Wasn’t your sister in a car accident back in early November?” Derek replied.

Adam nodded as he stirred his mug.  He didn’t like the vibes he was getting but he was trying to keep calm until he had a genuine reason not to be.

“Yeah.  It was a hit and run, but they never caught the driver that hit her.”

“Umm…yeah…they did.” Derek replied.

Adam could hear the anxiety in his voice.  He didn’t like it.

“Excuse me?!” Adam exclaimed.

“The night of the accident, your sister gave the detectives a tip.  It took some time, but the tip paid off.  They arrested someone in connection with the accident yesterday.  The D.A., my boss, he wants to make a case of it.  He thinks we can get a conviction.  That is if your sister and the driver of the 3rd vehicle are willing to testify.”

Coffee nearly shot out Adam’s nose.  He sputtered a bit before regaining his composure.

“Are you ok?” Derek asked, hearing the commotion.

“Yeah, yeah fine.  What are the charges? Has bail been set?” Adam burst out.

“Oh man, the charges…there are a few.  Reckless endangerment.  Aggravated vehicular assault, and destruction of city property.”

“Destruction of city property?” Adam replied.

“He took out a couple of parking meters when he fled the scene.”

Still ever the defense attorney, Adam had a few more questions. 

“How do you know the suspect in custody is your guy?  Chloe said she never saw his face.”

“Chloe’s tip.  And the suspect’s confession.”

Adam’s eyes widened.  There was more to this story.  He knew it.

“He confessed?!” Adam exclaimed.

“He did.” Derek answered solemnly.

“Derek?!  What aren’t you telling me?  I know that tone in your voice.  You get that way when you’re about to put that last nail in the coffin.”

Adam could feel the blood in his veins, and his heart pounding in his chest.  From the moment he picked up the phone he knew this was not going to end well.

“Adam, it’s Eddy.”

“Eddy?! What do you mean it’s Eddy?  What does my ex- brother-in-law have to do with this?” Adam snapped.

“The defendant is Eddy.  Eddy is the one that caused the accident.  He confessed to the whole thing.”

Adam’s heart dropped.  His blood felt like ice shooting through his veins and bile started to rise in his throat.  Of all the things Derek could have said that was not at all what Adam expected when he’d picked up the phone.

The questions running through his mind in that moment were coming in one after the other. 

“Who is representing him?  Are you the prosecuting attorney?  Do you have a court date set?”

Derek let out a heavy sigh.  “Adam, this is a courtesy call, because I know Chloe is your sister and you are a good friend.  You know I can’t really tell you much.  We are just in the Discovery phase.  We are still gathering evidence.”

“Ok, fair enough.  What can you tell me?”  Adam replied as he slumped down onto one of the barstools.

“I can tell you that a court date has not been set yet.  As I said, we are still in the Discovery phase.  We haven’t even received the full police report from the accident yet, and as far as who is representing the Defendant, I think he’s opted to go with a court appointed public defender.”

“Of course, he has, because he knows no firm in their right mind is going to take him as a client.” Adam grumbled.

“Probably.”

“So, what’s next for you?” Adam replied.

He was still trying to wrap his head around this new information.  He didn’t even want to think about telling Chloe.

“First, is the Arraignment hearing, and we are trying to narrow down our potential witness list…”

Immediately warning bells started going off in Adam’s head.  Justin.  Justin was the third driver.  Meaning this was going to be a very high-profile case.

“Yeah…about that…you’re going to want to petition for a gag order against the media or you’re going to have media zoo on your hands.” Adam warned.

“What?! Why?!”

Adam groaned.  “You said you haven’t received the full police report yet, right?”

“Yeah.”

“Then you don’t know who the third driver is yet, do you?”

“No, not yet.  We are due to receive that later this morning.”

“Do you remember hearing on the news or TMZ a couple months ago that Justin Timberlake was in a motorcycle accident right about the same time as Chloe’s accident?”

Derek nodded on the other end of the line.  “Vaguely.  A Good Samaritan saved his life, right?”

“Yup.” Adam smirked.

“Ok, I’m not following, what does Justin Timberlake’s motorcycle accident have to do with any of this?” Derek huffed.

“Think about it.” Adam grumbled.

Then he waited.  He was waiting for Derek to make the connection between the two accidents, and given what he knew of his long-time friend it wasn’t going to take long.

“Wait?!  Are you saying…” Derek stammered.

“That’s exactly what I am saying.” Adam replied.

“FUCK ME!”  Derek whistled through his teeth.

“Tell me about it.”

Derek groaned then ran a hand over his face.  “You’re joking, right? Please, tell me you’re joking.”

Adam took a breath, running a hand through his hair anxiously.  “I wish I could.”

There was a deafening silence that followed.  Both men were engrossed in their thoughts.  It was a lot to take in.  Adam could only imagine what Derek must be thinking at the moment.

“Stalking.  You will want to add Stalking to the charges.”

“Stalking?! Why?”

“If Eddy caused the accident, then he violated the restraining order Chloe filed against him as well as their custody agreement.  Eddy can’t come within 100 feet of Chloe or Gabby until he completes his court ordered anger management classes.  He hasn’t done that yet.”

“Oh…umm...thanks.” Derek replied.

Another awkward pause followed.

“What was the tip?” Adam blurted out.

“Excuse me?” Derek replied.

“You said Chloe gave the detectives a tip, what was it?”

“Oh, she didn’t tell you?”

Adam chuckled awkwardly.  “Umm…no…not exactly.  To be honest, she didn’t say much about the accident at all.  Doctor-Patient confidentiality was her reasoning.  Hell, technically she didn’t even tell me it was Timberlake in the accident.  I figured it out based on what she wouldn’t say and the news coverage of the accident the next morning.”

Derek groaned.  “Adam…keep talking and I’m going to have no choice but to add you to the witness list.”

“Go right ahead, sign me up.  If Eddy caused the accident, then I absolutely want to testify as a character witness for the prosecution.   I owe it to my sister and my niece.”

Derek’s eyes went wide.  Until that moment he had completely forgotten about Gabby.

“Your niece! OH MY GOD! I completely forgot about her! How old is she now?”

Adam’s eyes immediately darkened.  He didn’t like where he thought this conversation was going. 

“She’s 5.  She will be six at the end of January.  She’s not taking the stand though Derek.” Adam grumbled.

Derek cracked a tiny smile and shook his head.  He and Adam were pretty good friends outside the courtroom so Derek knew that Adam was fiercely protective of his family. 

“Oh, no way! I would never do that, and I wouldn’t let my boss do it either.  IF we needed any sort of testimony from Gabby, which I don’t know why we would, we would get a deposition. “

“Thank you for that!”

“Of course, man, we’re friends, I’ve got you.  Look Adam, I can only imagine what’s going on in that head of yours right now.  This is a lot to take in.  I wish I could tell you more but I really can’t.  Eddy was arrested yesterday. He is in jail pending his Arraignment hearing on the 26th. My boss is taking 1st chair for the prosecution and has appointed me as 2nd chair.”

“You can’t be 2nd chair…we are friends.  You have to recuse yourself.” Adam answered.

Derek smirked a bit and shook his head.  “My boss knows.  It’s why I am only 2nd chair and not 1st.  Not to mention the case is against Eddy, not you.”

“I’ll be there.” Adam replied.

“Where?”

“The Arraignment hearing.”

Derek sighed.  “Not a good idea man.  You are a potential witness.  That wouldn’t look good to the judge.”

Adam groaned.  “I know. I know.  I just…”

Derek smiled into the phone.  “I get it! I do! You want to do anything to protect your sister and your niece, but trust me, I’m looking out for all of you.”

“Thanks. I know you are…I just…I have NO IDEA how I am going to tell Chloe.  Things are FINALLY going right for her…and now this.”

“Don’t tell her yet.  As I said, the Arraignment hearing isn’t until the 26th.  Enjoy the holiday.  I’ll call you after the Arraignment and fill you in with what I can that way you have something more concrete to tell her.”

Adam simply nodded.

“Thank you.”

“Absolutely!  I’m off to go get that Police report and tell my boss about the Gag order.” Derek grumbled.

“You’re going to want a subpoena for Mr. Timberlake’s medical records from the accident too.” Adam replied.

“Shit! You’re right! Thanks.”

“No problem.  Just keep me posted, please!”

“I will.”

He hung up the phone just as Gabby shuffled into the kitchen.

“Hey there Gabby Bug…are you hungry?” Adam asked forcing a smile.

Gabby rubbed at her eyes and nodded.  She was still in her pajamas, hugging her stuffed Monkey tightly.  Meanwhile, Adam was silently praying she hadn’t overheard any of his phone conversation moments before.

“What would you like? It’s Christmas Eve and I don’t have to work so you can have whatever you want.  Pancakes, cereal, French toast, waffles, scrambled eggs…”

“May I have pancakes and eggs, please?” Gabby answered.

Adam smiled.  Given the circumstances pancakes and eggs sounded delicious.  Truthfully, Adam typically tried to eat healthy and not over indulge on carbs but it was Christmas eve AND like the majority of his family, he was an emotional eater. 

“Sure thing.  Then after breakfast you can help me wrap up some of the presents before we go over to Grandma and Grandpa’s.”

“Ok.” Gabby said grinning.

***

It was nearing 5:00 p.m.  Snow had started to fall, but by some miracle Chloe wasn’t walking into surgery.  In fact, it looked as if she was going to get out on time but she wasn’t about to say anything about it.  The last thing she wanted was to jinx it.

At five minutes until 5 she quietly handed off her charts to the nurses at the Nurses’ station and quickly made her escape.  Once inside the locker rooms she retrieved her phone from her locker and shot off a text to Justin letting him know that she was headed to her parents’ house.

Chloe: By some miracle I’m actually getting out of here on time

Justin: That is a miracle! Can’t wait to see you

Chloe blushed. 

Chloe: I have to swing by my place really quick.  I want to grab a quick shower and change and there is some stuff Adam forgot that I need to pick up but I can meet you at my parents’ by 6:30.

Justin grinned on his end. 

Justin: How about I meet you at your place?  I can drop off my gifts for tomorrow so they are already there when Gabby wakes up.

Chloe stared down at the phone.  His reasoning made sense but the idea of showing up at her parents’ house WITH Justin wasn’t something she was mentally prepared for.  Yes, her parents were great and they were excited to meet Justin but that didn’t mean she wasn’t nervous about bringing a guy to meet her parents for the first time since Eddy. 

Chloe: Ok.  I’m leaving the hospital now. 

Justin: See you soon

***

“Hi.” Chloe said, smiling as she opened the door.

He looked AMAZING!  Dark wash jeans, a crisp blue button down, a dark grey suit jacket and a tie.  Her heart stopped momentarily.  Chloe sucked in a quiet breath then looked down at her own ensemble.  She was still in her scrubs, her hair pulled back in a messy bun and feeling ridiculously inadequate at the moment.

“Hey.” He replied, his lips curving into a playful smile.

“You look…” Chloe mumbled.

Justin smiled more.  “Yeah?!”

“Good! Really good and I look…well…”

Justin chuckled.  “Well, to be fair, you have been at work for almost 24 hours so I think you get a pass…BUT…I happen to think the scrubs and the messy bun are sexy as hell.”

Chloe giggled.  “Thank you.  Would you like to come in? Didn’t you mention dropping off presents?”

Justin grinned.  “I would love to come in and yes, I did mention presents.”

Chloe made a face.  He was at the moment, empty handed.   Justin just grinned more then stepped aside to reveal the large Santa sack behind him.

“Wow!!  Justin…”

“It’s Christmas…I ALWAYS go big!”

“I see that!  I just hope you don’t make Santa look bad.” Chloe laughed.

Justin smiled then winked.  “Santa has help this year.”

“I’ll take it.  Now, please, come in.  Have a seat, and I’ll go get a quick shower.”

Justin grinned suggestively.  “Does Santa need help with that too?”

Chloe burst out laughing.  “No.  I think I can handle it, besides, if you helped it wouldn’t be a quick shower.  Not to mention I wouldn’t want to mess up that outfit and I promised my mom we would be there by 7.”

Justin laughed. “Gotcha.  I’ll be here.”

Chloe was in and out of the shower in a flash.  She was nervous and excited.  She was nervous about introducing Justin to her parents but excited about having him around for the holiday.  It meant a lot that he was willing to take such a big step. 

Once out of the shower Chloe quickly blow dried her hair with a round brush so that it felt straight down her back, but curled under at the ends.  It was simple but pretty.   With her hair now dry Chloe shimmied into a pair of lace underwear and then pulled on her favorite pair of dark wash, skinny jeans.  Next, she slipped on a matching lace bra then pulled an emerald green, cable knit sweater over her head before giving her hair one more quick run through with her fingers.  Once dressed she put on a bit of light make up before slipping into a pair of knee-high, black, leather boots and giving herself one more look in the mirror.

Chloe walked out into the living room to find Justin all smiles.

“Ok, the scrubs and messy bun are sexy but I don’t hate this either.” Justin teased.

“Oh, no?!” Chloe laughed.

“Not one bit.”

“I will keep that in mind.” Chloe teased.

“You do that.” Justin smirked.

“Shall we get going?” Chloe asked, changing the subject abruptly.

She was worried that if she allowed this discussion to continue, they would be late to dinner.

“Sure.” Justin said as he stood from the couch.

“Ok, just let me go grab a bottle of wine from the wine fridge.” Chloe explained.

Justin grinned.  “Save it.  I’ve already got a bottle waiting in the car.  I thought it would be a nice gift for your parents, as a “thank you” for inviting me to dinner.”

Chloe beamed.  “You really are too sweet.”

Justin smiled and shook his head.  “You say that every time.”

“Because it’s true.  I don’t know how I got so lucky…”

“I’m the lucky one…if you hadn’t been there that night, if you hadn’t jumped out of your car…”

“You were the one that insisted on tracking me down.” Chloe argued.

Justin blushed this time.  “I did.  From the moment I found out you were real and not just a figment of my imagination I was determined to find you.  I had to.  I had to hear your voice again.”

“I’m glad you did.”

“Me too.” Justin said smiling and offering his arm.

The ride to Chloe’s parents’ house was short.  In fact, before Chloe had time to think about it, she and Justin were climbing the steps to the doorway.  Instinctively, Justin laced his fingers on his left hand with hers.  Chloe looked down briefly, swallowing the lump that had suddenly appeared in her throat.  It felt comfortable but at the same time nerve-wracking.  Chloe hadn’t felt this way about a man…well…ever. 

“Should we ring the doorbell?” Justin asked.

Chloe bit her lip and shook her head.  “No.  I guarantee no one will hear it anyway. They are probably all in the kitchen.”

Justin simply nodded.  They both took deep, quiet breaths as Chloe reached for the door and pushed it open.

“Hello?! We’re here!” Chloe called out.

Justin was still holding her hand and she was acutely aware of that fact.  She was also very much aware of the range of emotions coursing through her in that moment.

“Mommy! Justin!” Gabby exclaimed as her footsteps echoed through the room.

In the next moment Gabby sprinted into view, headed straight for Justin. 

“Oof!” Justin grunted, grinning as Gabby collided with him, wrapping her arms around his waist in a tight hug.

“Hey there Gabby!” Justin replied as she pulled away.

He looked up just as Chloe’s parents and Adam stepped into the front room.  Chloe was the perfect mix of both of them.  It made him smile.

Chloe’s parents quickly hugged their daughter then looked to her for introductions.

“Mom, Dad…this is Justin.” Chloe said nervously.

“Nice to meet you Mr. and Mrs. De Luca.” Justin said politely.

Chloe’s mother smiled.  “No, no. Formalities are not necessary.  Please, it’s Katherine and Arturo.”

Justin smiled bashfully and nodded. “Got it.  Thank you for having me.”

Katherine smiled more.  “Thank you for joining us.  It’s nice to finally meet you.”

Justin grinned.  “She talks about me, does she?”

Chloe’s parents both chuckled, as did Adam. 

“Not nearly enough.” Her mother replied.

Chloe blushed.  “Mom!”

“Hmm…I’ll have to see what I can do about that.” Justin teased.

“Please do.” Her father chimed in.

“I hope you’re hungry Justin.” Katherine said smiling.

Justin smiled and nodded as he handed off the bottle of wine to Adam.  “I will NEVER say “no” to Italian food.”

“I like you more already.” Arturo teased.

“Thank you.” Justin replied blushing slightly.

“Will you sit by me Mr. Justin?” Gabby pleaded.

Justin grinned.  “I’d love to sit by you Gabby.  Lead the way.”

Grinning Gabby took Justin by the hand and started to lead him towards the dining room.

Dinner with Chloe’s family was perfect.  No one in the family took themselves too seriously.  They joked and laughed and ate and sipped on their wine.  It was a nice, relaxing evening.  Just what Justin needed.  Just what Chloe needed as well.  Little by little, Justin was chipping away at her walls and restoring her faith in love.

After dinner everyone adjourned to the living room where they cozied up in front of the fire.  Chloe’s mom passed around hot spiced cider and freshly baked cookies as they all sat and chatted a bit.

“Do you like the cookies Justin?” Gabby asked, happily bouncing around the room.

She was five, it was Christmas Eve, she was excited and experiencing a bit of a sugar rush.  The bouncing made perfect sense.

“They are delicious.  Did you help make them Gabby?” Justin asked grinning.

Gabby nodded emphatically.  “Grandma and I made them this afternoon.”

“Best cookies I’ve ever tasted.  In fact, do you know who else would LOVE these cookies?” Justin asked grinning and then giving Chloe a wink.

Gabby shook her head, her eyes wide as she waited for Justin to continue.

“JC.  JC would love these!”

Gabby’s eyes were wide as saucers now. 

“JC Chasez?!”

Justin nodded, his eyes sparkling mischievously.  He knew he was about to rock Gabby’s world.

“Yeah, but Mommy says he lives in California.  They wouldn’t taste good if I shipped them to California.  They would be all yucky and dry by the time they got there.”

Justin smiled more.  He couldn’t wait to see Gabby’s reaction. 

“You wouldn’t have to ship them to California.  JC is coming here.  He will be at the art show on Friday.”

“Art show?! What art show?” Gabby replied.

Justin looked to Chloe.  Chloe could only blush and shrug.  “I hadn’t had the chance to tell her yet.”

“Lance’s partner; Michael, is hosting an art show here in New York on Friday.  Lance invited us to go.”  Adam added.

Gabby’s jaw nearly hit the floor.  Her eyes were wide and Chloe could tell she was holding back a squeal.

“Lance?! Lance Bass?!  He invited us to an art show?  “Us” meaning I can go too?!” Gabby exclaimed.

Chloe giggled and nodded.  “Yes, you can come too.  It’s a family event.”

Gabby’s eyes were still wide with excitement, but it was what Justin said next that sent her over the edge.

“All of *NSYNC will be there.  Chris is bringing Karly and Nash.  Joey is bringing Kloey…” Justin started to explain.

“Is JC bringing someone?” Adam asked, his eyes glinting.

Justin chuckled.  “I don’t think so…not this trip anyway.”

“I get to meet JC?!” Gabby replied, bouncing up and down again.

Justin grinned and nodded.  “Sure.  You can bring him some cookies too, he’d love it.”

Gabby immediately looked to her mother and then her grandmother.  “Won’t they go bad or all get eaten by Friday?”

Gabby’s grandmother grinned.  “We can make more before Friday.”

“Can we make cookies for all of *NSYNC?” Gabby replied.

“ALL of *NSYNC?!  You do know that ALL of *NSYNC means I get some too.” Justin teased.

Gabby grinned and nodded.  “Oh, yes!  Definitely! I couldn’t leave you out.  That’s not how I roll.”

Everyone laughed at this, particularly Chloe and Adam.  Gabby sounded just like her mother.

That night Chloe, Adam and Gabby hitched a ride back to their house with Justin courtesy of his chauffeured car.  Gabby fell asleep in the car almost before they pulled out of the driveway.  Thank goodness Adam had the forethought to pack a pair of pajamas for Gabby so that she could change into them before they left.  He knew she would probably crash and it would make the transition to bed that much easier.

“Thanks for the ride.” Chloe said as the car pulled to stop in front of the house.

“It was my pleasure.” Justin replied smiling.

“We should get her inside.” Adam said nodding to Gabby who was leaned up against her mother.

“I’ll get her.” Justin said softly.

“Are you sure?” Adam asked, his eyebrows high.

The way Justin had taken to Gabby so quickly amazed him.  In his eyes, Justin acted more like a father than Eddy ever have.  It warmed his heart but also terrified Adam in the same breath.  They didn’t know what he did, and he was dreading what came next now more than ever.

“Yeah.  I’ve got her.” Justin said smiling.

Gently, he reached for Gabby and pulled her into his lap, positioning one arm behind her head and the other under her knees before sliding from his seat and stepping out to the pavement.

“I’ll get the door.” Adam whispered.

Chloe watched in awe and disbelief as Justin carried her effortlessly up the steps and through the door.  Quietly, she followed him to the bedroom, standing just outside the door as he gently placed her in her bed and tucked her Monkey under her arm before pulling the blankets over her still sleeping form.

She stirred slightly as he tucked her in and Chloe could just barely make out her tiny voice as Gabby whispered through the dark.  Her eyes were still closed and she was still half asleep so she was unaware that it was Justin and not her mother tucking her in.

“Will you sing our song to me?” Gabby whispered sleepily.

Justin smiled and nodded.  “Absolutely I will Princess.”

Chloe’s breath caught her in throat and her eyes went wide as Justin’s voice began to echo through the dark room. 

Aren’t you somethin’ to admire

Cause your shine is somethin’ like a mirror

And I can’t help but notice

You reflect in this heart of mine

If you ever feel alone and

The glare makes me hard to find

Just know that I’m always

Parallel on the other side

By the time Justin finished singing the song there were tears streaming down Chloe’s face.  Yes, she was in love with him and watching him with Gabby just made her love him more.

Gabby’s eyes fluttered open momentarily and she looked up at Justin smiling.  Realization had settled in.

“That’s one of your songs, isn’t it?” Gabby whispered.

Justin smiled and nodded.  “It is.”

“Did you write it?” Gabby asked.

“I did.”

Gabby smiled then closed her eyes again.  “It’s my favorite!”

Justin smiled again then brushed a whisp of her hair from her head.  “I’m glad…now get some sleep Sweet Girl.”

When Justin stepped out of the room Chloe was waiting for him.  Thankfully, she’d managed to brush away the tears so he didn’t see.

“I should get going.  Santa needs to get everything ready so she can’t get to bed.” Justin said, pulling her close.

“Do you have to leave?” Chloe asked, her voice full of emotion.

Justin smiled then lifted her chin to meet his gaze.  “Not if you don’t want me to.”

“I don’t.” Chloe whispered.

“Chloe, are you asking me to spend the night?” Justin asked as his heart began to pound.

Justin knew, that for Chloe, this was a huge step.  It meant a lot to him.

“Not if you don’t want me to.” Chloe replied, her voice shaking.

“I do.” Justin said cracking a smile.

Chloe smiled back at him and nodded.  “Justin, will you stay with me tonight?”

“Absolutely, I will.”

Chloe blushed then her eyes widened a bit.  Realization had set in.  “What about clothes? You can’t sleep in that.”

Justin grinned.  “Don’t worry, this elf comes prepared.”

“Well, ok then.” Chloe giggled.