Ellie

Six weeks later…

"Your honor, in the light of the unprecedented levels of public interest in this case, the arrests we have seen over the past month and a half, and with full respect to statutory whistle-blower protections as laid out in section 73, paragraph five of the criminal code, the state does not feel that a prosecution serves either the state or the public's interest at this time –"

The rest of the prosecutor's short, planned speech was drowned out by a panoply of cheers that rose as one, combined, joined forces and began to echo off the roof like a drum beat. The courtroom was packed to the rafters, with dozens of reporters – some I recognized, and many more from out of town; jurists, legal scholars, and dozens, nearly 100 members of the public. Every single person in the room, even the prosecution team, was wreathed in smiles, and I saw more congratulatory handshakes, hugs and even kisses than I'd ever seen in one place.

I felt like I'd won the Super Bowl.

But out of all that mess, I only had eyes for one person. Well, two.

But Roman had the small bundle of blue cloth clutched so tightly to his chest that he was practically one with it, so hard my heart began fluttering – hoping he knew what he was doing.

Chill, girl. He saved that kid's life. He's hardly about to hug the boy to death…

"Order, order…" The judge cried out, banging a small wooden gavel against his lectern. The sound barely penetrated the pandemonium, and before long he placed his head in his hands, shrugged, and massaged his temples. I felt sorry for him. I doubted many of his cases gathered this much attention.

I leaned over toward my lawyer. Like the rest of his high-powered team, he'd shown up one day out of the blue. Compliments of Conor and Maya. "What now?"

He shrugged, and attempted a long-suffering sigh, but his lawyerly act wasn't fooling anyone – least of all me. The grin that stretched from ear to ear on his face, like a preening Cheshire cat, showed it for the lie it was. "We did it!" He cried, gathering me into his arms. I grinned. His elation was contagious. But still, none of this felt real. I was dazed and confused, walking through a dream without a guide.

"Seriously, Paul – what's the deal?" I pestered. Much as I was enjoying the public celebrations at my supposed freedom, right now it wasn't everything it was cracked up to be. What's that phrase? Freedom isn't free? It sure as hell felt that way to me… I'd have sacrificed all of this madness for just one more second with Roman – and for my first ever meeting with my son. At least, my first meeting not separated by a glass shield and two black telephones. I just wanted to hold him, to cradle him, to kiss him on the head and press him to my breast.

I knew why Roman held him so close.

"Ahem," Paul stuttered, pulling back and tidying his hair, as if to smooth over his momentary lapse of professionalism. "Quite, of course. Well, the protocol would normally be for the judge to rule the case closed, but as you can see –," he paused, and gestured out into the courtroom, which resembled a sports arena more than it did a firnament of the law. "It's a bit busy out there."

'A bit busy' was the understatement of the year.

"So you're telling me," I said, repeating it slowly, just to be certain. "That until everyone in here shuts the hell up, I'm stuck behind this damn screen, with my hands and feet chained together like a chain-gang worker?"

"Ah, yes," Paul said with momentary chagrin. "I can see how that would be a little… Galling."

I rolled my eyes at my lawyer's East Coast, upper-class understatement and studied my reflection in the plastic plexiglass screen that separated me from the rest of the courtroom. I grimaced at the picture my eyes showed me. My head hadn't seen a stylist's scissors in months – or even conditioner; my face looked tired and didn't bear even the slightest trace of makeup, and worst of all – most glaringly of all – the orange DOC jumpsuit radiated its fiery color back at me, brighter than the setting sun. I decided that it was up to me. And besides, it couldn't get any more embarrassing than this, having to wear an outfit that made me look like a giant lollipop…

I stood up. For all that everyone in the room was supposedly celebrating my freedom, I couldn't help but notice that there was barely an eye on me. In fact, only two – Roman's.

I cleared my throat, and Paul's curious eyes now joined Roman's. A two-man audience, now. Not impressive, but a start.

I rapped my knuckles against the glass screen.

"Excuse me," I squeaked, a plaintive sound that didn't reach so much as 5 feet into the crowd, and didn't turn a head.

I side, and tried again. This time with gusto. "Excuuusseeee me!" I bellowed, squeezing more air out of my lungs than I would have believed they could hold. The room fell silent in waves, like a gust of wind blowing across a field of golden wheat, rippling through, quelling pockets of sound that pushed back up on others, and then, finally, you could have heard a pin drop.

And now, every eye really was on me.

"That's better," I said softly, slightly embarrassed by the attention of the crowd. Even the judge's eyes were glued to me, which I was pretty sure wasn't the way things were supposed to work. I wanted to sink away, find a hole in the ground and crawl right into it, but I pulled myself up, until like a yoga pose my back was ramrod straight, and my chin parallel with the ground. "Thanks…" I croaked, cleared my voice, and continued. "I was kinda hoping we could get on with this?" I raised my hands, and the handcuffs linking them clinked as they rattled against each other. "It's just these things aren't the most comfortable…"

The crowd looked, as one, embarrassed. The judge, somewhat belatedly, brought his gavel down twice and said, "order," into the silent room.

Roman's eyes warmed, and his face split into a warm smile. His was the only reaction I cared about. It was like he was beaming one message through the air at me – atta girl.

The judge smiled. With a grin that reached the graying hair by his ears. "Bailiff, you can set her free. Case closed." Once again, he brought his gavel down, and once again the sound was lost to a roar of exultation.

I slumped back and closed my eyes.

It was over.