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smackenzieYelena got to keep Greg, and after they left, Catherine outlined her case in more detail and discussed her approach, which was a lot more mercenary and cut-throat than Val was entirely comfortable with. The more she talked, the more surprised he was that this was the first time he’d assisted with a case like this. He wasn’t sure he really liked it.
At the end of the meeting, Catherine announced that she got a hearing in front of a judge the coming Tuesday and since there was still a lot to do, she expected them to work late nights and over the weekend.
"This weekend?" Chad said, sounding unhappy.
"This weekend," Catherine repeated. "I expect to put in some hours on Sunday, but I think Saturday will be a big day. I'll expect you here around ten at the latest."
"Ten?"
"Ten. Nine or nine-thirty would be better. Are you hard of hearing, Chad? Do I need to send you a memo?"
"How long do you think we'll have to work?" Val asked. "My sister's going to be in town and I want to see her."
"Probably a full day." Catherine started gathering all her notes. "Assume eight hours."
"I can't work eight hours on Saturday. She's going home Saturday night - during the day is the only time I'll get to see her."
"Well, I suggest you tell her that you have to help prepare a very important case. If she's at all invested in your career, she should understand."
Actually, I think she's more invested in being able to spend the day with me, he thought.
"I need to get Greg back," Catherine muttered. "I need some of his time after all."
"Can I leave early?" Val asked her. He couldn't think of how he'd explain to his sister that he had to work all day and thus wouldn't be able to see her.
"It depends how much we get done. I wouldn't count on it."
"I... I can't do that. I can't stay all day. My sister lives in Texas. I see her maybe once a year. She'll be here less than twenty-four hours and I said I'd spend the day with her. She's going to call me after breakfast and I was going to pick her up at her hotel and go window-shopping." He was trying not to sound whiny, but at the same time he was a little afraid that he was whining anyway. Not that it mattered - Catherine wasn't really the kind of person who would cut you a lot of slack, regardless of how you explained yourself.
"Welcome to the law profession, Val. Sometimes you have to give up your free time. Think of something to tell her, because I expect to see you here Saturday morning. You all still have work to do. This is a big case and I want to be prepared when I present it to the judge next Tuesday." She collected all her things and walked out of the room.
"Shit," Val said. "What am I going to tell my sister?"
"Tell her you have to work," Gil suggested.
"I can't. She'll show up here and drag me away. She'll argue with me."
"Do you want to be a lawyer?"
"I thought so."
"This is what lawyers do. They make demands on their subordinates. And this is what prospective lawyers do - whatever the lawyers tell them."
"That's easy for you to say," Chad muttered. "You get to help her. You do more than research. What if I called in sick...."
"Your call." Gil shrugged. "This could be a really big case. It could be great experience. What's a really good job against a Saturday in the office?"
"You've never met Morgan," Val said.
"I have a life too, you know. I have to give things up for my job just like you do. This is the price you pay. How long have you been here, and you don't know that yet?"
"No, I knew it, I just... I want to see my sister."
"You can leave early," Gil said. "You'll have to make up the work, though. And Catherine won't be happy."
"I'll have to do that. I'll come in Sunday, stay late Monday, whatever. I can't tell Morgan I can't see her."
It wasn't just that Val wanted to see his sister - although he definitely did - it was also that he didn't want to argue with her or listen to her tell him that he didn't have to accept that kind of treatment. He didn't want her to be mad at him, and he just didn't feel right putting in hours at the law firm when his sister was in his city for the first time in years by some fluke of the Texas government and whichever department was in charge of making sure all the state troopers were fully trained and qualified and had the most up-to-date skills, or whatever Billy's training course was for.
So he'd just leave early on Saturday, which wasn't ideal, but it was better than nothing. He couldn't think of a good way to get out of having to work at all, aside from calling in sick, and he was still too honest and conscientious to do something like that. Besides, Catherine would know he was faking it.
He didn't relish the conversation with his sister, though.
When Val got back to his desk, he found a stack of folders, a binder, and a note - "I have an interesting project for you. Give me a call so we can talk about it. Ira." Val called him and left a message on his voice mail explaining that he was working on a big case for Catherine and Ira might have to clear it with her because Val wasn't sure how much extra time he'd have, but he'd like to discuss this new project anyway. Then he checked his own voice mail out of habit - no messages - and his email, which was the usual mass of forwarded-to-everyone-to-cover-my-ass messages, memos, and the Caswell Velez Malcolm and Simonson version of PSAs ("I'm running in the breast cancer awareness 5k in three weeks and am still taking donations", "Please clean up after yourself in the kitchen", "Whoever keeps trying to flush sanitary napkins down the toilet, the janitorial staff would like to remind you that the metal trash containers in the stalls are there for a reason, and they're tired of plunging the toilets").
He had deleted most of the useless email when Catherine called to remind him that he could do a lot of work from his desk, she didn't expect him to spend all his time in the library, she wasn't completely heartless. He just thanked her and told her he was getting back to work.
Two seconds after he hung up with her, the phone rang again, and this time it was Aidan.
"Come over for dinner Saturday," he said. "Stella and I have an idea we want to run by you."
"Does it involve late nights, cold weather, and the telescope?" Val asked. Stella was an amateur astronomer and sometimes liked to drive her self and her portable telescope far outside the city, away from all the ambient light, so she could watch for meteor showers and weird planetary rotations and the occasional comet. She usually managed to get Aidan to go with her, but so far she'd only asked Val once. He'd said no, although to be fair, Stella hadn't sounded entirely serious about him coming along, and she hadn't really sounded as if she thought he'd want to go. He did want to go, just not overnight where there was nowhere to sleep except Stella and Aidan's tiny two-person tent or the back of the SUV.
"No cold nights, I promise. Late nights, maybe. We'll have something besides chili. Ah, crap, I keep forgetting to bring you some."
"Don't worry about it. I have to work Saturday and my sister's going to be in town. I'm not sure I can make it."
"When's she leaving?"
"Late Saturday night, but I'm not sure what time."
"So come by after she leaves. We'll have an after-dinner drink or something. Coffee. Cake. Stupid movies on TV. Guitar Hero."
"I'm not playing you in Guitar Hero. You'll kick my ass."
"Yes I will." Val could hear Aidan grinning over the phone. "Whatever, we don't care. Give me a call when you know what time Morgan's going to be gone. I'll be awake whenever you come over, anyway."
"Ok. I can't promise anything."
"That's fine. We're flexible. Shit, stuff just appeared for me to do. Why can't I have time to fuck around and do nothing like all the other admins?"
"You're special," Val said.
"Damn straight. I'll let you get back to your work too. Saturday night, write it down."
"Ok, ok. Later."
He hung up, made a mental note about Saturday, figured he'd have to repay Stella and Aidan somehow for feeding him all the time, and then focused his brain on Catherine's work and tried to get stuff done.
That night, after Val got home, he called Morgan to explain that he had to work on Saturday, it was a huge case, could be really important with some great experience for him, he was really, really sorry, he couldn't spend the morning with her, but he'd leave the office earlier than the supervising lawyer wanted so he and Morgan could still have some time together.
"You're blowing me off for someone else's case?" Morgan clarified. She sounded annoyed, and understandably so. Val wasn't thrilled either.
"I have to. I don't have any cases of my own yet."
"That's not what I mean and you know it. You told this lawyer that your older sister who you never see was coming to visit, right? And you'd promised to show her around and take her window shopping, right? And she was going to buy you lunch and not give you shit about finding a nice girl to date, and you were going to have fun together."
"I tried."
"You tried? You didn't try very hard. Doesn't this lawyer know you have a life?"
"I don't think she has her own life, so she doesn't get that other people do. This is weird - usually you're the one telling me to work harder."
"Not when it interferes with seeing me on the one day I'll actually be in town. What kind of compensation do you get for working weekends?"
"A good review? I'm salaried, I don't get overtime."
"You need to talk about this with HR. If they're going to work you late nights and weekends, you should be getting compensated."
"I will be. Ok? I don't want to argue about this, Morgan. I don't have a choice. I have to go into work. I'm just as pissed as you are."
"I kind of doubt that. Knock off at one. That will still give us most of the afternoon."
"Two."
"Two?"
"I'll go in early and leave at two. It's the best I can do. I'm really sorry."
Morgan made an annoyed-but-agreeable "hmph" noise and added that she wasn't going to bother telling their mom about it.
"She wants me to bust my ass at Caswell Velez Malcolm and Simonson," Val said. "She'd probably be on my side."
"We'll see. I'll be there at two."
"What? You mean the office? You can't - "
"I said I wanted to see where you work, didn't I? I'll stay in the lobby if it will make you feel better. I won't say a word to this - what's her name?"
"Catherine. Don't bitch at her, she'll just take it out on me." And at this point he knew he didn't want to know what that would entail. He didn't love his job, and in fact he seemed to be loving it less and less each day, but he didn't want to be fired or given so little work that there was no point in staying there.
"I want you to be happy, Valentine. You're too young to overwork yourself. And Mom... Mom is wrong about this. I'll end the conversation here and I'll let you go and I'll see you on Saturday."
"Wait - when does your plane leave?"
"Eight-something. Billy wants to be there two hours early. I think he's crazy. Security's not going to be that bad."
"You need a ride?"
"Sure. Since we'll get to see so much less of you...."
"Stop it. I told you, I have to go to work. I can take you to the airport, though."
"Good. We'll see you Saturday. Good night. I love you."
"I love you too. Bye."
That hadn't gone quite as badly as Val had feared, although it probably meant that Morgan was going to give him an earful on Saturday, when he couldn't get away. Well, he'd deal with that when it happened. In the meantime, he'd be able to see her and Billy and not get to Aidan and Stella's too late. He'd definitely need a good swim in the morning, though. He had a feeling he'd need all the aquatic zen he could get.
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At the end of the meeting, Catherine announced that she got a hearing in front of a judge the coming Tuesday and since there was still a lot to do, she expected them to work late nights and over the weekend.
"This weekend?" Chad said, sounding unhappy.
"This weekend," Catherine repeated. "I expect to put in some hours on Sunday, but I think Saturday will be a big day. I'll expect you here around ten at the latest."
"Ten?"
"Ten. Nine or nine-thirty would be better. Are you hard of hearing, Chad? Do I need to send you a memo?"
"How long do you think we'll have to work?" Val asked. "My sister's going to be in town and I want to see her."
"Probably a full day." Catherine started gathering all her notes. "Assume eight hours."
"I can't work eight hours on Saturday. She's going home Saturday night - during the day is the only time I'll get to see her."
"Well, I suggest you tell her that you have to help prepare a very important case. If she's at all invested in your career, she should understand."
Actually, I think she's more invested in being able to spend the day with me, he thought.
"I need to get Greg back," Catherine muttered. "I need some of his time after all."
"Can I leave early?" Val asked her. He couldn't think of how he'd explain to his sister that he had to work all day and thus wouldn't be able to see her.
"It depends how much we get done. I wouldn't count on it."
"I... I can't do that. I can't stay all day. My sister lives in Texas. I see her maybe once a year. She'll be here less than twenty-four hours and I said I'd spend the day with her. She's going to call me after breakfast and I was going to pick her up at her hotel and go window-shopping." He was trying not to sound whiny, but at the same time he was a little afraid that he was whining anyway. Not that it mattered - Catherine wasn't really the kind of person who would cut you a lot of slack, regardless of how you explained yourself.
"Welcome to the law profession, Val. Sometimes you have to give up your free time. Think of something to tell her, because I expect to see you here Saturday morning. You all still have work to do. This is a big case and I want to be prepared when I present it to the judge next Tuesday." She collected all her things and walked out of the room.
"Shit," Val said. "What am I going to tell my sister?"
"Tell her you have to work," Gil suggested.
"I can't. She'll show up here and drag me away. She'll argue with me."
"Do you want to be a lawyer?"
"I thought so."
"This is what lawyers do. They make demands on their subordinates. And this is what prospective lawyers do - whatever the lawyers tell them."
"That's easy for you to say," Chad muttered. "You get to help her. You do more than research. What if I called in sick...."
"Your call." Gil shrugged. "This could be a really big case. It could be great experience. What's a really good job against a Saturday in the office?"
"You've never met Morgan," Val said.
"I have a life too, you know. I have to give things up for my job just like you do. This is the price you pay. How long have you been here, and you don't know that yet?"
"No, I knew it, I just... I want to see my sister."
"You can leave early," Gil said. "You'll have to make up the work, though. And Catherine won't be happy."
"I'll have to do that. I'll come in Sunday, stay late Monday, whatever. I can't tell Morgan I can't see her."
It wasn't just that Val wanted to see his sister - although he definitely did - it was also that he didn't want to argue with her or listen to her tell him that he didn't have to accept that kind of treatment. He didn't want her to be mad at him, and he just didn't feel right putting in hours at the law firm when his sister was in his city for the first time in years by some fluke of the Texas government and whichever department was in charge of making sure all the state troopers were fully trained and qualified and had the most up-to-date skills, or whatever Billy's training course was for.
So he'd just leave early on Saturday, which wasn't ideal, but it was better than nothing. He couldn't think of a good way to get out of having to work at all, aside from calling in sick, and he was still too honest and conscientious to do something like that. Besides, Catherine would know he was faking it.
He didn't relish the conversation with his sister, though.
When Val got back to his desk, he found a stack of folders, a binder, and a note - "I have an interesting project for you. Give me a call so we can talk about it. Ira." Val called him and left a message on his voice mail explaining that he was working on a big case for Catherine and Ira might have to clear it with her because Val wasn't sure how much extra time he'd have, but he'd like to discuss this new project anyway. Then he checked his own voice mail out of habit - no messages - and his email, which was the usual mass of forwarded-to-everyone-to-cover-my-ass messages, memos, and the Caswell Velez Malcolm and Simonson version of PSAs ("I'm running in the breast cancer awareness 5k in three weeks and am still taking donations", "Please clean up after yourself in the kitchen", "Whoever keeps trying to flush sanitary napkins down the toilet, the janitorial staff would like to remind you that the metal trash containers in the stalls are there for a reason, and they're tired of plunging the toilets").
He had deleted most of the useless email when Catherine called to remind him that he could do a lot of work from his desk, she didn't expect him to spend all his time in the library, she wasn't completely heartless. He just thanked her and told her he was getting back to work.
Two seconds after he hung up with her, the phone rang again, and this time it was Aidan.
"Come over for dinner Saturday," he said. "Stella and I have an idea we want to run by you."
"Does it involve late nights, cold weather, and the telescope?" Val asked. Stella was an amateur astronomer and sometimes liked to drive her self and her portable telescope far outside the city, away from all the ambient light, so she could watch for meteor showers and weird planetary rotations and the occasional comet. She usually managed to get Aidan to go with her, but so far she'd only asked Val once. He'd said no, although to be fair, Stella hadn't sounded entirely serious about him coming along, and she hadn't really sounded as if she thought he'd want to go. He did want to go, just not overnight where there was nowhere to sleep except Stella and Aidan's tiny two-person tent or the back of the SUV.
"No cold nights, I promise. Late nights, maybe. We'll have something besides chili. Ah, crap, I keep forgetting to bring you some."
"Don't worry about it. I have to work Saturday and my sister's going to be in town. I'm not sure I can make it."
"When's she leaving?"
"Late Saturday night, but I'm not sure what time."
"So come by after she leaves. We'll have an after-dinner drink or something. Coffee. Cake. Stupid movies on TV. Guitar Hero."
"I'm not playing you in Guitar Hero. You'll kick my ass."
"Yes I will." Val could hear Aidan grinning over the phone. "Whatever, we don't care. Give me a call when you know what time Morgan's going to be gone. I'll be awake whenever you come over, anyway."
"Ok. I can't promise anything."
"That's fine. We're flexible. Shit, stuff just appeared for me to do. Why can't I have time to fuck around and do nothing like all the other admins?"
"You're special," Val said.
"Damn straight. I'll let you get back to your work too. Saturday night, write it down."
"Ok, ok. Later."
He hung up, made a mental note about Saturday, figured he'd have to repay Stella and Aidan somehow for feeding him all the time, and then focused his brain on Catherine's work and tried to get stuff done.
That night, after Val got home, he called Morgan to explain that he had to work on Saturday, it was a huge case, could be really important with some great experience for him, he was really, really sorry, he couldn't spend the morning with her, but he'd leave the office earlier than the supervising lawyer wanted so he and Morgan could still have some time together.
"You're blowing me off for someone else's case?" Morgan clarified. She sounded annoyed, and understandably so. Val wasn't thrilled either.
"I have to. I don't have any cases of my own yet."
"That's not what I mean and you know it. You told this lawyer that your older sister who you never see was coming to visit, right? And you'd promised to show her around and take her window shopping, right? And she was going to buy you lunch and not give you shit about finding a nice girl to date, and you were going to have fun together."
"I tried."
"You tried? You didn't try very hard. Doesn't this lawyer know you have a life?"
"I don't think she has her own life, so she doesn't get that other people do. This is weird - usually you're the one telling me to work harder."
"Not when it interferes with seeing me on the one day I'll actually be in town. What kind of compensation do you get for working weekends?"
"A good review? I'm salaried, I don't get overtime."
"You need to talk about this with HR. If they're going to work you late nights and weekends, you should be getting compensated."
"I will be. Ok? I don't want to argue about this, Morgan. I don't have a choice. I have to go into work. I'm just as pissed as you are."
"I kind of doubt that. Knock off at one. That will still give us most of the afternoon."
"Two."
"Two?"
"I'll go in early and leave at two. It's the best I can do. I'm really sorry."
Morgan made an annoyed-but-agreeable "hmph" noise and added that she wasn't going to bother telling their mom about it.
"She wants me to bust my ass at Caswell Velez Malcolm and Simonson," Val said. "She'd probably be on my side."
"We'll see. I'll be there at two."
"What? You mean the office? You can't - "
"I said I wanted to see where you work, didn't I? I'll stay in the lobby if it will make you feel better. I won't say a word to this - what's her name?"
"Catherine. Don't bitch at her, she'll just take it out on me." And at this point he knew he didn't want to know what that would entail. He didn't love his job, and in fact he seemed to be loving it less and less each day, but he didn't want to be fired or given so little work that there was no point in staying there.
"I want you to be happy, Valentine. You're too young to overwork yourself. And Mom... Mom is wrong about this. I'll end the conversation here and I'll let you go and I'll see you on Saturday."
"Wait - when does your plane leave?"
"Eight-something. Billy wants to be there two hours early. I think he's crazy. Security's not going to be that bad."
"You need a ride?"
"Sure. Since we'll get to see so much less of you...."
"Stop it. I told you, I have to go to work. I can take you to the airport, though."
"Good. We'll see you Saturday. Good night. I love you."
"I love you too. Bye."
That hadn't gone quite as badly as Val had feared, although it probably meant that Morgan was going to give him an earful on Saturday, when he couldn't get away. Well, he'd deal with that when it happened. In the meantime, he'd be able to see her and Billy and not get to Aidan and Stella's too late. He'd definitely need a good swim in the morning, though. He had a feeling he'd need all the aquatic zen he could get.
words: 2143
total words: 15,770
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Date: 2008-11-11 04:40 am (UTC)