Title: "Forward Motion"
Author: Tracy
_______________________________________________________

DISCLAIMER: I don't own these people. David E. Kelley and Twentieth Century 
Fox and ABC  do own these people. However, I like to play with them, but I 
promise to put them back the way I found them when I'm finished. I'm not 
making any money, here, so please don't sue me. Thanks so much.

SUMMARY: Without giving anything away, this takes place a bit in the future, 
although not very far. And yes, it is about Bobby and Lindsay. I know there 
are those people who don't at all care for Bobby and Lindsay together, and I 
know that some people are sick of fanfics about them. My advice to those 
people is: DON"T READ THIS STORY! YOU WON'T LIKE IT! But, if you like B 
& L 
as much as I do, then please, read on. 


"Forward Motion" Part 1______________________________________

    Lindsay Dole was laying on the couch in Bobby's office, drifting back and 
forth between sleep and conscious. She had been in court since eight that 
morning, arguing a particularly difficult motion with a particularly 
obnoxious DA in front of a particularly cranky judge. Things hadn't gone very 
well, and she was quickly developing a whopping headache. It was now noon, 
and she was due back in court on another case at one thirty. It was just a 
bail hearing, so there really wasn't anything to prepare for. 
    "If I could just get some sleep......" she thought to herself, closing 
her eyes and drifting off again.

    Bobby came in then, slamming the door behind him, startling her out of 
her semi-dreamland. He was obviously angry, and didn't seem to notice she was 
in there. He paced in front of the window, clasping and unclasping his hands, 
muttering under his breath.

    "You're going to wear a hole in that carpet one of these days, Bobby," 
she teased gently from the couch.

    Bobby jumped a little, and then smiled. "Hey. I didn't see you over 
there. How did it go this morning?"

    "Let's not discuss it. I'm trying to get rid of this headache, not add to 
it."

    "Another headache? Lindsay, that's the millionth headache you've had 
since you took this case. Is it that stressful?" Bobby crossed over and sat 
down next to her on the couch, putting his hand on her forehead, trying to 
gauge her temperature.

    She shooed his hand away and smiled, looking up at him. "Yeah, it's 
stressful, but I'm okay. I've just been putting in a lot of time on this, and 
I'm think I'm kind of run down." She closed her eyes again and Bobby started 
to massage her temples. "What's your problem?" she asked him.

    "Huh?" 

    "You stormed in here, slammed the door and started pacing. What's going 
on?"

    "Nothing you need to worry about." he answered, not wanting to cause her 
any more tension. "Why don't you go home?"

    "Can't. Got court this afternoon."

    "I'll take it." Bobby was stroking her hair now, and she seemed to be 
fading into sleep.

    "Okay." she agreed, her eyelids feeling heavy. "I'll just rest here, 
though. Too tired to drive."

    Bobby leaned over his future wife and kissed her cheek. She looked cold, 
so he covered her with his suit jacket as she fell into a deep sleep. She had 
been completely wrapped up in this case recently, working long hours and 
getting almost no sleep. She was convinced her client was innocent, but the 
prosecution was equally certain he was guilty. The problem was that the DA 
had a lot of circumstantial evidence that seemed very damaging. Even though 
they lacked actual solid evidence, Lindsay knew that the odds where high that 
her client was going to prison for a long time. And so she'd been working 
hard to find loop holes  and witnesses and flaws in the DA's case. Bobby had 
barely seen her lately without her nose buried in a file folder.

    But her passion, not just for her work, but for everything, was one of 
the things Bobby loved most about her. He could hardly complain when she took 
on a tough case like this one, because he loved to watch her work. It was 
like she was on fire, although these headaches were new and concerning. 

    He sat behind his desk and watched her sleep, amazed, as always, at her 
beauty and at how lucky he was to have her in his life. But he frowned as he 
remembered why he had been so angry when he came into his office.

    He had met Lindsay's father for coffee. Mr. Dole had wanted to discuss 
something with Bobby and had asked that Bobby not tell Lindsay of their 
meeting. Bobby felt uncomfortable keeping anything from Lindsay, but when he 
spoke with Steven Dole, he understood why Lindsay's father wanted to keep 
things quiet.

    He was in trouble. Apparently, he'd had a mistress for more than seven 
years. Recently, he'd tried to break off the affair. The mistress was suing 
him for palimony, a sort of alimony for non married couples. The problem was 
that no one knew of his indiscretion, and a lawsuit would ruin him, 
personally and financially. He needed Bobby's help to make the suit, and his 
former lover, go away. He didn't want his wife or his children to know 
anything about it. And that meant that Bobby could not say anything about it 
to Lindsay. 

    "Crap." Bobby exhaled deeply, trying to decide what to do. Lindsay's dad 
had wanted Bobby to handle his case for him, because he knew Bobby could get 
it done and done well. But Bobby was unsure about it. He didn't want to hide 
this from Lindsay. She was already worried that he didn't share enough with 
her. How would she feel if she ever found out he purposely kept something 
this important from her? 

    "She'd hate it," he realized. He couldn't tell her about the meeting with 
her father, because of attorney-client privilege and he didn't think it was 
his place to say anything. But he certainly didn't have to take the case, 
either. There were lots of other lawyers in town. Let one of them do it.

    With that decision made, he went out to Lucy's desk to get the file for 
the bail hearing her was covering for Lindsay.

_______________________________________________________

    Bobby was back in the building at a quarter after two, after successfully 
getting a low bail for Lindsay's client. He walked into the office to find 
Ellenor and Lucy standing next to the bathroom door, looking concerned at the 
retching noises that were coming from inside.

    "I didn't think Jimmy had anything big on the Connors trial until next 
week?" he half asked and half stated.

    "Uh, that's not Jimmy puking in there. It's Lindsay." Lucy answered as 
the toilet flushed.

    "Lindsay?" Bobby's expression immediately became worried.

    "She's been in there almost twenty minutes, Bobby." Ellenor was obviously 
sympathetic to Lindsay's illness. "Send her home and make her stay there 
tomorrow, too. She seems pretty sick."

    Ellenor and Lucy moved away from the door as it opened, Lindsay slowly 
emerging. When she saw everyone looking at her, she gave a small smile.

    "Migraine." she said, by way of explanation, all the while holding on to 
the door frame as though she may fall down if she didn't.

    Bobby stepped forward and wrapped his arm around her waist, supporting 
her. "C'mon. I'm taking you home."

    "But......"

    "No buts. This is ridiculous, Lindsay. You are knocking yourself out for 
this client and it's taking it's toll on you. You're going home and you are 
staying home tomorrow, too. You need to relax and sleep and get better." As 
Lindsay opened her mouth to speak, Bobby continued. "And you're not taking 
any work home with you, either." 

    When Lindsay closed her mouth and nodded weakly in agreement, Lucy looked 
at Ellenor and said "You know she's sick if she gave up work that easily." 
Ellenor nodded in agreement. Lindsay was stubborn. Ellenor was surprised she 
wasn't arguing with Bobby about how much work she had to do. She made a 
mental note to call Lindsay later and see how she was feeling.
_________________________________________________________

    Lindsay leaned her head against the passenger side window as Bobby drove 
her home. All she wanted right then was her bed, but she tried desperately to 
get her mind off of how she felt.

    "So, what got you so riled up this morning?"

    "Oh, a client meeting." Bobby answered evasively.

    "Who?"

    "Actually, I decided not to take the case. The whole thing left a bad 
taste in my mouth."

    "And so you were mad because......."

    "It doesn't matter. He's not my client now." Bobby realized then that 
keeping this from Lindsay was more difficult than he initially thought it 
would be.

    "Mmm." Lindsay shuddered.

    "What?" Bobby stole glances at her while trying to drive at the same time.

    "Just nauseous."

    "Are you going to be sick?" Bobby asked, scanning the side of the road 
for someplace he could pull over if needed.

    "No." she whispered.

    "I didn't even know you got migraines like this."

    "I don't get them often. I got them in college some. I guess I need to 
take better care of myself. This case just exhausted me."

    "Well, we're almost home. I'll tuck you in and you can sleep as long as 
you want."

    "Bobby, it's the middle of the afternoon. If I sleep now, I'll be up half 
the night." While sleeping sounded wonderful to her right then, she didn't 
want to be awake at two in the morning.

    "Whatever you want to do is fine with me. As long as you get to feeling 
better." He pulled into their apartment complex and found his parking space. 
He helped Lindsay out of the car and to the elevator, never letting go of 
her. She leaned on him heavily, although she weighed hardly anything.

    Once they were inside their apartment, Lindsay made her way slowly to the 
bedroom as Bobby went to the medicine cabinet to get her some aspirin. By the 
time he got back to her, she had stripped down to her bra and panties, and 
was resting on top of the covers. She opened her eyes as he held out the 
medicine and a glass of water. She sat up and took them from him, drinking 
down the pills and water.

    "Thank you." she whispered. Bobby pulled a blanket over her, and kissed 
her forehead.

    "I'm in the living room if you need me." 

    "Okay."

    Bobby closed the door softly behind him as Lindsay drifted off for 
another nap.

Forward Motion Part 2_______________________________________

    Lindsay awoke about two hours later, her headache somewhat abated. She 
sat up slowly and combed her fingers through her hair. She could hear Bobby's 
muffled voice through the door, although she couldn't make out what he was 
saying. She didn't hear anyone else talking so she assumed he was on the 
phone. He sounded agitated, that much she could tell. She sighed and walked 
to the bathroom to wash her face. She heard Bobby nearly shouting as she 
walked past the closed bedroom door.

    "Absolutely not!" Bobby was hollering.

    "Great. Just what we need. Both of us totally stressed out. Bobby can get 
angry and yell and I'll get sick headaches. What fun we'll be." she thought 
ruefully. But she knew it was part of the territory with what they did for a 
living. They would both just have to learn not to take their work home with 
them.

    "Oh sure, Lindsay. You've been so stressed out, you haven't even gotten 
your period." She laughed at herself.

    But then her heart stopped cold. Slowly, Lindsay walked to the calendar 
on the bedroom wall and started to count days, then weeks, then a month.

    "Oh my God." she said out loud. Her stomach lurched as she ran for the 
toilet, knowing she was going to vomit. And she did, even though after that 
afternoon, she didn't think she had anything left in her stomach.

    When it was over, Lindsay began to cry. "Oh God, oh God" she cried 
silently, over and over.

    Bobby found her there, on the cold floor of the bathroom, sobbing. He was 
kneeling next to her in a flash, stroking her hair, murmuring comforting 
words, kissing her hair.

    "Sweetheart, it's okay. You'll feel better, I promise. It's just stress. 
I'll get Eugene to help you, to relieve the pressure, okay? Shhhh. It's all 
right." Lindsay rocked wordlessly back and forth. 

    But when he helped her up off the floor and helped her back to the bed, 
she found her voice.

    "Bobby....."

    "What, Baby?"

    "Ironic choice of wording." She attempted to make light of what she was 
about to say.

    "What?"

    "I'm not stressed out." Lindsay knew there was no real way to cushion 
what she needed to tell him.

     Bobby sighed with frustration. "Well, these headaches are not normal. I 
mean, ever since this case landed on your desk you've been working crazy 
hours and neglecting yourself. And now look at you. Exhaustion, headaches, 
sick to your stomach. I've never seen you like this. And I know you're not 
sleeping through the nights, either. Three times this week I've woken up in 
the middle of the night and you're not in bed. This can't go on, Lindsay. You 
are wearing yourself out."

    "I'm not stressed out." she repeated.

    "Oh really?" Bobby answered sarcastically. "Then what's going on? Because 
last I checked, these were not signs of a healthy person."

    Lindsay started to cry again and Bobby felt his heart breaking just 
looking at her. "Why do I have to say things like that?" he asked himself.

     He sat down next to her and pulled her into his arms. He felt more than 
a little worried now. Was something horribly wrong?

    "Sweetheart, tell me, then. What is it? What's wrong?"

    She looked up at him and he saw the indecision in her eyes. Whatever it 
was, she was afraid to say it.

    "Whatever it is, we'll get through it. But you're scaring me now, 
Lindsay. What's going on? Tell me, please." He was almost begging her now.

    She slowly pulled herself away from him and looked into his eyes. She saw 
fear and concern and love there. She gave him a small smile and took a deep 
breath, wondering what his reaction would be.

    "I'm pregnant."

_________________________________________________________


Well, what did ya think? I know it's short, but I think most of you will like 
where this story is going. But did you know that authors who don't get 
feedback often lose the will to write? Isn't that sad? So save me from a fate 
worse than writer's block and tell me what you think. If I'm feeling 
creative, part 3 will be up later tonight. Otherwise, don't look for it until 
Wednesday. Thanks for reading!
~Tracy

Forward Motion part 3______________________________________


    Bobby stared at Lindsay, disbelievingly. 

    "What?"

    Lindsay swallowed and said it again, still getting used to the idea 
herself. "I'm pregnant."

    Bobby sat totally still, apparently in shock. Lindsay's mind raced 
through the possible things he could be thinking. "He's probably stunned." 
she thought. "Hell, I'm stunned."

    "Pregnant?" Bobby echoed. Lindsay nodded slowly, her eyes cast downward 
toward her lap, half afraid to look at him.

    "Look, Bobby, I know......" but Bobby cut her off in mid sentence.

    "We're gonna have a baby?" There was a catch in his voice.

    Lindsay nodded again, this time daring to look up into his face. What she 
saw there took her by surprise.

    Bobby had the biggest, goofiest smile on his face that she had ever seen. 
His eyes were bright with tears and he looked genuinely happy.

    "We're gonna have a baby." Bobby stated it this time, as if getting used 
to saying it. "Lindsay...... I......" 

    "I don't know what to say, Bobby. I never meant for this to happen, at 
least not now, not yet. But you and I both know that we probably weren't 
always as careful as we should have been. I just....... I'm not sure what to 
think or say. I'm not sure what to do."

    Bobby brushed a lingering tear off her face with his thumb. "What do you 
mean?" he asked gently.

    "Well, are you ready for this?"

    "Is anybody really ever ready for this?"

    "You know what I mean. Some people plan it, want it. We didn't." Lindsay 
didn't like feeling that her child, their child, was unwanted.

    Bobby tilted Lindsay's chin up with two fingers until she was forced to 
meet his gaze. "Maybe we didn't plan this. Maybe it's not how we thought it 
would be. But Lindsay, don't you ever think for one minute that this child 
wasn't wanted. Agreed, the timing is kind of off, but I cannot imagine 
anything more amazing than the fact that you are carrying my child. Yes, this 
is a little backwards. Most people get engaged, get married and have babies, 
in that order. But so what? We're just a little ahead of the game, that's 
all."

    Lindsay tried to absorb what Bobby was saying. "So, you're not upset? 
You're not mad?"

    "No, I'm not mad or upset." A thought suddenly occurred to him. "Are you 
upset, Lindsay?"

    "Right now, I'm just sort of.....stunned, I guess."

    "How long have you known?"

    Lindsay looked at the bedroom clock. "About ten minutes. So about five 
minutes longer than you."

    "But you suspected, right? And you didn't say anything? Lindsay, is that 
why you haven't been sleeping at night? Were you afraid to tell me?"

    Lindsay shook her head vigorously. "No, Bobby. I had no clue until just 
now. It just sort of occurred to me all of a sudden. And then everything kind 
of made sense. I counted days on the calendar and I completely skipped my 
period last month and I should have gotten it two days ago for this month. 
Honestly, I had just chalked it up to stress, too, but now......."

    "We're going to be parents." Bobby took in a deep breath, and slowly let 
it out. "Wow."

    "Yeah." Lindsay looked back down at her lap. "I should go to the doctor, 
I guess. I mean, so we know for sure."

    "You think you might not be right?"

    "No. I'm sure I'm pregnant. Between the missed periods and the headaches 
and the throwing up, there is not much room for doubt." She attempted a 
smile. "How do you feel?"

    Bobby took her hands in his and returned her smile. "I feel surprised and 
nervous and confused and uncertain. I don't know what to do next. Do I need 
to learn how to change a diaper? Do we need to sign up for Lamaze classes? 
Where do you buy those little tiny baby bath tubs? There is so much that I 
don't know about babies and the things that go with them. But there are two 
things I know for sure."

    "And what are they?" Lindsay closed her eyes as he touched her cheek with 
the back of his hand.

    "I know that I love you. And I know that you will be an amazing mother." 
He kissed her forehead, then her cheek and then her lips.

    She smiled at him again, bigger this time. "Bobby?"

    "Hmmm?" 

    "Thank you."

    "For......"

    "For everything. I love you, too."

    "You are very, very welcome." He squeezed her hand.

    "And yes, Bobby, you will need to learn how to change a diaper."

    And they held each other close and laughed, prepared to deal together 
with this new surprise that had just been dealt to them.

_________________________________________________________

Part 4 is on the way.  Personally, this is a really fun story for me to 
write. I hope it's just as much fun for you to read. Let me know! And as 
always, thanks for reading!

Forward Motion Part 4________________________________________

    Lindsay and Bobby had sat up late into the night talking about where 
their lives were headed now that they were expecting a baby. They had both 
agreed it was too soon to make any real concrete decisions, since the idea of 
having a baby was still so new to them. 

    As Lindsay lay in bed after Bobby had fallen asleep, she reran one 
particular topic of conversation over and over in her head.

    Their wedding plans.

    Bobby saw no reason to speed things up. The wedding was only four months 
away. All the planning was done, all of the deposits had been paid. It was 
exactly the kind of wedding Lindsay had always imagined she would have. But 
now there was one small flaw in her ideal day.

    She would be visibly pregnant. 

    That wasn't something that she had ever pictured in her mind when she 
thought of her wedding. And it wasn't that she was embarrassed or anything. 
It was just that the whole idea of a big church wedding, with her in a 
beautiful white gown with her father giving her away would just seem so.....so
    
    "Hypocritical." she thought grimly. It would be quite obvious to everyone 
there that a white dress was not exactly accurate.  And she so wanted to feel 
beautiful on her wedding day. Could she feel beautiful when she looked like 
she was carrying a small basketball inside her dress? She didn't know if she 
could.

    The problem was that the big wedding was important to Bobby, too. He had 
done most of the planning and he was so excited for it. He'd be disappointed 
if she said she didn't want to wait for the big ceremony.

    She sighed as she turned onto her side to get more comfortable. She 
needed to get more rest than she had been getting if she was going to take 
care of herself and the baby. She tried hard to think of something else while 
she attempted to fall asleep. And when, at last, she did sleep, she dreamed 
of pushing a baby stroller around the park with Bobby at her side.

_________________________________________________________

    Bobby woke up before the alarm the next morning. He looked over and saw 
Lindsay sleeping soundly next to him.

    "A baby." he whispered quietly to himself. He was totally shocked at last 
night's revelations. But he had also never been more excited. There was only 
one thing concerning him.

    Lindsay didn't seem to want to wait anymore to get married. She hadn't 
said much after she first brought it up, but he could tell something was 
bothering her. He just couldn't tell what it was. Of course, so much of what 
had been discussed last night was so new and surprising, maybe she was just 
trying to figure everything out. He could understand her desire not to wait 
four more months until they got married, after all, they were about to be a 
family of three. But everything was planned and paid for, there wasn't really 
any reason not to wait either. 

    Bobby slipped out of bed quietly, so as not to wake Lindsay, and made a 
pact with himself to talk to Lindsay about it that same day. If they were 
going to be a successful couple, as well as successful parents, they were 
going to have to learn to talk everything out and not keep everything bottled 
up like they both tended to do. He silently closed the bedroom door behind 
him as he went to make himself some coffee, allowing Lindsay to get as much 
sleep as she possibly could.
_________________________________________________________

    About an hour later, Lindsay was standing in the kitchen watching Bobby 
drink his second cup of coffee.

    "What?" Bobby asked, wondering why she was staring at him.

    "I want coffee." she said, pouting.

    "I made enough for both of us."

    "Pregnant women can't drink coffee."

    "Oh. I don't think I knew that." Bobby sympathetically dumped his 
remaining coffee down the sink. "There. From now on we'll both be caffeine 
deprived, OK?"

    "OK. Thanks. At least we can have withdrawals together." Lindsay smiled 
at him, thinking to herself what a sweet gesture it was for him to give up 
coffee with her.

    "Yeah. We can be cranky together, too. Poor Lucy better watch herself or 
she'll really catch hell from the both of us."

    "Don't mess with a pregnant woman. Her emotions are unpredictable at 
best." Lindsay recited, thinking of various friends she'd had who had been 
emotionally up and down through their pregnancies.

    "So, are we telling them? The people at the office, I mean?" Bobby asked.

    "Let's wait a little. Maybe after I go to the doctor, so that we have a 
due date and stuff to tell them."

    "OK." Bobby checked the clock on the microwave. "I gotta go. I've got a 
deposition at nine." He grabbed his briefcase and kissed her cheek. "Are you 
going to call the doctor?"

    "Yeah. Maybe I can get in today, since I'm supposed to be home sick, 
remember?"

    "That's right. I'll just tell them you have the flu." he answered, 
remembering that Ellenor had ordered him to make Lindsay stay home that day. 
"I'll call you later."

    "I don't want to be a pregnant bride." Lindsay blurted suddenly.

    Bobby turned slowly to face her, caught off guard by the sudden change in 
topic. "What?" he asked.

    "I don't want to be obviously pregnant on our wedding day. If we wait 
until the day we've planned on, it will be pretty obvious that our birth 
control skills were a little lacking. I don't want to look pregnant when we 
get married."

    "Why? I mean, we obviously aren't getting married because you're 
pregnant."

    "I know. I just....... I can't explain it. That's just not what I want. I 
guess I don't want people to think that us having a big church wedding is 
some kind of joke, since I'll be so obviously pregnant." Lindsay was trying 
hard to explain her reasoning.

    "Who cares what people think?" Bobby didn't get where Lindsay was coming 
from.

    "Unfortunately, I do. I know I shouldn't, but I do."

    Bobby checked his watch. "Look, I really have to go. But I want to talk 
about this, I do. When I come home, we will figure this out, OK?"  When 
Lindsay nodded, Bobby said "OK. I love you." and was out the door before she 
could respond.

_________________________________________________________

Part 5 will be up within the next three days or so, if you're interested. 
Feedback is welcome, even begged for. Thanks for reading!

Forward Motion Part 5________________________________________

    Bobby was having a hard time concentrating on the deposition at hand. All 
he could think of was Lindsay's change of heart regarding their wedding 
plans. He did partially understand what she was saying. She didn't want the 
magic of their wedding day to be undermined by the attitudes that people 
might have once they realized she was pregnant. But he didn't care what 
people thought. And besides all the people that were really important to he 
and Lindsay would already know about the baby. The only ones who wouldn't 
would be distant friends and relatives, and what they thought didn't make one 
bit of difference to Bobby. 

    "But it does matter to Lindsay." he sighed inwardly, knowing there was 
probably no way they would both be one hundred percent happy with whatever 
solution they came up with.

    "Mr. Donnell?" the opposing lawyer was looking at him expectantly.

    "I'm sorry. What were you saying?"

    "I asked if we might finish this tomorrow, since my client is not feeling 
well."

    "Sure, that would be fine. Say one o'clock at my office?" Bobby was 
grateful for the chance to escape, however temporary.

    "Fine, tomorrow at one." The other attorney stood up to leave, but not 
before adding "Maybe tomorrow you could grace us with your full attention."

    Bobby and his client, Beth, watched as the lawyer and his client left. 
Then Beth turned to Bobby and said snidely "I'm not paying you to daydream 
through my case. If you can't do the job, I'll find somebody else."

    "I'm sorry. A personal issue caught me off guard this morning, so I'm a 
little off my game. I'll be ready tomorrow."

    "I hope so." she snapped and with that she walked out. Bobby was not 
particularly sorry to see her go, and if it weren't for the revenue she was 
bringing to the firm, he wouldn't even have been very sorry if she did find 
herself another lawyer.

    "I'll call Lindsay now. Maybe we can meet for lunch and talk this out. 
I'm not going to be able to get through the day at the rate I'm going." He 
reached for the conference room phone just as Lucy barreled through the door.

    "Steven Dole is on line two for you. Is that Lindsay's dad?"

    "Thank you, Lucy." Bobby tried to dismiss his nosy office manager, but 
she was too curious.

    "So what is it? Are you getting in good with her parents already, or his 
he calling because you did something wrong?"

    "Lucy!" Bobby warned.

    "Just wondering. You know, it never hurts to grease your future in laws."

    Bobby didn't respond. He just pointed at the door.

    "OK, OK. I'm going." Lucy shut the door before Bobby picked up the phone.

    "Hi Steven. What can I do for you?" Bobby listened for a few seconds, his 
eyes widening as Lindsay's father spoke. "I'll be there in twenty minutes." 
He said and slammed down the phone.

_________________________________________________________

    When Bobby arrived at the address Steven Dole had given him he found a 
scene of utter chaos. There were uniformed police officers everywhere and 
yellow crime scene tape was blocking off an entire floor of the apartment 
building. Residents of the building were being questioned one by one and 
their were numerous other people standing around trying to figure out what 
had happened. Steven Dole was sitting in the hallway when Bobby found him.

    "Steven, what the hell is going on? I had to get past four different cops 
before I got up here. What happened?"

    "She's dead and they think I did it."

    "Who?"

    "The police." Steven Dole was obviously in a state of shock.

    "No, I mean who's dead?" Bobby was dreading the answer.

    "Diana." He paused and looked at Bobby "My mistress."

    "Steven, I already told you, I cannot be the one to help you on this."

    "That was for the lawsuit, this is different. I think I'm in some serious 
trouble, here. I'm going to need the best representation I can get and that's 
you and your firm."

    "What about Lindsay? I can't keep this from her. We don't hide secrets 
from each other. I won't shut her out. She'll have to know." Bobby was not 
going to hide anything from Lindsay. It had been hard enough to keep her from 
finding out about his first meeting with her father. There was no way he 
would even try to keep this from her.

    "I wish I hadn't kept so many secrets. I think I'd be better off right 
now if I hadn't."

    Bobby nodded grimly "You're right. Your affair with this woman is going 
to make you their number one suspect and her lawsuit against you isn't going 
to help us. We have to figure out who else could have done this and start 
pointing fingers. What have you told the police so far?"

    "Nothing. I said I had to call my lawyer."

    "Good. Do you know who found the body?"

    "Yes." Steven Dole swallowed hard. "I did. I called the police."

    "You found her? What were you doing here?"

    "I wanted to talk to her. I thought maybe we could work things out 
quietly. But when I got here, she was dead."

    "Steven?" Lindsay's father was sitting with his head in his hands. 
"Steven, look at me. Normally, I don't ask this, but this time I've got to 
know." Bobby paused. "Did you do it? Did you kill her?"

    Steven looked up at Bobby, before looking back down at his lap. "No." he 
answered, after what seemed like forever. "No, I didn't kill her."

    "I would say," said Bobby looking around at the crime scene "that we have 
our work cut out for us."

    "Mr. Dole?" Detective Mike Maguire came around the corner. "Hey Bobby. 
You his lawyer?" 

    "Yeah, for now anyway."

    "OK. We're ready for your statement now, Mr. Dole, if you'll just follow 
me."

    "I'll be right there. Go ahead, but don't start without me. I have to 
make a call." Bobby dialed his home number as Mr. Dole trailed Detective 
Maguire into another room.

    "Hello?" said Lindsay's voice on the other end of the phone.

    "Hi, Beautiful."

    "Bobby! I'm so glad you called. I'm sorry about this morning. I shouldn't 
have sprung it on you like that."

    "That's all right. We'll talk about it when I get home. I promise, we'll 
figure everything out. But it might be a late night for me so if you're 
tired, then don't wait up. One more day won't make a difference."

    "I'll be up when you get here." Bobby could tell she was smiling on the 
other end of the phone, no doubt relieved that he was willing to talk about 
the wedding rather than keep his feelings locked up in his "vault", as she 
often called it. "Why are you going to be late? New case?"

    "Yeah. We're gonna have to talk about that, too, when I get home."

    "I'm going to the doctor at three. But I took one of those home tests 
this morning."

    "And?"

    "I'm still pregnant."

    Now it was Bobby's turn to smile. Just the idea of Lindsay bearing his 
child was incredible to him. "Okay. We'll see what the doctor says. Call me 
when you get back."

    "I will. I love you, Bobby."

    "I love you, too, Sweetheart."

    "Bye."

    "Bye." As Bobby hung up, he thought of Steven Dole and the horrible 
situation he was in. Had Steven ever felt about his wife the way he felt 
about Lindsay? And if so, what had happened to drive him into the arms of a 
mistress for seven years? And what was going to happen to him now?

    But the question that haunted Bobby the most was not any of those. He was 
much more concerned with how Lindsay would react to the horrible news he 
would have to tell her tonight. That her father was a suspect in the murder 
of a woman he'd been sleeping with for seven years. How would she feel? What 
would she do? And most of all, what could he do to help her through it?

    All of these questions whirled like tornadoes in Bobby's head as he went 
in to hear Steven Dole's statement.

___________________________________________________________

Part 6 should be up within the next day or two. It is a little known fact 
that feedback increases typing speed. So the more I get, the faster I type. 
The faster I type, the faster you see the next installment. So be sure to let 
me know if you liked it. And, as always, thanks for reading!

Forward Motion Part 6______________________________________

    What was going to be a statement ended up being more like a questioning. 
Maguire talked to Steven Dole for over two hours, asking him questions over 
and over and over again, trying to pick out inconsistencies in his story. 
When he asked him "What did you do when you first saw Miss Powers lying on 
the floor?" for the fourth time, Bobby put an end to it.

    "C'mon. That's enough. There isn't anything left to tell. Either arrest 
him or let him go." Bobby knew Maguire had already focused on Steven Dole as 
the main suspect.

    "OK." Then turning to Lindsay's father Maguire said, "But don't leave 
town, Mr. Dole. We'll need to talk to you again." And then he left the room.

    After a long silence, Steven spoke. "It's bad, isn't it?"

    "Yeah. It's bad." Bobby could feel his temper start to flare. "But what's 
worse is that I have to go home and look your daughter in the eye and tell 
her about this. With any luck, you might just get out of your problem. But I 
still have to go home and break your daughter's heart by telling her that you 
are not at all what she believes you to be." He knew his blood was starting 
to boil.

    "I know."

    "Do you know that she almost didn't move in with me because she was 
afraid you would disapprove? You and your high moral standards." Bobby's 
voice cracked with anger. "And now I have to look her in the eye and tell her 
that you judge her by a different set morals than you have for yourself. She 
adores you. You can do no wrong. She has said more than once that she wants 
us to have the same kind of affectionate, wonderful, loving marriage as you 
and Grace have had. And for the last seven years that marriage that she so 
admires has been nothing but a lie."

    "I know." repeated Mr. Dole.

    "You know." Bobby could hear the disgust in his own voice. "Is that all 
you have to say? That you know? What am I supposed to say to Lindsay? Tell me 
how I'm supposed to break this to her, since you know so much."

    "Look, Bobby, I can't answer that for you. If you don't want to tell her, 
then I'll tell her. But first, I have to go home and tell my own wife that I 
am a suspect in the murder of a woman who I'd been seeing for the last seven 
years. That's something that is just as difficult for me as telling Lindsay 
is for you."

    "You made your own bed, Sir. So don't ask me to feel sorry for you now 
that you have to lie in it. The people I feel sorry for are the one who are 
about to be hurt by what you've done. I don't pity you for having to tell 
them. I feel sorry for them because they have to hear it. They have to live 
with it. You are the one who cheated on your wife. You are the one who is 
responsible for this mess, but the rest of us are suffering for it." Bobby 
yanked his coat off the back of the chair and his briefcase off the table. He 
opened the door and stepped out before delivering one last angry blow to his 
future father in law.

    "I hope she was worth breaking your family's heart." And he slammed the 
door behind him.
_________________________________________________________

    Once he was back at the office, Bobby sat at his desk and tried to figure 
out the next best step in defending Steven Dole. He was quite certain that 
Maguire was looking hard at Steven as a suspect. Bobby wanted to be prepared 
in case Steven was arrested, so he poured over the notes he had taken during 
the questioning.

    Steven had said that he had met a friend for a game of racquetball at ten 
o'clock. They had played for about a half an hour when his friend, Bert, 
pulled a muscle, and ended the game early. Bert had gone home, Steven had 
taken a shower at the gym. Bobby was sure Maguire had people working on 
verifying that. It took about five minutes to get to Diana Powers' apartment 
from the gym. That still left around thirty-five minutes unaccounted for 
between the approximate time Steven left the gym and the time he called the 
police.

    "What the hell was he doing in those thirty-five minutes?" Bobby wondered 
out loud, just before Lucy's voice over the speaker phone jolted him out of 
his thoughts.

    "A very rude Helen Gamble is on line one for you."

    "Thanks, Lucy."

    "Tell her that it wouldn't kill her to be more pleasant. I bet that's why 
she doesn't have a boyfriend. She's always so irritable. I......."

    "Lucy?"

    "What?"

    "Be quiet."

    "Just my opinion."

    "I'm not interested in your opinion on Helen Gamble's love life. 
Although, if you really want to get an ear full, why don't you tell it to 
Helen. I'm sure she'd be thrilled. In the mean time, could you just put her 
call through, please?"

    "OK, Grouchy Boss Man."

    "Thank you." Bobby waited until he heard the line click over to Helen. 
"Helen, what's up?"

    "Why don't you tell me, Bobby?"

    "Excuse me?" 

    "I just got this file on my desk about a new case. The murder of a woman."

    "So?" stalled Bobby, his stomach in an instant knot just knowing what she 
was about to say.

    "Bobby? Is this for real?"

    "Yeah. It's for real."

    "Oh my God! Did he do it?"

    "Helen! You know I can't tell you that."

    "Well, I know Steven Dole. There is no way he killed this woman."

    "Did you ever think he was capable of cheating on his wife for seven 
years?"

    "No." answered Helen.

    "Neither did I. Maybe we don't know him as well as we thought."

    "Are you telling me he did this?"

    "No. I'm not saying that at all. I'm just saying he's not the man 
everyone apparently thought he was."

    "How's Lindsay?"

    "I haven't told her yet."

    "Uh, Bobby?"

    "What?"

    "Mike is getting a warrant to search the Steven's car and gym locker 
right now. We're just waiting for an answer on time of death. If that matches 
the time frame we're looking at Steven for, he's going to be arrested for 
murder. It will be all over the five o'clock news. You'd better tell her 
before she hears it somewhere else first."

    "Why would it be on the news?" Bobby could feel the little hairs on the 
back of his neck prickling, knowing what Helen was about to tell him could 
not possibly be good.

    "Are you kidding me? You really don't know?"

    "Know what, Helen?" Bobby was becoming irritated.

    "Diana Powers was the Mayor's step daughter."
_________________________________________________________

    Across town, as Bobby was receiving his third piece of shocking news that 
day, Lindsay sat in the waiting room of her doctor's office, nervously 
picking at her fingernails. She looked around at all the other women in the 
room. Two of them were not pregnant, at least not visibly so, but the rest 
were all farther along in various stages pregnancy. One woman looked ready to 
deliver right there in the lobby.

    "Lindsay Dole?" the nurse called out.

    Lindsay stood up and went over to the door. "Hi."

    "Hello. How are you?" The nurse smiled kindly at Lindsay.

    "I'm good." Lindsay answered as the door to the lobby shut behind them.

    "Well, let me weigh you and get your history and all that fun stuff, 
okay?"

    "Okay." Lindsay kicked off her shoes and got on the scale.

    "My, you're just a wisp of a girl, aren't you?" 

    Lindsay smiled at the nurse's terminology. Her own grandmother had often 
used that exact same phrase. The nurse reminded her a little of her grandma. 
It was kind of a comforting thought.

    "Okay, go ahead and step down. Follow me in here." Nurse Larkin, as her 
name tag read, lead Lindsay into a small exam room. Lindsay took a seat on 
the paper covered table and the nurse grabbed a chair.

    "You look a bit nervous, Dear." Nurse Larkin commented.

    "I am."

    "Well, let's just get your history down and the doctor will come in and 
talk to you."

    Lindsay nodded and began to answer the questions posed by the nurse, all 
the while wondering if she was really ready for the way her life was about to 
change.

    There was no doubt in her mind that she wanted to spend the rest of her 
life with Bobby. He was everything she could ever have wanted in a husband 
and she loved him more than she had ever thought possible. But this baby..... 
now.......she didn't know if she was ready.

    "But it's a little late to be worrying about that at this point." she 
scolded herself. She was nervous, no doubt about it. She was also incredibly 
grateful that Bobby had been so excited about the baby. She'd expected him to 
be upset or angry. He'd surprised her, and she was glad about that.

    "All right, Dear." Nurse Larkin stood up to leave. "Doctor Jackson will 
be in to see you in a few minutes."

    "Thank you."

    Lindsay began to pick at her fingernails again as she waited. She was 
anxious, although she pretty much knew what the doctor would say. It would 
just be nice to hear an actual medical opinion, instead of her own instincts 
and a home test from a box. She looked at the pictures on the wall over the 
doctor's writing table.

    There were dozens upon dozens of baby pictures. Babies alone, babies with 
siblings, babies with mothers, babies with fathers, babies with mothers and 
fathers. And suddenly, Lindsay found herself excited to add her baby's 
picture to that wall.

    "Maybe I'm ready after all." she thought to herself, just as the doctor 
opened the door.

_________________________________________________________

Part 7 is on the way. This is fun! Feedback is adored, as usual. Thanks for 
sticking with it!

Forward Motion Part 7________________________________________


    Bobby barreled through the front door of the apartment he shared with 
Lindsay, hoping she hadn't watched the local news. He didn't hear or see her 
when he got inside.

    "Lindsay?" he called out.

    "I'm in the kitchen."

    He put down his keys and briefcase and walked into the kitchen. If he 
hadn't had such a rotten day, he would have laughed at what he saw there.

    Lindsay was in the middle of baking something. There was flour 
everywhere, mixing bowls of various sizes spilled over the sides of the sink. 
Baking sheets and cake pans and muffin tins were lined up on the counter. 
Lindsay herself had a smudge of chocolate on her cheek. 

    "What are you doing?" he asked, taking in the scene before him.

    "Baking."

    "For........."

    "When I'm nervous I bake."

    "What are you nervous about?" Bobby asked worriedly, forgetting that 
Lindsay's only worry at that moment was the pregnancy and the wedding plans. 
She'd have much more to deal with soon. He thought that perhaps she had seen 
the news after all.

    "I went to the doctor, Bobby. Remember?"

    "What'd he say?" Bobby suddenly felt a little nervous, too.

    " She." Lindsay corrected. "Not much. They took blood to check to see if 
I am actually pregnant. But because my appointment was so late in the day, 
today, they won't get my blood to the lab until tomorrow morning. And 
tomorrow is Friday."

    "So......"

    "So we won't be getting any results until Monday."

    "Monday?" Bobby groaned. "Why does it take so long?"

    "I don't know. But now I'm nervous and so I'm baking."

    "Did he say anything else?"

    She." Lindsay corrected again. "Not really. She just asked me to describe 
my health lately. When I told her about the missed periods, the headaches and 
the nausea, she agreed that I am most likely pregnant."

    "Which doesn't really tell us anymore than we already knew."

    "Right."

    Bobby reached across the counter and wiped the chocolate off Lindsay's 
cheek. Lindsay stopped stirring the batter she was mixing and looked at Bobby.

    "If you could chose any result that you wanted, would you want that 
pregnancy test to come back positive or negative?"

    Bobby was stunned by the difficult question she had just thrown at him, 
but before he could answer her, she continued.

    "Before I went to the doctor today, I was hoping she would say it was 
nerves or stress or some other weird medical thing. That I wasn't pregnant 
after all. But after I got there.....I don't know.....I.... I started to 
think about it, you know? A baby. You and me and a baby. And there were all 
these pregnant women in the lobby and pictures of babies everywhere and all 
of a sudden I started to think that maybe......maybe I really want this after 
all. Maybe I'm more ready than I thought." She lowered her voice to a barely 
audible whisper. "I just need to know how you really feel."

    Bobby rounded the counter, tilted her chin towards him and kissed his 
future wife passionately. She was taken by surprise, but responded eagerly 
and with equal passion. 

    After nearly a minute, Bobby slowly pulled away, took her hands in his 
and smiled softly.

    "I love you. This baby may be a surprise, but I have only been this happy 
at one other time in my life, and that was when you agreed to marry me. I 
cannot wait to meet this child, to see what he looks like, to hold him in my 
arms and know that he is a product of how much we love each other. I won't 
lie and say that I'm not scared to death of being a father. I am. But a 
family is the one thing I have always wanted in my life and you are giving me 
that by having our child. There is nothing for me to be sorry about. Nothing 
for me to regret. I want this baby just as much as you do. Don't ever think 
otherwise."

    Tears were freely flowing down Lindsay's cheeks.  She looked into his 
eyes and heard his words and knew he was telling her the truth. She threw her 
arms around his neck and hugged him tightly. "Thank you, Bobby."

    He stroked her hair, enjoying the happiness they were sharing at that 
moment, but knew he couldn't put off what he needed to tell her. He 
disentangled himself from her and put his hands on her shoulders. "There are 
other things we have to discuss."

    "I know. The wedding plans. I've been thinking and......"

    Bobby cut her off. "No, Lindsay. There's something else."

    The serious tone in his voice sent a chill up her spine. "What is it? 
What's going on?" Her baking project was temporarily forgotten.

    "Let's go in here." he directed as he lead her by the hand into the 
living room. She sat down on the couch, he sat on the coffee table, so he 
could look directly at her, never letting go of her hand.

    "Bobby?" she looked him with big questioning eyes.

    He took a deep breath and began to speak. He told her about her father 
and Diana Powers. About their seven year affair and the nasty break up and 
the lawsuit. And that Diana Powers was dead, and that her father was the main 
suspect. That the evidence was stacked against him and that he could provide 
no alibi. That the police were ready to arrest him.

    And when he was finished, Bobby looked carefully at the expression on his 
fiance's face, trying to see how she was taking it.

    But her face was like stone. Her expression hadn't changed since he'd 
started talking. She just sat stock still, but Bobby could feel that her 
hands had turned ice cold.

    "Lindsay?"

    "Did he do it?" she asked quietly.

    "He says no."

    "He's been cheating on my mother for seven years?"

    "Yeah. That's what he said. That's what her lawsuit claimed, too."

    "Can you and Helen make this go away?"

    "There's a lot of political push behind this one. Diana Powers was the 
Mayor's step daughter. There isn't any way this is going to disappear 
quietly, even if he didn't do it."

    "My God." One tear slid down Lindsay's face. "I don't know my father at 
all."

    "I know this is hard, Sweetheart."

    "How could he cheat on my mother like that? What the hell was he 
thinking?" Lindsay could hear her voice rising and struggled to remain calm. 
"Did he have an excuse? An explanation?"

    "No. He didn't offer any explanation."

    "Does my Mom know what's going on?"

    "He was going to tell her when I left him this afternoon. She didn't know 
about the mistress, the lawsuit or anything else."

    "I should call her. Or go see her. She's going to be so upset......."

    "I think right now you need to worry about yourself. Your father was 
going to let your Mom know that I was telling you. She'll call when she's 
ready to talk."

    "How did this happen? They were always so happy. Other people's parents 
get divorced all the time. Other people's parents have screaming matches and 
trial separations. Other people's dads had mistresses. I never thought my 
parents had any troubles. They loved each other so much. They were always 
together. They held hands and took vacations. They were just the way I wanted 
to be when I got married. And now........now I don't know how much of that 
was true."

    "I can't answer that for you."

    Suddenly Lindsay bolted off the couch and into the bathroom, slamming the 
door behind her. Bobby went to stand next to the door and knocked softly.

    "Lindsay?" He opened the door and saw her sitting on the floor of the 
bathroom, next to the toilet, much like he had found her the night before.

    "He lied. He lied to all of us. He pretended to be something he isn't."

    "I know."

    "How could he do this?" she cried, her shoulders starting to shake with 
the tears that were now streaming down her face. "Their marriage was a lie. 
He's a liar. He's a liar."

    Bobby sat down next to her and pulled her into his lap, whispering words 
of comfort and smoothing her hair. He knew this was going to be hard for her 
and he made a mental note to be sure and find out what affect severe stress 
could have on a pregnancy.

_________________________________________________________

    You'll have to wait a while for part 8, so I didn't leave too much of a 
cliffhanger for you. Thanks for reading!

Forward Motion Part 8________________________________________

    Bobby drove to the office alone on Friday morning. Lindsay had had a 
restless night and had not fallen into a sound sleep until after four o'clock 
in the morning. And when the alarm had sounded a six thirty, her morning 
sickness was back in full force. She had told Bobby from behind the closed 
bathroom door to go in without her. She would come in later when she felt a 
little better. Bobby was unsure as to when that might be, since her morning 
sickness often seemed to last far past just the morning. However, since he 
had a meeting with Helen at nine o'clock, he reluctantly left for work.

    "Hi Bobby! How's Lindsay?" were the first words out of Rebecca's mouth 
when he entered the offices of Donnell, Young, Dole and Frutt.

    "Um, she's okay. She'll be in later."

    "Good. Because her annoying client has called three times this morning 
already, besides the five times he called yesterday." Lucy complained from 
behind her desk. "He was mumbling about getting another lawyer if she was 
going to be so unavailable.  I told him she was sick, but he didn't care."

    "Eugene?" Bobby turned to his friend. "Could I see you in my office?"

    Eugene followed Bobby and closed the door behind him. "What's up?"

    "Look, I've got a huge favor to ask."

    "Shoot." answered Eugene, perfectly willing to help out his fellow 
attorney and friend.

    "Can you take over this case that Lindsay's been working on? I know she's 
pretty much ready to go to trial, so all you really have to do is look at the 
files. I'm sure she'll fill you in. I just think it would be better if you 
tried the case."

    Eugene looked at Bobby, sensing an ulterior motive behind his request. 
"Have you talked to Lindsay about this?"

    "Not yet." admitted Bobby

    "I'm not taking her case until she gives it up."

    "I think she will."

    "Why? She seems really dedicated to it. She's put in a lot of time."

    "Yesterday I got a call from her father." Bobby explained. "He's been 
cheating on her mother for years and now the woman is dead, murdered. Helen 
says the police are focusing their investigation on Steven, and she's coming 
here at nine o'clock, most likely to tell me the arrest warrant is being 
issued unless he surrenders himself."

    "And you think Lindsay will want to give up her case to work on her 
father's?" It was part statement, part question.

    "I don't know. Right now, she's pretty angry with him. But I have the 
feeling she'll want to help him in the long run. If you take her case, it 
would ease some of the stress she's been under."

    "She's a big girl, Bobby. If she's feeling stressed out, I'd be glad to 
help her, but I want to hear it from her, not her over protective fiance."

    "Eugene....."

    "She's not gonna like you babying her, Bobby. She's worked hard on this 
case and it's a tough one from what I can tell. I don't think she's going to 
give it up as easily as you want her to. Maybe she'd go for me as a second 
chair or co-counsel, but I think she's gonna want to see it through trial. I 
would."

    "I just think it would be better if she didn't."

    "That's not up to you."

    "It is as Senior Partner."

    "Listen to me. If you think Lindsay is doing a bad job on this case, then 
as Senior Partner, take her off. But if you're worried about her from a 
personal standpoint, then you can't play the Boss card. And this is personal, 
isn't it?"

    Bobby sighed, knowing Eugene was right. "Yeah. It's personal."

    "Then talk to her first. If she wants help, I'll do it. But not unless 
she wants it. It's her stress level, not yours. It's her call, because from 
the business point of view, this case has nothing to do with you."

    "But......"

    "No buts. It's up to Lindsay."

    "What if I told you there was more at stake here than Lindsay's stress 
level?" Bobby asked.

    "What do you mean?" Eugene knew he was about to hear the real reason for 
Bobby wanting Lindsay off her case.

    Bobby hesitated for a second before answering. "She's pregnant."

    "What?" Eugene was more than a little surprised.

    "Don't say anything, because we haven't told anyone yet. You're the first 
and Lindsay would probably kill me if she knew I'd said anything. But this 
case she's on is difficult and this thing with her dad is completely 
upsetting. This pregnancy, so far, is not an easy one and the fact that we're 
still working on getting married is stressful for her, too. I'm just trying 
to find ways to relieve the tension. I read on-line last night that tension 
and stress are not good for a healthy pregnancy. I figured the one thing I 
can do something about is this case."

    "I still don't think she's gonna like it, Bobby."

    "Probably not. Will you do it?"

    Eugene considered his answer before giving it. "I'll do it, but only if 
she willingly gives it up."

    "Thanks, Eugene." Bobby smiled.

    Eugene opened the door to leave Bobby's office, but turned to add one 
last thing.

    "Congratulations, Bobby." He grinned and shut the door.
________________________________________________________

    Helen came into the offices at two minutes after nine, followed by Mike 
Maguire. 

    "Where's Bobby?"

    "His office. I'll tell him you're here." Lucy started to pick up the 
phone, but Helen didn't stop walking and went straight into Bobby's office 
without being announced. Lucy stuck her tongue out at Helen's back after she 
had passed.

    "Lucy!" The warning yell came from Bobby, who saw Lucy's childish display 
of behavior as he got up to close his door. 

    Lucy shrugged her apology, although Bobby knew she wasn't really sorry. 
Turning to Helen and Mike, he braced himself for bad news.

    "Well?" he asked.

    "He's got until three o'clock this afternoon to surrender himself or we 
go arrest him." Mike announced.

    "Where?"

    "My office. Mike will be there to take him in. We're trying to keep this 
as quiet as possible, but it won't be easy. The Mayor is really pushing us on 
this.  He's clamoring for justice and Steven Dole is the obvious suspect. We 
have to bring him in, now."

    "I thought you were waiting for time of death."

    "Coroner says she died about an hour before they got there. Even going by 
his own time line, it's possible he did it." Maguire said.

        Bobby rubbed his hand over his face. "Okay. We'll be in your office 
by three." His forehead was furrowed with a thousand worries.

    "Good." Maguire turned on his heel and left.

    "How's Lindsay?" Helen asked, noting Bobby's weary face.

    "Angry. She feels totally betrayed."

    "That's understandable. Should I call her? Is she ready to talk?"

    "I'm sure she'd like to hear from you, but be prepared for some of her 
anger to be aimed at you."

    "Me?" Helen was stunned.

    "You're prosecuting her father for murder. She may feel hurt by him, but 
she doesn't like the fact that you are the one who may help send him to jail. 
I don't like it much myself. She needs your friendship right now, Helen, in 
more ways than one. Feeling like you're against her father is difficult for 
her."

    "I know. I tried to get off, but the only other option was Bey, and 
that's not a good idea. Who knows what level that little man would stoop to 
to defeat this firm, especially on a personal level. I know it sounds crazy, 
but I took this case on myself so that I could help if needed. I'm not trying 
to put him away. I'm trying to find out what really happened."

    "Tell Lindsay that. I think she would really like to hear that."

    "I'll call her today."

    "Thanks, Helen."

    "Don't thank me, yet, Bobby. We've got a long road ahead of us."

    As Bobby watched Helen walk out of his office he thought to himself;
"Helen, you have no idea how long that road really is."

________________________________________________________

Part 9 possibly tomorrow. Remember that feedback eases writer's block! Thanks 
for reading!

Forward Motion Part 9_______________________________________

    Lindsay rolled into the office around a quarter after eleven. She had 
taken great care to wear a nice suit, put on her make up and style her hair 
in an effort to look better than she actually felt. Her stomach was still 
lurching some and her head ached intensely, but she had work to do and 
staying in bed wouldn't help accomplish much. She tried to smile brightly as 
she opened the front door.

    "Morning!" she chirped with false cheerfulness.

    "Hey Lindsay! How are you feeling?" Ellenor asked, since Lindsay had not 
returned her phone call.

    "Better, thanks."

    "Really? 'Cuz you still look kind of green like you might puke or 
something." Lucy made a face that was a cross between concerned and grossed 
out.

    "Lucy!" Ellenor also thought Lindsay still looked a little under the 
weather, but had enough sense to keep it to herself.

    "I'm fine, Lucy. But don't worry. If I do have to puke, I'll be sure to 
aim away from you." Lindsay responded sarcastically.

    "Hey! You're here!" Bobby was standing in the doorway to his office, glad 
to see her, but looking grim. "Could I talk to you?"

    "Sure. Just let me put my stuff down." Lindsay hefted her briefcase onto 
her desk, took off her coat and went into Bobby's office. "Business or 
personal?" she asked.

    "Uh, a little of both, actually. Could you close the door?" When she did, 
Bobby continued. "How ya doin'?"

    "I really hope this morning sickness goes away soon. It's supposed to 
after about three months, but some women have it for their entire pregnancy. 
I cannot imagine nine months of this." She smiled when she saw how worried he 
looked. "Bobby, women around the world cope with pregnancy sickness every day 
and live to tell about it. I'll be fine." She eyed him suspiciously as he 
paced in front of her. "Something's going on, isn't it?"

    Bobby nodded and plunged into his news. "The Coroner says the time of 
death was only about one hour before your dad found Diana's body. It fits the 
time table in which your dad could have done it. He's supposed to surrender 
himself by three o'clock at Helen's office."

    Lindsay sat down, her legs feeling a little shaky. "He's going to be 
tried for murder, isn't he?" 

    "Seems so."

     Lindsay then made what seemed to Bobby like a painful confession. "I 
can't find it in myself to feel sorry for him. I know I probably should, but 
I don't."

    "Lindsay, he didn't do this."

    "I know. I don't think that he did. But he's been lying and cheating for 
seven years, Bobby. Seven years! And now I'm supposed to feel bad for him and 
you're supposed to rush to his rescue when all of his deceptions finally 
catch up to him? Well, forget it. You can defend him and that's fine. I don't 
believe he should serve life in prison for being a lying bastard. Just don't 
ask me for my sympathy or my support. You do what you have to do as his 
attorney, but, as his daughter, I can't feel bad for him. Please don't ask me 
to."
    
    "Okay." answered Bobby quietly.

    "I'm sorry if you feel stuck in the middle."

    "I don't. Not yet, anyway. But this isn't going to be easy. He's your 
father, Lindsay. However angry you may be with him right now, he is still the 
man who raised you and loved you. The thing with the mistress doesn't change 
the fact that he still loves you and he's still your father. I think you 
should try to remember that before you decide how severely you want to punish 
him for what he's done."

    "I'm not punishing him, Bobby. I'm just so.......so......." she was at a 
loss for words and close to tears.

    "Hurt?" he suggested.

    And when she nodded "Yes" he held her very close to him, resting his chin 
on the top of her head.

    She spoke from his chest, where she had buried her face. "I feel very 
empty when I think of him. There is this huge void that I can't seem to fill 
whenever I think about all of this. I'm not sure what that means."

    "I think it's grief. It's like he died in a way. The person you thought 
he was, the man you believed in, is gone, replaced by a man you don't really 
know after all. He shattered your faith in him by cheating on your mother. 
That's hard to deal with."

    "Tell me about it." she responded, bitterly, pulling herself away from 
Bobby. Then she said softly, "I just wouldn't know what to say to him if I 
saw him." 

    "You'll have the chance to find out. He's supposed to be here around 
twelve."

    "I'm not sure I can even look at him."

    "I think you should try. I think it would be better if you could tell him 
how you feel. It might help you work through your emotions."

    "I can't. I have a client meeting at twelve." She suddenly remembered.

    "Let Eugene do it. He already said he would."

    "You asked Eugene to meet with my client without asking me first?"

    "I just thought it would be better if you didn't have to deal with your 
case on top of everything else."

    "So you went behind my back and asked Eugene?" she could feel her cheeks 
flushing with anger.

    "I just want you to take it easy, that's all."

    "That's not your decision, Bobby!"

    "That's what Eugene said."

    "What do you mean 'That's what Eugene said.'? Did you tell him about the 
baby?" When Bobby didn't answer, she stepped closer to him and glared, until 
he turned his eyes away from hers.

    "Yeah. I told him."

    "Bobby! I thought we agreed........."

    "You're right. We did agree. But that was before this thing with your dad 
happened. I wouldn't have told him, but I had to justify asking him to take 
on your case."

    "Which you had no business asking him to do." Her voice was rising.

    "I'm worried about you!" Bobby's own temper was taking hold now.

    "I can take care of myself."

    "You don't just have yourself to take care of anymore. Stress and tension 
are not good for you and they are not good for the baby. I was just trying to 
find a way to relieve some of the stress you've been feeling." He was nearly 
shouting, now, so desperate was he to make her understand how concerned he 
was for her and their child.

    "Bobby, I'm pregnant, not an invalid. I can still do my job. I don't need 
you to dictate to me what I can and cannot do. I don't want or need you 
babying me." Her volume was climbing to match his.

    "Then think about the baby."

    "What about the baby?"

    "Lindsay, listen to me." He lowered his voice now and he was holding her 
forearms in his hands. "This case has been stressful to you. This pregnancy 
is stressful to you. Your dad's situation is stressful to you. And I know 
that us not being married is stressful to you. All of these things are 
causing you tension and worry and sleepless nights. They are not good for 
your health." When she didn't respond, he continued. "In order to have a 
healthy baby, you need to be a healthy mother. Do you really think, under all 
this stress, you can be that healthy mother?"

    She absorbed what he was saying quietly. She turned away from him and 
walked over to his window, looking out. Minutes passed before she answered.

    "Okay. Eugene can take over my case."

    "Thank you, Sweetheart." Bobby said, coming up behind her and wrapping 
his arms around her, closing his eyes with relief. 

    "Bobby?"

    "Hmmm?"

    "Please don't yell at me like that anymore. I don't think I can take it."

    He realized then that she was crying. He spun her around and engulfed her 
in his embrace.

    "Oh, Lindsay. I'm sorry. I didn't mean to yell. I guess I'm stressed, 
too."

    She nodded into his chest as he kissed her hair. 

    Lindsay spoke quietly. "I just want to make sure that no matter what, we 
don't start taking our problems out on one another. We won't make it if we 
can't talk to each other." She tightened her grip around his waist. "I love 
you, Bobby and I need you. Whatever else is going on in our lives, 
professional or personal, don't ever forget that."

    "I love you, too." he whispered. "And I love that baby you are carrying. 
My number one concern will always be for the two of you. If I ever do 
anything as stupid as going behind your back again, just know that it's 
because I want to protect you. To save you from anything that may cause you 
grief or stress or harm or pain. I never meant to make you angry. I just 
wanted to help."

    "I know." She looked up into his eyes and saw nothing but love there. He 
smiled down at her and kissed her tenderly.

    A knock at the door invaded their moment together.

    "Come in." Bobby shouted.

    Lindsay felt the room start to spin and her stomach begin to churn as her 
father came through the door.

________________________________________________________

Don't you just love a good cliffhanger? What will Lindsay say to her father? 
What will she do? Tune in tomorrow for another installment of "Forward 
Motion." And don't forget, feedback is a great motivator! Thanks for reading!

Forward Motion part 10_______________________________________

     "Bobby, I was thinking and I remembered that......" Steven Dole didn't 
see his daughter standing in the corner of the room when he first came in. He 
was in mid sentence when he realized she was there. "Hello Lindsay." he said, 
the discomfort of the situation showing on his face.

    "Dad." She acknowledged his presence, but that was all she said.

    Seeing that she was unwilling to speak to him, he continued what he'd 
been telling Bobby. "I remembered that Diana was having problems with one her 
customers. Somebody Chipman. I can't remember the first name. He wouldn't pay 
his bill, so she withheld his last delivery. It was some kind of antique 
sofa. Chipman said the sofa was worth more than the remainder of the account 
balance and she had no right to hold it. She said he owed her over ten 
thousand dollars because his check had bounced. It was getting ugly."

    "You think he might have done it?" Bobby asked, watching Lindsay out of 
the corner of his eye.

    "Maybe. He was calling her a lot. She felt nervous about it. She started 
carrying mace in her purse because of him. He even got her home number 
somehow."

    "Who would have a client list we could get our hands on? That way we can 
talk to this guy and maybe find out if there was anybody else she was having 
problems with." Bobby wanted to know.

    "Linda Malone, her business partner."

    Lindsay was only half listening to the conversation as she struggled to 
control both her temper and her stomach. She was gripping the corner of a 
table tightly and taking very deep breathes. She was not about to let her 
father see how all of this was affecting her. Let him think she was angry. 
Period. He didn't need to know how hurt she was, how betrayed she felt. All 
he needed to know was that she was furious, and that she would never forgive 
him.

    "What about this business partner? Is it possible that she did it?" Bobby 
was asking.

    "I don't think so. They'd been friends for years. I never heard Diana say 
there were any problems."

    "The problem is that there was no sign of forced entry, which means that 
she let in whoever did this. I don't think she would have let this Chipman 
person in the door if she was afraid of him."

    "It was just an idea. I can't think of anyone else that would do this to 
her. She had a lot of friends, but no real enemies that I can think of."

    "Did she owe anybody any money? Did she have any nasty habits?" Bobby was 
searching for anyone else that could point the finger at.

    "No, no, nothing like that." He thought for a minute and then asked 
"Could it have been a robbery?"

    "No. Nothing's missing as far as the police can tell. The television was 
still there and there was a box full of expensive looking jewelry on the 
night stand next to her bed. They really think it was somebody she knew." 
Bobby didn't want to state the obvious.

     But Steven knew what he meant. "They really think it was me."

    "Why shouldn't they?" Lindsay's voice came out from off to the side.

    "Pumpkin......."

    "Oh, don't!" Lindsay replied, disgustedly. "Why shouldn't they think it 
was you? You are the most obvious choice."

    "I didn't do it."

    "What the hell were you thinking, Daddy? But then again, your brain 
wasn't the organ you were using, was it?" Her voice was full of venom. "You 
are the biggest liar I have ever met, and in this business, I've met some big 
ones. You've been cheating on Mom for seven years. You broke it off with this 
woman and she was suing you. You were facing personal and financial ruin. If 
I were the police, I'd think you did it, too."

    "Lindsay, listen to me...." Steven Dole pleaded.

    "No. Why should I believe anything you say? Nothing that has come out of 
your mouth in the last seven years has been the truth. Family functions were 
a lie, Christmases were lies, birthdays, family vacations, graduations. The 
list goes on and on. Nothing you could say to me now would make me feel bad 
for you or make me want to help you." She was close to shouting and tears of 
anger were threatening to spill over at any second. Bobby could see that she 
was shaking, as well.

    "If you could just hear what I have to say, maybe you would 
understand...."

    Lindsay cut him off again. "Understand? UNDERSTAND?! I UNDERSTAND 
that 
you've been screwing some other woman and lying to everyone for seven years. 
There is NOTHING you could say to justify that to me. NOTHING!!"

    "Lindsay....." interjected Bobby, fearing that she was about to 
completely fall apart.

    "No!" she warned him, lowering her voice. "Don't defend him to me, Bobby. 
You can defend him in court, but don't defend him to me. And you......" she 
said turning to her father, the anger and disgust visible on her face 
"....you make me sick. Don't ever come in here again." She threw the door 
open. "Get out." she said in a low whisper that was full of hate.

    Her father didn't move until Bobby said quietly "Steven, why don't you go 
take a walk. I'll meet you downstairs in an hour. We'll go to the DA's office 
then."

    Steven Dole made one last attempt to talk to his daughter. "Lindsay, I'm 
so sorry. I never meant to...."

    "Just go." She didn't let him finish, so he turned and walked out of 
Bobby's office, closing the door as he left.

    As soon as the door was shut, Lindsay collapsed onto the couch, letting 
out the most painful, aching, heartbreaking sob Bobby had ever heard. He went 
to her and gathered her into his arms.

    "It's okay. It's okay." he repeated over and over again, unsure of what 
else to say.

    "I hate him."

    "No." he whispered

    "I do. I really do. I hate him."

    "No, you don't. You love him. That's why this hurts so much."

    She sniffled into his shirt, but knew he was right. "I hate what he did."

    "I know."

    "I can't do this, Bobby."

    "You don't have to. Ellenor can co-chair."

    She shook her head. "That's not what I meant."

    "I don't understand." Bobby said, puzzled.

    "For years, my parents had everything I ever wanted. Or at least, I 
thought they did. A great marriage, a nice house, kids, financial stability. 
They had the complete package. Everything was perfect, and I wanted nothing 
less than that for myself. Only, it wasn't true. My father was running around 
on my mother and we were all totally fooled. We bought it, hook, line and 
sinker."

    "So......"

    "So, I was going to be just like them, you know? You and me and our baby 
were going to be the perfect little family. My parents were my role models, 
and now......now I don't have that role model anymore and it scares me."

    "What are you saying?"

    "I'm scared, Bobby. If my parents can't make it......." Lindsay left her 
thought unspoken, but he knew what she was trying to say. 

    He knew she was petrified of ending up like that, alone after years of a 
one sided commitment. She was hesitant about getting married now that her 
perfect example had just become a giant mess.

    "You listen to me, Lindsay Dole." he said passionately, taking her face 
in his hands. "I am not your father and I am not like him. I would never 
cheat on you. I will never leave you to be with somebody else. You are the 
one I want to be with, and I will cross any hurdle to prove that to you. That 
is never gonna change."

    She nodded. "I'm just a little afraid, I guess."

    "It is scary. Marriage is huge. But when I said I want to grow old with 
you, I meant it. There will never be anyone else for me."

    "You could barely even kiss Helen without consulting me and we weren't 
even really involved then." She smiled at the memory.

    "That's true." He smiled, too, but quickly turned serious again. "But if 
your scared to get married now, if you want to wait, we will."

    "No." she answered. "I'm ready."

    "Good. How's Monday sound?"

    "What?" Lindsay was confused.

    "Let's not wait. Let's get married on Monday."

_________________________________________________________

AHHHHHHHH! Another cliffhanger for you! And I'm not sure I'll have anything 
new for you until Sunday. I'll try, but I make no promises. Feedback is 
adored, as always. Thanks for reading!

Forward Motion Part 11______________________________________

    Lindsay was rendered momentarily speechless by Bobby's suggestion. She 
stared at him, a million questions dancing inside her crystal blue eyes. But 
she was unable to articulate any of them clearly.

    "Bobby......what....uh...You.....you....." She was sputtering, her mouth 
unable to form the words that were racing through her brain.

    Bobby smiled at her shock, and smoothed back her hair with his hands. 
"This morning, when I talked to Eugene, I said that your case was something I 
could help you out with. That reassigning it to him was one way I could take 
the stress off of you. But after he left, I was thinking that there was 
another way I could help, something else I could do." He took her face in his 
hands, caressing her cheeks with his thumbs. "I know the idea of going 
through with the wedding the way we have it planned does not appeal to you. I 
know it's bothering you that you will be obviously pregnant when you walk 
down the aisle. Personally, I don't care, but I understand why you do. And 
so, I figured that one way to alleviate a little more of your stress would be 
to get married sooner."

    "Like Monday?" she said, finding her words.

    "Well, it doesn't have to be Monday. It wouldn't be an elaborate ceremony 
or anything. But I called and Judge Hiller has room on her schedule at 5:00 
on Monday. She's agreed to marry us, if that's what you want to do."

    Lindsay thought for a minute before saying anything. "Is that what you 
want to do?"

    He looked at her, his eyes full of adoration and love. "I thought I 
wanted a big ceremony in a church, with flowers and two hundred guests and 
all that other stuff. But do you know what I really want?" Lindsay shook her 
head. "I just want to be married to you. I want to be your husband. I want to 
introduce you to people and be able to say 'This is my wife, Lindsay.' And I 
don't care how we get to that point, I just want to get there. And I want to 
get there in a way that will make you happy. Whatever that is, just tell me 
and we'll do it."

    "Five o'clock on Monday?" Lindsay repeated, her eyes glistening with 
tears at Bobby's emotional words.

    "If that's what you want."

    She laughed, wiping away her tears. "I don't think I have ever cried as 
much as I have in the last few days. It must be the pregnancy hormones." But 
then she turned serious. "As long as you're sure, Bobby, that this is okay 
with you, then I think that five o'clock on Monday sounds absolutely perfect."

    He smiled. "Really?"

    "Really."

    "You'll marry me on Monday?"

    "Bobby Donnell, I would marry you every day for the rest of my life if 
you asked me to."

    Bobby whooped with joy and picked Lindsay up, spinning her around. "We're 
getting married!" he shouted.

    "Bobby, put me down before I throw up all over you." She warned, half 
kidding, half serious.

    "Sorry." he said, kissing her hard on the lips. Then he leaned down and 
put his cheek on her belly. "Sorry, Baby." he whispered and kissed Lindsay's 
belly as well.

    "So what will we tell everyone?" she asked him.

    "Let's not." responded Bobby, straightening up. "Let's make this about 
you and me. We can still have the reception in four months, but let's not 
tell them about the wedding until after the ceremony. We'll send out 
announcements or something."

    "And we'll go ahead with the reception as planned." she agreed.

    "Yeah. How's that sound?"

    "It sounds perfect."

    "I think so, too." He kissed her then and it was the softest, most 
beautiful kiss either one had ever experienced. Bobby reluctantly broke it 
off. "I have to go meet your dad."

    She nodded. "Okay." Then she added "Good luck."

    He shook his head and didn't say anything.

    "What?" she asked.

    "How did I ever get so lucky as to have you in my life?"

    "You hired me."

    "Don't go around telling people that. It makes it sound like I got myself 
a mail order bride." He joked.

    "Nah." Lindsay shrugged. "I just wore you down with my gigantic crush."

    "Lucky me." He kissed her again. "I'll see you later?"

    "I'll be here, unless I'm out shopping for a wedding dress."

    "I thought you had a dress." He was walking toward the door, but didn't 
really want to go.

    "I  think that dress might be a bit much for Judge Hiller's chambers. It 
would take up half the room!" She giggled. "If I'm not here when you get 
back, I'll see you at home."

    "Okay." Bobby opened the door to find the rest of the office staring at 
him, concern written all over their faces. "What?" he asked.

    "You've been in there forever." replied Lucy.

    "So?"

    "We heard shouting. We were worried. That's all." Rebecca added, while 
straining to see past Bobby to Lindsay.

    "Everything is fine." answered Lindsay, stepping up next to Bobby. "I'm 
sure by now you all know what is going on with my father." When they all 
nodded, she continued. "Bobby will be defending him and I'm sure you will all 
be working on the case in some way. But I'm staying out of it."

    "Why? I mean, he is your dad." Jimmy said.

    "Yes, but I am unbelievably angry with him right now. I don't think he 
killed this Diana person, but he did have a long affair with her. As a 
lawyer, I want him to get the best representation he can have and I want him 
to be cleared. But as his daughter, I feel betrayed and upset and I feel like 
he needs to be punished for what he has done to my family. I think it is best 
for me to steer clear of this case, since I'm not sure I would be able to 
keep my personal feelings out of the way. Any yelling or crying you may see 
or hear is over this mess my father has created. Nothing more. Okay?"

    Everyone nodded and Eugene hid a small smile, knowing that was not the 
only reason Lindsay may feel emotional.

    "Eugene?" Lindsay called.

    "Uh, yeah?"

    "Could I talk to you in the conference room?"

    "Sure." Eugene got up from the corner of the desk, where he was perched 
and followed Lindsay into the conference room.  Out of the corner of his eye, 
he saw Bobby leave to meet Lindsay's father.

    Lindsay shut the door as Eugene found himself a chair. 

    "What's up?" he asked innocently.

    "I know you know, Eugene."

    "Congratulations." He offered.

    "Thank you." Lindsay smiled. "But this isn't about that."

    "Is this about your case?"

    "Yeah. Would you mind taking it for me? I'd be happy to brief you and do 
whatever else you need."

    "Are you sure you want to give it up?"

    "Not really. I'd love to see it through trial. But it is a tough one and 
it has been hard on me. Bobby's worried about the baby and I think he's 
right. Between this thing with my dad and this case I've been working on, I 
would be a total basket case. I know you'll do a great job." She stopped 
suddenly, as if she realized something. "Oh my God!" She looked panicked.

    "What?"

    "I was supposed to meet my client at twelve o'clock! I totally forgot! 
Oh, this is bad."

    "I had Lucy call and reschedule when I saw your father come in." Eugene 
stated matter-of-factly.

    "Oh." Eugene could see her entire body relax. "Thanks, Eugene."

    "No problem. And I'd be glad to do the case." 

    "Really? That's a big help. I'll owe you one."

     He stood up and kissed her cheek. "You just take care of yourself and 
that baby."

    "I will." She replied.

    Eugene left the room, leaving Lindsay free to make a phone call. She 
dialed the number slowly, dreading the conversation she was about to have, 
but knowing it had to be done. The phone rang four times before anyone picked 
up.

    "Hello?" said the voice on the other end.

    "Hi Mom." Lindsay answered, gathering her strength for what would 
undoubtedly be a difficult and emotional phone call.
________________________________________________________

    At the same time, in Helen's office, Bobby was dealing with Lindsay's 
other parent.

    "I didn't do it, Bobby. Why are they arresting me?"

    "Because the circumstantial evidence points at you."

    "I can't be convicted on circumstantial evidence, though, right? They 
have to have some real evidence to send me to prison, don't they?"

    Bobby grimaced. "I've seen them convict people with less than they've got 
on you. And the fact that you have no real alibi doesn't help."

    Just then, Helen and Mike Maguire entered the room. Helen looked grim as 
Bobby and Steven stood up.

    "Thank you for agreeing to do this the easy way." said Helen. Turning to 
Mike she said "Go ahead, Mike."

    "Steven Dole, you are under arrest for the murder of Diana Powers. You 
have the right to remain silent. Anything you say can and will be used 
against you in court. You have the right to an attorney. If you cannot afford 
an attorney, one will be appointed for you. Do you have any questions?"

    "Bobby?" Steven Dole looked like a lost puppy as he was handcuffed.

    "C'mon, Maguire are the cuffs really necessary? He surrendered himself to 
you, for God's sake." Bobby didn't see the need to restrain his client.

    "Sorry, Bobby. It's procedure." Mike answered, as he opened the door and 
lead Steven out.

    "Don't say anything to anyone. I'll be down to see you in a few minutes." 
Bobby shouted after them. Then he looked at Helen. "What's going on?"

    "What do you mean?"

    "I know that face your making, Helen. It means you know something new. 
You have to tell me eventually anyway, so you might as well tell me now."

    "Believe me, I'm not trying to keep this from you. I'm just trying to 
figure out how to tell you."

    "Just say it, Helen."

    "They found the gun."

    "The murder weapon?"

    "Yeah." Helen hesitated. "There weren't any fingerprints on it, though. 
It was wiped clean."

    "Well, that's good. It could show that the person who did this was very 
calculating, very methodical. It doesn't fit with your crime of passion 
theory." Bobby saw a huge loophole in the DA's case.

    "Now hold on there, cowboy. You're client is not exactly out of the woods 
on this one yet." Helen looked very serious.

    "What do you mean?"

    "I'm sorry Bobby. The gun....it was registered to Steven Dole."

________________________________________________________

    I hope you all found that installment worth the amount of time I made you 
wait. Part 12 will hopefully be ready tomorrow. Feedback is very much 
appreciated, as always. Thanks for sticking with me and my marathon story!

Forward Motion part 12_______________________________________

    That weekend was the longest weekend of their lives. Bobby had told 
Lindsay about the latest development in her father's case on Friday night and 
she relayed the difficult conversation she had had with her mother. Then they 
agreed not discuss the case or anything about it over the weekend. Bobby 
worked on it for about three hours on Saturday afternoon, while Lindsay was 
out shopping. But other than that, they tried their best to relax and enjoy 
each other's company. Both of them were anticipating the test results and 
their date in Judge Hiller's chambers.  Neither one mentioned Steven Dole, or 
any other work of any kind. 

    "What about Joseph?" asked Bobby, out of the blue, as they were fixing 
dinner together on Saturday night.

    "Who's Joseph?" Lindsay asked.

    "I meant the name. Do you like the name Joseph?"

    "It's okay." She made a face. "Don't you think it's a little early to be 
discussing names?"

    "I don't want our son to be nameless when he's born."

    "And what makes you so sure it's a boy?"

    "I don't know. Wishful thinking, I guess." Bobby answered while draining 
pasta into a colander.

    "You don't want a girl?" Lindsay stopped chopping celery and looked at 
her soon to be husband.

    "NO!" said Bobby with mock seriousness.

    "Oh. And why not?" she with equal mock seriousness.

    "Because, little girls grow up to be teenage girls. They want to wear 
make up and high heels and date teenage boys that are only after one thing. 
And I know what they are after because it's the same thing I wanted when I 
was teenage boy. And then I'd go to prison because I would have to kill any 
teenage boy who laid a hand, or anything else, on my daughter."

    "I see." 

    "Plus........"

    "Plus what?" Lindsay wanted to know.

    "I don't think I could handle having two young ladies having me totally 
wrapped around their little fingers."

    Lindsay put her knife down and wrapped her arms around Bobby's neck. 
"Why, Bobby! Are you saying you can't turn me down when I ask for something?"

    "That's pretty much what I'm saying, yes."

    She gave him a long, slow kiss then that made him tingle all the way down 
to his toes. He moved his hands up her back and into her hair, winding his 
fingers in the silken threads. He lost all sense of time, living only in the 
moment of their kiss. And when she took her lips away, he felt as if he had 
just been given a wonderful gift and he was reluctant to let it go.

    "But see," she said, smiling slyly as she resumed chopping "that's what 
you get for being so good to me."

    Bobby blew out a deep breath, trying to recover. "If that's the reward, 
I'll be more than happy to keep on giving."

    Lindsay laughed and Bobby kissed her cheek before he continued to make 
their main course.
________________________________________________________

    Sunday night they rented a movie and spent the evening together cuddling 
on the couch. As they prepared for bed, Lindsay asked Bobby a question that 
had been gnawing at the back of her brain for the entire weekend.

    "What if, for some reason, the test comes back negative? Do you still 
want to get married tomorrow?"

    Bobby glanced over at her from where he was brushing his teeth. He spit 
out the toothpaste and asked; "Where did that come from?"

    "I was just wondering what would happen if it turns out that I'm not 
pregnant."

    "Lindsay.........."

    "I mean, I really think that I am, but just in case I'm not......"

    "We will still be getting married at five o'clock tomorrow."

    "Okay. Just wanted to be sure." She smiled.

    "I wouldn't have it any other way."

    They climbed into bed, and Bobby turned off the lights. Lindsay lay with 
her head on his chest as Bobby stroked her hair.

    "Lindsay?" he whispered after a while.

    "Hmmm?" She had been drifting off to sleep, but his voice called her back.

    "What time are you supposed to call the doctor tomorrow?"

    "They'll call me. I don't know what time, though."

    "I have court tomorrow at eleven. What if they call when I'm gone?"

    She smiled into the darkness of the room, sensing his anxiousness. "The 
test results will be the same, weather you're there when they call or not."

    "I know. I just....I want to hear it with you, that's all."

    "I can page you when they call."

    "I guess." He sounded disappointed. He was quiet again for a while and 
then said "Lindsay?"

    "Hmmmmm?" she asked, a bit further toward dreamland this time.

    "I love you." he whispered, kissing her softly.

    "And I love you." she replied as she snuggled securely in his arms and 
fell asleep.
________________________________________________________

    Lindsay awoke to the sound of the alarm. She opened one eye to find out 
why Bobby wasn't shutting it off. Only Bobby wasn't there. His side of the 
bed was empty. She reached across to his night stand and stopped the 
horrendous beeping noise that had jolted her out of her sleep. She sat up 
slowly, mindful of her weak stomach, and called:

    "Bobby?" She swung her feet to the floor. "Bobby?" she called again. She 
padded into the bathroom to turn on the shower, but stopped short at what she 
saw on the bathroom counter.

    There was one perfect white rose lying on the cold marble countertop. She 
picked it up and read the attached card.

    "Happy Wedding Day." it read.

    Lindsay smiled and set the flower down to turn on the shower. Once it 
steamed up nice and hot, she stepped in. The water felt good against her 
skin. It washed away the goose bumps she got when she thought about the day 
ahead. Not that she was nervous about the marriage. She was just excited. She 
had to admit, however, that she was anxious to hear her test results. It 
would be nice to have some real confirmation.

    After her shower, Lindsay dried off, applied her make-up, fixed her hair 
and got dressed. When she opened the door to the bedroom, she found another 
white rose on the floor in the hallway. This one had a note that said: 

    "I cannot wait for the rest of our lives to officially begin at five 
o'clock." Lindsay's heart beat faster at the thought, and she went to 
retrieve the first flower so she could put them in water. But when she 
reached the kitchen, she found yet another rose with a card.

    "You will be the most beautiful bride in the world. I know this because 
you are the most beautiful woman in the world. I love you."

    Lindsay shivered with delight as she found a vase to put her roses in. 
Suddenly, she saw Bobby emerge from one of the extra bedrooms, a big bouquet 
of white roses in his hand.

    "Good morning." His eyes were twinkling at her.

    "Good morning yourself" she responded, hugging him tightly. "Bobby, this 
is so sweet."

    "Well, I was going to fix you breakfast, but with your morning sickness I 
figured maybe that's not such a good idea."

    "Probably not." she agreed, as her stomach flip-flopped on cue. "But this 
is perfect." She gave him a peck on the cheek before she stepped out of his 
arms.

    "How are you feeling?" He asked as he put the flowers in a large crystal 
vase.

    "A little nauseous. I don't think I can eat."

    "That's not what I meant."

    "I'm nervous." She said, but then added "And very happy."

    "Me, too."

    Lindsay grabbed some crackers out of the cabinet. "I can eat these on the 
way in if I feel like it."

    "You're ready to go?"

    "Yeah. I just want to be there when the doctor's office calls. I don't 
want nosy Lucy taking any messages. The sooner I get there, the better."

    "OK." said Bobby, grabbing his briefcase. "Let's go."
________________________________________________________

    The first two hours of the morning came and went without any answers form 
the doctor's office. Lindsay fidgeted with her files and computer most of the 
morning, while Bobby attempted, without much success, to get some work done.

    At 10:45 he put on his coat.

    "I have to go to your dad's bail hearing. Page me?" he asked, implying 
she should call his beeper number if the doctor called.

    "I will." she replied. Bobby winked at her, and left the office. Lindsay 
continued to fidget. Every time the phone rang she held her breath, but it 
was never for her. The day ticked by in minutes that seemed as long as hours. 
She sighed and began to rearrange the top of her desk, desperate for 
something to take up some of her time.
________________________________________________________

    In the courtroom, time was flying for Bobby. The minutes raced by, every 
second was one second too long away from Lindsay and the phone call they were 
waiting for. But the bail hearing was proceeding, and he had to work hard to 
focus his attention.

    "The people ask for no bail, Your Honor." Helen was saying.

    "Mr. Dole is a respected citizen, with good ties to the community. There 
is no flight risk here." offered Bobby.

    "We're talking about murder, Counselor." commented the judge.

    "We'll agree to freezing his assets so he can't get to any cash for 
transportation or airplane tickets. He's not going anywhere."

    "Sorry, I have to go with the DA, here. No bail." the jugdge slammed down 
her gavel. "Next."

     Bobby turned to his client. "We'll have to meet tomorrow and talk about 
some things. I'm sure they're going to offer a plea, but we've got our work 
cut out for us. Have you remembered anything else that could be helpful to 
us?"

    "No. That morning went just like I told you."

    "Okay. Just hang in there, Steven." Bobby said as the bailiff lead his 
future father-in-law away.

    "Sorry, Bobby. I would have looked like I was playing favorites if I 
agreed to bail." Helen was standing next to Bobby, watching Steven Dole being 
lead back to jail.

    "And you can't look like your playing favorites with the mayor breathing 
down your neck."

    "Sorry." she said again. "I'll offer Murder 2."

    "Forget it."

    "Well, it's on the table for the taking if you change your mind."

    "I won't." He brushed past Helen. "I've got to go."
________________________________________________________

    Bobby burst through the office door, an expectant look on his face. 
Lindsay almost laughed, he looked so anxious. But instead, she shook her head 
slightly, a silent message that there had been no phone call. Bobby exhaled 
deeply.

    "Any messages, Lucy?" he inquired, covering his quick entrance into the 
firm's office.

    "Just two. One from a guy looking for a divorce lawyer and one from a 
woman who said she had some information for you about Lindsay's dad's case. 
Actually, she didn't really leave a message. She just said she'd call back."

    "Okay. Thanks."

    "How did it go?" Lindsay asked quietly.

    "No bail, as expected. Helen offered Murder 2, but I said no. I'm not 
sure they can make their case."

    "I'm surprised she offered any deal, considering the political pressure 
she must be under." Ellenor chipped in from the filing cabinet where she was 
standing.

    "Yeah, well it's easy to offer if you know no one's going to take it." 
Bobby said grimly.

    "I feel bad for her. This can't be easy, what with you being her friend 
and all." Jimmy added his own two cents as well.

    "I'm sure it isn't, but she has a job to do just like us." Bobby said.

    "Lindsay?" Lucy interrupted.

    "Yeah?"

    "Line two's for you."

    Lindsay stood up, her legs shaking with nerves. "I didn't even hear it 
ring."

    "I was on another line. It just sort of beeps in my ear instead of 
ringing out loud." Lucy shrugged.

    "I'll take it in Bobby's office." She was already half way across the 
office. Bobby was right behind her. He closed the door as she sat down behind 
his desk.

    "I'm really nervous." she confessed to Bobby as she put her hand on the 
phone.

    "So am I. But now we'll get the confirmation we've been waiting for."

    "When did we switch from kind of hoping the test would be negative to 
praying it would be positive?" she asked rhetorically. Her eyes were wide 
with anticipation as she picked up the phone.

    "This is Lindsay Dole."

    Bobby watched closely as Lindsay listened to the voice on the other end 
of the phone. He watched as she gasped, closed her eyes, putting her head in 
her free hand. Tears began to slip through her closed lids.

    "Oh, God." Bobby whispered to himself, a deep sadness gripping his heart. 
He was sure from her reaction that the news was not what they had wanted.

    "Okay. Okay. Uh, thank you." Lindsay stammered into the phone, her voice 
choking on her tears. She hung up and looked at him, her eyes rimmed with 
even more tears.

    "Lindsay....." he said, kneeling next to her, and taking her hands in his.

    "Bobby." She whispered, wiping her tears with the back of her hand. Then 
she did something that brought happiness flooding back to Bobby's heart.

    She smiled. And he realized her tears were tears of joy.

    "We're going to be parents." She said.
________________________________________________________
Part 13 soon. Feedback requested, as always. Thanks for reading!

Forward Motion part 13_______________________________________

    Bobby was holding Lindsay in his arms on the couch in his office. They 
had been there almost an hour, quietly celebrating the news they had just 
received. At first they had sat in silence, filled with anticipation and joy. 
But after a while, they began to make plans for the future.

    "We'll need a house." Bobby spoke into the silence first.

    "With a yard." agreed Lindsay "All children need a yard to play in."

    "Yeah." said Bobby, kissing the top of her head.

    "I have to make an appointment with the doctor to determine the due date 
and to check my health and the baby's health."

    "When are you going to go?"

    "The nurse on the phone suggested I come in really soon, since it's 
possible I might be pretty far along and I haven't had any prenatal care."

    "Did she sound worried, like there might be something wrong?" Bobby's 
voice was laced with concern.

    "No, no. It's just that most women suspect a bit sooner than I did. So 
they get care a little earlier, that's all. I'm sure everything is fine." She 
paused and then asked "What are we going to tell them?"

    "Who?"

    "Ellenor and Jimmy and everybody. I get a phone call, we both go into 
your office to take the call and then we don't come out for an hour. They're 
going to know something is going on."

    "Let 'em wonder. Besides, I thought you wanted to wait until we had a due 
date before we said anything."

    "I do. But the curiosity is going to kill them." Lindsay grinned.

    "That's their problem. We have other things to do." Bobby said.

    "Yes, we do. Not the least of which is getting married in..."Lindsay 
checked her watch "....four hours."

    "It's going to be a long four hours. I can't wait for five o'clock." 

    "I know. Why don't you go out there and distract them. I don't think I 
can keep this secret right now if they're all looking at me like they do when 
they want to know something. I'll stay in here and call the doctor's office 
to make an appointment. I'll come out when I think I can handle the 
questioning looks on their faces."

    "OK, but I have to go see your dad in a little while. I said I would."

    "All right. I have an appointment this afternoon as well."

    They disentangled themselves from one another and Bobby went into the 
main office, calling a conference on Mr. Dole's case. Lindsay went to the 
phone, looked up the doctor's office number and dialed.

    "Yes, hello." she said when the nurse picked up the phone. "This is 
Lindsay Dole. I just had my pregnancy confirmed, and I would like to set up 
an appointment with Doctor Jackson as soon as possible." Lindsay was quiet 
for a moment and then said "Okay, that would be great. Thank you."
The nurse put her on hold for a moment and then came back.

    "We've had a cancellation for tomorrow morning at ten. Would that be 
suitable for you?"

    "Yes. That would be wonderful."

    "And spell your name for me, Dear." said the kind nurse.

    "D-O-........" then she stopped, and a huge smile spread across her face. 
"...N-N-E-L-L. Lindsay Donnell." A shiver of excitement ran up her spine.

    "All right Ms. Donnell. We'll see you tomorrow at ten o'clock."

    Lindsay hung up, still smiling. "Unbelievable. All in one day I'm going 
to be someone's mother and Bobby's wife." Her eyes sparkled at the thought.  
She stood up and walked out to the office, bracing herself for inevitable 
questions. But she quickly saw that everyone was in a meeting except Lucy.

    "Hey." said Lucy, by way of greeting. But then she got straight to her 
question "What is going on with you guys?"

    "What do you mean?" Lindsay asked innocently.

    "I may not be a lawyer, but I'm also not an idiot. Something is 
definitely going on with you and Bobby, besides this thing with your dad. 
You've been crying, he's been tense. Are you breaking up?" Lucy's bluntness 
was never softened, under any circumstances.

    Lindsay had to fight hard not to laugh. "No, Lucy. We are not breaking up 
and nothing is going on. I promise if there was something you needed to know, 
we'd tell you."

    "OK, if that's the story you're sticking with, then I'll play along. But 
just so you know, I don't believe you. Something is definitely going on."

    "Whatever, Lucy" answered Lindsay, not unkindly. She was grateful she 
worked in a place where everyone cared about her welfare. It was the kind of 
family feeling she needed, now that her own family was falling down around 
her ears.

    She sat down at her desk and tried to get some work done updating old 
files. She worked for an hour and then gathered her things. Everyone was 
still in the conference room, and she figured now was as good a time to leave 
as any. She left a note on Bobby's desk and told Lucy "I'm out for the day, 
Lucy. See you tomorrow."

    "Where are you going?" Lucy was curious.

    "Bye!" Lindsay said, as if she hadn't heard Lucy's question. The door 
closed with a resounding thump.

    Lucy got up and raced into Bobby's office, knowing Lindsay would have 
left him a note. She was absolutely desperate to find out what was going on.

    "Damn." she muttered, as she found the note taped shut. "She knows me too 
well." She sped back out to her desk as she heard the conference room door 
open.

    "Lindsay left a note for you." she told Bobby sweetly. "I don't know 
where she went."

    "Thanks, Lucy." Bobby went into the office and shut the door. He found 
Lindsay's note on his desk, taped securely closed. "She knows Lucy well." he 
chuckled to himself as he opened it.

    "Bobby,
        I had to go to my appointment. I'll meet you at the designated spot 
at five o'clock. I won't write any more in case Lucy actually has the nerve 
to open this. I love you!
                --Lindsay"

    Bobby folded the note back up and put it in his pocket. He felt his heart 
overflowing with so many different and wonderful emotions. "I'm going to be a 
husband and a daddy. Amazing." he whispered to himself. He grabbed his coat 
and his briefcase and made his way out of the office to go see the man  who 
would be his father-in-law in less than three hours.
_________________________________________________________

    "Listen to me, Steven." Bobby and Steven Dole were in a jailhouse 
conference room, where they had been reviewing the case for an hour already. 
"Some lady called and said she had some information for me about your case. I 
wasn't there, so she said she would call back. Do you have any idea who it 
could be?"

    Steven Dole shook his head slowly. "I can't think of anyone. I'm sorry." 
He was silent for a moment and then asked "How's Lindsay?"

    Bobby considered his answer carefully before he gave it. "She's hurt, 
Steven. She doesn't understand why you had an affair, but she doesn't think 
you're guilty of murder."

    "My son called me, you know? He's mad, too, but I think not as mad as my 
daughters. Katelyn refuses to speak to me at all." He said sadly, referring 
to Lindsay's older brother and younger sister.

    "You can't exactly blame them." countered Bobby.

    "I don't. I did this to myself."

    "Why did you do it, Steven? Why did you cheat?" Bobby had been avoiding 
the question, but on the verge of getting married himself, he felt that he 
needed to know. Perhaps there would be a lesson to learn from Steven Dole.

    "I can't totally answer that." Lindsay's father responded. "Before Grace 
and I got married, I slept with another woman behind her back. She found out 
and almost called of the wedding. We went for premarital counseling. I swore 
I would never do it again and she agreed to marry me anyway." He looked down 
at his hands. Like Lindsay, he picked at his fingernails when he felt 
nervous. "I cheated again with a woman from my office, right after Lindsay 
was born. It went on for three months before Grace figured it out. Brian was 
still so small and Lindsay was just a baby, they don't remember. Grace kicked 
me out for six months that time."

    "It's a pattern with you." Bobby felt sick.

    "I guess so."

    "Where there more?"

    "Not really. Grace became pregnant with Katelyn right after I moved back 
home. We were going for more counseling. I was even going to counseling for 
myself. I tried to be a good husband and father. We both thought having 
another baby would strengthen the bond to my family, but......"

    "But what?"

    "I'm a cheater, Bobby. I have affairs. I'm not good at staying faithful. 
Over the years there were several one night stands. I was never the man I 
pretended to be to my wife and my kids."

    "Did Grace know about the one night stands?"

    "If she did, she never let on. I became very good at hiding them. I 
didn't want to cause her or the kids any pain. By the time I met Diana, Grace 
felt totally secure in our marriage. As far as she knew, I hadn't cheated in 
twenty years. I worked hard to make sure that she never knew I was having an 
affair."

    "What did she say when you told her?"

    "The same thing as Lindsay. She told me to get out. Like mother like 
daughter." he said wryly.

    "Why did you ever get married if you couldn't be with just one woman?"

    "I loved Grace. I still do."

    "Part of loving somebody is staying faithful. I would never even dream of 
cheating on Lindsay. The idea makes me sick." Bobby lectured, feeling his 
stomach turn with disgust.

    "We are different creatures, Bobby. I couldn't do it. But for my 
daughter's sake, I'm glad that you can."

    Bobby shook his head and asked one final question. "Steven, the gun that 
killed Diana belonged to you. If you didn't do it, where did that gun come 
from?"

    "I gave it to her when that client I told you about started to harass 
her. It made her feel safer. I swear I didn't kill her, Bobby."

    Bobby stood up to leave. "I have to go, Steven. I will meet with you 
again in a few days. Maybe by then, we'll have something else to go on. Right 
now, I have some place I have to be." Bobby motioned to the guard and Steven 
was taken back to his cell. Bobby walked out into the crisp afternoon air and 
back toward the office.

    It was four o'clock. One hour left until his life would change forever.
_________________________________________________________
    
    Across town, while Bobby was meeting with her father, Lindsay was being 
spoiled. She had a massage and a facial and a manicure. Her hair was styled 
and she had her make up applied by a professional.

    "So what's the occasion?" asked the stylist putting the finishing touches 
on Lindsay's hair. 

    "I'm getting married." Lindsay said, the words dripped off her tongue and 
tasted sweet and exciting.

    "Tonight? Ohh how incredible!" squealed the woman as she sprayed 
Lindsay's locks with hairspray. "Is it a big wedding?"

    "No, it's very, very small." Lindsay smiled at her own understatement.

    "I love intimate weddings. They're more personal."

    "I completely agree." said Lindsay.

    "OK! You're done! Take a look!" The woman turned Lindsay's chair so she 
could see herself in the mirror.

    "Oh, thank you! It's perfect!" gasped Lindsay. Her hair was so short now, 
that Lindsay hadn't thought the stylist would be able to do much with it. But 
she had put it into a hundred tiny little spiral curls and pinned one piece 
back with a tiny clip adorned with a small white flower.

    "You look beautiful!" said the woman satisfactorily.

    Lindsay paid the stylist and the make-up artist and the rest of the 
professionals at the salon. She gave the hair stylist an especially large tip 
because she was so pleased with the result. She left the salon and drove 
toward a hotel room across from the courthouse, where she had rented a room 
to get dressed in.

    It was four o'clock. One hour left until her life would change forever.
_________________________________________________________

    I promise, promise, promise part 14 will be ready tomorrow, but if I get 
everything else done that I have to do, I may even post it tonight. I'm in a 
writing kind of mood, so it may just happen. Feedback is requested, because I 
simply cannot live without validation. I'm sorry this installment took so 
long to post. I hope you enjoyed it. Thanks for reading!
~Tracy

Forward Motion part 14
Bobby was at the courthouse at five minutes to five. He was dressed in a 
black suit with a white rose boutonniere. He was pacing up and down the 
hallway when Judge Hiller found him.

    "Hello, Counselor." she greeted.

    "Your Honor." He stopped pacing long enough to return her greeting, then 
checked his watch and started pacing again.

    "I don't think I've have ever seen you this nervous. You've tried some 
big cases in front of me, Bobby, but I don't recall ever seeing you like 
this." she teased.

    "What time is it?" asked Bobby, shaking his wrist with his watch on it, 
as if it may have stopped.

    "You are early." Judge Hiller answered "And she is already here."

    "What?"

    "She got here about fifteen minutes ago. She's been in my chambers, 
pacing like you since she got here."

    "Is she nervous?"

    "She says she's just excited. Is that your problem, too?"

    "I gotta say, Judge, I have never felt like this. I feel like...... 
like............."

    "Like your life is about to start?"

    Bobby nodded.

    "Well, then, let's start your life. I'll just check to see if your bride 
is ready." Judge Hiller winked at him and disappeared into chambers.

    Bobby exhaled deeply, and started to bounce up and down on his toes. He 
could not wait to see Lindsay. He knew she would be beautiful.

    Judge Hiller stuck her head out of her private office. "We're ready for 
the groom." she said and held the door open for Bobby. 

    He thought his heart actually stopped when he saw her. He opened his 
mouth to speak, but no words came out.

    Lindsay was wearing a long white gown with small spaghetti straps. It 
fell all the way to the floor and it had a small tail in the back. Her hair 
was a mass of delicate curls held back by a small flower. She held a bouquet 
of roses and ivy in her hand. As she walked toward him, the gown flowed with 
her every step.

    When she took his hand, he found his voice. 

    "You look like an angel." he whispered, still stunned by her beauty and 
grace.

    "Thank you, Bobby." she whispered back and gave him the sweetest smile he 
had ever seen. "Are you ready?"

    "I've never been more ready for anything in my entire life." He returned 
her smile.

    "Well, why don't you two stand right here, then." said Judge Hiller, 
motioning to a spot in front of her desk. Lindsay and Bobby, without letting 
go of each other, moved into place and the Judge came and stood in front of 
them.

    "It is my understanding that the two of you have your own words you would 
like to say?"

    "Yes, we do." said Bobby as Lindsay nodded.

    "Okay. Let's get started. My bailiff has agreed to be your witness." It 
was only then that Bobby and Lindsay noticed that the man had come in quietly 
through the side door.

    "We have come together here today to join Robert Gabriel Donnell and 
Lindsay Jane Dole in the bonds of matrimony. Many people today do not truly 
know the meaning of marriage. Marriage is true partnership, molded and shaped 
by love, patience and friendship. Marriage can be hard work, but like all 
hard work, it will be rewarding. It will, in fact, be the most rewarding work 
you will ever do. It is a lifelong commitment to one another, made with the 
understanding that you will no longer act as individuals, but as two halves 
of a whole, each half responsible to and fully committed to the other. It is 
my belief, as the two of you stand before me today, as I see the way you look 
at each other, that you are well prepared to take life's journey together. 
    And so I ask: Do you, Robert, take Lindsay to be your wife?"

    Bobby swallowed, trying to hold his tears from flowing over. ''I do.''

    "And do you, Lindsay, take Robert to be your husband?"

    "I do.'' Lindsay's eyes were also moist with tears.

    "Bobby, your vows?" The Judge stepped back out of Bobby and Lindsay's 
line of vision, so as to leave them as much privacy as possible.

     Bobby's voice was heavy with emotion. "Lindsay, you have changed my 
life. Until you, I didn't know what it meant to truly love someone. I lived 
without you once, and looking back on that time now, I have no idea how I 
lived such an empty existence. You are, and will always be, my life. I 
promise to talk to you and with you. I promise to listen to you and hear you 
not only with my ears, but with my heart. I will catch you when you fall and 
applaud you when you achieve. I promise to stand beside you, to support you 
when you need it and to let you support me when I need it. I will laugh with 
you in good times, console you in difficult times. I will try always to bring 
joy to your heart and to be food for your soul. I promise I will be faithful 
to you in all circumstances. But above all, I promise that I will always love 
you as much as I do at this moment and that that will never change."

    Tears were flowing freely down Lindsay's cheeks as she smiled at Bobby, 
her love for him equaled only by his love for her.

    "Bobby," Lindsay began, but her voice shook and she stopped to compose 
herself. Bobby gently wiped her tears with one hand, still holding her hand 
with the other.

    She took a deep breath and began again. "I have loved you for so long 
that it seems like a dream that you could love me back. But every day I wake 
up and unlike a dream, you are always there. The comfort and joy I take from 
that is indescribable. You are my one constant in a world that changes every 
day. There was a time that I could only imagine this moment and pray that it 
would come. And now that it is here, there are so many things I want to say."
    "I will always be here for you. In the best of times I promise that I 
will celebrate life with you. In more trying times, I promise that I will 
hold you in my arms until we feel safe. We will undertake every struggle as a 
team that cannot be defeated, strengthened by a love that cannot be broken. I 
will never leave your side. I promise you that I will always be your friend. 
I will hear you with my heart and speak to you from my soul. I will laugh and 
play with you when life is fun, but my arms will always be open to you when 
you need consoling. You are more important than the food I eat or the air I 
breathe. I feel that I could live without those things somehow if I had to. 
But I know with the utmost certainty that I could never live without you and 
that I would never want to. I will always be faithful to you. You are 
everything to me and I swear to you that I will love you with my whole heart 
for as long as we live."

    Bobby was crying now, his heart overflowing with joy and love for the 
incredible woman standing with him, pledging her love.

    "Do you have your rings?" asked Judge Hiller quietly. Lindsay handed her 
bouquet to the judge as Bobby slipped her ring out of his pocket.

    "Repeat after me." instructed the judge. "Lindsay, I give you this 
ring..."

    "Lindsay, I give you this ring...."

    "...as a sign of my love and devotion."

    "...as a sign of my love and devotion."

    "Wear it as a constant reminder that I have chosen you above all others 
to be the one to share my life."

    "Wear it as a constant reminder that I have chosen you above all others 
to be the one to share my life." Bobby slipped the ring onto her finger and 
gently squeezed her hand.

    Lindsay took Bobby's wedding band off her thumb and repeated after the 
judge as well.

    "Bobby, I give you this ring as a sign of my love and devotion. Wear it 
as a constant reminder that I have chosen you above all others to be the one 
to share my life." She slid the ring down Bobby's finger and smiled up into 
his eyes, touching his heart.

    Judge Hiller smiled as well. "Having pledged yourselves to each other, I 
do now, by the virtue vested in me by the state of Massachusetts, pronounce 
you husband and wife." Her smile grew wider "Bobby, you may kiss your bride."

    Bobby caressed Lindsay's face with his hands.

    "I love you." he said, his voice full of passion and joy and a hundred 
other amazing emotions.

    "I love you, too." she whispered, choking on her tears, her heart and 
soul achieving peace and happiness all at once.

    They met each other half way and shared the sweetest, most gentle most 
passionate kiss either could ever have imagined. There was no one else in the 
room as far as they were concerned. Their focus was only on each other. Bobby 
felt his heart explode into a million happy little fireworks that danced 
inside his chest. Lindsay felt flooded with an emotion she could not name, 
but it was unlike any other she had ever felt. And when they pulled apart, 
there was a light in both their eyes that could only be described as pure 
bliss.

    "Congratulations." offered Judge Hiller.

    "Thank you." Bobby and Lindsay answered together, but their eyes never 
left each other.

    They signed the marriage certificate and left the courthouse for the 
hotel room that Lindsay had booked. They made sure their pagers and phones 
were off so they could not be disturbed on their first night as a married 
couple.

    As they sipped sparkling cider and looked at the lights of the city from 
the hotel window, Lindsay put her hand alongside Bobby's cheek as he stroked 
her hair.

    "Thank you for giving me the most beautiful wedding I could ever have 
asked for. It was perfect." She closed her eyes and took in his closeness and 
his touch.

    "Thank you for agreeing to be my wife." He kissed her cheek, then her 
lips and she responded eagerly.

    The sparkling cider was soon forgotten as they celebrated their union 
with tenderness and passion that lasted well into the night. And just as the 
stars were starting to fade and the sun was beginning to awaken the birds, 
Mr. and Mrs. Donnell fell asleep in each other's arms.
________________________________________________________

And there is still so much more story left to go! Give the gift of feedback 
this holiday season, as your responses are the reason I continue to write. 
Thank you so much for all of your support and continuing interest and as 
always, thanks for reading!
~Tracy

Forward Motion part 15_______________________________________

    Lindsay and Bobby, unfortunately, did have to get up that morning and go 
to work. Lindsay was slow, a bit of morning sickness keeping her from moving 
very fast. Bobby went down to the hotel lobby and brought back a muffin for 
each of them, but Lindsay was unable to eat hers.

    At eight thirty, they were on their way to the office. Neither one of 
them was eager to return to the daily grind after their wonderful wedding, 
but Bobby had to get to work on Steven's case and Lindsay had work to do as 
well, although her workload was considerably lightened since Eugene had taken 
her case.

    "I think we should tell them today." remarked Lindsay as they crawled 
through the streets looking for parking.

    "I thought you wanted to wait."

    "I have a doctor's appointment at ten."

    "You do?"

    "Sorry. I guess in the middle of getting married I forgot to mention it." 
Lindsay teased.

    "So then you'll know when the baby is due?"

    "Yeah, I should. Besides, being married to you and having a baby with you 
is something I want to shout from the rooftops. I don't want to hide it." she 
stopped, and looked at him from the corner of her eye. "Do you?"

    "Do I want to hide it? Lindsay, be serious. I want to tell anyone who 
will listen. I wasn't even sure I was going to be able to keep it a secret."

    "Well, if anyone notices the ring on your finger, you won't be able to 
hide it." she said, pointing at his left hand.

    "That's fine with me." answered Bobby as he guided the car into a parking 
space. "If anyone notices, we'll tell them that we didn't want to wait 
anymore. We can tell them about the baby once we actually have some concrete 
information to tell them. How's that sound?"

    "Sounds good to me." she smiled and shook her head.

    "What?" he asked, perplexed by the mysterious smile on her face.

    "Nothing." she said, still smiling.

    "What? Why are you looking at me like that?"

    "I'm married to you."

    "I hope so."

    "I'm your wife. You're my husband."

    "Yeah?" he was still confused as they climbed out of the car.

    "When I met you, you were rather opposed to settling down and babies and 
white picket fences in the suburbs. I remember many a young woman being 
dumped by you because they wanted those things. And now look at you. Married 
with a baby on the way." She was teasing him again.

    "Hey!" he said, with mock defensiveness, then he softened. "I was never 
opposed to those things. In fact, those are things I always wanted. I just 
needed to find the right person first." He slung his arm around her and 
pecked her cheek as they walked toward the elevator.

    "Good answer, Donnell!" she beamed at him.

    "Truthful answer, Donnell." he answered back, kissing her again.

    Lindsay shivered at the very sound of her new last name. She loved it. It 
made her feel special. She had Bobby all to herself, forever. Taking his last 
name informed the whole world of that. She was unbelievably happy.

    But, as they walked into the law offices of Donnell, Young, Dole and 
Frutt, they realized something was terribly wrong. Everyone was there and 
they were greeted with stony silence as they came through the door.

    "What's going on?" asked Bobby, his brow furrowed with worry.

    "We've been paging you since midnight." said Rebecca accusingly.

    "I'm sorry, it was off. What is this about?"

    "Lindsay, you should sit." said Eugene gently, pulling out a chair.

    "Oh God. What is it? Just tell me." she ordered, her voice quivering at 
the thought of more terrible news in her life.

    "I'm not really sure how to put this." Eugene began, but Ellenor cut him 
off.

    "Last night, your father made a full confession." Ellenor said gently, 
kneeling next to Lindsay.

    "What?" gasped Lindsay.

    "Without me? To who?" demanded Bobby. "Not to Helen. She would've called 
me."

    "We all tried to find you, Bobby. We couldn't. He signed a confession." 
Rebecca informed him.

    "I'll get it thrown out. It won't be valid if he didn't have an attorney 
present." Bobby's mind was racing with case law and court rulings with which 
to get the confession ruled invalid.

    "I went." said Jimmy quietly.

    "What?" Bobby looked at him, as if not comprehending what he said.

    "I went. I was there when he signed it. Helen called around. She didn't 
want him signing it without an attorney present. I was the first one who 
answered my phone. I tried to talk him out of it, or to get him to wait until 
he talked to you, but he said 'no'. He wanted to confess."

    "Oh God." whispered Lindsay, taking the chair that Eugene had offered.

    "What a mess." mumbled Bobby. "You shouldn't have let him sign it." he 
said to Jimmy.

    "Hey! Don't blame me."

    "I do blame you. You should not have let him sign it. Now we have a real 
problem on our hands."

    "I did what I could." Jimmy defended himself. "He was determined to sign 
the confession."

    "You could have stopped him." Bobby's temper was starting to flare.

    "No, I couldn't. You couldn't have stopped him, either."

    "The hell I couldn't."

    "If you ask me, this IS actually your fault, Bobby." piped up Lucy from 
behind her desk.

    "Excuse me?" Bobby was now completely irritated, but Lucy pushed forward.

    "Well, if your phone would have been on, Helen would have gotten you 
instead of Jimmy."

    "There is no need to lay blame here....." started Ellenor.

    "Well, it's true." Rebecca was also obviously annoyed by Bobby's lashing 
out at Jimmy. "Your phone and your pager were off. We couldn't find you. 
Jimmy did the best he could for your client. I repeat, YOUR client. Don't 
blame him for your mistake."

    "Rebecca....." warned Eugene, seeing that Bobby was about to blow.

    "Don't 'Rebecca' me!" she said to Eugene. Turning to Bobby she said "What 
on God's green earth were you thinking, turning off your pager and your 
phone? You know being a lawyer is a twenty-four hour business. You had a 
client who needed your help and you were nowhere to be found. So don't blame 
us when you don't like the way that we tried to fix your screw up."

    "Well, I'm sorry. I have a personal life, too. I had things to take care 
of." Bobby's anger matched Rebecca's.

    "She knows what you do for a living. She does the same damn thing and her 
pager and phone were off, too." Rebecca was not about to let go of her anger.

    "OK, let's settle down....." Eugene was cut off again, this time by Bobby.

    "Leave Lindsay out of this." he seethed.

    "Well, it is obvious you two were together." remarked Lucy from her desk.

    "LUCY!" shouted Bobby, Ellenor and Eugene.

    "I'm just saying." she pouted.

    "I had things to do, Rebecca. You know very well that even lawyers need 
personal time." 

    "Fine. But why did you have to disappear? Your client needed you! Where 
the hell were you when your client needed you?" Rebecca's voice was raised 
equal to Bobby's. 

    "I was marrying his daughter!"
_________________________________________________________

OK, I know you waited a long time, and this installment was very short, but 
it was this short installment, or nothing at all until tomorrow. And I do 
promise there will be more tomorrow. I hope you liked it. Pretty, pretty 
please post or send feedback. I absolutely live for it. Thanks for reading!

Forward Motion part16________________________________________

    There was a stunned silence in the room. Bobby closed his eyes as what he 
had just said seemed to reverberate through the office. Lindsay pushed her 
hand through her hair and turned to look at her husband. She had been afraid 
he would say something when he first started to lose his temper. She'd been 
right.

    "You were doing what?" It was Jimmy who shattered the silence first.

    "I'm sorry." Bobby said to Lindsay, fearing she would be upset with him 
for blurting it out.

    "It's OK." She gave a small smile. "This isn't the way I had pictured 
telling you guys, but it's true. Last night, Bobby and I got married." The 
words still sounded incredible to her own ears.

    "Why?" asked Lucy.

    "Lucy!" interjected Eugene.

    "No, I just meant, your wedding was only like four months away. It's not 
like you were waiting to do anything and you just couldn't wait anymore. 
Why'd you get married now?" Lucy hadn't meant any harm with her first comment.

    "We just didn't want to wait anymore. This thing with my father makes our 
lives more complicated than they already are. Getting married now just seemed 
like a good idea. It was something we both wanted."

    "Congratulations!" offered Eugene, smiling a rare smile.

    "Thanks." replied Bobby.

    "Oh my God." said Rebecca.

    "What?" asked Bobby.

    "I was such a brat just now. Of course you had the right to have your 
wedding night to yourselves. I'm sorry."

    "That's all right, Bec. You didn't know." Bobby soothed.

    "Congratulations, you guys." Rebecca stepped up and hugged Bobby first, 
then Lindsay.

    "Yeah, Congratulations!" echoed Ellenor, a huge grin plastered on her 
face.

    "What?" questioned Lindsay.

    "You guys eloped!" she answered.

    "Yeah, I guess we did." Lindsay smiled up at Bobby as he put his hand on 
her shoulder.

    "So is it gonna be Donnell, Young, Donnell and Frutt now?" Jimmy asked, 
half kidding, half serious.

    "I don't know. I hadn't thought about that." Lindsay responded honestly.

    "Well, I think it's great." stated Jimmy.

    ''Me too." chimed in Lucy.

    "Thanks, guys. That means a lot." Bobby was grateful for their support 
and friendship. 

    "But we still have a little problem here." Eugene reminded him, bringing 
everyone back to reality.

    "Yeah, I'm gonna have to call Helen." Bobby grimaced.

    "Well, don't tell her. You got to tell them. I get to tell Helen.'' 
teased Lindsay.

    "Deal." said Bobby, offering her a hand to help her out of her chair.

    She stood up and sighed. "This is a real mess, isn't it?" she asked 
Bobby, referring to her father's confession.

    "I think so."

    She shook her head and went to her desk, determined to get at least some 
work done before her appointment. Bobby disappeared into his office to call 
Helen and everyone else went back to their workloads as well.

    Everyone except Lucy.

    "What?" asked Lindsay as Lucy kept hovering around her.

    "Well, um....."

    "Whatever it is, Lucy, spit it out." directed Lindsay.

    "I... think we should go to the conference room." said Lucy, nodding her 
head toward Ellenor, who appeared to be half listening to their conversation.

    "OK." said Lindsay, confused as to what Lucy's problem might be. She 
followed Lucy into the conference room. "What's going on?"

    "Well, I think I kind of insulted you out there a minute ago."

    "When?"

    "When I asked why you got married. I didn't mean that I thought you 
shouldn't get married, I just...."

    "You were just surprised by the fact that we did it this way instead of  
waiting for the original wedding plans."

    "Well, yeah."

    "I wasn't insulted Lucy. Don't worry."

    As Lindsay headed for the door, Lucy hit her with another verbal bomb. 
"Are you pregnant?"

    "Excuse me?" Lindsay whirled around to look at the office manager, her 
eyes ablaze with irritation at Lucy.

    "Well, I, um................"

    "Just because we chose to get married now, Lucy, does not mean I am 
pregnant. How many people have you shared this little theory with?"

    "Nobody!" Lucy declared, shaking her head.

    "Well, keep your mouth shut. You shouldn't spread rumors anyway."

    "Is it still a rumor if it's true?" Lucy was just as irritated as Lindsay 
now.

    "I already told you...."

    "Yeah right. I know. You're not pregnant. That's why the doctor's office 
called and confirmed your appointment this morning. Because you're not 
pregnant." Lucy glared defiantly at Lindsay.

    Lindsay stared at Lucy. Then she walked back to the conference table and 
sat down. She didn't say anything.

    "I haven't told anyone and I'm not going to." said Lucy, calmer now. "Cuz 
when you didn't tell us you were pregnant, I figured you were keeping it a 
secret. And I just wanted you to know that I know and that I won't tell, I 
swear. Plus, I mean, I know we're not exactly friends or anything, but I kind 
of figured......"

    "Figured what, Lucy?" asked Lindsay kindly.

    "I thought, if you knew that I knew, well, that if you needed to talk to 
somebody about it, you could talk to me without telling anyone else about it. 
That way, it's still a secret."

    Lindsay smiled, realizing that Lucy had only been trying to help. "Thank 
you, Lucy. That's very nice of you. I'm sorry I jumped down your throat."

    "That's OK. I've heard pregnancy can make you cranky."

    "It does lots of things to your emotions. Cranky probably is one of 
them." Lindsay paused and then said "You understand, though, that Bobby and I 
got married because we wanted to, not just because of the baby." It was a 
statement more than a question.

    "Totally. I just wanted you to know that you could, like, vent to me if 
you needed to."

    "Thanks." Lindsay said again.

    "Your welcome. Now get out of here or your going to be late to your 
appointment." warned Lucy.

    They walked out of the conference room together, ignoring the curious 
stares from Ellenor. Lindsay grabbed her coat and her purse. She was halfway 
out the door when she realized that Bobby had the car keys.

    "No way." Bobby was saying as Lindsay came into his office and motioned 
to him that she needed the keys.

    "Hang on, Helen." he said as he put the DA on hold. As he handed Lindsay 
the keys, he said "Call me when you're done?"

    "I will." she assured him. "How's it looking?"

    "Not good. I can't figure out why he confessed if he didn't do it."

    "Are you sure he didn't?" Lindsay asked the question that was on both 
their minds.

    "I was, but now......" Bobby shrugged.

    "I don't think he's capable, Bobby."

    "Neither do I, but then how well do I really know him?"

    "How well did any of us know him?" Lindsay asked rhetorically. 

    Bobby just shook his head in response.

    "I gotta go." said Lindsay. She kissed his cheek and he watched her walk 
away. "Don't forget Helen." she reminded him as she closed the door.

    Bobby snatched the phone back up. "Helen? Sorry."
    
    "Look, Bobby," said Helen from the other end of the line, "I'm not 
thrilled about this either, but he wanted to confess. Jimmy came and Mr. Dole 
wrote down what happened to Diana Powers. We typed it up, he reviewed it and 
signed it. I don't like it anymore than you do, but it's done. It's over."

    "I'm going to try to get it thrown out."

    "I knew you would. I'm going to fight it tooth and nail. The confession 
is valid, Bobby."

    "Helen, do you really think he did this?" asked Bobby, completely 
bewildered.

    "Off the record?" she asked.

    "Off the record." He assured her.

    "Bobby, I don't know. I didn't think he was guilty, but now....with the 
confession...."

    "You don't know anymore."

    "No. I don't. And I have to go with his confession."

    "The Mayor still on your back?"

    "Everybody is on my back about this. But that doesn't matter. Your guy 
confessed, Bobby. Getting that thrown out is not going to be easy and even if 
you manage, I'll still bring it up in open court. No matter what, it's going 
to hurt your defense."

    "Tell me about it." Bobby groaned.

    "How's Lindsay doing with it?" Helen changed the topic from business to 
personal.

    "She doesn't think he did it, either. But even she's not sure."

    "I talked to her the other night. She was pretty rattled."

    "Well, it's upsetting for her, to say the least."

    "Yeah, she's always adored him."

    "I know. You might want to call her later." Bobby urged, thinking of all 
the things Lindsay would have to tell her best friend.

    "I will, but I can't really discuss the case with her. You know that."

    "I know. But she needs her friend Helen, not DA Helen Gamble."

    "I'll call her tonight."

    "Good. I'm going to go meet with Steven and try to sort this mess out."

    "I'm telling you, Bobby. The confession is good."

    "I've got to try."

    "I know. Bye."

    "Bye." Bobby put the phone back in the cradle and rubbed his hand over 
his eyes. "What was he thinking?" he said out loud as he grabbed his 
briefcase and headed out to visit his father in law.
_________________________________________________________

    Lindsay waited in the lobby of the doctor's office for the nurse to call 
her name. She tried to read a parenting magazine but found herself distracted 
by the thought of her father's confession.

    "Why did he confess if he's innocent?'' she wondered. Her mind was 
reeling at the thought that her father was about to spend the rest of his 
life in the state penitentiary. Granted, she was upset with him, but still 
she didn't want him to live out his life in prison. He was an adulterer and a 
liar, that much she knew for certain. But a murderer? That seemed impossible.

    "Lindsay Donnell?" called the nurse.

    Lindsay stood and followed the nurse to the back. She handed Lindsay a 
gown.

    "Put this on, Honey. Doctor Jackson is running a little behind, but she 
should be here soon."

    "OK." said Lindsay as the nurse shut the door. She did as she had been 
instructed and waited.

    After about fifteen minutes, the doctor entered.

    "Well, hello again!" greeted Dr. Jackson. "I see we've had a name change 
since you were last here. Congratulations."

    "Thank you."

    "We're just going to do a basic check up exam on you and the baby. We'll 
determine your due date with my handy dandy little computer there and I'll 
answer any questions you might have. How's that sound?"

    "OK." nodded Lindsay.

    "OK, good. Let's get started."
_________________________________________________________

    Across town, in a meeting room at the county lock up, Bobby was drilling 
Steven Dole.

    "I thought you didn't do it."

    "I confessed." 

    "Yeah, but did you do it?" Bobby glared at his client.

    "I confessed. Isn't that enough?"

    "Not for me. Maybe for the court, but not for me and certainly not for 
Lindsay or the rest of your family."

    "It's better this way."

    "What's better this way? This way, you're going to prison, guaranteed. I 
had a chance at getting you off until this little stunt."

    "You don't understand."

    "Well, explain it to me, then."

    "I can't."

    "Try." Bobby looked right into Steven's eyes, attempting to bully him 
into talking. It didn't work.

    "I'm sticking by my confession."

    "Damn it, Steven! I can't help you if you don't help me!"

    "That's fine. I don't want your help. I'm going to prison. I confessed."

    "Well, maybe that's fine for you, but there are other people to consider 
here."

    "I'm done, Bobby."

    "Not if I have anything to say about it." declared Bobby. Motioning for 
the guard, he said "I'm going to fight for you, Steven, whether you want me 
to or not."

    "Don't, Bobby."

    "I'm going to. Not for you, but for Lindsay and Brian and Katelyn and 
Grace. They have the right to know they are not related to a murderer. And as 
often as you've told me that you confessed, you have never told me that you 
pulled the trigger that killed Diana. And I don't think you did." And with 
that, Bobby stormed out of the meeting room.

_________________________________________________________

Well, what do you think? Is he guilty? If he isn't, why did he confess? 
You'll have to read the next installment to find out. Or maybe you won't find 
out then, either. But send or post feedback, or I will hold the next 
installment for ransom and then you will never know. Thank you so much for 
staying with me and my lengthy work of fiction.

Forward Motion Part 17_______________________________________

    Bobby slammed the door as he walked into the law office of Donnell, 
Young, Dole and Frutt. The whole doorway shook with a resounding "BANG".

    "Went well, did it?" asked Lucy sarcastically.

    "Lucy, that woman you said called the other day, the one with information 
on Steven's case. Has she called back?'' Bobby was pacing back and fourth in 
front of her desk.

    "No."

    "She didn't give a name or anything?"

    "No. I would've told you if she did." Lucy said defensively.

    "I know. I know." he answered. "What did she sound like?"

    "What do you mean?"

    "Did she sound upset or nervous or anything? Was there any accent in her 
voice? I'm grasping at straws here."

    "She talked real low." Lucy said slowly, thinking back to the 
conversation.

    "Low?''

    "Yeah, like quiet. Like maybe there was somebody else in the room with 
her and she didn't want them to hear."

    "Anything else?''

    "Not really. She said she'd call back, but so far she hasn't."

    "OK. Can you get me the phone number for Scott Nomi?"

    "Sure. Who is he?" Lucy pushed her chair over to her computer to type in 
the name Bobby gave her.

    "He's a cop over at the twenty-fourth precinct. I got his kid out of a 
pretty nasty situation about a year ago and I'm dipping into the favor bank."

    "555-4026" Lucy rattled off, reading from the screen. 

    "What's the favor?" asked Ellenor from her desk.

    "I need to ask him to pull up the phone records for calls coming into the 
office that day. I need to find this woman. If she can help me, I could sure 
use it."

    "Is that ethical?" Ellenor wondered out loud.

    "I'm desperate. Steven's sticking by his confession, but he won't look me 
in the eye and tell me he killed her. I don't think he did it, but I do think 
he's covering for someone else."

    "Like who?" Ellenor asked, confused.

    "That's the million dollar question, Ellenor. When I have the answer, I 
think I'll know the extent of Steven's actual involvement. But I just can't 
believe he did this."

    "I hate to ask this, but what if you don't manage to find this woman? 
What if you never know anymore than you do right now?"

    Bobby looked at Ellenor grimly. "Then Lindsay's father is going to prison 
for the rest of his life."

_________________________________________________________

    Lindsay was listening intently to the doctor.

    "You'll need to stay away from alcohol, caffeine and artificial 
sweeteners. Diet drinks are off limits. Eat lots of fruit and vegetables. It 
is a lie when they say you are eating for two. Eat normal portions, as you 
always would."

    "OK" Lindsay nodded, taking it all in.

    "Take this prescription by the pharmacy on your way out. It's for a 
prenatal vitamin. Take it twice a day with a meal and a full glass of water."

    Lindsay continued to nod her head.

    "You're approximate due date is June 17th, give or take a couple days. 
That makes you about eleven weeks pregnant now."

    "Eleven weeks." repeated Lindsay.

    "You are almost through your first trimester, which is sometimes very 
difficult."

    "The morning sickness has been awful." Lindsay admitted.

    "It will most likely disappear all together within the next week or two."

    "Good." said Lindsay, relieved.

    "Because you didn't realize you were pregnant until recently and this is 
your first prenatal care visit, I would like to set up a Doppler for you."

    "What's a Doppler?"

    "We want to listen to your baby's heartbeat."

    "Do you think something is wrong?" Lindsay was suddenly alarmed.

    "No. Everything looks fine. It's just an extra assurance, that's all."

    "Oh."

    "You can set up an appointment for that at the front desk on your way out 
as well."

    "All right."

    "Most people are superstitious, and don't like to tell about a pregnancy 
until after the third month is over."

    "Why?"

    "The success rate of a pregnancy rises considerably after the first 
trimester. You're almost there. I don't think you have anything to worry 
about.  But, it probably wouldn't hurt to wait until after the Doppler. That 
way, you're sure."

    ''I've only known for sure for one day myself. It's hard to keep this 
kind of a secret. All I want to do is talk about it."

    "I understand. It is very exciting and you will most likely carry your 
baby to term without any problems. But think how difficult it would be to 
have to tell people if a problem developed. I just want you to be completely 
informed when you make your decisions about who to tell and when."

    "I'll think about it."

    "Good." The doctor smiled. ''You and your baby should be fine. You're 
healthy and that's the best way to produce a healthy baby. Just make sure you 
get enough rest, eat well, don't overwork yourself and avoid stress. Can you 
do that?"

    "I'll do my best." Lindsay promised.

    "All right. I'll see you soon." Doctor Jackson shook Lindsay's hand and 
left. Lindsay sighed and said to herself. "I can eat right and rest right. I 
can even try not to work myself too much. But the stress is out of my hands."
_________________________________________________________

    Bobby had left a message for Scott Nomi and was waiting for his phone 
call as he researched different ways to get Steven's confession thrown out. 

    "This would be a hell of a lot easier if Steven would retract his 
confession." he muttered as he poured over case law on his computer screen. A 
knock on his door diverted his attention.

    "Come in!" he said loudly.

    Lindsay poked her head through the door. "Busy?" she asked.

    "Hey!" he smiled. "I thought you were going to call me when you were 
finished at the doctor's."

    "I thought I'd tell you in person instead." She went into his office and 
closed the door.

    "OK. I'm eager to hear."

    "I'm about eleven weeks." she announced, taking a seat across from Bobby.

    "That's nearly three months!"

    "I know. A bit further than I suspected, too. That puts me due on or 
about June 17th."

    "June 17th." repeated Bobby, flipping to June in his planner. He put a 
big smiley face on June 17th.

    "They want to hear the baby's heart beat."  When Bobby's face became 
instantly worried, she continued quickly. "It's procedure. Nothing's wrong."

    Bobby relaxed. "Good."

    "It's called a Doppler. I'm scheduled to go a week from today at four 
o'clock. Are you free?"

    "Next Tuesday......" mumbled Bobby as he flipped from June 17th to 
Tuesday the 14th. "...I should be. Unless something comes up I can't 
rearrange."

    "OK. I really want you there."

    "Then I'll be there." he beamed at her.

    "Doctor Jackson kind of suggested we put a lid on it until after the 
Doppler."

    "You mean not tell? Why?"

    "Apparently, there is a pretty high failure rate the first trimester of 
pregnancy. I've only got about one week to go in my first trimester, but can 
you imagine telling people if something horrible happened? It would be awful."

    "I'm not sure how good I'm going to be at keeping it a secret, Lindsay."

    "You already told Eugene and Lucy knows, too."

    "You told Lucy?" Bobby was surprised.

    "No, I didn't tell her. She sort of figured it out. But, I think I'd 
really like to wait just another week until anybody else knows, OK? I guess 
I'm sort of superstitious."

    "OK. I won't tell. But Helen is going to call you tonight. Are you really 
going to be able to keep it from her?"

    "I'm going to try." answered Lindsay as the speaker phone beeped.

    "Bobby?" came Lucy's voice over the speaker.

    "Yeah?''

    "Sorry, but line one is for you. Scott Nomi."

    "Thanks, Lucy." To Lindsay he said "I've got to take this."

    "OK. I've got some work to do, too." She stood up to go as Bobby picked 
up the phone.

    "Scott? Hang on one second." He put his hand over the phone, "Lindsay?"

    "Yeah?" She had her hand on the door knob, ready to leave.

    "Love you."

    She smiled. "Love you right back." And she left the office.

    "Hey Scott! How's Frankie?" Bobby returned to his phone call. "Good, 
good.  I have a favor.............."
_________________________________________________________

    Lindsay filled Eugene in on her case for most of the day. By four 
o'clock, he knew it inside out and backwards and forwards. She felt confident 
that her client was getting the best representation possible.

    "Lindsay? Line two. Helen." Lucy said, shortly after four.

    "Hey Helen!" Lindsay said into the phone.

    "Hey Babe! I was wondering if you wanted to knock off early and get a 
drink. I figure you could probably use a little alcohol right about now."

    "Um..." Lindsay hesitated, wondering how she would explain to Helen that 
she couldn't drink alcohol.

    "Oh, come on, Lindsay! Even if you don't need a drink, I do. What do ya 
say?''

    "OK. When?" Lindsay relented.

    "O'Riley's in twenty minutes."

    "See you there." said Lindsay as she hung up the phone. 

    "See who, where?" asked Bobby, coming out of his office.

    "I'm going to meet Helen. Wanna come?"

    "No. I'll leave the announcement to you. I'm still waiting for Scott to 
call me back."

    "Do you know how many phone calls we get in one day? How will you know 
which one it is?" Lucy questioned.

    "I'll call every number if I have to." said Bobby grimly. "But we should 
be able to figure it out because you wrote the time of the call on the 
message pad."

    "I did?" Lucy sounded surprised. "How efficient of me."

    "All right then. I'm out. See you tomorrow, Lucy. Bobby, walk me out?"
Lindsay was putting in her coat.

    "Sure."

    Once they were in the hallway, Lindsay confessed. "I'm nervous about what 
Helen is going to say."

    "She'll be glad for you. For us." Bobby assured her.

    "I know that. I'm just......"

    "You think she's going to suspect that your pregnant."

    "Well, I'm meeting her in an Irish pub and I'm not going to drink. It 
won't take a rocket scientist to figure it out."

    "Then all you can do is tell her."

    "I don't want to tell yet."

    "Then lie."

    "She'll see through me."

    Bobby sighed. "Lindsay, you'll just have to wait and see how it goes. She 
might be so shocked that we ditched the wedding plans that she won't even 
notice you're not drinking."

    "Oh, she'll be shocked all right. But remember how she is when she cross 
examines witnesses on the stand?"

    "Yeah?"

    "Well, then, imagine being me in that bar in fifteen minutes, trying to 
explain why we ditched our wedding plans. She won't be satisfied without a 
good explanation."

    "So give her one."

    "I'll try."

    The elevator arrived and Lucy stuck her head out of the office door at 
the same time.

    "Bobby. Scott Nomi's on the phone."

    "I'll be right there." Taking Lindsay in his arms he said "Have fun with 
Helen. It'll be fine."

    "I know. I'll see you at home?"

    "Yeah. I'll see you at home." He kissed her quickly and she stepped into 
the elevator, off to meet with her best friend. 

    Bobby walked back to the office and picked up the phone. He listened for 
a minute, said "Thanks" and hung up. Soon, the fax machine began to make a 
whirring sound.

    Bobby went over to the machine and pulled off the papers. Quickly, he 
scanned the phone records until he found the call he was looking for.

    "I'll be damned." was all he said as he grabbed his coat and ran out the 
door.
_________________________________________________________

Not much progress for you, but I did leave you hanging. I should have more 
answers for you in the next installment. Thanks for reading!
~Tracy
 
Forward Motion part 18_______________________________________

    Bobby had never met the woman who answered the door at the address from 
the telephone call log, but he recognized her eyes instantly. He looked into 
the same blue eyes every time he looked at Lindsay.

    "Katelyn Dole?" he asked.

    "Yes?"

    "I need to speak with you." Bobby said.

    ''Who are you?" she asked suspiciously.

    "My name's Bobby Donnell. I'm your father's attorney."

    "And Lindsay's boyfriend." Katelyn added for him. "I can guess why you're 
here."

    "Can I come in?"

    "Sure. As soon as I see some ID. Sorry, but I don't let strangers through 
the front door." When Bobby showed her his driver's license and Bar 
Association card, she opened the door wide enough to let him in.

    "Would you like something to drink?" she asked as she lead him into the 
small living room.

    "Uh, no, thank you. I just need to know why you called my office the 
other day. You said you had some information about your father's case."

    "How did you know it was me?"

    "Phone records."

    "Oh." she paused and looked down at her lap. "Yeah, I do have some 
information, but I don't know how helpful it will be."

    ''What is it?"

    "My dad didn't kill that woman."

    "How do you know?"

    Katelyn began to pick her fingernails, an apparent family trait.    
"Because I was there."

    "I don't understand." Bobby couldn't follow her explanation.

    "I got there about five minutes before my dad. I'd known about the affair 
for almost a year. I'm not as naive as my mother or my sister. I figured it 
out. When I confronted my dad, he admitted it."

    "But why were you there?"

    "I was going to ask her to leave my dad alone. I knew all about the 
lawsuit because he'd told me. I was going to try to reason with her. I 
figured she was mad that my dad had broken things off with her and so she was 
suing him. I wanted her to drop the suit."

    "What did she say?"

    "Nothing. She was dead when I got there."

    "What did you do?"

    "Well, at first I thought I was going to faint, I have never seen so much 
blood. But then I collected myself and started to look for a phone. That's 
when my dad showed up."

    "What then?"

    "He told me to leave. He kept saying he would take care of it. I told him 
I didn't do it, but he kept telling me to go. So I went."

    "You left the crime scene?"

    "Yes. I didn't know what else to do. I just did what he said."

    "He's confessed to the murder now. You know that, right?"

    Katelyn nodded. "I think he's protecting me. I think he really believes 
that I did it."

    "Did you?" Bobby felt compelled to ask.

    "No!" she cried. Then more quietly she said "I swear to you, she was dead 
on the floor when I got there. I had nothing to do with it."

    "I need you to make a statement to the police."

    "I can't."

    "Your father is going to spend the rest of his life in jail if you don't!"

    "He's the one who told me not to talk to the police in the first place!"

    "I know. But that's because he thinks you did it. But you didn't, right?"

    "Right.'' Katelyn nodded her head.

    "Then talk to the police."

    "Won't I get in trouble for keeping quiet up until now?"

    "I'll make sure you don't." Bobby assured her.

    "OK. I'll talk to the police."

    "Good." responded Bobby. "Good."
_________________________________________________________

    Across town, Lindsay arrived at the pub before Helen. She got a glass of 
water and slid into a booth to wait for her friend, still nervous about her 
announcement.

    "Hey!" greeted Helen as she took the seat across from Lindsay.

    "Hi.'' chirped Lindsay, praying Helen wouldn't notice she was drinking 
water.

    "How are you doing?" asked Helen, getting right to point.

    "I'm OK. I don't really know what to think anymore. I mean, I don't think 
he did it, but up until last week I never thought he would have an affair, 
either. And now, with this confession, I have absolutely no clue what is 
going on."

    "I'm sorry. I can't talk about it much."

    "Oh, I know. That's all right. I guess, like all our other cases, we'll 
just have to see where it goes."

    "Lindsay, if Bobby can't get his confession kicked, where it's going is 
twenty-five years to life."

    "Then hopefully Bobby will manage. I'm trying to stay out of it as much 
as possible. I'm so angry with my father I can hardly see straight, but at 
the same time, I don't want him to rot in prison, especially if he didn't 
kill her." She gave Helen a small smile. "Let's not talk about it anymore."

    "Deal." said Helen, motioning for the waiter. "Let's talk about wedding 
plans instead." To the waiter she said "I'll have a white wine spritzer."

    "What's to talk about? Most of the work is done." said Lindsay, 
desperately trying to figure out a way to inform Helen that she was, in fact, 
already married.

    "Well, you and Bobby still need to figure out the menu and I thought you 
still needed to talk to the florist, too."

    "I don't think that's going to be necessary." said Lindsay carefully.

    "Oh, God! Did you two have another fight? Did you call this wedding off 
again?"

    "Helen....."

    "Seriously, Lindsay, I could kill you. Are you going to run out every 
time there is a problem? Because if you are, then you probably shouldn't get 
married."

    "Helen....."

    "What was it this time, hmmm? Cake flavor? Table cloth colors? What 
trivial little thing did you guys fight about this time? Because whatever it 
was, I'm sure you can work it out."

    "The wedding is off, Helen, but not why you think." Lindsay finally 
managed to get a sentence in between Helen's tirade.

    "Then why? What is so awful that you can't get married in four months to 
a really great guy?"

    "It's not a bad thing. It's good."

    "It can't be good if you've canceled the wedding! I'm surprised you're 
not more upset. When did this happen?"

    "Helen....."

    "Whatever it is, just tell me. Maybe I can help you work it out. I know 
pretty well how Bobby thinks. I can probably help."

    "There's nothing to work out. Everything is fine."

    "Fine. I give up. If you don't want to talk about it, we won't."

    "I do want to talk about it, Helen. It's just not what you're thinking."

    "Then what is it?" Helen asked, completely exasperated.

    Lindsay hesitated, took a deep breath and said "Bobby and I got married 
last night."

    "Excuse me?" asked Helen, as if she hadn't heard correctly.

    "We got married. We were tired of waiting and planning. And then, this 
thing with my father....nobody would be in the mood for a wedding with my 
father rotting in prison. So we got married now."

    "Without me?" asked Helen.

    "Without anyone. It was just me and Bobby. That's how we wanted it."

    Helen stared at Lindsay a long time without saying a word. Then, slowly 
she said the words Lindsay had been afraid she would say all along.

    "I don't buy it. What's really going on?"

_________________________________________________________

I know it's short, but it was this or nothing. Look for part 19 on Tuesday. 
Feedback is requested, adored and appreciated as usual! Thanks for reading!
~Tracy

Forward Motion part 19_______________________________________

    Lindsay stared at Helen for a full thirty seconds before she dared to say 
anything.

    "What are you talking about?"

    "What's really going on? You and Bobby did way too much planning for you 
to dump it all now. What gives?"

    "Nothing. I was just ready and so was Bobby. If my father goes to trial, 
Bobby could be in court at the time of the wedding. It would be horrible. Now 
was just better, that's all." The lie tasted bitter on Lindsay's tongue, but 
she kept reminding herself that it was better to tell after the first 
trimester was over.

    "So you got married?"

    "Yes."

    "Just you and Bobby?"

    "In Judge Hiller's chambers."

    "Lindsay! How could you get married without me?"

    "We got married without anyone, Helen, I already told you."

    "But I'm your best friend!"

    "My own mother wasn't even there. Besides, you had a front row seat to 
the engagement. That's more than anyone else got to see."

    "I still think there's something you're not telling me."

    "I've told you everything, Helen. I swear." She crossed her heart with 
one hand while crossing her fingers on the other.

    "You haven't told me everything, Lindsay. I know when you are lying and 
you are definitely holding something back. You have that look."

    "What look?" asked Lindsay, trying to change her expression.

    "That same look you had when you were running around NOT telling me you 
had slept with Bobby when he and I were dating."

    "Helen, there is nothing more to tell. We got married, alone, in Judge 
Hiller's chambers because we didn't want to wait anymore. You're just going 
to have to accept that. We're still planning on having the reception as 
scheduled, so there is still plenty left to do. We were just ready to get 
married now instead of in four months." Lindsay looked Helen straight in the 
eye as she spoke, inwardly praying that her friend would drop the subject.

    "All right then, Mrs. Donnell. I just have one more question and then we 
can talk about how hot Bobby was in bed on your wedding night." Helen teased 
with a big grin.

    "Helen!" squealed Lindsay, secretly relieved that they would be changing 
the subject. 

    Helen's eyes sparkled mischievously. "Hey, fair is fair. If I didn't get 
to see the wedding, the least you can do is fill me in on the juicy details."

    "Fine. What's your question?" Lindsay chuckled.

    "Is the reason you got married in any way connected to the reason you are 
currently drinking a glass of water in a pub full of alcohol?"
_________________________________________________________
    

    Bobby was at home working on Steven's case when the phone rang.

    "Hello?"

    "Yes, is this Bobby Donnell?"

    "Yes, it is."

    "I'm sorry to bother you at home. I'm Linda Malone, Diana Powers business 
partner?" she said it like a question.

    "Yes. Of course. Thank you for returning my call."

    "You said you had some questions for me?"

    "Yes, uh, we could do this over the phone, if you'd like, but I'd prefer 
to speak with you in person."

    "That would be fine, but with Diana gone, I'm so busy....." Linda Malone 
trailed off.

    "I can meet you whenever it's convenient for you." Bobby had a gut 
feeling that talking to Linda Malone might shed some light on things.

    "Well, actually, I'm free this evening or sometime this coming Friday."

    Bobby didn't want to wait three days to speak with her. "I'll meet you 
tonight. Do you know where Saul's Cafe is on twenty-second street?"

    "I can find it."

    "Good. Would seven o'clock be all right?"

    "Let's see....that's a little over an hour...yes. That would be fine."

    "Great. Oh, and Ms. Malone?"

    "Yes?"

    "Could you bring your client list?"

    "Certainly."

    ''Good. See you at seven." Bobby hung up and began to write out a list of 
questions to ask Linda Malone.
_________________________________________________________

    
    Lindsay almost knocked over her glass in surprised reaction to Helen's 
question.

    "Excuse me?" she sputtered, trying to quickly decide if she should go on 
trying to hide her pregnancy from Helen or to just come clean.

    "I'm a pretty smart girl, Lindsay and I've known you for a very long 
time. I have never known you to not join me with a drink of your own. I also 
know that you have always been one of those girls who dreamed about what her 
wedding would be like and I know that WHEN you dreamed about it, you were not 
imagining Judge Hiller's chambers. And I know that you had the most beautiful 
wedding gown hanging in your closet and that pretty much the only thing that 
would have stopped you from wearing it would be if it didn't fit you anymore."

    Lindsay swallowed hard, but didn't respond.

    "Are you?"

    "Am I what?" Lindsay asked, avoiding the question.

    "Lindsay!" Helen warned, her tone indicating that she was tired of 
guessing.

    "We didn't get married because I'm pregnant, if that's what you're 
getting at." 

    "But you are pregnant, aren't you?" It was more of a statement than an 
actual question. It was the kind of half question Helen asked of witnesses 
who had been caught in a lie on the stand. She knew the answer, she just 
wanted to hear it.

    "Eleven weeks." confessed Lindsay, deciding to give up trying to hide it.

    Helen stared at her and said nothing.

    "Look, Helen, let me explain."

    "Lindsay....."

    "No. You've been talking the whole time. Now it's my turn." She took a 
deep breath and plunged into her explanation. "I didn't suspect until just 
last week that I was pregnant. I took a home test that said I was, but I 
didn't know for sure until yesterday morning. This thing with my father has 
been an unbelievable stress for me, I had this terrible case I was handling 
and on top of all of that I had no desire to walk down the aisle with a 
pregnant belly. Bobby was worried that it was all too much stress for me and 
the baby. So, he assigned my case to Eugene and suggested that we get 
married. I said yes. I didn't want people whispering behind my back at my own 
wedding and I just knew that they would. And Bobby.....Bobby was so sweet, so 
worried, so gentle with me and my crazy pregnancy roller coaster emotions 
that I could not imagine not being married to him for one more day. So we did 
it."

    Helen still said absolutely nothing.

    "And I didn't want to tell you about the baby because the doctor said 
that the success rate of pregnancy is higher after the first trimester. 
Imagine me telling everyone I was pregnant and then having to tell everyone 
if something went terribly wrong. I don't think I could handle it. So Bobby 
and I agreed to keep it quiet, just for one more week, until after the first 
trimester was over. And then you would have been the first to know, Helen, I 
swear."

    "So you lied to me." Again a statement instead of a question.

    "Yes. I'm sorry. I'm superstitious. I want this baby so much. I'm afraid 
of what might happen if I start to be too excited too soon. I just want to 
wait and be sure. Can you understand that?" Lindsay searched her friend's 
face, looking for reassurance that Helen wasn't angry.

    "Oh my God."

    "What?" asked Lindsay.

    "You're gonna have a baby." Helen's face and voice were still 
expressionless.

    Lindsay nodded. "Yeah. I am."

    Helen stood up flung out her arms and broke into the biggest smile 
Lindsay had ever seen. "That's so great!" she cried. "Stand up so I can hug 
you!"

    Lindsay stood and Helen threw her arms around her friend. "This is so 
exciting! You're going to be a mommy!"

    "You're not mad?" Lindsay dared to ask from inside Helen's exuberant 
embrace.

    "Well, I'm still not thrilled with the whole getting married alone 
thing." said Helen, releasing Lindsay and sitting back down. "But you made up 
for it with the baby. That's so wonderful, Lindsay. You're going to be a 
great mom."

    "Thank you, Helen. That means a lot."

    "Now, let's get down to details."

    "What do you mean?"

    "I told you, you owe me. I want details on your wedding night. C'mon! 
Let's hear it! Was he good? Great? Lousy? I wanna know."

    "Helen!" Lindsay laughed, throwing a napkin across the table at her 
friend.

    Helen threw it back. "Tell me. I have no life of my own. Let me live 
through you."

    And while the two friends laughed and talked for hours, Lindsay's husband 
was making some discoveries of his own in a small cafe on twenty second 
street.
________________________________________________________

Well, that's the last installment of the year. I will not post again until 
Sunday, or possibly even Monday. I need feedback, because I'm about ready to 
wrap this story up and I won't find the strength to do that without your 
feedback. The future of this story is in your hands! So email me or post your 
comments on the board. I live for your responses. Well, OK, your responses 
and chocolate, but mostly for your responses. I'm begging now, can you tell? 
Thank you for sticking with me!
~Tracy

Forward Motion part 20______________________________________


    Linda Malone took a seat at the table across from Bobby. She was wearing 
black from head to toe. Weather the black clothing was a statement of 
mourning or fashion, Bobby wasn't sure. She looked tired, deep circles under 
her eyes and her hands shook as she clasped them together on top of the table.

    "I appreciate you meeting with me tonight, Ms. Malone." began Bobby.

    "I want to help in any way I can. I heard on the radio that Steven 
confessed. Is that true?"

    "Yes, but there's some doubt as to the validity of his confession. There 
is the idea that he's protecting someone else."

    "He couldn't have done this."

    "You know him, then." Bobby stated.

    "Oh yes. Quite well, actually." Linda Malone nodded vigorously. "He's the 
sweetest man you would ever want to meet. He couldn't harm a fly."

    "Did you know he was married?"

    "Not until about six months ago. I was harassing Diana about him. They'd 
been together so long, I was bugging her about when he was going to make a 
commitment to her and propose. I was only teasing, but then she blurted out 
that he was married. I never said anything about it after that."

    "How was she about the break up?"

    "Hurt, at first. But then she turned her pain into anger and decided to 
sue him. I tried to talk her out of it, but she insisted. She said she didn't 
spend seven years of her life with him to be pushed by the way side now."

    "So she went ahead with it?"

    "Yes. She was just so angry that she didn't want to listen to reason. I 
even dug up research for her about how seldom palimony suits are successful, 
but she didn't care. I think she just wanted to hurt him because she felt 
that he hurt her."

    "I have to ask you this, although I know that the police already have. 
Where were you the morning Diana was murdered?"

    "At an antiques auction in New York. I'd been there for two days. I 
bought a lamp. I gave the police the receipt with the date and time stamped 
on it."

    "OK. Do you have any idea who might have done this? Who hated her that 
much?"

    "Well, there were a few angry clients, although I don't know if any of 
them are capable of this."

    "Who were they?"

    "I brought the list....." said Linda Malone, digging through her big 
black purse. ".....here it is."

    "What can you tell me about the ones you mentioned before? The ones who 
were angry?"

    "Well, there was this one woman, Lydia Campbell. She bought a love seat 
from us to go in her new sitting room. Only after she got it home, she 
decided she didn't want it because it didn't match her carpet. We had worked 
hard to get that love seat for her and our labor factored into the cost. We 
offered to take back the furniture for the price of the actual piece, but the 
labor was nonrefundable. She was furious, threatened to sue."

    "Do you think she could have done it?"

    "Not really. She was pretty wimpy, actually. We never heard from her 
after that and that was nearly a year ago."

    "Who else?"

    "Two weeks ago a man named Louis Vane bought an antique bed frame. Diana 
warned him that it was not very strong because despite it's size, it was made 
for a child. He didn't listen, apparently, because he tried to sleep in it. 
Well, he was a very large man and the bed broke. He was angry because he said 
we never warned him. He came in yelling all sorts of obscenities and we had 
to call building security to escort him out. I guess it could have been him.''

    "Steven was telling me about somebody named Chipman?"

    Ms. Malone nodded. ''I never really had any dealings with him. Diana sold 
him the sofa, but his check bounced, so she wouldn't give it to him. He said 
he'd given her ten thousand dollars that should cover it, but she refused to 
budge. From what I gathered, he was pretty upset."

    "Did you know that she had started to carry mace?"

    "I noticed that, but I didn't know why. Was it because of him?"

    "Yeah. She also had a gun for protection."

    "I'm a worrier. She always tried to keep things like this from me. She 
said I drove her nuts with my worrying. I guess this time she was worried, 
too."

    "He was calling her at home and at work, from what I understand."

    "I didn't know. Maybe it was him."

    "Maybe. But if she was so afraid of him, why would she let him into her 
apartment. There was no forced entry, and no sign of any kind of struggle."

    Linda Malone sighed. "I wish she would have told me. This guy was 
obviously crazy. I'm surprised the police didn't look into it more."

    "Well, they didn't look too hard at anyone else once they figured they 
had their guy. Is Chipman on that list?" asked Bobby, pointing at the paper 
she held in her hands.

    "Should be." she answered as she started to scan the names.

    "What's his full name? I'd like to point the DA in his direction. I think 
she might be able to help us."

    "Here he is. Albert Chipman. Apartment number 220 on 16 Hanover Street 
right here in Boston."

    "Thank you, Ms. Malone. Hopefully, this will help."

    "I'm glad I could be of some help to you, although I don't think I told 
you much that you didn't already know."

    "Every little bit helps."

    "Well, if you need anything else, please call me." She said as she stood 
to leave.

    "I will. Thank you." Bobby smiled at her as he stood, too.

    "You know, it's really a shame. Diana loved Steven so much. As angry as 
she was, I don't think she would want him to be in prison, you know?" And 
with that, Linda Malone walked away.

    Bobby sat back down and began to mull over what he had just heard. He 
felt that the key to this mess was close, but he just couldn't grasp it yet. 
He reached for his cel phone and dialed Helen's pager number.
_________________________________________________________

    "Damnit! Who is beeping me?" cried Helen as she and Lindsay  neared their 
third hour in the pub. "Hey! It's your hubby!" she exclaimed, looking at her 
pager.

    "Helen, you have had enough to drink. You are bordering on tipsy." 
Lindsay warned, knowing that if Bobby was paging Helen it was about business.

    "I'm fine. Just happy, that's all."

    "A little too happy. Where is Bobby?"

    "Cel phone. Give me yours so I can call him back." As Lindsay handed her 
the phone, Helen said "Can I tell him I know?"

    "Sure." Lindsay shrugged "Why not?"

    "Bobby? What's up?" She was quiet for a long time, listening to Bobby. "I 
don't think they looked at them at all. But their definitely not going to 
look at someone else now that Steven has confessed."

    Lindsay listened in, her interest piqued.

    "Well, I don't know. I'll try to ask Maguire tomorrow. Maybe I can owe 
him a favor if he looks into this for me. But this is crazy, Bobby. I'm a DA, 
I've got a guy in jail who confessed to murder, and I'm about to help the 
defense come up with another suspect. You will owe me big if this kills the 
case against Steven. The Mayor will have me mopping floors in the courthouse 
if this gets out." She listened again for a while. "No, of course I don't 
really think he did it.......No, I don't want him to go to jail. If this were 
anybody else, though, I would never do this for you." She winked at Lindsay 
"I just don't want your kid growing up without his Grandpa Steven.......Yeah, 
she told me. Congratulations, Bobby. OK........you wanna talk to your wife?"

    Lindsay took the phone from Helen "Hi Bobby!"

    "That sounds great!"

    "What?"
    
    "What Helen said. Did I want to talk to my wife? I like the way that 
sounds."

    Lindsay smiled into the phone. "I like it, too. It sounds like you might 
have something that could help my dad?"

    "Maybe, if the police will look into it. I wish he would retract that 
confession."

    "I wish we knew why he confessed."

    "We'll talk about that at home."

    "You know?"

    "Yeah, I know."

    "I'm not going to like it, am I?"

    "Probably not."

    "Great." Lindsay sighed. "I'll be leaving here in a few minutes."

    "OK, I should be home in about a half an hour."

    "All right. I'll see you then."

    "Let me talk to Helen real quick."

    "Here." said Lindsay, passing the phone back to Helen.

    "Yeah?" said Helen into the speaker.

    "Keep your best poker face on, Helen."

    "Okaaaaaaay."

    "Steven is covering for someone."

    "Who?"

    "Swear to me you will not tell Lindsay."

    "I won't."

    "Because I think I should be the one to tell her."

    "Who is it, Bobby?"

    "Katelyn."

    "Oh, God."

    "She didn't do it, either."

    "All right, Bobby. You're going to have to explain all of this to me."

    "I will. First thing tomorrow morning. Right after I explain it all to 
Lindsay."

    "Bye." Helen hung up and handed the phone back across the table.

    "I'm not going to like it, am I?" Lindsay asked again.

    "No. Probably not.'' answered Helen, just as vaguely as Bobby had.
_________________________________________________________

    Across town, as Bobby hung up, he thought to himself "No, Sweetheart, 
you're not going to like it at all."
_________________________________________________________

OK, that's really the last installment before 2000. Feedback and comments are 
requested as always. Thanks for reading!
~Tracy

Forward Motion part 21_______________________________________

    Lindsay threw her keys on the small table in the entryway to the 
apartment.

    "Bobby?" she called, but there was no answer, despite the fact that 
lights were on all over the apartment.

    "Bobby?" she called again.

    "In here!" answered a muffled voice from the computer room.

    "Hey." she said as she pushed the door open and found Bobby staring 
intently at the computer screen. "What's up?"

    "Just reviewing your dad's confession and trying to dig up some case law 
to get it kicked." He smiled at her. "Couldn't keep our secret from Helen for 
very long, could you?" He was teasing her.

    "You should have heard her. She sounded just like she does in court when 
she's ready to trip up a witness on the stand. There was no getting around 
her. She pretty much had it figured out anyway."

    "What did she say?"

    "She's a little unhappy that we got married without her."

    "Well, she can't be there for everything. She wouldn't have been there 
for the proposal either, if I'd had my way."

    "I know. But she's really excited about the baby. She said I'd be a great 
mom." Lindsay knew they were both avoiding the conversation about her 
father's confession.

    "You will be a great mom. I'm sure of it, too." Bobby's smile grew wider.

    "Why did he confess, Bobby?" asked Lindsay suddenly, tired of dancing 
around it.

    Bobby sighed and switched off the computer. "I was wondering how long it 
would take before you'd mention it."

    "Is it really that bad? Is he guilty?"

    "No, no, he...he isn't guilty. He's covering for someone who he thinks is 
guilty."

    "He's covering for someone?" When Bobby nodded she asked "Who?"

     Knowing there would be no way to cushion what he had to tell her, Bobby 
just came out with it. "Katelyn."

    "My sister?" Lindsay's face turned ash gray.

    Bobby stood and walked to her, taking her hands in his. "I already talked 
to her, Lindsay. She was there, at Diana Powers' apartment. But she says 
Diana was dead when she got there."

    "I don't understand......." Lindsay's voice shook as she spoke.

    "She knew about the affair and the lawsuit against your father. She 
wanted to talk to Diana to see if she could get her to drop the suit. When 
she got there, Diana was dead. Shortly after that, your dad showed up." Bobby 
used his most soothing tone of voice, as if he were speaking to a small, 
scared child.

    "But, why didn't she stay? They could have helped each other, been each 
other's witnesses........" she trailed off.

    "Your dad thought Katelyn killed her. He kept telling her to leave and 
that he would take care of things. She did as she was told."

    "Why would she do that?"

    "Sweetheart, you and I have seen more dead bodies in this business than 
most people ever see. She was scared, which is a normal reaction. She 
panicked, your dad panicked and the truth got swept under the rug."

    "So he confessed to protect her."

    "Looks that way."

    "And she didn't do it?"

    "She says she didn't."

    "Did you believe her? I mean, did it seem like she was telling the truth?"

    "I've never met her before, but, yeah, I think she was telling the 
truth." Bobby was trying to gauge Lindsay's emotional state by looking in her 
eyes.

    "Will she talk to the police?" Her voice was stronger now, not quivering 
as much.

    "Yes, but I still have to get your father to retract."

    "Tell him she didn't do it." said Lindsay, trying to convince herself as 
well.

    "I will. Hopefully, he'll believe it. If he doesn't, then I'll still try 
to get it kicked based on Katelyn's version of events. Even if none of those 
things work, her testimony would still give us reasonable doubt if push came 
to shove and we went to trial."

    "What a mess, Bobby." she sighed.

    "Yeah, it is a mess. But I talked to Diana Powers' business partner 
tonight and she gave me some other suspects for the police to look at. 
Hopefully, Maguire will find the murderer on that list and this will all be 
over soon."

    "Not soon enough." Lindsay said as she leaned into Bobby's chest. 

    He wrapped his arms around her and kissed the top of her head. "I'm doing 
my best. I promise."

    She sighed again. "I know. I just want to get past this and move forward."

    "Lindsay, we have moved forward. Two weeks ago, we weren't married. We 
weren't planning for a baby. This thing with your dad is big and ugly, but if 
anything, it has helped push us into forward motion faster than we were 
going. I'm not grateful for the situation your dad is in, but I am grateful 
to be married to you and to be expecting a baby with you. I'd say we've made 
some considerable leaps forward, over all."

    She snuggled more tightly into his arms. "You're right. I'm grateful to 
be married now, too, instead of in four months. I guess my father's case 
really is just a small thing in the scope of our lives together." She stepped 
out of his arms and smiled up at him. "Thank you."

    "For what?"

    "For fighting so hard for my father, even when I can't bring myself to. 
You could have handed it to somebody else, but you didn't. You knew it would 
be important to me, even when I couldn't admit that to myself."

    He returned her smile. "You're welcome. I would do anything for you. You 
know that, don't you?"

    "Yeah. I do know that."

    "Good." He kissed her quickly, then said regretfully "I've got more work 
to do."

    "OK. I'm going to make some dinner. Are you hungry?"

    "No, I ate."

    "Well, Junior and I are starving." she joked as she lay one hand over her 
belly.

    "There's some defrosted chicken in the refrigerator."

    "Thanks." said Lindsay, as she turned to leave the computer room. But 
before she left, she left five little words hanging in the air.

    "What if Katelyn is lying?" And with that thought heavy on both their 
minds, Lindsay cooked and Bobby worked.
_________________________________________________________

        Feedback is requested, even begged for, although I know this 
installment wasn't particularly fascinating. Thanks for reading!
~Tracy

Forward Motion part 22_______________________________________

    Bobby was buzzed into the jailhouse conference room on Wednesday morning. 
Picking up the phone on the other side of the Plexiglas partition from 
Steven, he knew he would be in for a fight.

    "Steven, I know you are covering for Katelyn." Bobby plunged right into 
the issue at hand.

    "You don't know anything." said Steven, his face remaining stoic, but his 
eyes giving away his shock at Bobby's revelation. "You're just trying to get 
me to retract my confession. Well, I won't."

    "Steven, you don't need to cover for her. I spoke with her, she told me 
everything. She's going to talk to the DA and the police this afternoon."

    "She can't!" yelped Steven, half rising out of his chair.

    "Sit down!" ordered Bobby. When Lindsay's father did as directed, Bobby 
continued. ''She says Diana was dead when she got there. You arrived shortly 
after her, panicked and ordered her to leave. You never gave her the chance 
to explain that she hadn't done it."

    Steven took in all of Bobby's news. "I thought......"

    "I know. You confessed to protect her, only there was nothing to protect 
her from. She's as innocent as you are."

    "The police won't know that." said Steven, a flash of something Bobby 
couldn't quite decipher sparkled in his eyes.

    "What do you mean?"

    "The police don't know that Katelyn didn't kill Diana. Why should they 
believe her? Hell, I even thought she did it and she's my daughter. She's 
been covering and I've been lying. There is no way the police are going to 
believe she's innocent."

    "What are you saying?" Bobby asked, a gigantic knot tightened inside of 
his stomach.

    "I'm not retracting."

    "Steven......"

    "No! You're not talking me into it, either."

    "You will go to prison!" Bobby whispered furiously.

    "Well, my life in prison will be shorter than Katelyn's life in prison."

    "You're innocent!"

    "And according to you, so is Katelyn."

    Bobby realized then that the look in Steven's eyes was parental 
protection. And he knew there would be no talking him into taking back his 
confession.

    "She's still going to talk to the police and give them her full 
cooperation."

    "And I'll stand by my confession."

    "Then I will fight it."

    "You are my lawyer. You have to do what I want and I don't want you to 
get my confession thrown out. Do you understand me?"

    "It's you who doesn't understand. I've got an innocent client who is 
going to rot in prison for the rest of his life because he covered for his 
daughter who is also innocent. In the meantime, a killer is walking around on 
the streets and I've got a wife who doesn't understand what the hell has 
happened to her family and is looking to me to for answers. Answers you won't 
give me. I am no longer interested in doing what is best for you. I am 
interested finding out the truth and protecting my own family. So what you 
need to understand is this: I will get your confession thrown out, somehow. 
If I can't, I will introduce Katelyn's witness statement at your trial, 
creating enough reasonable doubt to get you off. Either way, what happened 
that day will get out and people will look at Katelyn as a suspect. You are 
not protecting her. You are only making things more difficult!" And with 
that, Bobby slammed down the phone, pushed pack his chair and left, never 
even giving Steven the chance to ask what he had meant when he had called 
Lindsay his wife.
_________________________________________________________

    Bobby attempted to walk calmly into Donnell, Young, Dole and Frutt. He 
did not want Lindsay to see how badly things had gone with her father. But 
the only people he saw when he entered the main office were Lucy and Jimmy.

    "Hey!" he said by way of greeting. "Where is everyone?"

    "Eugene and Ellenor got a call about some dead guy in a basement and 
Rebecca is at the courthouse filing a motion to suppress in the Greenlee 
case. Lindsay hasn't come in yet."

    Bobby checked his watch. "It's almost noon. She said she'd be in around 
nine when I left this morning. She hasn't called?"

    "No." Lucy shook her head.

    "Uh, OK. Thanks, Lucy." Bobby tried to shake off the sense of worry that 
had snuck up on him. "Jimmy, do you have time to lend me a hand with 
something?"

    "Sure. What's up?"

    "I need to dig up some case law about getting an invalid confession 
kicked. I have a witness statement that conflicts with the confession. If the 
witness is being truthful, and there isn't any reason to think she isn't, 
then the confession is obviously false."

    "So, then the DA will probably let it go. What's the problem?"

    "My client is sticking to his confession. He insists upon his guilt. I 
think he'll even say the witness is lying to keep his confession from being 
kicked."

    "Is this Lindsay's dad?"

    "Yeah."

    "Why did he confess if he didn't do it? I mean, I was there with him when 
he signed it."

    "He's protecting his daughter."

    "Lindsay?"

    "Other daughter. Katelyn. She was there, at the scene. He thought she did 
it."

    "Did she?"

    "No. At least, she says she didn't."

    "And he confessed because he thinks the cops will think she did it."

    "He doesn't want her to go to prison."

    "Geez."

    "Tell me about it." said Bobby as he picked up the phone and dialed. "I 
need anything you can find on confessions and uncooperative clients. If he 
won't help me, then I'll have to do this the hard way. I've checked the 
computer some, but you and Rebecca are better with that than I am. When she 
gets here, have her work on it, too." He disconnected and dialed another 
number. "Also, ask Ellenor to go down to Helen's office at two o'clock. 
Katelyn will be making her statement then. She needs a lawyer and it can't be 
me because of conflict of interest."

    "What are you gonna do?" asked Jimmy.

    Bobby slammed down a phone for the second time that day. "I'm going to go 
home to find out why my wife hasn't come to work and why she's not answering 
at home or on her cel phone." He raced out of the office, fear and worry in 
every step.
_________________________________________________________

    Well, well, what a mess Lindsay's father has made! If he didn't do it and 
Katelyn didn't do it, then who did? And where is Lindsay? I know, but I'm not 
telling yet. Part 23 might be up tomorrow, if I have a chance. If not, don't 
expect anything until Sunday. Please, please, please post feedback. I'm dying 
to know what your theories are. Thanks for reading!
~Tracy

Forward Motion part 23_______________________________________

    Bobby's panic lessened just a little when he saw that Lindsay's car was 
still in their apartment parking lot. But it quickly grew again when he saw 
her as he walked through the front door.
    
     She was wrapped in a blanket on the couch, sitting upright, her face as 
pale as moonlight on snow. Her eyes however, were bloodshot and Bobby could 
see immediately that she had been crying. She did not seem to notice that he 
was there.

    "Lindsay?" he called softly from the doorway. When she didn't respond he 
moved from the doorway to the couch, kneeling beside her. "Sweetheart?" His 
heart was beating quickly from fear. He knew something was terribly wrong.
    
    She looked at him then, her brain just registering the fact that he was 
in the room. "Bobby." she whispered.

    "I was worried about you. I called but you didn't answer."

    "I......I tried to call you, too, but your phone was off or something." 
She spoke in a small, scared voice.

    Bobby closed his eyes with a new realization. "I turned it off when I had 
to give it to the guards at the jail. I forgot to turn it back on. I'm so 
sorry." He swallowed and half afraid to hear, but needing to know, he asked 
"What's going on?"

    "I was on the other line when it beeped, but I didn't answer. I'm sorry." 
She didn't seem to hear Bobby's question.

    "That's okay, that's okay." he soothed, stroking her hair, dread gripping 
his entire body.

    "I'm bleeding." Lindsay said, her voice barely audible.

    "What? Where?" Bobby frantically began to look up and down her body, 
images of her stabbing instantly forming in his mind. But then he realized 
what she meant. "Oh, God.......Oh, Lindsay, Sweetheart................"

    "I was on the phone with the doctor when you called. That's why I 
couldn't answer." Tears were beginning to slide down her cheeks. "She said 
that it might not be anything, but if it was........." she trailed off.

    "Tell me." he said, struggling to keep from crying himself.

    "If I'm bleeding because........because I'm losing the baby, there isn't 
really anything they can do."

    "They don't want to see you?" Bobby was bewildered and angry and 
heartbroken, all at the same time.

    "I'm supposed to go in a few minutes. I didn't know where you were. I 
wanted you but I didn't want to call the office. I didn't want to explain to 
Lucy......." she started to sob.

    Bobby got up and sat on the couch next to her, pulling her into his arms. 
He rocked her back and forth, all the while rubbing her back and kissing her 
hair.

    "I'm so sorry, Bobby!" she cried.

    "No, no, Lindsay. Don't say that. There isn't anything to be sorry for. 
We don't know for sure that anything is wrong. I refuse to believe that there 
is. We'll go to the doctor and find out, okay? The doctor said it might be 
nothing didn't she?" When she nodded, Bobby continued. "Well, then let's not 
panic yet, all right?" He said the words to make her feel better, but his own 
panic had reached a pinnacle.

    "I don't want to lose this baby."

    "I don't either and I pray to God that's not what is happening. But if it 
is, Lindsay, if it is, we'll be okay. I promise you. It will be hard, but we 
will be okay." He kissed her cheeks and wiped her tears. "Are you ready to 
go?"

    She nodded. "Yes. I need to know."

    "Then let's go." He stood up and offered her his hand. She took it and 
within minutes, they were on their way to the doctor.
_________________________________________________________

    The nurse at the doctor's office ushered them into an exam room the 
moment they signed in at the front desk.

    "The doctor will be in in just a moment, dear." She said kindly to 
Lindsay after she took her blood pressure and temperature. Lindsay nodded and 
the nurse left the room.

    Lindsay changed out of her clothes and into the gown the nurse had given 
her. She watched as Bobby paced back and forth lengthwise across the small 
room. She could see the fear he was trying so hard to hide behind a brave 
face. She held out her hand to him.

    "Bobby?"

    He stopped and looked at her and realized that she knew and understood 
that he, too, was terrified. He took her hand and walked over to her. "I have 
to believe that everything is all right."

    "I know." she whispered, remembering that that was how Bobby dealt with 
things. He had to believe in the up rather than the down or he would lose it. 
She squeezed his hand. "I want to believe that, too. But Bobby.....as hard as 
it is....." she began to cry a little "......we have to be prepared to hear 
that it might not be all right. We have to be ready to hear that I might have 
lost this baby." She wanted so much to lean on him, to be weak and to let him 
pull her through. But she knew that this was hard for him as well, and wanted 
to comfort him and shelter him as much as she could.

    "I don't want to believe that." he whispered, tears filling his eyes as 
well.

    "I know you don't. I don't either. But we have to prepare ourselves a 
little or we will both fall apart. I need you to be strong for me Bobby and I 
need to be strong for you. You are right. We will make it, but we need to be 
ready for the worst even if we pray for the best." She was unsure where this 
bit of strength was coming from, but she was grateful for it.

    "Okay." Bobby said softly, thankful that, for one moment, he could allow 
himself to be the vulnerable one.

    The doctor came in then and Bobby's brave face reappeared. To anyone who 
didn't know him, he looked perfectly collected and calm. But Lindsay knew 
better.

    "Hello. I'm Doctor Jackson" she said shaking Bobby's hand.

    "Bobby Donnell." he responded.

    "Hello, Lindsay." Doctor Jackson said.

    "Hi."

    "When did you first notice the bleeding?" The doctor got right down to 
business, for which Bobby and Lindsay were both grateful.

    "Around ten thirty. I was late for work because I'd been on the phone 
with my mother. I went to use the bathroom before I left the house. That's 
when I realized I was bleeding." Her voice shook as she spoke and Bobby's 
brave exterior began to collapse as she answered the questions she was asked.

    "How were you bleeding?"

    "How?" Lindsay didn't understand the question.

    "Um, was it heavy, or just light spotting or somewhere in between?" The 
doctor could see that these two people were both clearly petrified.

    "Somewhere in between, I guess."

    "And are you still bleeding now?"

    "A little. Not as much, though."

    "Okay, what we're going to do is this. We're going to get you an 
ultrasound. We should be able to see your baby and hear it's heartbeat if 
everything is all right. If not, then the ultrasound will tell us that, too."

    "Uh,.....o.... okay." Lindsay nodded.

    "What do you think, Doctor Jackson?" Bobby asked.

    "I don't want to speculate. I wouldn't want to give false hope or false 
fear. I'll be back with the ultrasound machine in a few minutes. Go ahead and 
lay down, Lindsay. Make your self comfortable." The doctor left the room, 
shutting the door firmly behind her.

    "I don't think I can get comfortable, under the circumstances." said 
Lindsay, laying back onto the exam table.

    "I know." said Bobby, beginning to pace again.

    "Come over here and hold my hand?" she asked.

    He crossed the room and took her hand in his, kissing it. "I love you."

    "I know. I love you, too." She gave him a small, wavering smile. "I'm 
scared, Bobby."

    "Me, too." he acknowledged. They sat in silence for a while before Bobby 
said "I think we're about due for a break here, though."

    "What do you mean?"

    "Well, first there was your stabbing, then this thing with your dad, then 
your sister's involvement. I think it's about time we caught a little slack."

    "We have been handed some tough stuff here lately, haven't we?"

    "Yeah, we have. So maybe, this time, it'll turn out good."

    "I hope so."

    "So do I."

    There was a knock at the door then and Bobby opened it to find a 
technician with an ultrasound machine standing on the other side.

    "Doctor Jackson said to tell you she'll be back in a minute. I just have 
to set this up." said the man whose name tag read "Bill."

    "Sure." said Bobby, moving out of the way. 

    Bill fussed with assorted wires and things for a few moments and the 
machine came to life, humming and beeping and blinking.

    "There you go, folks. Doctor should be back soon." Bill was whistling as 
he left the room. It seemed out of place to hear cheerful whistling while 
they felt so completely helpless and afraid.

    "All right." said Doctor Jackson as she reentered the room. "Lindsay, I'm 
going to put some very cold jelly like stuff on your belly, okay?" When 
Lindsay nodded, the doctor squeezed the substance onto Lindsay's exposed 
stomach.

    "What's going to happen now?" asked Bobby.

    "I'm going to move this little thing right here around on your wife's 
belly." explained the doctor, holding up a small instrument that looked to 
Bobby somewhat like a small iron. "If everything is fine, we will hear a 
heartbeat and get a small picture of your baby. The picture may be hard for 
you to make out, but it will be clear to me. If you have indeed miscarried, 
we will not see or hear anything. Do you have any questions before we start?"

    "No, please, just......just do it. I have to know." Lindsay whispered, 
fear coursing through her veins.

    "Okay. Here we go." The doctor laid the instrument on Lindsay's belly and 
began to slowly move it around. The room was dead silent.

    It seemed to Bobby that time froze and that everyone and everything was 
in slow motion. The doctor continued to listen and watch the monitor as she 
moved the ultrasound paddle around. Lindsay held tightly onto Bobby's hand 
and Bobby prayed silently that the baby was okay.

    Tears began to slip out of Lindsay's eyes. She couldn't hear anything and 
the doctor just kept moving the paddle around, listening. Bobby's eyes were 
closed and Lindsay knew he was praying.

    "Doctor?" Lindsay asked quietly, fear having taken over completely.

    "Hang on." said Doctor Jackson, cocking her head and looking more closely 
at the monitor.

    "Oh, God, please......" whispered Lindsay. Bobby held her hand tighter.

    It was then that Lindsay and Bobby heard the most amazing sound in the 
world. It was fast, but there was no mistaking what it was.

    They were hearing their baby's heartbeat.

    "Is that it?" cried Bobby, opening his eyes.

    "Your baby is fine." announced Doctor Jackson. "He's got a nice strong 
heartbeat and from what I can see, he's a perfectly healthy baby."

    "Oh, thank you." Lindsay was sobbing with relief.

    "Lindsay, look here for a minute." instructed the doctor. "Can you see? 
Here is your baby's head. See? And his feet are right here. Can you see it?"

    "I think so." said Lindsay, wiping her tears.

    "You keep saying his and he. Is it a boy?" asked Bobby, wiping away his 
own tears.

    "I always say he. Impersonal pronoun. It doesn't mean boy or girl. But if 
you want to know, I can tell you what it looks like to me."

    "I don't want to know." said Lindsay. "Maybe later, but not now."

    "Okay. We'll be doing a few more of these Lindsay. Because of the 
bleeding, I do consider you a higher risk pregnancy."

    "What does that mean?" asked Bobby and Lindsay in unison.

    "Well, for now, it means half days at work and rest most of the time. I 
want you off your feet as much as possible."

    "Bed rest?" asked Bobby.

    "No, that's not necessary. But make sure you sit as much as possible. Put 
your feet up if you can, don't stay standing too long. Avoid stress and tense 
situations. If your workplace tends to bring those feelings on, I will 
recommend that you stay home. I'd be happy to provide a medical notice for 
your employer."

    "That's okay." smiled Lindsay. "He knows."

    "I'd like to see you back next week at your previously scheduled time. 
But please, let me know if there are any changes or if you have any 
questions."

    "Um, how long will I be considered a higher risk pregnancy?"

    "I will feel better once you are about two weeks into your second 
trimester."

    "So about three weeks." said Bobby, doing the math in his head.

    "Yes. At that point I will reevaluate and see how you and baby are doing. 
If everything looks good and there have been no further scares or 
complications, then we will see about returning you to a normal work 
schedule. Okay?"

    "Thank you so much, Doctor." said Lindsay as she sat up.

    "You are most welcome. I'm glad everything is all right. Bobby?"

    "Yeah?"

    "Take care of my patients. Both of them." She held out her hand.

    "I will." said Bobby, shaking Doctor Jackson's hand. "I will."

    When the doctor had left the room, Bobby and Lindsay held each other very 
close, both of them grateful for their good news.

    "Everything's okay." said Lindsay.

    "Yeah. Everything is really okay." echoed Bobby. He tilted her chin up 
and kissed her.

    "Let's go home." whispered Bobby when they parted.

    "Yes. Let's." Lindsay changed back into her clothes and together they 
walked to the car, feeling tired and drained, but also, incredibly relieved 
and happy.
_________________________________________________________

OK,OK, so this installment did not further Lindsay's dad's case at all. That 
will come next time, I promise. Feedback is requested, as always. And once 
again, thanks for reading.
~Tracy

Forward Motion part 24_______________________________________

    Bobby and Lindsay got home a little after three o'clock. Both of them 
were emotionally drained and physically exhausted. Bobby sent Lindsay right 
over to the couch and went to the kitchen to fix them both a late lunch. When 
he came back to the living room fifteen minutes later with hot soup and a 
sandwich, she was sound asleep. He covered her with a blanket, kissed her 
forehead and went to the computer room. He closed the door and picked up the 
phone to dial Helen's office.

    "Helen Gamble."

    "Hey Helen, it's Bobby."

    "Bobby, where have you been?"

    "Sorry?"

    "I called your phone and your office. Lucy said you ran out after Lindsay 
hours ago. I tried to call you both and I've been worried sick!"

    "We had a little emergency."

    "Is everything all right?"

    "Yeah, everything's fine. We just had a scare with the baby."

    "What happened?" Helen's voice was still concerned.

    "I'll let her tell you. Everything's okay now, though. Don't worry." He 
changed the subject. "How'd it go with Katelyn?"

    "She and Ellenor just left. I gotta tell you, Bobby, this doesn't change 
much." Helen became all business.

    "How is that possible? She just told you Diana Powers was dead when she 
got there. If Steven got there after her, then he obviously didn't do it."

    "He confessed and he's not retracting. At best, you've got conflicting 
stories. At worst........." Helen trailed off.

    "At worst what?" Bobby demanded.

    "At worst you've got two people who are both lying. One's a killer and 
the other is covering up. Murder and accessory to murder."

    "You can't prove that."

    "I have no intention of going after Katelyn. For what it's worth, I 
believe her. But Bobby, I have to go with Steven's confession. If he won't 
retract...."

    "He won't."

    "Then the confession is good. I'm sorry."

    "You have to have a good faith belief that he's guilty."

    "And it is possible that he killed her. I don't like it, either, but I 
have to move forward with this. There's a sentencing hearing scheduled for 
tomorrow."

    "Helen, please, I need more time." Bobby was nearly begging.

    "I'm sorry. I'm taking a lot of heat for putting it off as long as I 
have. If I don't move now, they'll give it to Richard."

    "The midget?"

    "He's not a midget. But, yes, they will give it to him and you don't want 
that."

    "What about the other suspects? The ones on Linda Malone's client list. 
Did Maguire look into those?"

    "He's still working on it, Bobby. But he has to be discreet. It's a 
personal favor that he's doing for me and me asking him is a personal favor 
that I did for you. It can't get out that we helped the defense in any way or 
we are headed for jobs in the basement of the county clerks office. Your best 
bet is to get Steven to retract."

    "I tried that already."

    "Well, try again, because that's the only thing that will get the ball 
rolling in your favor. Off the record, you and I both know that if you can 
get this to trial and present Katelyn's testimony, it'll create enough 
reasonable doubt for him to walk away. But if we go into court with that 
confession, no judge in the world is going to bind us over for trial. We'll 
go straight to sentencing."

    "I know." Bobby's head ached.

    "I'm sorry." said Helen again.

    "Me, too." said Bobby grimly.

    "Is Lindsay there with you?"

    "She's asleep."

    "Have her call me, okay?"

    "I will. Thanks Helen."

    "Make him retract, Bobby. It's the only way you'll win." That was the 
last thing Bobby heard before the dial tone buzzed in his ear.
_________________________________________________________

    When Lindsay awoke about an hour and a half later, she found that the 
room was darkening with the sunset. She sat up groggily and looked around. 
She knew from the stillness in the apartment that Bobby was not there.
    
    She got up slowly from the couch and wandered into the kitchen. Her 
stomach rumbled from hunger and she was debating what to eat when she found 
the note from Bobby.

    "Lindsay,
        I had to go in to work. There is a tuna sandwich and left over soup 
in the blue Tupperware container in the refrigerator. 
        Helen wants you to call her. I didn't tell her what happened today, 
only that we had a little scare. She was worried, so give her a call.
        Please call me when you get this note and let me know how you're 
doing. And remember: STAY OFF YOUR FEET!
       I love you,
        Bobby"

    Lindsay smiled and pulled the soup and sandwich out of the refrigerator. 
She put the soup in the microwave and dialed Bobby's cel phone number.

    "Bobby Donnell."

    "Hey!" she said into the phone.

    "Hi! How are you feeling?"

    "I'm okay. Hungry. I'm heating up the soup right now."

    "Good. Are you sitting down? Staying off your feet?"

    "No, worry wart. But I've only been standing for a total of about two 
minutes, so it should be okay." Lindsay teased.

    "I'm just following Doctor's orders to take care of you."

    "I know you are. Why'd you have to go in?"

    "Helen won't agree to drop the confession. She says that your dad has to 
retract, because the way it is right now it looks like either your father 
killed Diana and your sister is covering or vice versa."

    "Great." Lindsay sighed.

    "Yeah, no kidding." Bobby stopped, seemingly weighing a thought in his 
head. "I think I left some papers in the computer room. Would you mind taking 
a look for me if you feel up to it?"

    Lindsay smiled at Bobby's concern. "Sure." she said walking into the 
makeshift office. "What am I looking for?"

    "Some copies of your dad's original statement, Linda Malone's statement 
to the police and her answers to my questions as well."

    "Here they are. Do you need them?"

    "Yeah. Could you fax them to me?"
    
    "I can do that. They'll be on their way in a few minutes."

    "Great. I should be home by nine o'clock or so."

    "I'll be here with my feet up, totally relaxing."

    "Good." Bobby paused for a moment, then said "I'm so thankful everything 
is all right. I was really scared there for a while."

    "Me too. But you were right. We were due for a brake and we got one."

    "We sure did. I love you, Sweetheart."

    "I love you, too. I'll see you tonight."

    "Bye."

    Lindsay smiled as she hung up. She faxed Bobby his papers and then went 
in to retrieve her soup.
_________________________________________________________

Yes, it was terribly short. Sorry. I promise I will have more tomorrow. Have 
any of you figured out where this is headed yet? Let me know what you think. 
Thanks for reading!

Forward Motion part 25_______________________________________

     Although he had said it would be around nine o'clock, it was actually 
more like ten o'clock when Bobby arrived home and he was not entirely 
thrilled with what he found when he got there.

    Lindsay was sitting on the couch with her feet up, but that was about as 
far as she had gone following Doctor Jackson's orders. She had her laptop 
computer on the coffetable, the screen glowing with data he couldn't make out 
from the doorway. She had papers scattered all around her on the couch and 
the floor and she was furiously scribbling onto a yellow legal pad. She was 
so involved that she didn't even hear him come in until he shut the door.

    "Unless you are researching baby names, there is nothing you should be 
working on that intensely." scolded Bobby gently as he crossed over to sit 
next to her.

    "I know, but I got so bored. There is absolutely nothing to do in this 
house. I read every magazine we had, including your sports ones. Then I cut 
coupons out of the paper, even though I know I can't do the shopping. After 
that, I tried to watch TV, but there wasn't anything on except some show 
about some lawyer who wears very short skirts and sued God. So I shut it off 
and looked at this stuff instead."

    "What is it?" asked Bobby.

    "Don't get mad." Lindsay begged, and Bobby knew he wouldn't like it.

    "What is it Lindsay?"

    "The papers you left about my dad's case."

    "Lindsay! The doctor wants you to relax. We agreed before the scare we 
had today that this case was too stressful for you."

    "I know. But I started thinking about it, Bobby and I realized that I 
really don't believe he killed this woman. Yes, he had an affair. Yes, he 
lied to us. But that doesn't mean he should rot in prison. He was a good dad. 
And I think he'll be a wonderful grandfather. I want our child to know his 
Grandpa. And then I started to think that maybe you could use my insight on 
this case."

    "What do you mean?"

    "I have to admit that I didn't know him as well as I thought, but I still 
know him better than you. I started to think that maybe I could persuade him 
to retract. The legal argument coming from his daughter might be more 
persuasive. So I did some research, trying to find examples of retracted 
confessions leading to convictions of the actual criminal. I mean, if he 
loved her at all, he wouldn't want the killer to get away with it, right?"

    "And what did you find?" asked Bobby curiously.

    "Nothing." she sighed.

    "At this point, it isn't so much a matter of catching the actual murderer 
as it is about protecting Katelyn."

    "I thought of that. So I went back to my original thought, which was that 
I know him better than you."

    "I'm not following you." Bobby was confused.

    "I know which buttons to push, Bobby. I know his strengths and his 
weaknesses. If he is letting his confession stand to protect Katelyn it's 
because he's afraid for her, not because he really thinks she did it."

    "Okay."

    "So his kids are his weakness."

    "I still don't get it."

    She was silent for a minute, mentally sizing up what Bobby's reaction 
would be.

    "I want to go see him."

    "No." Bobby's answer was automatic, stemming from fear for his wife and 
their child.

    "Just hear me out." she begged. When Bobby didn't answer, she continued. 
"I think if I talk to him, I could get him to retract. I would tell him that 
I don't hate him. I would tell him that I need him here, in the free world 
for me and for his grandchild. I would tell him that as much as I despise his 
having an affair, he's still my father and I do still love him and that I 
don't want him to go to prison for the rest of his life. He is not thinking 
rationally about this confession. He's thinking emotionally. If I appeal to 
that same emotional side, maybe............"

    "Maybe he'll retract." said Bobby slowly, completing Lindsay's thought.

    "Yeah. Maybe he will."

    "I don't like it." declared Bobby.

    "I knew you wouldn't. But there's one other thing I've been thinking 
about, too."

    "What's that?"

    "If I don't try this and he goes to prison, I'm going to feel guilty the 
rest of my life for not trying. I would always feel, in some way, that my 
father would be prison because of my lack of effort. That's a much larger 
stress for me than helping out on your case."

    Bobby sighed and looked away from her, knowing he wouldn't be able to 
turn her down if her looked into her serious blue eyes. As he stared at the 
wall, he knew he wouldn't be able to turn her down anyway.

    "Okay." he answered.

    "Really?"

    "I don't like it." he said again. "You have to promise me that you will 
try to stay calm."

    "I will. You should be there, anyway. If you think it's going badly, 
we'll leave."

    "It worries me, Lindsay. I know how strongly you feel about your father. 
What if he still says he won't retract?  You'll be upset."

    "I'll be more upset if I don't at least try."

    "All right. We'll go tomorrow before the sentencing hearing, Hopefully, 
you'll get him to retract and the judge will either throw out the case or 
bind us over for trial. Anything would be better than where we're at now."

    "Thank you, Bobby." Lindsay said, taking his hand in hers.

    "Helen was right." Bobby complained.

    "When did you talk to Helen?"

    "About an hour ago, after she got off the phone with you. She called me 
to tell me that I'd better make sure you followed doctor's orders. She said 
she had a suspicion that you weren't. That's part of why I came home."

    "Oh. I guess she knows me pretty well. Why else did you come home?"

    "I'm dead tired and I wanted to see my beautiful wife."

    "Here I am, although I'm not sure how beautiful I look."

    Bobby smiled. To anyone else at that moment, she probably did not look 
all that beautiful. He skin was still pale and her eyes were still a bit red 
and bleary from the events of the day. Her hair was stuck haphazardly in a 
small clip, bits and pieces falling around her face. She had a pencil behind 
her ear and a smudge of blue ink on the side of her cheek. She had picked all 
the fingernail polish off of every finger except her thumbs. She wore pale 
blue, oversized flannel pajamas with big white clouds on them and thick gray 
woolen socks on her feet. But to him, she looked absolutely gorgeous.

    "You look great to me." he said, leaning to her and kissing her cheek. 
"Now put this stuff away. No more work. You're supposed to be relaxing."

    "Okay, okay." she said, putting down her legal pad and turning off her 
computer. "Are you hungry?"

    "Why?" asked Bobby suspiciously. "You haven't been standing on your feet 
cooking have you?"

    "No, I ordered a pizza. It should be here in a few minutes. Are you going 
to baby me like this for the next three weeks?"

    "Yes. Longer if necessary."

    "Goody. A girl could get used to this."

    Just then, the buzzer rang from the downstairs lobby.

    Bobby went to the speaker and pushed the button. "Yes?"

    "Pizza from Murphy's." answered the voice from the lobby.

    "Come on up." responded Bobby and buzzed the delivery man inside.

    Bobby got cash out of Lindsay's purse and paid the delivery man for the 
pizza. Lindsay cleared her stuff off the coffee table and Bobby went into the 
kitchen to grab plates and napkins. They had settled back to enjoy their 
dinner when Lindsay remembered one other question she had stumbled across in 
looking over her father's case.

    "Bobby?"

    "Hmm?" Bobby had a mouth full of pizza.

    "Did Maguire ever find out anything about that Bert Chipman guy? The one 
who was threatening Diana?"

    Bobby swallowed hard. "What did you say?"

    "I know. I promise this is the last work related question."

    Bobby just stared at her.

    "Bobby? Did you hear me? I asked you if the police ever dug up anything 
about this Bert Chipman character."

    "His name is Albert Chipman." said Bobby slowly.

    "Ooookay. Albert Chipman. Did Maguire look him up?"

    "Lindsay?"

    "What?"

    "I think you may just have figured this whole thing out."
_________________________________________________________

    CLIFFHANGER!!!!!! Bobby figured it out. Can you? I will try to put the 
next part up tomorrow, but you may have to wait until Thursday. Feedback, 
comments, guesses are welcomed and begged for. Thanks for reading!

Forward Motion part 26_______________________________________


    Lindsay put her pizza down and waited for Bobby to continue his train of 
thought. She could see he was still rolling something around in his mind, 
molding and shaping whatever he had realized into a coherent thought. He 
always had the same look about him when he caught a break on a case. His eyes 
lit up, he sat bolt up right and he tilted his head a little forward and to 
the right, as if he were listening to a sound in the distance. She waited and 
waited for him to spit out whatever he was thinking, but when five minutes 
went by and he hadn't said a word or moved an inch, she gave up.

    "Bobby? What are you talking about?"

    "Where's the original statement from your dad?" asked Bobby excitedly, 
snapping into motion.

    "That pile." answered Lindsay, pointing to a stack of papers on the 
coffee table.

    Bobby grabbed the pile and started scanning. Again, Lindsay waited 
patiently until he found what he was looking for.

    "Bingo!" 

    "Bingo what?"

    "Well, it might not be anything........." Bobby came down off his 
momentary high.

    "Oh, no. Don't you dare get all worked up about a possible break in this 
and then keep it to yourself. Come on, Bobby. Out with it!"

    "No. I need to ask your dad something first. Something I didn't even 
think to ask until now."

    "What do you need to ask him?"

    "I need to ask him about his key."

    "What key? I don't understand where you're going with all of this." 
Lindsay was more than a little confused.

    "Lindsay, I have to work this out before I lay it out to you. If I'm 
wrong, it's a false hope. I don't want to raise your hopes and then bring 
them crashing down if it turns out to be nothing after all."

    "But....you just said I'd figured it all out."

    "You might have. I just want to sure. Trust me. I think it's better this 
way."

    "Better for the baby." stated Lindsay.

    "Yes, and for you, too."

    "Okay, Bobby. If that's what you think. I'll wait. I just wish I knew 
what I said to set you off."

    "I'm going to go see if I can talk to Steven now."

    "Now? Bobby, it's after eleven at night! They're not going to let you 
talk to him now."

    "I have to try." he said, pulling on his coat. "Don't wait up."

    As he slammed the door behind him Lindsay shook her head and said to the 
empty room, "As if I would be able to sleep now."
_________________________________________________________

    Bobby was buzzed into the jail a short forty-five minutes later. He had 
to pull some strings and impersonate a secretary form the Mayor's office over 
the phone, but it was worth it. Now, if only Steven would cooperate.

    "They woke me up. Told me my lawyer had to see me and that it was an 
emergency. What's going on?" asked Steven Dole. His hair was disheveled and 
his eyelids were still heavy with sleep.

    "I had to say that, or else they would have made me wait until morning. I 
didn't want to wait that long."

    "Is everything all right? Is something wrong?"

    "I think I might have stumbled across something."

    "What?" 

    "It was actually Lindsay who mentioned it. I just sort of took it to the 
next level."

    "Bobby, what are saying?"

    "In your original statement you told me that you were playing racquetball 
from about ten to ten thirty, right?"

    "Right."

    "And part of the case the police have against you is that thirty-five 
minutes of time that passed between the time you left the club and the time 
you called police from Diana's apartment, right?"

    "Yes."

    "But we know that in that thirty-five minutes you were trying to figure 
out what to do because when you got to Diana's apartment, Katelyn was there."

    "Right. Where are you going with this?"

    "Did you have a key?"

    "A key to what?" Steven could not follow Bobby's line of questioning.

    "Okay, wait. Let me back up." Bobby took a deep breath. "Tell me again 
the name of the friend you played racquetball with from ten to ten thirty."

    "Bert."

    "Is he an old friend?"

    "Actually, no."

    "What do you know about him?"

    "Just that his name is Bert and he plays a tough game of racquetball."

    "So is it fair to say that Bert is pretty much a stranger to you?"

    "I wouldn't say he's a stranger. I do know that he's divorced. I know 
he's a pricey accountant for some big firm. I know that he joined the gym to 
help him meet some new women and instead he ended up playing racquetball with 
me."

    "What's his last name?" Bobby asked.

    "His last name?" Steven pursed his lips in thought. "Can't say I 
remember."

    "Or maybe you never knew."

    "Could be." agreed Steven. "So what?"

    "I think Bert's last name is Chipman."

    Steven's face, his skintone normally so much like his daughter's, turned 
ash gray. "You think......"

    "I'm not sure. I won't be able to get my hands on a client list from the 
health club until they open in......" Bobby checked his watch ".....six 
hours. But when I do see that list, I fairly sure that I will find that 
Bert's last name is Chipman. I'll bet that Bert and Albert are the same 
person."

    "But how......"

    "I think he figured out that you and Diana Powers were intimate. Maybe he 
saw you together or something. Did you ever go there with her?"

    Steven nodded. "It was so far from where I live that we assumed it would 
be safe to go there. No one I knew would be there to see that I was cheating 
on Grace."

    "Okay, so he knew you were a couple. He figured you would have a key to 
her apartment. That's what I want to know. Did you still have a key to her 
place?"

    "Yes. I didn't give it back when we broke up. I forgot."

    "So, when you went there that day to talk to her, were you planning on 
using your key to get in?"

    Steven thought for a minute. "No, I don't think I would have used it. I 
remember going to knock on the door, but it was already cracked open. When I 
pushed it open all the way I saw Katelyn inside."

    "The police said there was no sign of forced entry at the apartment. If 
Diana was dead when Katelyn got there, then whoever did it would either have 
been let in or they had a key." Bobby was still putting all the pieces 
together in his own head.

    "I guess so, yeah."

    Bobby jumped up and knocked for the guard. After whispering back and 
forth for a minute, the guard nodded and closed the door.

    "How often had you played racquetball with Bert?" 

    "It had been a standing arrangement for the last two months. We met twice 
a week at ten o'clock."

    "Did you always shower afterward?"

    "Yes. Usually because I was going to Diana's or out to lunch with Grace."

    "And what about Bert?"

    "What about him?"

    "Did he shower, too?"

    "Um, yeah. Usually we hit the showers right after we finished playing."

    The guard knocked on the door. Bobby opened it and took a large manila 
envelope from him. When he shut the door again he asked "Did Bert shower that 
day?"

    "No. He'd pulled a muscle and he wanted to go home and put some ice on 
it. At least that's what he said."

    "Where did you keep your things while you were playing or showering?" 
asked Bobby as he dumped the contents of the envelope out onto the table.

    "Gym locker."

    "Did Bert know the combination?"

    "I never told him, but his locker was right next to mine twice a week for 
two months. I'm sure he could have figured it out if he tried."

    Bobby held up a key ring, which had come from the envelope full of 
Steven's personal affects. "Is the key to Diana's apartment on your key ring?"

    Steven took the key ring from Bobby and sorted through the numerous keys. 
At last he looked at Bobby and announced "No. It's not here."

    "Okay, here's what I think. There may be some bumps in the logic, but 
bear with me. Knowing, of course, that both you and Katelyn are innocent and 
knowing also that a man named Albert Chipman had been virtually stalking and 
harassing, my theory is that Albert Chipman saw you at the gym with Diana. He 
formed a plan to get close to you without you knowing who he actually was. He 
introduced himself to you as Bert. You became friendly, even going so far as 
to set up twice weekly racquetball games. Then, one day, he fakes a pulled 
muscle. Knowing you would go in and shower before you leave, he only pretends 
to go home. Once you are safely in the shower, he gets into your locker and 
takes Diana's key. The beauty of it, which he may or may not have known, is 
that you would never even notice the key was missing because you wouldn't be 
using it. He goes to her apartment, shoots her and almost gets away with it."

    "But it was my gun. How do you explain that he shot her with my gun?"

    "I haven't worked that out yet. I could be wrong about all of it but I 
don't think I am. It makes sense."

    Steven shook his head in amazement. "How did you ever figure any of this 
out?"

    "Actually, it was Lindsay who tipped me off. She asked me if the police 
had dug up any information on Bert Chipman as a possible suspect. When she 
called him Bert instead of Albert, I realized that the guy you played 
racquetball with that morning was named Bert. It just sort of came together 
from there."

    "Wow."

    "Yeah." agreed Bobby. Silence filled the room for over a minute before 
Bobby asked "Will you retract that confession now?"

    "Do you think the police will focus on Bert instead of Katelyn?"

    "They'll have to look very seriously at him, that's for sure. Especially 
if we get the gym membership list and he is indeed the same person as Albert 
Chipman."

    "Get that list. If Bert and Albert Chipman are the same person, I'll 
retract under one other condition."

    "Steven......."

    "No. You have to figure out how he managed to kill her with my gun. If 
you can do that, I'll retract."

    "I can't promise that. I'm a lawyer, not a detective."

    "Well, you've done pretty well so far. Figure out the rest and I'll 
retract."

    "Why don't you just retract now?" Bobby begged wearily. It had been the 
longest day of his life.

    "Because if you are wrong and I retract, the cops will be all over 
Katelyn and I won't have that. Figure it out, Bobby." And with that, Steven 
Dole stood up, knocked for the guard, and went back to his cell.
_________________________________________________________

Well, do you get it or have I totally confused you? If you don't follow, go 
to Melly's site and read part 6. It will be clearer to you then. Feedback is 
requested, especially now that we've arrived at the good part. Part 27 will 
be posted next Monday night here in the US. As always, thank you so much for 
reading.

Forward Motion part 27______________________________________


    At 2:00 AM, Lindsay gave up waiting for Bobby. She headed for bed and was 
sound asleep within five minutes, the potential break in her father's case 
still in the forefront of her mind. 

    At 2:20, Bobby walked into the bedroom. The lights were off and he could 
hear Lindsay's shallow breathing. He stripped down to his underwear and 
crawled into bed beside her. He reached to his nightstand and set the alarm 
clock for 5:45 AM. He wanted to be on the phone to the health club for their 
membership list as soon as they opened. He needed to know if he was right. 
Was Steven's friend Bert the same person as Albert Chipman, the man who had 
been stalking Diana? But he also needed some sleep. The entire day had been 
exhausting. The scare with the baby had physically and emotionally drained 
him and this new theory to pursue in Steven's case took away all the rest of 
the energy he had had left.

    Bobby leaned over and kissed his wife. "Love you." He whispered softly.

    Lindsay stirred. "Bobby?" she croaked, her voice dripping with sleep.

    "Shhh. Good night."

    "No. Bobby, how did it go?" She turned her body to face him and opened 
her eyes.

    "I saw him."

    "And?"

    Bobby sighed. She was awake now. He had managed to avoid telling her his 
new theory once, for fear that he was wrong and that her hopes would be 
crushed. But he knew there would be no getting out of it a second time. And 
he knew he wouldn't even try. Her big blue eyes were staring at him so 
expectantly he couldn't even attempt to avoid the question.

    "I think the man who your father had a racquetball game with the morning 
Diana was killed is the same man who had been harassing her."

    "I don't understand." Lindsay said, sitting up.

    "Your dad's friend's name was Bert. The man who had been threatening 
Diana was named Albert. I think they are the same guy. He took your dad's key 
to Diana's apartment and killed her, making it look like Steven did it."

    "My God." Lindsay was stunned. "So, he'll retract now, right? And the 
police will look further into this Albert guy?"

    Bobby grimaced, knowing that what he was about to say would not go over 
very well. "No, Lindsay, he........he won't retract. Not yet, anyway. He 
wants to wait until we're sure that's what happened."

    "What the hell is that? The police have at least one other viable suspect 
now. There's just as much evidence against him as there is against my dad! I 
don't understand what he's thinking."

    "He's afraid that if this Albert guy doesn't pan out as a suspect, the 
police will focus on Katelyn. He's still protecting her."

    "Why?" Lindsay looked heartbroken. "She didn't do it and neither did he. 
Neither one of them should spend any time in prison."

    "There is just one problem. It won't make the cops look any harder at 
Katelyn, but it will keep them interested in your dad."

    "What problem?"

    "Diana was murdered with your dad's gun, remember? If this Chipman gut 
really did do it, how did he get your dad's gun?"

    Lindsay sat in silence for a minute, then asked "How did he get my dad's 
gun?"

    "I'm still trying to figure that out myself." Bobby tenderly stroked 
Lindsay's hair. "But if we don't get some sleep, we won't be able to think 
clearly. I'm calling the gym for their membership list first thing in the 
morning. Until then, let's try to rest. We both need it."
_________________________________________________________

    The alarm beeped obnoxiously promptly at a quarter to six. Bobby was 
jolted out of deep sleep to turn it off. He automatically turned to look at 
Lindsay, only she wasn't in bed.

    "Lindsay?" he called out loud. He shook off the exhaustion he was still 
feeling and got out of bed. He walked into the kitchen and found Lindsay 
sitting at the kitchen table, the files of her father's case spread all 
around.

    "Hey." she said, looking up at him.

    "Hey yourself. Did you sleep at all?"

    "A little. I just.......I feel like I need to help. I know he's 
protecting Katelyn out of some sense of parental duty. I guess I'm starting 
to feel like maybe it's time for me to help him......some kind of daughterly 
duty."

    "Find anything interesting?"

    "No." she sighed, putting down the file she'd been studying.

    "Sorry." he kissed the top of her head. "The answer is somewhere. We just 
have to find it."

    "That seems to be the hard part." she responded.

    "I know. But maybe we'll get a small piece of the puzzle right now." said 
Bobby as he picked up the phone to call the gym.

    It took a good twenty minutes of charming the girl on the other end of 
the phone before Bobby got the information he was looking for. When he hung 
up, he had a grin plastered all over his face.

    "Got it!" he exclaimed.

    "Same guy?" Lindsay asked from the table.

    "Same guy. I'm calling Helen right now. Maybe we can get Maguire on this."

    "And do what, Bobby?"

    "What do you mean?"

    "Helen already said that it's a go as long as the confession is valid. If 
he won't retract, she'll have to pursue it."

    "Then we have to figure out how Chipman got a hold of your dad's gun."

    "Any ideas?" Lindsay asked, rubbing her temples.

    "Not a clue." admitted Bobby.

    "Me either." she sighed. "Don't you have to get ready for work?"

    "Don't you?"

    "Nope. I'm going to stay home. I don't have any pending cases, and I 
think I would be better if I just home and rested. The stress is starting to 
climb for me as far as my dad's case goes and I didn't get much sleep last 
night. I just want to take it easy."

    "Are you all right? Are you still bleeding?" Bobby's concern was 
instantaneous.

    "Everything's fine." she assured him. "I'm just playing it safe."

    "Okay. Good idea." Bobby felt reassured. He turned to go take a shower. 
At the doorway, he turned and smiled at his wife. "You really are going to be 
a great mom."

    "Thanks." she smiled at him.

    Bobby showered quickly, eager to get to the office and get everyone 
working on a way to get Steven out of jail before the sentencing hearing. As 
he finished getting dressed the phone rang. He ignored it, knowing Lindsay 
would pick it up.

    "Bobby!" called Lindsay from the kitchen. "It's for you!"

    Bobby picked up the extension in the bedroom. "Hello?"

    "Mr. Donnell?"

    "Yes?" Bobby couldn't place the voice on the other end.

    "I'm sorry to call so early. This is Linda Malone."

    "Of course. What can I do for you?"

    "Well, something very odd happened yesterday and I wanted to tell you 
about it."

    "What's that?" Bobby sat down on the bed to put his socks on as he 
listened.

    "I was doing inventory yesterday. I came across the outstanding bill for 
Albert Chipman in the morning when I went through the paperwork. But when I 
went through the actual inventory to match invoices with actual pieces, the 
couch was gone."

    "Could it have been sold to someone else?"

    "No. I certainly didn't sell it. And I have no paperwork indicating that 
anyone else bought it, either. But that couch is not here."

    "What do you think that means?" Bobby was perplexed.

    "Well, I probably shouldn't have, what with him being potentially violent 
and all, but I called Mr. Chipman to ask him about his bill."

    "What did he say?"

    "He said he didn't owe any money."

    "Which is what he had said all along." Bobby didn't know what was so odd 
about any of what she was telling him.

    "Right. So I told him the same thing that Diana had been telling him. 
That he wouldn't get his couch until he paid his bill."

    "Uh-huh." Bobby was tying his shoes now.

    "He said he already has his couch."

    "What?" Bobby stopped.

    "Exactly what I said. And then he laughed and said there was more than 
one way to pay for something and he hung up. What do you think that means?"

    "I have no idea." Bobby was thoroughly confused.

    "I don't either, but I do know that Diana would never have given him that 
couch without having the cash in her hands. It doesn't make any sense."

    "I don't know what to tell you." Bobby wasn't sure how this related to 
Steven's case, but he felt that it must be important somehow.

    "I just thought you should know."

    "Thank you. I'll let you know if I find out anything."

    "Are you any closer to a resolution?"

    "We're getting there." Bobby answered vaguely.

    "Well, I just know Diana wouldn't want Steven to rot in jail for this. I 
don't think she was that angry with him." Linda Malone paused. "Good luck."

    "Thank you."

    "Bye." she hung up.

    "Who was that?" queried Lindsay as she came into the bedroom.

    "Diana Power's business partner." Bobby answered, a confused look on his 
face.

    "What did she have to say?" Lindsay crawled back under the covers for a 
nap.

    "Something about Chipman having the couch that Diana had refused to give 
him, but that there wasn't any record of payment."

    "So? Maybe Diana Powers was bad at keeping receipts." Lindsay yawned and 
closed her eyes.

    "Maybe. But when she called him, he said there was more than one way to 
make a payment."

    "That is weird." she said, slowly drifting off.

    "I'm going. Do you need anything before I leave?" Bobby asked.

    "Nope. Just kiss me good bye."

    "Gladly." He leaned in a kissed her deeply. "I'll call you later."

    "Mmmm, okay." She was half way asleep.

    But two hours later, it was Lindsay who called Bobby at the office.

    "Bobby? I think I may have figured it out!"
________________________________________________________

OK, it took forever, but there you go. Tomorrow will be another installment 
and it will be a good one. I promise. Feedback is appreciated as always.

Forward Motion part 28_______________________________________

    Three hours later, Mike Maguire, Helen, Bobby and Lindsay were all 
gathered in Helen's office. Lindsay had preempted Helen's comfortable chair, 
so Helen was seated across from her own desk. Bobby and Mike stood.

    "All right Lindsay. Spill it." ordered Helen.

    "Well........" Lindsay, who had initially seemed so positive on the phone 
with Bobby, now seemed more hesitant.

    "Lindsay! You told me you thought you had it figured out. I called 
everyone down here so you could tell us your theory. I'm curious what it 
could be." Bobby had been left in the dark because Lindsay had wanted to 
explain it to everyone together.

    "It's sort of far fetched." Lindsay said, as if apologizing if advance 
for her hypothesis.

    "Just tell us." moaned Helen. "We have a sentencing hearing in two hours."

    "Okay. Don't laugh." Lindsay was obviously nervous.

    Maguire sighed in the back corner of the room.

    "Um, Helen, remember when we were in our first year of law school and 
that really cute guy lived across the hall?" Lindsay asked quickly.

    Helen blinked twice, confused. "Yeah?"

    "Remember how you wanted to go out with him really bad?"

    "I did go out with him. But I'm not sure what that has to do with your 
dad's case."

    "Nothing. It's just that I was thinking about that guy this morning when 
this idea clicked into my brain."

    "Lindsay? What are talking about?" Maguire seemed slightly agitated.

    "Okay, let me try to explain this better. What was that guy's name again, 
Helen?"

    "Clint."

    "Right. Clint. Remember when he broke up with you?"

    "Hard to forget. I was so upset."

    "Yes, you were. At first. But then, you got over being upset and you got 
mad."

    Bobby could practically see the wheels in Lindsay's brain turning. He 
knew her theory would be interesting at the very least. But he also knew that 
it was also most likely very plausible. He leaned forward as she explained, 
as if to hear her better.

    "I was pretty pissed off." agreed Helen, smiling slightly.

    "Do you remember what you did?" asked Lindsay.

    "Yeah. Didn't I send myself flowers or something? So that he'd be 
jealous?"

    "Yes, you did. And you invited my cousin David over to the apartment so 
that Clint would think he was your new boyfriend."

    "I'd forgotten about that."

    "I did too, until this morning."

    "I'm still not following." complained Maguire.

    "Helen was furious when this guy broke up with her. She did everything 
she could to make him sorry. She sent herself flowers, she made my cute 
cousin come over like three times, she wore short skirts to show off her legs 
whenever she knew Clint was around. She was trying to make him jealous."

    "I sure was." groaned Helen, embarrassed that Bobby and Mike had heard 
that story.

    "Well, it made me think about Diana Powers and the lawsuit against my 
dad. I remembered reading two things in the statement from her business 
partner, Linda Malone."

    "What two things?" Bobby could feel his heart beating faster as he waited 
for Lindsay to clarify her thoughts.

    "She said that she told Diana that palimony suits were highly 
unsuccessful and that she had tried to talk Diana out of it. She'd even done 
some research on it."

    "I remember her saying that." agreed Bobby.

    "She also said that Diana would not have wanted to see my dad in jail."

    "She said that on the phone this morning, too."

    "So then I got to thinking about Albert Chipman telling Linda Malone that 
there is more than one way to make a payment."

    "I'm still lost." said Maguire.

    "Me, too." echoed Helen.

    "I think that Albert Chipman did kill Diana, but not for the reason that 
we originally thought."

    "Then why?" queried Maguire, but Helen finally seemed to understand.

    "I think I get it, Lindsay. Keep going." she encouraged.

    Lindsay looked at Bobby, who nodded his encouragement. She took a deep 
breath and continued. "The problem with the old theory was that we couldn't 
figure out how Chipman would have gotten my father's gun. Thinking of Helen's 
old boyfriend and how mad she was when he broke up with her made me think of 
how mad Diana Powers must have been to be suing my dad. And then to hear that 
she probably didn't stand a snowball's chance in hell of winning the 
suit.....well, that probably made her angrier. So she devised a plan that 
would be the most degrading and humiliating thing she could think of to get 
even with my dad."

    "Oh, my God." whispered Bobby, the proverbial light bulb going off in his 
head.

    "I think she had herself killed and made it look like my dad did it."
_________________________________________________________

    Short but surprising, yes? Let me know what you think. Part 29 tomorrow! 
Thanks for reading!

Forward Motion part 29_______________________________________

    "Whoa. That's a pretty big leap, Lindsay." Mike Maguire was unconvinced 
by Lindsay's theory.

    "I know. But, my dad didn't do this and neither did my sister. Pretend 
you didn't know them. Pretend my father had never confessed and that my 
sister had never come forward. Pretend my father wasn't even a suspect."

    "That's a little hard to do, now, seeing how he confessed to the crime 
and it was his gun that shot her."

    "C'mon, Mike. Use your imagination." cajoled Helen. "Didn't you ever play 
Cowboys and Indians when you were young?"

    "Cops and Robbers." retorted Mike.

    "Then you know how to pretend a little." smiled Helen sweetly.

    When Maguire didn't answer, Lindsay continued. "If you had gotten a 
client list from Linda Malone and she had told you about Albert Chipman and 
about how he was harassing Diana, you would have looked into him as a viable 
suspect, right?"

    "Yeah, we would've." admitted Mike grudgingly.

    "But because you had a surefire suspect in Steven, you never really 
looked into Chipman, did you?" chimed in Bobby.

    "No. No, we didn't."

    "Okay." Lindsay took a deep breath and began to explain how she thought 
the plan had been formed and carried out. "Diana wants to sue my dad. She 
hurt and angry that after seven years, he broke up with her. So, she files a 
lawsuit. Only many people tell her, including Linda Malone, that it's 
practically a lost cause. She won't win. Now she's really mad. How else can 
she get back at him?"

    "By killing herself? That's a stretch." Maguire said.

    "Agreed. It's a stretch. But hear me out."

    "Go ahead, Lindsay. We're all listening." Bobby encouraged.

    "So she decides she has to get back at him some way. Killing herself is 
not enough. Maybe he wouldn't even care. But if she could have herself killed 
and make it look like my dad did it, that would be great revenge. He'd be an 
automatic suspect, considering their relationship and the lawsuit she'd 
filed. Of course he would want her dead. And she had his gun. If she were 
killed with his gun, he'd really look guilty, wouldn't he? So all she had to 
do would be to find someone who would do it."

    "Chipman." supplied Helen.

    "Exactly. She would be pretty sure he was capable, considering the 
harassing phone calls and the threats he had been making. She also knew he 
wanted his ten thousand dollar debt cleared and he wanted his sofa. So she 
calls him and offers him a deal."

    "Kill me and I'll give you your antique sofa? Come on!" Maguire still 
thought it was crazy.

    "Think about it. She calls him. She says 'Tell you what. I have a way you 
can get your sofa without paying me any money. All you have to do for me is 
one favor. No one will ever know, because someone else will take the fall.' 
She gives him the gun and some kind of deadline inside of which he has to do 
it. Sometime before her lawsuit gets to trial."

    "So he becomes friends with Steven." continues Bobby. "He waits for the 
perfect opportunity. A time where he can kill Diana that Steven will have no 
real alibi. Only when that time doesn't happen on it's own, he helps it 
along."

    "He feigns a pulled muscle and pretends to leave the gym. Once my dad is 
in the shower, he takes the key to Diana's apartment, goes over there and 
shoots her with my dad's gun. He knows my dad will be the one to find her 
dead because my dad probably told him he was going to see her that morning." 
Lindsay ran out of breath and Bobby picked it up again.

    "Which is how he knew that Diana was at home instead of at work. He 
shoots her, then conveniently wipes the gun of all his fingerprints and 
leaves it where the police will surely find it.  They do find it, run the 
serial number and Bingo! They have their suspect. They never even look any 
farther than Steven."

    "His confession was an unexpected bonus." marveled Helen.

    "No one could have known Katelyn would show up. My dad was protecting her 
because he thought she might have done it. It only sealed the certainty for 
Chipman that he would never be caught."  Lindsay was tired suddenly, as if 
all the theorizing and explaining had worn her out.

    "And because he thought he wouldn't be caught he was stupid enough to 
tell Linda Malone that there was more than one way to make a payment for that 
couch. I didn't know what it meant when she repeated it to me, but it makes 
sense now that I've heard Lindsay's explanation." Bobby got up and walked 
over behind his wife's chair, gently laying his hand on her shoulder.

    "I have my doubts." said Mike slowly. "Why would he need to steal 
Steven's key? Why didn't he just call and say 'I'm coming now.' ?"

    "Would you want to know when you were going to die?" asked Bobby. "She 
didn't want to know where or when. She might have chickened out if she did. 
She wanted it to sneak up on her so she couldn't back out."

    Maguire blew out a deep breath. He looked around the room at the three 
expectant faces. They could theorize all they wanted, but he was the only one 
who could really take any action. He could feel their eyes boring into him as 
they waited for his response.

    "Okay. I'll look into it. Any ideas on how to prove all of this?" Maguire 
knew they would have to have a concrete way to catch Chipman if this was 
indeed the way it happened.

    "We're four smart people. I'm sure we can come up with something." 
answered Helen, secretly thrilled that her case against Steven Dole was 
headed for the trash can.
_________________________________________________________
Part 30 will be up no earlier than Sunday evening. I've got a busy few days 
in front of me. Feedback is appreciated as usual. As always, thanks for 
reading!

Forward Motion part 30_______________________________________

    Lindsay and Bobby left the courthouse at 4:00. They, along with Helen and 
Mike had managed to convince the judge for the sentencing hearing they needed 
more time to look into another suspect. It would be next to impossible to get 
the sentence reversed once it had been handed down, so the judge agreed to 
postpone the hearing for 48 hours. It wasn't much, but Maguire felt it would 
be enough to at least make a dent in the investigation against Chipman.

    "I'm completely wiped out." sighed Lindsay as they entered the building 
that housed Donnell, Young, Dole and Frutt.

    "I know. I wish you would let me take you home." Bobby pushed the 
elevator button.

    "But most of the files for my dad's case are here and Jimmy and Rebecca 
have been doing research all day on Chipman. I want to hear what they've 
found."

    "One hour, Lindsay." warned Bobby. "And you will sit on the couch with 
your feet up, relaxing as much as possible. When the hour is up, we're going 
home. No arguments."

    "No arguments." agreed Lindsay as they stepped into the elevator. She 
stood on her toes and kissed his cheek. "Thank you."

    "I know this is hard for you. I just want you to take it easy." Bobby 
stroke his wife's cheek with the back of his hand.

    "As soon as this thing with my dad is over, I'll be so much more relaxed. 
I really think Chipman is the answer." The elevator reached their floor and 
they stepped out.

    "Well then let's use hour efficiently because in one hour......."

    "....we're going home. I know." Lindsay finished his sentence for him. He 
smiled at her and pushed open the door to the firm, ushering Lindsay inside 
first.

    "Lindsay!" shrieked Lucy. "How are you? Is everything okay?" Then, 
remembering she was one of the few people who knew about the baby, she caught 
herself. "I mean.....uh......how are you doing? That... uh....that flu any 
better?"

    Lindsay smiled at Lucy. "I'm fine. Thank you, Lucy."

    "I'm glad." said Lucy, smiling back. "We've missed you."

    "We're only here for an hour." interjected Bobby.

    "That's not much for time." said Lucy.

    "What do you mean?" Bobby asked.

    "Well, since you called and told us your theory about Diana Powers having 
herself killed, everybody's been running around doing all kinds of research 
and stuff."

    "Everybody?" Lindsay marveled.

    "Yeah. Eugene and Rebecca just left to go interview somebody who knew 
Diana in college. Ellenor is out talking to Chipman's ex wife and Jimmy's got 
his nose glued to the computer screen in your office looking up old arrest 
records and things. Mike Maguire already called. He wants you to call him 
back at Helen's office. I've done some work, too."

    "You have?" Lindsay was touched by the way her friends and co-workers 
were rallying around her.

    "Yeah, but.....it doesn't really have anything to do with your dad's 
case."

    "What is it?"

    "I got you this. I.....I hoped you would still need it." Lucy handed 
Lindsay a small gift bag. "It's for Bobby, too."

    Lindsay took the ribbon of the handles and reached into the bag. She 
gasped when she took the present out of its tissue paper wrap.

    Lucy had bought them a book of baby names.

    "It's perfect, Lucy. Thank you." Lindsay was close to tears.

    "I.....I don't know what to say." Bobby was equally touched by Lucy's 
thoughtfulness.

    "It's no big deal." shrugged Lucy.

    "Yes it is. It's our first baby gift. " Lindsay hugged Lucy. "I'm glad 
you know. It makes it more special somehow.'

    "Well, if you don't put that away, everyone will know, because here comes 
Ellenor." warned Lucy just before the front door opened.

    "Hey guys." Ellenor greeted as Lindsay quickly stuck the book back in the 
bag. "How'd it go with the judge?"

    "We've got 48 hours. If we can't make our case against Chipman by then, 
the sentencing moves forward." Bobby explained.

    "That's at least something." responded Ellenor. "Jimmy found out that 
Chipman actually has two ex wives. I just finished talking to the first ex 
Mrs. Chipman."

    "Let's go into my office." urged Bobby, realizing that Lindsay was still 
standing. 

    "Oh, hi!" said Jimmy as they entered Bobby's office. "I hope you don't 
mind me using you computer, Bobby. It's a little faster than the others."

    "It's fine, Jimmy." answered Bobby. Lindsay went over to the couch and 
sat down, putting her feet up on the sofa. Bobby lifted her feet and sat on 
the couch as well, placing her feet in his lap. "Ellenor? You were saying?"

    From her perch on the corner of Bobby's desk, Ellenor continued. "Her 
name is Sandra Freidman. She's remarried. She was married to Chipman for six 
years. She said he never hurt her physically, but that he has a nasty temper 
and a short fuse. The official reason for the divorce was irreconcilable 
differences."

    "What was the unofficial reason?" Bobby wanted to know.

    "Apparently, Chipman has always had a love of antiques. They'd been 
having money problems because he spent way too much on old lamps and things. 
One day he bought this four thousand dollar rug. The same day, he forgot to 
take their dog out for his night time walk. When they got up the next 
morning......."

    "The dog had ruined the rug." guessed Lindsay.

    "Yep." said Ellenor.

    "How is that cause for divorce?" wondered Jimmy.

    "Because Chipman took the dog outside and beat it to death with antique 
fire poker." answered Ellenor. "Sandra moved out within an hour."

    "So he has a propensity for violence." concluded Bobby.

    "I would say so." agreed Ellenor "But that's not all."

    "There's more?" queried Lindsay.

    "You bet. Sandra had to get a restraining order against him. He was 
calling her all hours of the day and night, showing up on her doorstep, 
showing up at her job."

    "It's a pattern." said Bobby. "He harassed Diana, too."

    "He quit when she got the restraining order, but yes. I would say that's 
a pattern. Sandra is willing to testify in court."

    "Good work. What about wife number two?" 

    "I only got her on the phone. She didn't want to talk to me. I think 
she's still afraid of him. They've only been divorced for ten months."

    "That's what I found through the computer." offered Jimmy. "That and some 
police records."

    "What kind of records?" asked Lindsay. She would have sat up and faced 
Jimmy, but Bobby was holding her feet down so she'd stay put.

    "The police were called to their apartment five times in the four years 
they were married. Each time was considered a domestic violence call. No 
charges were ever filed, but the reports are pretty clear that he was 
knocking her around."

    "Can we get confirmation on that?" Lindsay asked.

    "I asked if she would give a statement, but she was really nervous. I 
think she's afraid of seeing him in court." answered Ellenor.
    
    "I did find one other thing." said Jimmy.

    "And that is........" Bobby waited for Jimmy to continue.

    "There was also a restraining order issued against him from wife number 
two."

    "Great. It's a definite pattern with him. He's a harasser, maybe even a 
stalker and he's got a violent temper. He's killed a dog over a four thousand 
dollar antique rug. It's not too big a leap to think he'd kill a person over 
a ten thousand dollar antique sofa." Bobby was thinking out loud as Lucy came 
barreling into the office.

    "Eugene and Rebecca are on their car phone. Line two." She hit the 
speaker button. "Guys? We're all here. You're on speaker." she said.

    "Bobby and Lindsay, too?" asked Eugene's voice from the phone.

    "We're here." responded Lindsay.

    "Good. I'm driving, so Bec's gonna explain. I hope you are all sitting 
down."

    "We're sitting." said Jimmy as Lucy placed herself on the arm of the sofa 
near Lindsay's head.

    "Okay. We just met with an old college roommate of Diana's." said Rebecca.

    "How'd you find her?" asked Ellenor.

    "She and Diana had filed for a business license several years ago. The 
business never really got off the ground, but we found the application in the 
files of the County Clerk's office. Anyway, this old roommate, Gloria Trevis, 
said that when their business failed to really materialize, Diana was really 
upset."

    "Well, that's not unusual." said Jimmy.

    "Normal upset would not be unusual, I agree. But this went beyond that."

    "What do you mean?" asked Bobby.

    "Apparently, at the same time as their little business venture failed, 
Diana broke up with her long time boyfriend." began Rebecca.

    "Actually, he broke up with her." corrected Eugene.

    "Right. Gloria Trevis says that Diana was in a deep depression and 
couldn't seem to get out of it for months. Finally, she convinced Diana to 
see a psychiatrist."

    "What did the psychiatrist say?" asked Lindsay.

    "We're still working on that. The name of the doctor was Binley. He's 
claiming doctor patient privilege. We're on our way to try to convince him in 
person right now."

    "Okay. We'll call Helen and try to get her to get a judge to issue an 
order for the doctor's files." said Bobby.

    "Already did that." responded Rebecca. "They're working on it. Helen's 
trying to get a hold of Judge Henderson. He gives warrants away like candy."

    "Great. Excellent work you two." praised Bobby.

    "Thanks. And Lindsay?" 

    "Yeah, Bec?" Helen wants you to call her ASAP."

    "Okay. Thanks. Call us if you find anything else."

    "We will. Bye!" Rebecca disconnected.

    "Lucy, can you hand me the phone?" asked Lindsay.

    "Sure." Lucy stretched the phone cord from the desk to the couch.

    As Lindsay dialed, Ellenor said "I think we've got enough to try to get 
Steven to retract again. If Lindsay's theory is right, and it seems like it 
might be, this would be a lot easier if he would take back his confession."

    "If he did take it back, even if we couldn't prove Lindsay's theory, it 
would make for plenty of reasonable doubt if the case against him ever came 
to trial." added Jimmy.

    "Helen?" Lindsay said as her friend answered the phone. "What's up?" She 
listened for a few minutes, then rehashed what her co-workers had found in 
the course of their research. Then she listened again for a while before 
saying "Okay. I'm going to put you on speaker so you cam explain it again. 
Everyone's here."

    "Okay. Am I on?" asked Helen over the speaker.

    "You're on." replied Ellenor.

    "Okay, everybody, listen up. We've got a plan."
_________________________________________________________

    Tracy here. What's Helen's plan? How are they going to prove Lindsay's 
theory? Is Lindsay's theory even right? I will answer more questions in part 
31, which will be up some time in the next two or three days. Feedback is 
requested as always. Thank you so much for reading.

Forward Motion part 31_______________________________________

    As he had warned her, Bobby was gathering his and Lindsay's coats one 
hour after they had arrived at the office.

    "But, Bobby......." she protested as he handed her her purse.

    "I told you one hour and I meant one hour." he admonished gently.

    "I know. But with so many new developments I thought you'd change your 
mind." Lindsay pouted a little.

    "Lindsay," Bobby sat down next to her on the couch. "Nothing else is 
going to happen tonight and if it does, everyone knows we'll be at home. They 
can call us there. I know that now that there's a plan you want to keep 
working on it, but our hands are pretty much tied for tonight anyway. Helen 
and Mike are waiting for the court order releasing Diana's files from her 
therapist. Eugene and Rebecca are both going home. Jimmy will be sorting 
through all the information he's found until midnight and Ellenor is 
organizing her interview notes from Chipman's ex wife. There isn't anything 
we can do here." He spoke softly, lovingly, but firmly.

    Lindsay sighed. "I just.....Now that I've actually decided to help I feel 
so ....so...helpless."

    Bobby smiled and touched her cheek. "I understand that. But we had a God 
awful scare yesterday, remember?" Lindsay nodded, tears welling in her eyes 
at the memory of how frightened they had both been. Bobby continued. "The 
doctor said you should rest and avoid stress. You haven't managed to follow 
either one of those orders today. As important as this all is, it's not worth 
risking the baby's life or your health."

    She closed her eyes and leaned into his hand. "No, of course it isn't."

    "Then let's go." Bobby stood and offered his hand to her. She took it and 
they were soon on their way home.
_________________________________________________________

    Meanwhile, in Helen's office, a small disagreement was brewing.

    "I don't think it's a good idea, Helen." Mike Maguire wore a pained 
expression on his face.

    "At the very least he's a viable suspect." she argued back.

    "I agree, but to have him followed..... That costs money. I'd have to get 
it cleared through my Captain."

    "So tell him I asked for it." Helen did not understand what Maguire's 
problem was.

    "No way. You'll lose your job if it gets out that you have a confession 
from one guy but are trying to help his attorneys finger another guy."

    "I'm a big girl, Mike. Let me worry about my job." Helen knew in her 
heart that he was right. If her boss even caught a whiff of how far out of 
her duties she was going with this case.......

    "He hasn't broken any laws for sure." Mike was saying. "We can't have him 
followed."

    "There's a restraining order against him!"

    "Yes, and as far as we know, he's abiding by it." Mike crossed the room 
and took Helen's upper arms in his hands. "Listen to me. I know you want to 
help your friends, but you are playing a dangerous game here. Asking Judge 
Henderson for an order for those files borders on malpractice as far as your 
job goes. You have no cause. You have a confession on record, for God's sake. 
Even if you get that one past your boss, there is no way we're going to get 
the manpower to follow Chipman around. There isn't even any reason to think 
that having him tailed will provide a break in this case." He released her 
arms and took a deep breath. "Even if losing your job doesn't scare 
you.....losing mine scares me."

    Helen blinked, the weight of his words sinking in. She had so wanted to 
help Lindsay that she hadn't even stopped to think that she was placing Mike 
in a difficult position. He was right and she knew it. With as much political 
push as there was behind this case, the Mayor might very well have their jobs 
if they were discovered to be helping the defense. And she had no right to 
place his job in such a precarious position.

    "You're right. I'm sorry." she said quietly. "You can go. Forget all of 
this."

    "That's not what I meant." he answered. 

    "I don't want you to get in trouble because I'm trying to help my 
friends. It's not fair. Just go."

    "Can you pull off your plan without me?" Mike asked, half knowing what 
she would say.

    "I'll just have to think of a different plan." she answered.

    "I'm sorry. I want to help but......"

    "I should never have asked you to do this. It's not your fight." She 
didn't sound angry, just regretful.

    "If you need my help in some official capacity, I'll give it. I promise. 
But unofficially I can't do it. I got alimony to pay." He shrugged, trying to 
make light of the feeling that he was abandoning ship.

    "If I need something on the record, I'll call." she promised, giving him 
a rare smile. "Now get out of here. I wouldn't want anyone to think you were 
consorting with an unscrupulous DA."

    "I am sorry." said Mike as he reached for the door knob to let himself 
out.

    "I know. It's okay. I'll think of something." She was trying to convince 
herself as much as she was trying to convince him.

    As Maguire closed the door, Helen counted to fifty to make sure he was 
gone. Then she picked up the phone. It rang only twice before someone 
answered.

    "Yes, hello. My name is Lindsay Donnell." She lied. "I'll be down in 
twenty minutes to see my client, Steven Dole. We'll need a private conference 
room."
_________________________________________________________

    Exactly twenty-two minutes later, Helen was sitting with Lindsay's father 
in the jailhouse conference room. 

    "I don't understand. They told me Lindsay would be here." Steven was 
surprised to see his daughter's old friend.

    "I know. They think I'm her. I lied to get in here." Helen did not mince 
words.

    "Why?"

    "Because you and I both know that your confession is crap. We both know 
that you did not kill Diana Powers. Now, I have a pretty good idea of who 
did, but there is one major problem. You confessed. I know Bobby has been 
here about a million times trying to get you to take it back. But I also know 
that since you've been here, Lindsay hasn't been to see you. That's why I 
pretended to be her. No one here would know that I'm not your daughter."

    "Why can't you just be you?" wondered Steven.

    "Because I am about to risk my job for you, Mr. Dole. So sit up and pay 
attention. No one can know that I am telling you these things. No one can 
know that I am the one trying to get you to retract your confession. If 
anyone asks, I'm Lindsay, your daughter and I came to say hello. DA Helen 
Gamble was never here. I will lose my job."

    "Why are you doing this?"
    
    "Not for you. For Lindsay and Bobby and your grandchild."

    "My.......my grandchild?"

    Helen took a deep breath and started to explain everything. "Lindsay and 
Bobby got married. They're expecting a baby in about six months. This 
pregnancy has been difficult and Lindsay is under a lot of stress. I won't 
lie to you. You are the one causing that stress. At first, she wanted nothing 
to do with you. Now she wants to help you. She has an idea about who killed 
Diana. It's a good theory, a plausible theory. But I have no way to look into 
it because you've confessed. Your confession has tied my hands. I have pulled 
every string I know and put some other people in compromising positions, but 
I am done now. I have no options left. The only one who can help you now is 
you."

    "Who does she think did it?"

    "Albert Chipman. He has a history of violence."

    "Diana was afraid of him." whispered Steven.

    "Well, we think she may have paid him to kill her."

    "What?" Shock set on Steven's face.

    "Lindsay thinks that Diana may have been hurt and angry enough to try to 
frame you for her death. The theory goes that she paid him to kill her with 
the sofa that he bought from her."

    Steven took it all in slowly. After several minutes he said "My God. What 
about Katelyn?"

    "I'll be honest. If Chipman doesn't pan out as our murderer then I'm sure 
the police will look at Katelyn. Now, I know you are trying to protect her, 
but you are only hurting yourself and Lindsay instead. Chipman is our guy. 
Take back your confession and we can get to work on it. If you don't.....your 
dead in the water. You'll never set foot out of prison. You won't see your 
grandchild grow up."

    "This is a lot to think about."

    "I know it." said Helen, her patience beginning to wane. "But if you 
don't take back that confession right now, you will spend the rest of your 
life in a cell block. Is that what you want? Because I can send you there. 
Or, I can help you get out. It's your choice. Just remember who you're 
hurting." The room filled with a deafening silence.

    "Okay. I'll take it back." he said, after  ten minutes.

    "Good." responded Helen, working hard not to show her elation. "In three 
hours, at a quarter to nine, I want you to demand to see your lawyer. Scream, 
howl, beg, whatever. Just get Bobby down here. Tell him you've decided to 
take it back. I guarantee you the first thing he'll do is call me. I will 
take it from there."

    Steven nodded. "Okay."

    "And remember: You never talked to me." Helen stood to leave.

    "Helen?"

    "What?"

    "Thank you. For caring."

    "Don't flatter yourself too much. After a seven year affair and a false 
confession to murder, I'm not your biggest fan. I'm just trying to help my 
friends." And with that, Helen Gamble walked out, her plan in place.
_________________________________________________________
    
    Well, I thought it would be fun to write that one from Helen's 
standpoint. It's a bit different from the rest of the story, so I am 
especially interested in your thoughts on this installment. Thank you for 
reading!

Forward Motion part 32

    At nine thirty-five, the phone at Bobby's and Lindsay's apartment rang.

    "Bobby?" shouted Lindsay. "Can you get that?" She had strict orders from 
Bobby to stay put on the couch. "You walked off with the cordless phone!" She 
had no intention of getting up to chase down the telephone.

    "Got it!" yelled back Bobby before he picked up on the third ring. 
"Hello?"

    "Bobby Donnell?" said the voice on the other end of the line.

    "Speaking."

    "This is Doug Lyden, down at the jail?" He said it like a question.

    "Yes?" Bobby was instantly on alert.

    "You're Steven Dole's lawyer?"

    "Yes, I am. Is something wrong?"

    "He's asking to see you."

    "I'm on my way." Bobby raced out of the bedroom and tossed the phone to 
Lindsay, who was looking at him with a funny expression on her face.

    "What? What's going on?" she asked, bewildered by Bobby's sudden burst of 
speed.

    "Your dad's asking for me." he said, searching madly for the car keys 
while trying to put on his shoes at the same time.

    "Slow down. You're going too many directions at once." advised Lindsay, 
reaching over and picking up the keys off the coffee table. "Why does my dad 
want to see you?"

    "I don't know. Let's hope he's retracting." Bobby held up his hand and 
Lindsay threw the keys to him.

    "I want to go." announced Lindsay, throwing off the blanket that covered 
her legs.

    "No." answered Bobby.

    "Bobby, please......."

    "No!" he cut her off. "You need to rest. My orders and the doctor's 
orders."

    "But I want to help." she pleaded.

    "Sweetheart," he said, crossing over to her "Please. I'm begging you. I 
know you want to help, but you have to think about the baby."

    "Honestly, Bobby, you act like I don't realize that I have to be 
careful." Lindsay snapped.

    "Maybe that's because you're not being very careful!" he snapped back and 
was immediately sorry when he saw the hurt look on her face. 

    "What are you saying?" she asked, barely above a whisper. She felt as if 
she'd just been slapped in the face.

    "Nothing. Today was a busy day and you didn't get as much rest as the 
doctor ordered. I don't think you should go." Bobby tried to smooth over his 
hurtful words.

    "You basically just accused me of not caring about our baby." She was not 
about to accept his explanation.

    "It came out wrong. That's all."

    "Or maybe it came out right and you can't admit it." Lindsay's voice was 
filled with pain and anger. "You think I care more about my father's case 
than I do about our child just because I want to help."

    "No, I don't think that. But you are not supposed to be on your feet as 
much as you were today and you're supposed to be avoiding stress. I just 
think it would be better if you stayed home. That's all I meant. I swear."

    Lindsay's eyes filled with tears. "You don't understand, Bobby. I feel 
pulled in so many different directions. For so long, I wouldn't help him and 
now that I want to, I can't. If it were just about me and my health, I would 
ignore the doctor, but it isn't. It's our baby and I'm just as worried and 
concerned as you are." She began to sob. "But he's my father and I feel so 
helpless and so......"

    "So what, Baby?" he asked, sitting down beside her and pulling her to 
him, smoothing her hair.

    "Guilty." she cried.

    "For what?" Bobby was shocked.

    "I should have done more. I should be doing more and I can't."

    "Shhhhh." he soothed, rubbing her back. "You were the one who figured it 
out, Lindsay. You got us to the point we're at now. If you hadn't figured out 
the suicide angle we'd still be spinning our wheels. You've done a lot."

    "And I feel guilty about the baby." she confessed quietly, her crying 
subsiding to hiccups.

    "What? Why?"

    "I didn't want to be pregnant. Not at first. I was so .....stunned. I was 
afraid. I didn't think I was ready to be a mommy. And I feel so guilty now, 
because that just might happen after all. Things might go wrong and now I 
want this baby so much......WE want this baby so much......and we came so 
close to losing it and I can't help but think that maybe it's my fault 
because I didn't want it in the first place........" she started to sob all 
over again.

    "Listen to me." Bobby said, gently taking her face in his hands. "Listen 
to me. Everything is going to be fine. You are not to blame for anything. We 
both have to follow the doctor's orders as best we can." He smiled at her. 
"Your father is going to walk away from this mess a free man, and that will 
be largely because of you. And in six months, we will have a beautiful baby 
and that will be because you are doing what it takes to protect our child. 
You tried to stay home today, remember?" When she nodded, he went on. "Things 
happen, Lindsay. This difficult pregnancy has not been your fault. But how it 
goes from here out is partially up to us. I think you should stay here, on 
the couch, maybe even in bed. Keep the phone by you. I promise you I will 
call with every tiny little detail, okay? I can handle your dad's case for 
you. I can't be pregnant for you. That one is up to you and Junior." he laid 
his hand on her still perfectly flat belly.

    Lindsay smiled a small smile at the thought of Bobby being pregnant. "I'm 
sorry I snapped at you." she said, wiping the tears that remained on her 
cheeks. "There's just so much to do and I can't be the one to do it. I'm not 
used to that."

    "It's okay." He caressed her cheeks with his thumbs. "I'm sorry, too."

    "You'll call?"

    "I'll call as soon as I know anything. I promise."

    "Then go." She gave him an even bigger smile. "I'll be here when you get 
back."

    He leaned in and found her lips with his. Before Lindsay, Bobby had never 
known the kind of feeling he always got when he kissed her. It felt so right 
and so true that he thanked his lucky stars every time she kissed him in 
return. He pulled away and smiled back. "I love you. Even if you do have 
nutty pregnancy hormone mood swings." 

    Bobby Donnell had to run for the door as his wife playfully threw a couch 
pillow at him.
_________________________________________________________

    By ten forty-five, Helen Gamble was getting antsy. Bobby hadn't called 
yet and she was starting to think that perhaps Steven wasn't going to hold up 
his end of the bargain after all. 

    "Come ON!!!" she said, willing her phone to ring.

    As if on cue, it did.

    Helen waited until the fourth ring to pick up. She didn't want to appear 
anxious or expectant. "Helen Gamble."

    "Helen? It's Bobby."

    "Bobby? What is it?" Helen fought to keep her voice from giving away that 
she already knew why he was calling.

    "Call Maguire. He's retracting."

    "I'll be there in ten minutes." She hung up the phone. "Bingo!" she said 
out loud to herself, a giant, triumphant grin on her face. She picked up the 
phone and dialed Mike Maguire.

_________________________________________________________

    Kinda short, I know. I promise part 33 will be up no later than Wednesday 
night here in the US. Feedback is greatly appreciated, as always. We're 
almost done folks!
~Tracy

Forward Motion part 32

    At nine thirty-five, the phone at Bobby's and Lindsay's apartment rang.

    "Bobby?" shouted Lindsay. "Can you get that?" She had strict orders from 
Bobby to stay put on the couch. "You walked off with the cordless phone!" She 
had no intention of getting up to chase down the telephone.

    "Got it!" yelled back Bobby before he picked up on the third ring. 
"Hello?"

    "Bobby Donnell?" said the voice on the other end of the line.

    "Speaking."

    "This is Doug Lyden, down at the jail?" He said it like a question.

    "Yes?" Bobby was instantly on alert.

    "You're Steven Dole's lawyer?"

    "Yes, I am. Is something wrong?"

    "He's asking to see you."

    "I'm on my way." Bobby raced out of the bedroom and tossed the phone to 
Lindsay, who was looking at him with a funny expression on her face.

    "What? What's going on?" she asked, bewildered by Bobby's sudden burst of 
speed.

    "Your dad's asking for me." he said, searching madly for the car keys 
while trying to put on his shoes at the same time.

    "Slow down. You're going too many directions at once." advised Lindsay, 
reaching over and picking up the keys off the coffee table. "Why does my dad 
want to see you?"

    "I don't know. Let's hope he's retracting." Bobby held up his hand and 
Lindsay threw the keys to him.

    "I want to go." announced Lindsay, throwing off the blanket that covered 
her legs.

    "No." answered Bobby.

    "Bobby, please......."

    "No!" he cut her off. "You need to rest. My orders and the doctor's 
orders."

    "But I want to help." she pleaded.

    "Sweetheart," he said, crossing over to her "Please. I'm begging you. I 
know you want to help, but you have to think about the baby."

    "Honestly, Bobby, you act like I don't realize that I have to be 
careful." Lindsay snapped.

    "Maybe that's because you're not being very careful!" he snapped back and 
was immediately sorry when he saw the hurt look on her face. 

    "What are you saying?" she asked, barely above a whisper. She felt as if 
she'd just been slapped in the face.

    "Nothing. Today was a busy day and you didn't get as much rest as the 
doctor ordered. I don't think you should go." Bobby tried to smooth over his 
hurtful words.

    "You basically just accused me of not caring about our baby." She was not 
about to accept his explanation.

    "It came out wrong. That's all."

    "Or maybe it came out right and you can't admit it." Lindsay's voice was 
filled with pain and anger. "You think I care more about my father's case 
than I do about our child just because I want to help."

    "No, I don't think that. But you are not supposed to be on your feet as 
much as you were today and you're supposed to be avoiding stress. I just 
think it would be better if you stayed home. That's all I meant. I swear."

    Lindsay's eyes filled with tears. "You don't understand, Bobby. I feel 
pulled in so many different directions. For so long, I wouldn't help him and 
now that I want to, I can't. If it were just about me and my health, I would 
ignore the doctor, but it isn't. It's our baby and I'm just as worried and 
concerned as you are." She began to sob. "But he's my father and I feel so 
helpless and so......"

    "So what, Baby?" he asked, sitting down beside her and pulling her to 
him, smoothing her hair.

    "Guilty." she cried.

    "For what?" Bobby was shocked.

    "I should have done more. I should be doing more and I can't."

    "Shhhhh." he soothed, rubbing her back. "You were the one who figured it 
out, Lindsay. You got us to the point we're at now. If you hadn't figured out 
the suicide angle we'd still be spinning our wheels. You've done a lot."

    "And I feel guilty about the baby." she confessed quietly, her crying 
subsiding to hiccups.

    "What? Why?"

    "I didn't want to be pregnant. Not at first. I was so .....stunned. I was 
afraid. I didn't think I was ready to be a mommy. And I feel so guilty now, 
because that just might happen after all. Things might go wrong and now I 
want this baby so much......WE want this baby so much......and we came so 
close to losing it and I can't help but think that maybe it's my fault 
because I didn't want it in the first place........" she started to sob all 
over again.

    "Listen to me." Bobby said, gently taking her face in his hands. "Listen 
to me. Everything is going to be fine. You are not to blame for anything. We 
both have to follow the doctor's orders as best we can." He smiled at her. 
"Your father is going to walk away from this mess a free man, and that will 
be largely because of you. And in six months, we will have a beautiful baby 
and that will be because you are doing what it takes to protect our child. 
You tried to stay home today, remember?" When she nodded, he went on. "Things 
happen, Lindsay. This difficult pregnancy has not been your fault. But how it 
goes from here out is partially up to us. I think you should stay here, on 
the couch, maybe even in bed. Keep the phone by you. I promise you I will 
call with every tiny little detail, okay? I can handle your dad's case for 
you. I can't be pregnant for you. That one is up to you and Junior." he laid 
his hand on her still perfectly flat belly.

    Lindsay smiled a small smile at the thought of Bobby being pregnant. "I'm 
sorry I snapped at you." she said, wiping the tears that remained on her 
cheeks. "There's just so much to do and I can't be the one to do it. I'm not 
used to that."

    "It's okay." He caressed her cheeks with his thumbs. "I'm sorry, too."

    "You'll call?"

    "I'll call as soon as I know anything. I promise."

    "Then go." She gave him an even bigger smile. "I'll be here when you get 
back."

    He leaned in and found her lips with his. Before Lindsay, Bobby had never 
known the kind of feeling he always got when he kissed her. It felt so right 
and so true that he thanked his lucky stars every time she kissed him in 
return. He pulled away and smiled back. "I love you. Even if you do have 
nutty pregnancy hormone mood swings." 

    Bobby Donnell had to run for the door as his wife playfully threw a couch 
pillow at him.
_________________________________________________________

    By ten forty-five, Helen Gamble was getting antsy. Bobby hadn't called 
yet and she was starting to think that perhaps Steven wasn't going to hold up 
his end of the bargain after all. 

    "Come ON!!!" she said, willing her phone to ring.

    As if on cue, it did.

    Helen waited until the fourth ring to pick up. She didn't want to appear 
anxious or expectant. "Helen Gamble."

    "Helen? It's Bobby."

    "Bobby? What is it?" Helen fought to keep her voice from giving away that 
she already knew why he was calling.

    "Call Maguire. He's retracting."

    "I'll be there in ten minutes." She hung up the phone. "Bingo!" she said 
out loud to herself, a giant, triumphant grin on her face. She picked up the 
phone and dialed Mike Maguire.

_________________________________________________________

    Kinda short, I know. I promise part 33 will be up no later than Wednesday 
night here in the US. Feedback is greatly appreciated, as always. We're 
almost done folks!
~Tracy

Forward Motion part 34_______________________________________

    At precisely six o'clock the next morning, Bobby and Lindsay were 
awakened by the persistent ringing of the telephone. Since the phone was on 
Lindsay's side of the bed, Bobby buried his head under his pillow as she 
answered it.

    "Just because you didn't sleep last night, Helen, doesn't mean the rest 
of us didn't." Lindsay mumbled sleepily into the phone.

    "How did you know it was me?" asked her friend.

    "Who else would it be this early?" responded Lindsay. "What's going on?"

    "Well, Mike ran the prints found at the scene, but he didn't find much. 
There's a partial palm print on the wall above where Diana's body was found, 
but we don't have a match for it."

    "Are Chipman's prints on file?" Lindsay wondered out loud. Bobby took his 
head out from under his pillow to listen.

    "No," replied Helen "they aren't. If it is his print we can at least 
place him at the scene. But......"

    "I don't like the way you said that. What are you not saying?"

    "We have to investigate every angle of this case, Lindsay. If it is 
Chipman's print, we will definitely look at him more closely. But we found 
another print, too."

    "Katelyn's" said Lindsay flatly, already understanding what Helen was 
getting at.

    "I'm sorry. But if we are going to investigate Chipman based on a palm 
print, we have to investigate Katelyn, too." Helen sounded apologetic.

    "She already admitted she was there. Her fingerprints being at the scene 
are no big surprise, Helen."

    "I know. I'm just telling you what's happening. I shouldn't even really 
be doing that."

    Lindsay sighed, remembering how hard Helen was secretly fighting to get 
her father out from under the murder charge. "What about the suicide theory?"

    "It's a good theory. It's a definite possibility. Proving it is going to 
be hard, though."

    "Well, at least Chipman has a motive. Katelyn doesn't." Lindsay was 
defending her sister already.

    "Diana Powers was suing your father for a lot of money, Lindsay. You and 
your brother and sister's inheritance was in jeopardy. Any cop would see that 
as a possible motive and investigate."

    "But Chipman was virtually stalking her. He was calling her at all hours 
of the day and night, showing up at the shop, threatening her. How is Katelyn 
a bigger suspect than he is?" Lindsay's voice was climbing higher as she 
imagined her sister in the same predicament her father had just gotten out of.

    Bobby sat up, instantly mindful of Lindsay's and the baby's health. "Give 
the phone." he said, holding out his hand, but Lindsay shook her head.

    "She's not a bigger suspect, Lindsay. I'm just saying we have to consider 
her, along with Chipman. We'll probably question her again today." Helen, 
too, was worried at the panic in Lindsay's voice and kicked herself for not 
having asked for Bobby directly. "You might want to make sure Ellenor is 
prepared."

    "Prepared for what?" 

    "A meeting, Lindsay. That's all. I'm with you. I think Chipman is our 
guy. We're going to try to get him in for questioning today as well. I have 
to cover all the bases. I can't afford another screw up. I'll lose my job."

    "Come on, Lindsay. Give me the phone." Bobby asked again.

    Lindsay closed her eyes, realizing the pressure her friend must be under 
from the political forces in her office. "Helen, I'm sorry. Of course you 
have to look at every suspect. I appreciate the warning."

    Bobby thanked the stars above that she had calmed down.

    "It's okay. I understand." Helen did understand. "Just tell Bobby that I 
know he dumped a motion for a new bail hearing in the clerk's mailbox before 
he left last night. I'll see him in court, but I'm also telling you both that 
I have to fight to keep your dad from getting bail. He's still the best 
suspect and I can't afford to look like I'm doing you any favors." 

    "Okay." said Lindsay softly. "Thank you."

    "Your welcome." answered Helen, and hung up.

    "What did she say?" queried Bobby.

    "Basically that they have one palm print at the scene of the murder, but 
they have no match for it. They don't have Chipman's prints on file, but 
Helen seems to think it's his. Katelyn's prints were there, too, so they are 
going to bring her in for questioning later. They're going to try to bring in 
Chipman. I'm sure they'll ask to fingerprint him."

    "I'm sure he'll say no." remarked Bobby.

    "Mike will probably get a court order if he refuses to cooperate." 
Lindsay paused to think. "She also said that she'll have to fight you on bail 
for my dad."

    "I figured. She's doing her job."

    "She's in trouble if she gets caught helping us, Bobby. I feel bad." 
Lindsay was now worried about Helen's career on top of everything else.

    Bobby affectionately stroked Lindsay's hair. "Helen's a big girl, 
Lindsay. She'll be okay. We'll never tell and neither will she. It'll be 
fine." When she rewarded him with a smile he said "I'm going to get in the 
shower. I'll have to be ready to go when the clerk calls with the time of the 
bail hearing."

    "Okay. I'll get in after you."

    "Are you coming to work today?"

    Lindsay knew what Bobby wanted to hear, and she didn't disappoint him. 
"No. I'm going to stay home on the couch and watch really bad daytime 
television all day."

    "That's my girl!" grinned Bobby. He kissed his wife and went to turn on 
the shower. He poked his head out of the bathroom. "Is there a doctor's order 
about you being aloud to wash your husband's back?"

    Lindsay still felt a small tingle of excitement whenever she was reminded 
that she was actually married to Bobby. For so long she had feared her love 
was unreturned. Now that she knew better, now that they were actually 
married........"I'm so lucky." she thought to herself. To Bobby she said "No. 
There is no doctor's order against that. But there is an order against what 
usually happens when I hop in the shower to wash your back, so behave 
yourself." She was warning herself as much as she was warning Bobby.

    Bobby saluted, mockingly. "I'll do my best, but it won't be easy."

    Lindsay laughed and went to join him in the shower.
_________________________________________________________

    Four hours later, at ten thirty, Bobby and Helen were arguing amongst 
themselves, although they were standing in front of a judge.

    "C'mon Helen. I'm sure you've got other viable suspects to look in to. 
You can't just hold my client."

    "Yes, I can. His gun was the murder weapon and his fingerprints were all 
over the scene."

    "It was his mistress' apartment. He'd been with her for seven years. Of 
course his fingerprints were everywhere!" Bobby was annoyed. He knew Helen 
had a job to do, but she really was fighting hard against bail.

    "Councilors....." The judge began.

    "That may be, but between those prints and the gun...." Helen was still 
rebutting Bobby.

    "His prints were not on the victim anywhere or near the actual crime 
scene. They were merely in the apartment!" Bobby interrupted.

    "He confessed!"

    "That's been retracted. Inadmissible!"

    "Excuse me, Council...." the judge tried again, only to be cut off once 
more.

     Helen was furious. Bobby was acting as if she should let Steven walk out 
the front door. He knew she couldn't do that. "I've convicted people with 
less than I've got on your client."

    "I wonder how many innocents are in jail since you keep going to trial 
with no evidence." Bobby jabbed back.

    "Oh, please! Don't you stand there for one second and try to tell me that 
all your clients are innocents who are being railroaded and that I, the mean, 
mean, District Attorney, is the one who puts them in jail.  Except, of 
course, for creepy nun stabbing lunatics and podiatrists who chop off heads! 
You get them off very well."

    "Hey! You......" Bobby was interrupted this time.

    "ENOUGH!!!!" hollered the judge. Then, lowering his voice he said. "I 
have made my decision and you two bickering is not going to change my mind." 
He took a deep breath and continued. "I'm sorry Mr. Donnell, but we are 
talking about murder here, and there is some damning evidence against your 
client. I have to agree with Miss Gamble. The order for no bail stands."

    "Your Honor....." Bobby began, but then stopped, realizing he'd been 
defeated.

    "Thank you, Your Honor." said Helen.

    The judge banged his gavel. "Next case!"

    "You couldn't have fought a little less?" whispered Bobby to Helen on 
their way out of the courtroom.

    "If things go your way any more than they already have, Richard Bay is 
going to be assigned this case right out from under me. Believe me when I 
tell you, you don't want that." She veered off from Bobby and went down the 
hallway.

    Bobby shook his head and headed for the office.
_________________________________________________________

    Okay, once again it was short. But I had a time crunch and it was this 
much or nothing until at least Tuesday. I had promised an installment today, 
so I hope this will hold you until the next one. Feedback is good for my ego, 
so if you want to send me some or post some, it is always greatly 
appreciated. Thanks for reading!

Forward Motion part 35_______________________________________

    "He's a really big man. No wonder Diana Powers was afraid of him." 
thought Helen as she watched Mike Maguire question Albert Chipman about four 
hours after Steven Dole's bail hearing. Chipman had readily agreed to come in 
and speak to the detective because Mike had pretended he was investigating 
shady business dealings by Diana Powers. Chipman seemed to have no idea he 
was a suspect. "That, or he's one self assured SOB" she muttered to herself.

    "Did you ever have any problems with Ms. Powers?" Maguire was asking as 
Helen listened in.

    "She tried to con me out of a sofa I bought. Said I owed her money."

    "Did you?"

    "No." Chipman thought for a minute. "It's true that my check bounced 
originally. There was some mix up at the bank. But, I told her that if she 
put the check back through, it would clear."

    "Did she do that?"

    "Yeah, I guess she did, because I got my sofa." Chipman was almost 
totally relaxed.

    "Do you have any idea who might have wanted her dead?"

    "You know, I really didn't know her that well. I don't know much about 
her."

    "Her phone records indicate that you called her several times." Mike 
slowly began to lower the boom.

    From the other side of the one sided glass, Helen noticed Chipman shift 
in his chair a little.

    "Sure, I called her. She had my sofa."

    "You called her at home." It was a statement, not a question.

    "Well, you know, I was pretty irate. I mean, she was holding my purchase 
illegally."

    "Irate enough to kill her?" Mike jumped at the opening Chipman had given 
him.

    "What?! No!" Chipman was immediately on guard. "Do I need a lawyer?"

    "Tread carefully, Mike." warned Helen silently. She didn't want any 
procedural screw ups. A good defense attorney would have the case dismissed 
in minutes if everything wasn't by the book.

    As if he heard her, Maguire did indeed word his next answer carefully. "I 
wouldn't say you NEED a lawyer, but if you'd like one, we can certainly stop 
now and you can call an attorney. It's totally up to you."

    "Am I a suspect? I thought that other guy confessed."

    "Steven Dole?" said Mike. "Yeah, he confessed."

    Both Helen and Mike could see Chipman's entire body relax. 

    "So then, you're just tying up loose ends? Finding a motive, that kind of 
thing?" Chipman was at ease again.

    "So to speak. We have to investigate every angle. You came up on her 
client list and her phone logs. You're just one of several people we're 
talking with today."

    "Well, it wasn't me, although if you've got your guy, you already know 
that."

    Maguire just smiled and remained noncommittal. "I do need your help with 
one thing, though."

    "Shoot."

    "Ironic choice of wording." mumbled Helen, thinking of the bullet wounds 
to Diana Powers' body.

    "Well," began Mike amiably "the thing is that we've got a whole bunch of 
fingerprints at the scene of the crime. Some of them we've identified, but 
some we can't. We're asking all the people we're talking to to let us 
fingerprint them. That way we can rule you out. What do you say?"

    Chipman shifted in his chair again. Helen and Mike could both imagine 
what was going on in his head at that moment. He was undoubtedly trying to 
remember if he touched anything in the apartment. He also knew that if he 
said no to being fingerprinted, he'd look suspicious. But if he said yes, and 
he had inadvertently left his prints, he'd be even more suspicious.

    "Well........" Chipman hesitated.

    Helen held her breath. Mike Maguire held his poker face.

    "I guess it would be all right."

    "Great. That'll be really helpful in narrowing down our investigation."

    "I'm happy to help." He was so confident that Helen had a small niggling 
in the back of her brain that maybe Lindsay was wrong, but she quickly shoved 
it aside.

    "Just come with me." said Mike to Chipman. They stood, and Helen quickly 
scurried out of the viewing room before Chipman caught her listening in on 
their conversation.

    As she watched the detective and the suspect go down the hall toward the 
fingerprinting area, a young red headed officer sidled up next to her.

    "Miss Gamble?"

    "Yes?"

    "Um, I've been helping Detective Maguire on the Diana Powers case?" he 
was really nervous and everything he said sounded like a question.

    "Did you find something?"

    "I've been calling all the truck and van rental places? And I found one 
that I think fits what you're looking for?"

    "What exactly did you find?"

    "This one place, called, Ace Rentals, rented a van to a Bert Chipman 
about one week ago? He put about forty miles on it? I checked and that's 
about as far as it would be from the rental place, to the shop warehouse, to 
his apartment and back to the rental place?"

    "Can I have that?" asked Helen, pointing to the file in the young 
detective's hand.

    "Um, sure?" he gave her the file, but did not leave.

    "Did you need something?" Helen was oblivious to the obvious crush the 
young man had on her.

    "Uh......"

    "Thank you. You did a great job."

    The man blushed until his cheeks were as red as his ears. "No problem." 
he said, for once not in question form. He walked away, giddy from the 
compliment.

    Helen shook her head and opened the file. As the detective had said, Bert 
Chipman had rented a van about a week ago, gone approximately forty miles and 
brought the van back. The van was most certainly big enough to fit an antique 
sofa in the back. Any doubts that Helen had had about Albert Chipman being 
the murderer was completely gone. She felt more and more certain that he was 
the killer.

    "Helen?" Maguire had stepped in front of her, but she was lost in her own 
thoughts. "Earth to Helen?"

    "What? Oh! Sorry. What were you saying?"

    "Nothing. You were a million miles away."

    "I really think he's our guy, Mike." she said, showing him the file.

    "We'll know more if those prints come back as a match." he responded 
after skimming the file.

    "He seemed pretty confident."

    "I think he's a Class-A jerk, who doesn't think he'll ever get caught."

    "Well, then," said Helen, almost gleefully, "let's prove him wrong."
_________________________________________________________

    Lindsay snatched up the phone on the first ring. "Hello?"

    "Hey, Beautiful." Bobby smiled at the mental picture he had of his wife 
in her flannel pajamas.

    "Hi!"

    "How ya doin'?"

    "I'm SO BORED!! Daytime television is really, really bad, Bobby."

    "Sorry."

    "Anything new?"

    "No. I've been waiting to hear from Helen since the bail hearing, but so 
far she hasn't called."

    "She probably can't. I'm sure the Mayor is breathing down her neck."

    "I'm sure. I did talk to Ellenor. Mike questioned Katelyn."

    "And?" Lindsay asked.

    "Nothing. She did fine. She explained that her fingerprints got there 
while she was looking for a phone to call Emergency. She said before that she 
looked for a phone, so it was a reasonable explanation. They just took her 
statement and let her go."

    "I hope they talk to Chipman."

    "I hope so, too. I would love to know for sure that that palm print is 
his."

    "So would I." Lindsay sighed. "You know what I really want, Bobby?"

    "What?"

    "I want this to be over. I want to be able to focus on you and me and our 
baby."

    "I want the same thing. Hopefully, we'll get our wish soon."

    "Yeah." she said wistfully. "I'm still mad at him, you know."

    "I know. Your dad screwed up big time. It will take a while to forgive 
him."

    "I hope I can."

    "Wanting to help him as much as you do tells me you've forgiven him a 
little already."

    "I guess." Lindsay sounded troubled.

    "Are you all right?" Bobby recognized the troubled twinge in her voice.

    "Yeah. I'm okay, Just.......just come home as soon as you can, okay?"

    "I will." Bobby paused "Are you sure you're okay?"

    "I think a part of me wants to be angry with him. He created a huge mess 
and it's disrupting with our lives. It infuriates me. But, he's my dad and 
I've never been able to stay angry with him for long. "She sighed again. "I'm 
fine. Just my crazy hormones at work again."

    "Are you sure?"

    "Yes. I'm sure."

    "All right. I'll see you in a few hours."

    "Okay."

    "Love you."

    "Love you, too. Bye."

    "Bye." Bobby hung up and about two seconds later, Lucy buzzed over the 
intercom.

    "Bobby?"

    "Yeah?"

    "Mike Maguire, line two."

    "Thanks, Lucy."

    Bobby took a deep breath and picked up the phone. "Hey Mike. What's up?"
_________________________________________________________

    Part 36 will not be up until Monday night. I'm going to Disneyland, so I 
will be away from the computer. However, if I get everything done that I need 
to do before I leave and I have time to spare, I will try my best to post 
part 36 before I go. Feedback is begged for, because I live off of it. Thanks 
for reading!

Title: Forward Motion part 37
Author: Tracy, ONLY1MISSTRACY@cs.com  

SUMMARY: This story will make more sense if you read parts 1 through 36 
first. Without giving anything away, this takes place a bit in the future, 
although not very far. And yes, it is about Bobby and Lindsay, but it is also 
about Lindsay's father's murder trial. I know there are those people who 
don't at all care for Bobby and Lindsay together, and I know that some people 
are sick of fanfics about them. My advice to those people is: DON"T READ THIS 
STORY! YOU WON'T LIKE IT! But, if you like B & L as much as I do, then 
please, read on. 

Disclaimer: I don't own these people. David E. Kelley and Twentieth Century 
Fox and ABC do own these people. However, I like to play with them, but I 
promise to put them back the way I found them when I'm finished. I'm not 
making any money here, so please don't sue me. Thanks so much. 


PREVIOUSLY, ON THE PRACTICE:

    OK, here is what's going on up until this point. Lindsay's father Steven 
wanted to hire Bobby because his mistress, Diana Powers, was suing him for 
Palimony. Bobby wouldn't do it. But Diana was found dead in her apartment by 
Steven and the police think he did it, so Bobby went ahead and took the case. 
In the meantime, Lindsay has discovered that she is pregnant, so she and 
Bobby ditch their original wedding plans and get married in Judge Hiller's 
chambers in a small, intimate ceremony. Lindsay is very angry with her father 
for cheating on her mother and does not wish to help out with his defense. 
Things become more complicated, however, when Lindsay's dad confesses to the 
murder, although he didn't actually do it. He's trying to protect his other 
daughter, Katelyn, who was also at the scene of the murder. He thinks she 
killed Diana, so he tries to take the blame. Lindsay and Bobby figure out 
that a man named Albert Chipman posed as Steven's friend and may have stolen 
his key to Diana's apartment and shot her. Lindsay thinks that may be because 
Diana paid Chipman to kill her and make it look like Steven did it. Helen is 
prosecuting the case, but is secretly doing her best to get Steven off, even 
though Diana Powers was the Mayor's stepdaughter and she's under a lot of 
political pressure. She persuades Steven to retract his confession so they 
can investigate Albert Chipman by explaining that Lindsay is pregnant and 
that the pregnancy is difficult and that Steven's case is causing Lindsay a 
lot of stress. Steven agrees to retract but has to remain in jail because the 
gun that killed Diana was registered to him and he is still the most likely 
suspect. At the same time everyone at DDY&F is digging up background 
information on both Chipman and Diana. Chipman has a history of violence and 
Diana used to see a therapist because of depression. Helen and everyone else 
are certain it was Chipman and took his fingerprints in order to see if a 
palm print found on the wall above the victim's body was his. Lindsay is now 
willing to help her father, but has remain as calm as possible, because she 
and Bobby had a horrible scare with the pregnancy. She feels a lot of guilt 
and torn in many different directions. She wants to help her dad, but fears 
for the health of her child. She spends a lot of time at home, which is 
difficult to explain to the firm because the only people there who know she's 
pregnant are Eugene and Lucy. So this is where we left off:

    "The palm print at the crime scene?"

    "Yeah. What about it?"

    "Maguire called this afternoon. They ran it against Chipman's prints."

    "And?"

    Bobby hesitated for a second. "Lindsay.....It doesn't match. It's not 
his."

Does everyone feel relatively updated now? OK, here we go.

Forward Motion part 37_______________________________________


    Lindsay blinked and stared dumbfoundedly at Bobby. "What?" she asked 
finally.

    "The palm print on the wall above where they found Diana's body doesn't 
belong to Chipman." Bobby explained gently. "And Maguire got a hold of 
Chipman's bank record. It seems he actually did pay for the couch. The check 
was found in Diana's desk drawer by Linda Malone a few hours ago." He stopped 
and reached out to touch his wife's face. "It wasn't him."

    Lindsay absorbed what Bobby was telling her. "I was so sure........." she 
trailed off.

    "I know. We all were. But it's not his print. There is no evidence he was 
ever in Diana's apartment."

    "Then whose palm print is it?" 

    "Maguire doesn't have a match yet. We know it isn't Katelyn's or your 
dad's and we know it isn't Chipman's. Other than that, it's a wild guess." 
Bobby saw the bewildered look in Lindsay's eyes. "I'm sorry, Honey."

    "Me, too." she whispered, but managed a small smile. "Back to square one, 
I guess."

    "Not entirely. Maguire feels strongly that whoever left that print is the 
murderer. He thinks that whoever shot her went over to the body and leaned 
over to check her pulse, putting their hand on the wall to steady themselves. 
It's the only print in the apartment that doesn't match any of the other 
prints there. Your dad left several prints all over the place and so did 
Katelyn. But the murderer only left that one. As soon as we match it up, 
Maguire thinks we'll have our guy."

    "Or girl." Lindsay pointed out.

    "Right." Bobby smiled, seeing that Lindsay took the news a little better 
than he had thought she would. "Now, what are we making here?" he asked, 
motioning to the potatoes and peeler in front of them on the table.

    "Oh, uh, I was going to make mashed potatoes to go with dinner." Lindsay 
replied.

    "But you are not supposed to be on your feet cooking dinner." scolded 
Bobby.

    "I'm not. I just stuck a roast in the oven, so that wasn't hard. I tossed 
a salad while I sat at the table and now I was trying to peel potatoes here, 
too."

    "But mashing them would be hard to do sitting down. You'd have to stand 
up."

    "Nope. I was going to save the mashing part for you." she grinned.

    "Ah, I see. Well, that's okay then." Bobby grinned in return and finished 
peeling the last potato.

_________________________________________________________

    Two hours later, after they had finished dinner and Bobby had cleaned up 
the dishes, Lindsay and Bobby were trying to relax together on the couch. 
Lindsay was skimming through the book of baby names that Lucy had given them 
and was throwing out random suggestions at Bobby as he watched Basketball on 
TV.
    
    "Brandon?"

    "No."

    "Brett?"

    "Nah."

    "Brian?"

    "No."

    "Bryce?"

    "Also no." He looked over at his wife. "Are you by chance in the B 
section of the book?"

    "What gave me away?" she joked as the phone rang. "You get it. If that's 
my sister, I'm asleep."

    "At seven o'clock in the evening?"

    "One exhaustive conversation per day with her is enough, thank you."

    Bobby picked up the phone. "Hello?.........Hey Helen, what's going on?" 
Bobby was silent as Lindsay looked on with interest. After a long while he 
said "Okay. Okay.  Thanks Helen. Bye."

    "What was that about?" asked Lindsay.

    "Well, apparently, Judge Henderson denied Rebecca's request for Diana's 
therapists records."

    "Damn!" muttered Lindsay. "He's usually pretty liberal with his warrants."

    "Lucky for us, Helen called the judge at home with her requests for the 
records. She said she was trying to show that Diana was unstable and that 
your dad would view her as a threat because of that instability. Of course, 
she doesn't really believe that, but wanted to get her hands on those records 
for us."

    "And?" 

    "She's got them in her hands right now."

    "What do they say?"

    "Basically, Diana suffered from depression, brought on by emotional 
stress."

    "Like the threats from Chipman and the break up with my dad."

    "Exactly."

    "But it makes no difference now, because Chipman didn't kill her and he 
paid for the sofa."

    "That's what I thought, too, except for one thing."

    "What?"

    "Just because that wasn't Chipman's print doesn't mean he didn't kill 
her. Mike's theory could be wrong."

    "Helen thinks the print might not belong to the murderer?"

    "It could belong to anyone, I guess. The fact that it happened to be on 
the wall right above her body could be a coincidence. Chipman still could 
have been there without leaving any evidence behind." Bobby pursed his lips 
in thought.

    "But why would he kill her if he had the couch? I mean, it wouldn't make 
any sense to kill her after he got what he wanted." Lindsay felt a thousand 
different thoughts spinning in her head.

    "I don't know the answer to that." Bobby shook his head slowly. "Maybe he 
was still angry."

    "Maybe it wasn't him." Lindsay offered.

    "Maybe not." agreed Bobby. Then he said with false cheerfulness "You know 
what? None of this is our problem. The only thing I have to do is create 
reasonable doubt in the minds of twelve jurors, if it ever gets that far. 
Between Chipman and his temper and threats and that unidentified palm print, 
your dad will get off. It's Maguire's job to find the killer, not Helen's, 
not mine and certainly not yours."

    "Bobby?"

    "What?"

    "I still want to help." Lindsay looked down at her lap.

    "I know. If you can promise to remain calm and off your feet, I don't see 
why you can't." Bobby knew how much it meant to Lindsay and was not about to 
tell her she could not participate in her father's defense.

    "Really?" Lindsay looked up into Bobby's eyes.

    "Really. But when either you or I think it's too much for you to handle, 
then you step back. Deal?"

    "Deal." she smiled. "Let's kiss on it."

    "I'll seal the deal that way anytime." responded Bobby and he took his 
wife into his arms and kissed her deeply.
_________________________________________________________

    The next day, the entire firm went to work on the defense of Steven Dole. 
Lucy had Bobby make copies of every single document and fax them to Lindsay, 
who had been instructed by her husband to work from home with hourly updates 
being phoned in from Lucy or from him. The first call occurred during the 
eight o'clock staff meeting.

    "Hey Lindsay! Are you there?" said Rebecca into the speaker.

    "Yep, I'm here. Can everyone hear me?" Lindsay's voice came through loud 
and clear over the speaker phone.

    "We hear you." said Lucy.

    "Crystal clear." chimed in Jimmy.

    "Where are you anyway?" inquired Ellenor.

    "At home." answered Lindsay. "That's kind of what this is all about. 
Bobby?"

    "You want to explain?" he queried.

    "No. Go ahead." Lindsay urged.

    "Well, Lindsay's....uh.....been ordered to avoid stress for a while by 
her doctor." began Bobby when Jimmy interrupted.

    " You got an ulcer or something?"

    Lucy coughed into her hand and Eugene ducked his head to keep from 
laughing. They both knew where this explanation was going.

    "No, Jimmy, I don't have an ulcer." Lindsay answered kindly. "What I have 
is a baby."

    "What?" exclaimed Ellenor and Rebecca at the same time.

    "A baby?" repeated Jimmy.

    "She's pregnant!!" blurted Lucy, unable to keep the secret any longer.

    "Oh my God! Really?" squealed Rebecca.

    "Really." said Bobby and Lindsay in unison.

    "That's so great! Congratulations!" offered Jimmy, slapping Bobby on the 
back.

    "I can't believe you're going to be a father." said Ellenor, amazed. 
"Unbelievable. Congratulations." She stood and hugged Bobby.

    "Lindsay! Are you still there?" asked Rebecca.

    "I'm still here." she answered, the smile on her face evident by the 
happy tone in her voice.

    "I wish you were here so we could hug you!" Rebecca complained.

    "I know, Bec, but that's what this is about. Is everybody listening?"

    "Guys? Guys! I think there's more to this." shouted Rebecca over the 
noisy and excited members of the firm. Once they settled down Lindsay 
continued.

    "We had a terrible scare with the baby just a few days ago." she 
explained.

    "The doctor said she could work half days if she stayed of her feet. 
Everybody here knows that's next to impossible for Lindsay to do." Bobby 
added. "So we agreed she could work on her dad's case from home. I've set 
everything up near the couch. Anything she needs to see, just fax it to her. 
Lucy or I will call every hour with updates. Her laptop is running so you can 
email her as well. We've got a defense to mount here, so let's get moving."

    "OK! Congratulations Lindsay!" 

    "Thanks Jimmy. I'll talk to you guys later. Bye Bobby."

    "I'll talk to you soon. Bye." After Lindsay hung up, Bobby looked around 
at his friends. "This is not an easy pregnancy and I'm trying very hard to 
avoid upsetting her. If you find anything that could possibly damage our case 
in any way, run it by me before you show it to Lindsay. Got it?"

    "Bobby?" Eugene spoke for the first time.

    "Yeah?"

    "I need to speak with you alone."

    "Okay." to everyone else he said "Let's get to work." 

    Everyone had filed out of the Conference room before Eugene spoke "You're 
protecting her again."

    "I have no choice. She will run herself into the ground if I don't."

    "She won't like it."

    "I know. But it's necessary. She knows what information she gets will be 
filtered and edited. She knows I'm being protective."

    "Okay. There's just one other thing."

    "What's that?"

    "I've been over all the paperwork and all the theories and there is one 
thing I've been real curious about. One thing I don't think you've 
considered. Something I'm going to run by you before I let anyone else hear 
it."

    Bobby looked at Eugene expectantly, waiting for him to continue. And when 
he did, Bobby felt as if he'd been kicked in the stomach.

    "It's possible Steven Dole killed this woman."
_________________________________________________________

All right was it worth the wait? I just keep spinning and spinning. It's a 
wonder if you aren't all hopelessly lost by now. Part 38 should be up 
tomorrow some time. Feedback is begged for. Thank you for reading!

Title: Forward Motion part 38
Author: Tracy, ONLY1MISSTRACY@cs.com  

SUMMARY: This story will make more sense if you read parts 1 through 37 
first. Without giving anything away, this takes place a bit in the future, 
although not very far. And yes, it is about Bobby and Lindsay, but it is also 
about Lindsay's father's murder trial. I know there are those people who 
don't at all care for Bobby and Lindsay together, and I know that some people 
are sick of fanfics about them. My advice to those people is: DON"T READ THIS 
STORY! YOU WON'T LIKE IT! But, if you like B & L as much as I do, then 
please, read on. 

Disclaimer: I don't own these people. David E. Kelley and Twentieth Century 
Fox and ABC do own these people. However, I like to play with them, but I 
promise to put them back the way I found them when I'm finished. I'm not 
making any money here, so please don't sue me. Thanks so much. 

Forward Motion part 38_______________________________________


    Bobby sucked in a deep breath at Eugene's words.

    Eugene saw the effect of what he was saying and began to explain himself. 
"I'm only saying that because it's possible the DA will bring it up."

    "Helen wouldn't........"

    "Bobby, she may not have a choice. She's gonna have to look like she did 
her best with this case. If she hits the jury with the same idea I have, 
Lindsay's dad might just go to jail."

    "Okay, Eugene. Let's hear it." Bobby sat back grimly in his chair.

    "The gun was found about two blocks from the crime scene is a sewer 
grate, right?"

    "Right. Wiped totally clean."

    "Right. Here's what I think could have happened. I think Steven could 
have shot her and....."

    Bobby interrupted "But Katelyn found the body first, then Steven showed 
up."

    "Let me finish. In spite of what Katelyn says, she is his daughter. She 
could be lying to protect him. But, I think it's more likely that he shot 
Diana, left the apartment to get rid of the gun. When he got back, Katelyn 
was there. It was the perfect way to show he didn't kill her by pretending 
that he'd just gotten there as well."

    "Why would he go back to the apartment? That's a stretch, Eugene."

    "Yeah, it is. I'm just asking you if you considered it."

    Bobby was silent for a minute, then said "No. No, I didn't consider it."

    "Richard Bay called this morning."

    "What? Why?"

    "To let us know that he's been assigned to assist Helen with this case 
Her hands are tied now, Bobby. She can't help us anymore and she can't afford 
to go easy with Bay looking over her shoulder." Eugene looked at his friend 
and boss. "I'm telling you Bobby. We have to consider that he may be guilty."

    "It doesn't change our defense. We work with what he told me. He said he 
didn't do it."

    "And then he confessed."

    "He retracted."

    "Have you noticed how he doesn't seem to be able to keep his own story 
straight? First he was innocent, then he confessed. He basically told you he 
killed her. Now, all of a sudden, he's innocent again. So which is it?"

    "I don't think I want to know the answer to that." Bobby said slowly.

    "I know. But you can bet that Helen and Richard Bay will be asking him 
about it in court."

    Bobby closed his eyes in thought. "I won't ask him, Eugene. I can't know 
he's guilty. I don't think I could put on a good defense if I know for a fact 
that he did this. And what if I ask him and he says 'Yes, I killed her.'? 
What will that do to Lindsay? To the baby?"

    "It's your call. I'm just pointing it out."

    "Thanks."

    As Eugene turned to leave Bobby said "Eugene? Do you think he's guilty?"

    Eugene weighed his answer carefully before giving it. "I don't know the 
man, Bobby, so I can't judge his character. But, from what I see on these 
papers and from all the different stories and loopholes in those 
stories......Yeah. I think it's possible that he did it."

    Eugene closed the door behind him, leaving Bobby with a new dilemma. 
Sighing, Bobby picked up the phone and dialed the jail. 

    "This is Bobby Donnell. I need to meet with prisoner Steven Dole in about 
an hour."
_________________________________________________________

    On her couch, surrounded by paperwork and office equipment, Lindsay kept 
zeroing in on one point she simply could not get out of her head. If Albert 
Chipman did not kill Diana Powers, why did he become friends with her father? 
Where was the key to Diana's apartment? She felt in her head it was still 
Chipman. He had to be connected somehow. He had opportunity. He had a violent 
temper. If he had the key, he had the means. But if he had his couch, he 
lacked a motive.

    "What am I missing?" she asked herself out loud. She shuffled through 
some of the papers in front of her until she found a copy of Bobby's original 
theory. He'd typed it out neatly and thoroughly, as if to keep his thought 
straight.

        "Albert Chipman and Bert, Steven's racquetball partner are in fact 
the same person. Chipman faked a pulled muscle, stole Steven's key to Diana's 
apartment, let himself into her apartment and shot her. Steven has confirmed 
that his key is indeed missing and the health club has confirmed that Albert 
Chipman and Bert are indeed one in the same person."

    Lindsay read Bobby's theory several times. Finally, with a sick feeling 
in the pit of her stomach, she picked up the phone.

    It rang three times before Lucy's cheerful voice said "Donnell, Young, 
Dole and Frutt."

    "Lucy, it's Lindsay. Can I talk to Bobby please?"

    "He just left. He went to go see your dad."

    "Oh. Okay, um......"

    "Are you all right?" Lucy asked worriedly.

    "Yeah, I'm okay. Thanks. I'll try his cel phone."

    "Okay. Bye."

    "Bye." Lindsay hung up and dialed again.

    "Bobby Donnell."

    "Bobby!"

    The urgency in Lindsay's voice caused Bobby to slam his brakes. "Lindsay? 
What is it? What's wrong?"

    Realizing she was scaring him, she struggled to remain calm, as she had 
promised him she would. "Nothing. Nothing's wrong. I'm fine. Where are you?"

    "In the car." Bobby breathed a sigh of relief.

    "Lucy said you were going to see my dad."

    "Yeah, I am."

    "I think I may have found something. Maybe you'd better pull over."

    "That bad?" asked Bobby.

    "It's just an idea."

    Bobby glided the car into a parking space alongside the curb. "Okay. I'm 
parked. Tell me what you found."

    As Lindsay explained, Bobby's eyes began to cloud over. He took it all in 
and said "Lindsay, are you sure?"

    "No, I'm not sure. But I think we should try it."

    "Okay. I'll go as soon as I stop by the jail."

    "I'd like to go with you." Lindsay pleaded from the other end of the 
phone.

    "I don't think so, Sweetheart."

    "Bobby......"

    "No." he cut her off gently. "Lindsay, I'm begging you, please don't 
argue with me on this. It's better of you don't go."

    "I know." She gave in, as she lay one hand on her stomach. "You'll call 
though, right?"
    
    "Of course. Don't I always?"

    "Yes, you do." Lindsay agreed. "I love you."

    "I love you, too. Bye."

    "Bye." Lindsay hung up the phone and sighed. She picked up some papers 
and began to read some more, looking for reasonable doubt to feed to the jury.

    In his car, Bobby rubbed his forehead as if trying to massage away the 
drumming pain that had developed there since Eugene had talked with him that 
morning. With a new mission, Bobby slipped out of his parking space and 
headed toward the jail.
_________________________________________________________

    Tracy here. What the heck is going on? Do you know? I do, but I'm not 
telling yet. Feedback, theories and ideas are welcomed and adored. I will try 
to put up the next installment tomorrow, but I make no guarantees. Thanks for 
reading!

Title: Forward Motion part 38
Author: Tracy, ONLY1MISSTRACY@cs.com  


SUMMARY: This story will make more sense if you read parts 1 through 38 
first. Without giving anything away, this takes place a bit in the future, 
although not very far. And yes, it is about Bobby and Lindsay, but it is also 
about Lindsay's father's murder trial. I know there are those people who 
don't at all care for Bobby and Lindsay together, and I know that some people 
are sick of fanfics about them. My advice to those people is: DON"T READ THIS 
STORY! YOU WON'T LIKE IT! But, if you like B & L as much as I do, then 
please, read on. 

Disclaimer: I don't own these people. David E. Kelley and Twentieth Century 
Fox and ABC do own these people. However, I like to play with them, but I 
promise to put them back the way I found them when I'm finished. I'm not 
making any money here, so please don't sue me. Thanks so much. 



Forward Motion part 39_______________________________________

    Bobby made one quick phone call before he went into the jail. He signed 
in and went into the private room where Steven was waiting. He put his 
briefcase down onto the table.

    "Hello Steven."

    "Bobby. What's new?"

    "I just need to review some things with you before my partners and I can 
build our strategy." Bobby took out a yellow legal pad and a pen.

    "Okay. Sure. What do you need?"

    "There are just a few things I need to review. Now, you said that you and 
this Bert guy had been playing racquetball twice a week for two months, 
right?"

    "Right."

    "Okay. Now, he pulled a muscle and supposedly left the gym. Did you see 
him leave?"

    "No, he was gathering his things when I was getting in the shower. But he 
said he was leaving."

    "How long did you shower?"

    "I remember feeling achy that day, so probably longer than usual. I 
couldn't tell you how long though. Maybe fifteen minutes?"

    "Good. When you got to Diana's, you didn't see anything suspicious? Like 
anyone running from the building or maybe a strange car pulling away?"

    "No, I didn't. There are two entrances to the building, though. Someone 
could have gone in or out the other side."

    "Could Chipman have used your key on either side of the building?"

    "Yes. The same key worked for both entrances."

    "The door was open when you got there?"

    "Cracked open, yes."

    "And Katelyn was inside?"

    "Yes."

    "What was she doing?"

    "What do you mean?"

    Bobby rephrased. "Was she looking for a phone or maybe checking to see if 
Diana was alive? What was she doing when you looked in?"

    "She was just standing there with her eyes closed, practically 
hyperventilating."

    "And what did you do then?"

    "I went inside. I took her arms and shook her. She opened her eyes and 
asked me if she was dead."

    "Then what?"

    "I went over to Diana and checked her pulse."

    "Neck or wrist?"

    "Um, wrist, I think. She was dead."

    "Go on."

    "Katelyn was looking for a phone, I remember. I told her to leave."

    "Why?"

    "Because I was afraid that she........."

    "That she what?"

    "I feel bad for thinking it now, but I thought maybe she'd done it."

    "Now you don't?"

    "Well, Chipman did it, didn't he?"

    "Uh, probably." Bobby answered. "So then what did Katelyn do?"

    "She argued for a minute and then she left."

    "And you did what?"

    "I don't remember exactly. I think I cried and looked for a phone. Diana 
was always putting her cordless phone down in different places. I couldn't 
find it."

    "So you used your cel phone?"

    "Yeah. I went out in the hall and called the police."

    "Okay. Were you ever present when Chipman called and threatened Diana?"

    "Once or twice. I couldn't hear him though."

    "And you gave Diana your gun."

    "She was petrified. I thought it would make her feel better."

    "Did it?"

    "She said she felt more protected."

    "Any idea how Chipman would have gotten his hands on the gun you gave to 
Diana?"

    "No." Steven paused. "Unless he found it once he got in the apartment."

    "All right. One last question."

    "Go ahead."

    "Did anyone know you were going over to Diana's that morning?"

    "I might have mentioned it to Bert while we were playing, but I don't 
remember. No one else would have known."

    "Okay. That's it. I'll be in touch." Bobby stood to gather his things.

    "Bobby?" Steven Dole's tone had changed.

    "What?" Bobby looked up.

    "Take care of my daughter and that baby."

    "I will." And Bobby Donnell walked out of the room.
_________________________________________________________


    Bobby's next stop was personal affects. He was pleased to see a familiar 
face behind the counter.

    "Hi there Duncan!"

    "Bobby! Long time no see! How's it going?" Bobby's childhood friend 
grinned at him. "What's this rumor I hear about you getting married?"

    "It's true!"

    "Well, if she snagged you she must be beautiful. You always got the 
beautiful ones."

    "She's gorgeous." smiled Bobby, mentally picturing his wife. 

    "So what can I do for you?"

    "I need to see the personal effects of one of your guys in lock up."

    "Which one?"

    "Steven Dole. I'm his lawyer."

    "Hang on."  Duncan disappeared around the corner. When he came back he 
had a familiar envelope in his hands. "What are you looking for?"

    "Oh, my client is paranoid. Wanted to make sure his wedding ring is still 
in here." Bobby lied. Opening the envelope, he slid his finger against the 
paper, causing a deep paper cut. "Ow." he muttered, as he scattered Steven's 
things over the counter.

    "Smooth." teased Duncan.

    "Ha-ha. Got a Band-Aid back there?"  Bobby asked.

    "Yeah." When Duncan turned his back to grab the first aid kit, Bobby made 
a quick switch, trading something of his for something in the envelope. "Here 
you go."

    "Thanks." said Bobby, unwrapping the Band-Aid.

    "Is everything there?"

    "Yep. It's all here. As if anyone would take anything. There's an 
inventory right on the front of the envelope. Like I said, he's paranoid." 
Bobby smiled, but felt guilty for lying to his old friend. "Thanks Duncan."

    "Anytime. Don't be a stranger!" called Duncan as Bobby left the personal 
affects department.

_________________________________________________________

    It was Jimmy who picked Bobby up outside the jail.

    "Where's your car?" he asked as Bobby got in.

    "Don't ask." answered Bobby.

    "Objection. Non responsive." countered Jimmy. "I got the feeling that 
whatever we're about to do is important. You gotta at least tell me what's 
going on."

    Bobby sighed, knowing Jimmy deserved an explanation. He had also chosen 
Jimmy to accompany him because he knew Jimmy, unlike Eugene, Rebecca or 
Ellenor, would not lecture him on what he was doing.

    "We're going to the crime scene. I've got a theory I'd like to try."

    "Fair enough. Tell me where."

    "Fourth and Kimball."

    "Okee-Dokey." Jimmy pulled into traffic.

    Bobby took out his phone and dialed Lindsay.

    "Hello?"

    "Hi."

    "Hi! Anything new?" Lindsay asked, always half afraid there would be.

    "Not yet. I'll know more in a while. How are you doing?"

    "Fine. Lucy just called with an update and Ellenor faxed over a list of 
points to help hammer home reasonable doubt with the jury. If it even gets to 
trial Bobby, it looks pretty good in our favor."

    "Have you talked to Helen at all?"

    "Helen? No, why?"

    Bobby sighed. "Richard Bay's been assigned to assist her with your dad's 
case."

    "Oh no." groaned Lindsay. "That little man hates us."

    "I know. I think it's going to make things a lot more difficult."

    "Well, we've certainly got reasonable doubt. Rebecca is faxing over 
points the DA will be focusing on and Eugene is working on arguments against 
those points. It will be a fight to the end. Hopefully the end will be what 
we want."

    "I hope so." Bobby responded. "I'll call you in a little while?"

    "Okay. Bye."

    "Bye." Bobby sighed again as he hung up the phone.

    "What?" asked Jimmy.

    "I just hope the end is what we want." said Bobby, repeating Lindsay's 
words as they made their way to the crime scene.

_________________________________________________________

    It's me. I wonder if you've figured out where this is going? Any guesses, 
ideas or feedback are warmly welcomed and deeply appreciated. But, if you 
think you have definitely got it worked out, I'm begging you: DON'T POST YOUR 
THEORY! Let other people be surprised. Thanks for reading!

Title; Forward Motion part 40
Author: Tracy

SUMMARY: This story will make more sense if you read parts 1 through 39 
first. Without giving anything away, this takes place a bit in the future, 
although not very far. And yes, it is about Bobby and Lindsay, but it is also 
about Lindsay's father's murder trial. I know there are those people who 
don't at all care for Bobby and Lindsay together, and I know that some people 
are sick of fanfics about them. My advice to those people is: DON"T READ THIS 
STORY! YOU WON'T LIKE IT! But, if you like B & L as much as I do, then 
please, read on. 

Disclaimer: I don't own these people. David E. Kelley and Twentieth Century 
Fox and ABC do own these people. However, I like to play with them, but I 
promise to put them back the way I found them when I'm finished. I'm not 
making any money here, so please don't sue me. Thanks so much. 


Forward Motion part 40_______________________________________


    The closer Jimmy and Bobby got to Diana's apartment building, the more 
nervous Bobby became. Lindsay had given him a suggestion over the phone 
earlier that day that had taken him by surprise. If she was right, defending 
her father was going to become a whole new ball game. 

    "Here." said Bobby, pointing out the apartment parking lot to Jimmy. 
Jimmy eased the car into a parking space and cut the engine.

    "Are you going to tell me now exactly what we are looking for?" Jimmy 
asked, curiously.

    Bobby took a deep breath. "You'll see soon enough. Let's just hope none 
of the tenants call the police." Bobby got out of the car, shut the door and 
strode over to the building. Jimmy followed.

    "Okay, let's say your the murderer." said Bobby "Which building entrance 
would you use, this one or the one on the other side of the building?"

    Jimmy thought for a minute, looking at his surroundings. "Probably not 
this one. There's a bus stop right there on that corner. He would risk being 
seen."

    "Let's go around to the other side and look at that entrance." Bobby half 
jogged around the building, with Jimmy huffing and puffing behind him.

    "This......one....is......better." breathed Jimmy heavily.

    "Why?"

    "Well," he swallowed hard and caught his breath. "It faces a street, but 
there's almost no traffic. Less chance of being seen."

    "I agree. Let's go in." Bobby pulled the door open and stepped into the 
lobby. "All right. Now he has to get through the security door to the 
elevator."

    "So he has to be buzzed in."

    "Unless he had a key." said Bobby, pulling a keyring out of his pocket.

    "You got a key?"

    "I don't know." answered Bobby. Seeing the confused look on Jimmy's face, 
Bobby sighed. "It occurred to Lindsay this morning we only had her father's 
word that Diana's key was missing.  So when I went to see him, I switched my 
keys for his in his personal affects envelope."

    "Why would he lie about that?" Jimmy wondered aloud. Then his eyes grew 
wide. "You think he did it?"

    "I don't know, Jimmy. So we're going to try every one of these keys to 
see if one of them fits."

    "And if it does?"

    "Then I'm going to have to ask Steven why he lied to me." Bobby 
responded, bending over the lock to try the first key. "Nope." he said when 
it didn't fit.

    Bobby tried three more keys. When he inserted and turned the fourth key, 
he and Jimmy heard a click and Bobby pulled the door open effortlessly.

    "My God." Jimmy whispered, stunned.

    "Let's go up." Bobby said, grimly. "Stairs or elevator?"

    "If I didn't want to be seen? Stairs." 

    They climbed the stairs up to the fourth floor where Diana's apartment 
was. The door was still blocked with yellow police tape. Bobby stuck the key 
in the lock, and the door sprung open. 

    "I guess Mr. Dole's got some explaining to do." suggested Jimmy.

    "Yeah." said Bobby grimly. "But not yet. I want to try to figure some of 
this mess out first. Let's go." This time they took the elevator.
_________________________________________________________

    OK, OK, I know it was short, but I think it throws yet another 
interesting twist into the story. I will do my best to have the next one up 
tomorrow. The answers you've been waiting for are oh-so-close. Thanks for 
reading!

Title: Forward Motion part 41
Author: Tracy, ONLY1MISSTRACY@cs.com

SUMMARY: This story will make more sense if you read parts 1 through 40 
first. Without giving anything away, this takes place a bit in the future, 
although not very far. And yes, it is about Bobby and Lindsay, but it is also 
about Lindsay's father's murder trial. I know there are those people who 
don't at all care for Bobby and Lindsay together, and I know that some people 
are sick of fanfics about them. My advice to those people is: DON"T READ THIS 
STORY! YOU WON'T LIKE IT! But, if you like B & L as much as I do, then 
please, read on. 

Disclaimer: I don't own these people. David E. Kelley and Twentieth Century 
Fox and ABC do own these people. However, I like to play with them, but I 
promise to put them back the way I found them when I'm finished. I'm not 
making any money here, so please don't sue me. Thanks so much. 



Forward Motion part 41_______________________________________

    Bobby stormed through the door of Donnell, Young, Dole and Frutt, past 
Rebecca and Lucy, and into his office, slamming the door behind him. Jimmy 
followed him into the main office, but stopped short of Bobby's door. He knew 
Bobby's head was spinning with a million thoughts and he wanted to leave his 
friend alone to sort things out. He turned from Bobby's doorway to find 
Rebecca and Lucy staring at him expectantly.

    "What?" he asked, innocently.

    "What was that about?" Lucy wanted to know.

    "What was what about?" Jimmy faked confusion.

    "Bobby stomping part us like that without so much as a hello. What 
happened?" Rebecca was also curious.

    "I don't know anything." lied Jimmy.

    "Yes, you do. I know you do." Lucy announced smugly.

    "How do you know what I know?" Jimmy demanded.

    "Because whenever you're doing something you feel a little uncomfortable 
about, like keeping a secret, you make a face."

    "What face?"

    "The one you're making now." Lucy smiled satisfactorily.

    "I'm not making a face." Jimmy sputtered.

    "Yeah you are, actually. It's kinda flushed and you look like your shoes 
are too tight or something." Rebecca commented, knowing for sure that she and 
Lucy would wear Jimmy down if they kept at him long enough.

    "I'm not making a face!"

    "What's going on?" Ellenor asked as she came out of the conference room.

    "Jimmy's keeping secrets." accused Lucy.

    "No, I'm not! It's not a secret!"

    "So there is something you're not telling us." Rebecca pointed out.

    "No!......Yes!......I...." Jimmy took a deep breath and composed himself. 
"I think when Bobby's ready, he'll tell us."

    "Did he tell you not to tell us?" Ellenor inquired.

    "Well,......no....." Jimmy was cut off by Rebecca

    "Is it about Lindsay's dad?"

    "I don't......" This time Lucy cut him off.

    "We all care about Lindsay. That's why we want to know."

    "It's just not my place to say." Jimmy excused his secretiveness.

    "What do you mean? We've all worked on this case. We all have a right to 
know. So spill it." ordered Ellenor.

    "No." Jimmy stood his ground and the arguing began, the women shouting 
and Jimmy refusing to divulge any information.

    "Jimmy!"

    "If Bobby didn't say it was a secret....."

    "We deserve to know."
    
    "We all have a personal investment in this case!"

    "NO!" Jimmy stood firm.

    "Why not?!?!"

    "C'mon Jimmy....."

    "The sooner you tell us, the more we can help."

    Pretty soon their voices blended together and the volume climbed. Two 
attorneys and a nosy receptionist versus one no-so-great secret keeper. They 
kept going and going and just as Jimmy was about to give in, a voice came 
from behind them.

    "ALL RIGHT!" Bobby's eyes flashed with irritation.

    "Bobby." Jimmy mumbled. "I was just, um......"

    "I know what you were doing Jimmy and I appreciate it. But they do have a 
point. We've approached this case as a team up until now. It wouldn't be fair 
to keep them in the dark. Besides, I couldn't think with all the noise out 
here." Bobby was scolding them and they knew it. "Where's Eugene?"

    "Courthouse. Filing a motion in the B and E that came in this morning." 
Lucy offered.

    "Okay, we'll fill him in later." Bobby took a deep breath. "What it comes 
down to is this: Steven told me that a man named Bert had befriended him at 
the gym. They played racquetball together. They played the morning Diana 
Powers was killed, but Bert pulled a muscle and supposedly went home."

    "We know all that." Ellenor said, impatiently.

    "Right. So, we theorized that the man who had been harassing Diana, 
Albert Chipman and this Bert from the Gym were the same guy. We theorized 
that he had befriended Steven, then stolen his keys to Diana's apartment, let 
himself in and shot her."

    "Right." agreed Rebecca. "Then Lindsay guessed that perhaps Diana had 
been so upset over her break up with Steven that she hired Chipman to kill 
her, gave him Steven's gun and paid him with an antique couch to make it look 
like Steven killed her."

    "Exactly. Only I think we've been had." Bobby said grimly.

    "What do mean? Like, tricked?" Lucy's eyebrows shot skyward in surprise.

    "I asked Steven to look on his key ring and tell me if the key to Diana's 
apartment was there. He told me no." Bobby explained.

    "Which fit into our theory that Chipman stole the key." added Jimmy.

    "I took Steven's word for it. All of it." Bobby shook his head, looking 
dejected.

    "I....I don't understand....." Ellenor was trying to put together the 
puzzle in her head, but it wasn't fitting.

    "I swapped my keys with Steven's. Lindsay called this morning. She had a 
feeling...." Bobby trailed off.

    "Bobby switched his keys with Steven's keys in personal affects. We went 
to the crime scene." Jimmy paused. "The key was there, on the keyring. It 
fit."

    "He lied?" Lucy asked, incredulous.

    "Why would he lie?" Rebecca was equally stunned.

    "Do you think he's guilty?" Ellenor wondered aloud.

    "I don't know. What I do know is that he did lie to me. That key is on 
there. Chipman never had it." Bobby, too, was still mentally trying to 
unravel the day's events.

    "Which explains why his fingerprints weren't at the scene." Ellenor 
concluded.

    "So then why did Chipman become friends with Lindsay's dad? I mean, what 
was the point?" Lucy asked.

    "We only knew that because Steven said Bert befriended him. Maybe 
somehow, Steven knew it was Albert Chipman who was harassing Diana. He was 
already planning to kill her, so he befriended Chipman. It would be easy to 
lay the blame on somebody who was harassing the victim. Making friends with 
him would give Steven the opportunity to set Chipman up." Bobby blew out a 
deep breath. "I think we've been approaching this whole thing wrong. We've 
been assuming, unlike the rest of our cases, that Steven is innocent. I think 
it's time we start looking at this like we do the rest of our clients." Bobby 
couldn't bring himself to say it out loud, so Jimmy did it for him.

    "We've gotta work on this like we know he's guilty. We gotta stop 
fighting for the innocent guy, assume he's guilty, and look for a way out."

    "Yeah." whispered Bobby under his breath.

    "Does Lindsay know?" Rebecca asked, concerned for her friend and 
co-worker.

    "Not yet. Not for sure, anyway."

    "But I thought you said it was Lindsay's idea." Ellenor reminded him.

    "It was, but.......I think she was hoping she was wrong." Bobby looked 
around at the concerned faces that made up his closest circle of friends. "I 
guess I hoped she was wrong, too."

    "There could still be another explanation." offered Lucy.

    "Like what?" Bobby's heart leaped for a moment, hoping she would offer a 
viable explanation.

    "I don't know. I'm just trying to be positive."

    Bobby's heart fell again as he sighed again. "I have to go talk to him." 
He began to get his coat when Jimmy reminded him of something.

    "Bobby......in the car....you told Lindsay you'd call her."

    Bobby smiled meekly. "Thanks, Jimmy."

    "I wouldn't, Bobby. That's not something you want to say over the phone." 
Ellenor pointed out. "Here." She pulled her car keys out of her desk. "Take 
my car. Go see her. It'll be better that way."

    "Thanks." said Bobby taking her keys. "I'll bring it back later."

    "Don't." said Ellenor. "I'll pick it up at your apartment. I've got an 
extra set of keys. Bec can drop me there. Go home and stay with your wife, 
Bobby. She's going to need you."

    Nodding in agreement, Bobby Donnell left his colleagues behind to go home 
and give Lindsay the horrible new that her father was perhaps not so innocent 
after all.
_________________________________________________________

Tracy here. Lame excuse, but I got a job where I spend a good part of my day 
staring at the computer screen. By the time I get home my fingers and my eyes 
are really tired and these installments are taking me longer. Anyway, I'll 
try to put up the next one in two or three days, okay? Feedback is my 
favorite thing, so please give me some. Thanks for reading

Title: Forward Motion part 42
Author: Tracy, ONLY1MISSTRACY@cs.com  
SUMMARY: This story will make more sense if you read parts 1 through 41 
first. Without giving anything away, this takes place a bit in the future, 
although not very far. And yes, it is about Bobby and Lindsay, but it is also 
about Lindsay's father's murder trial. I know there are those people who 
don't at all care for Bobby and Lindsay together, and I know that some people 
are sick of fanfics about them. My advice to those people is: DON"T READ THIS 
STORY! YOU WON'T LIKE IT! But, if you like B & L as much as I do, then 
please, read on. 

Disclaimer: I don't own these people. David E. Kelley and Twentieth Century 
Fox and ABC do own these people. However, I like to play with them, but I 
promise to put them back the way I found them when I'm finished. I'm not 
making any money here, so please don't sue me. Thanks so much. 


Forward Motion part 42_______________________________________

    Bobby climbed the steps to he and Lindsay's apartment. Each time he 
lifted his feet, they felt heavier and heavier. He was absolutely dreading 
having to tell Lindsay that her father might not be as innocent as he claimed 
to be. His heart fell to the floor, then jumped into his throat as he reached 
their floor. But more than anything, his heart just hurt. It ached from 
knowing that what he was about to say, the reality they were about to be 
faced with, would be one of the most painful blows he would ever have to 
inflict on her.         

    "But I have to." he thought to himself as he fumbled with his key in the 
lock. "She deserves to hear the truth and I should be the one to tell her." 
He turned the knob and went inside. "Lindsay?" She wasn't on the couch where 
she was supposed to be. "Lindsay?" He struggled to keep his voice calm, 
remembering that last time she hadn't answered when he called it had been 
because she was on the phone, not because anything was wrong. "Lindsay?" he 
called again.

    The door to the bedroom open silently and Lindsay stood wordlessly in the 
doorway, her tear streaked face ripping Bobby's heart into a million little 
pieces. 

    "Sweetheart." It wasn't a question, but an acknowledgment that he knew 
something was terribly wrong. He crossed over to her and took her into his 
arms.

    "You didn't call." she whispered quietly.

    "I'm sorry." he rubbed her back in a small circular pattern over and over 
and over, as if he could rub out the hurt somehow.

    "But you're here." she looked up into his eyes, as if searching for an 
answer in them. "It's bad isn't it?"

    "Here," coaxed Bobby gently, leading her to the couch. "Let's sit down." 
He sat down, his back against the arm of the couch. He pulled Lindsay down so 
she was sitting with her back against his chest, his arms encircled around 
her tightly, as if to protect her. He rested his chin on top of her head.

    She leaned into him and closed her eyes. "Tell me." she whispered.

    "I'm guessing you've figured it out some, since you've been crying." He 
spoke into her hair, then kissed the top of her head.

    "When you didn't call........" she blew out a shaky breath. "I called the 
office. Lucy said you were on your way here. That's when I knew something was 
wrong." She twisted around to look at her husband. "The key was on the 
keyring, wasn't it." She wasn't really asking. She was just looking for 
confirmation.

    "Yeah, it was." The look on his wife's face nearly killed him. It was a 
combination of hurt and confusion and disillusion. Disappointment and pure 
heartbreak twisted her expression into one of total grief. "I'm so sorry, 
Baby." Bobby heard his own voice crack with sadness for Lindsay.

    "Oh, God.......he's guilty." she sobbed quietly.

    "We don't really know that for sure."

    "Don't we?" she became angry suddenly, although Bobby knew it wasn't 
really directed at him. "He lied. He's a liar. It's all he's ever been. He's 
been cheating on my mother for years. He lied to her, to his children, he 
lied about Chipman and he lied about the key. He confessed because he's 
guilty, Bobby! And we gave him every out we could find. Helen risked her job, 
the firm broke their backs trying to help him and for what? He's 
guilty......he's guilty......he's guilty......." she trailed off into a gut 
wrenching sob that grabbed whatever was left of Bobby's strength and twisted 
it as hard as it could, until he felt his own tears start to fall.

    "It's okay." He engulfed her with his arms and began to rock back and 
forth. "It's okay." 

    "Oh God...oh God....." she cried. "How could he?......How could he?"

    Bobby couldn't answer, he just held her tighter and kept rocking.
_________________________________________________________


    About forty-five minutes later, when the crying had stopped and total 
emotional exhaustion had set in, Bobby persuaded Lindsay to take a long hot 
shower while he made her something to eat.

    "I'm not hungry." she said.

    "Have you eaten lunch?"

    "No."

    "Lindsay......"

    "OK, I know. You're right. How about some soup and a grilled cheese 
sandwich?"

    "I can do that." he smiled at her. "I'll have it ready as soon as you 
come out of the shower."

    "We need to talk about this, Bobby."

    "If it's going to upset you......"

    She cut him off mid sentence. "I'm already upset. Now we have to figure 
out what we're going to do." She rewarded him with a small smile of her own. 
"I know you're worried about me and the baby, but pretending it's not true 
isn't going to help. My dad might very well be guilty and we need a plan of 
action." She'd gone from Lindsay the daughter to Lindsay the lawyer and he 
could see there was no room to argue with her, so he didn't.

    "Shower and food first."

    She saluted him, "Yes, sir." and went back into their bedroom.

    Relief filled his entire body. She'd been upset, as he'd expected, but 
she'd recovered more quickly than he'd thought and he took that as a good 
sign. He dialed the phone as he rummaged around in the pantry, searching for 
soup.

    "Donnell, Young, Dole and Frutt." came Lucy's voice from the other end of 
the phone.

    "Hey, Lucy, it's Bobby." He found the can he was looking for and 
proceeded to open it.

    "Hey. How'd it go?" she asked quietly.

    "Not great. Not terrible. I think she'll be okay."

    "Good. What's up?"

    "Is Eugene there?" Bobby dumped the soup into a bowl and stuck it in the 
microwave.

    "No, he's still out on that B and E thing from this morning."
    
    "Okay. I'm going to be out the rest of the day. If anything urgent comes 
up give it to Eugene if he's there, or Ellenor."

    "Sure."

    "If Helen Gamble calls, don't tell her anything!"

    "She already called." said Lucy hesitantly.

    Bobby closed his eyes. "What did you say?" he asked fearfully.

    "Nothing. I swear. I just said you were out, but that I'd have you call 
her when you got back."

    "OK. If she calls again, you haven't heard from me."

    "No problem, Boss."

    "Thanks, Lucy."

    "Bobby?"

    "Yeah?"

    "Did he do it?"

    "I don't know, Lucy. It looks that way."

    "Tell Lindsay I'm thinking about her."

    Bobby was touched by his usually sassy secretary's kindness. "I will. 
I'll see you tomorrow."

    "Bye." Lucy hung up and Bobby pushed the off button, caught off guard by 
Lucy's sudden compassion. He began to assemble Lindsay's sandwich and when he 
heard the shower water turn off, he put it in the pan and began to warm the 
soup.

    Lindsay emerged from the bedroom about five minutes later with wet hair 
and a clean face, as though she had scrubbed the tears away.

    "Mmmm, smells yummy." she said as she perched on a barstool at the 
counter. She took a small sip of soup. "Thanks."

    "I'm staying home for the rest of the day. I've already arranged things 
at the office."

    "Okay." Lindsay took a little bite off the corner of her sandwich. "Now 
tell me exactly what you discovered."

    "When you called this morning and said you thought I should check myself 
to make sure they key to Diana's apartment wasn't on your father's key ring, 
I thought you would be wrong. But it kept nagging at me, you know? So I 
switched keys with your dad's and got Jimmy to drive me to Diana's apartment. 
When the key fit in the front door, I knew it would fit in her apartment door 
as well."

    "Do you think he's guilty?" she asked softly, looking down at her soup.

    Bobby considered his answer carefully before giving it. "I don't know." 
he said, finally. "All we really know for sure is that he lied about having 
the key. It doesn't really prove that he killed her."

    "But why would he lie about it if he didn't?"

    "I don't know."

    "I mean, after all, he'd already confessed when he said the key wasn't on 
there. If he already thought he was going to go to jail, why lie about the 
key?"

    "I don't know." Bobby repeated for the third time.

    "And we still don't know whose palm print that is above the body, do we?"

    "No."

    "But it wasn't necessarily left by the killer, either, It could have been 
there for months before the murder." Lindsay was thinking out loud.

    "Right. Although, Maguire's original theory was that the killer leaned 
over to check Diana's pulse and balanced himself against the wall with his 
hand."

    "Did you ask my dad if he checked her pulse?"

    "He said he checked her wrist, but that's no surprise. We already knew it 
wasn't his palm print."

    "And what about Chipman?"

    "Well," Bobby paused to gather his thought, "At first we thought that 
Chipman became friends with your dad to frame him, right?"

    Lindsay nodded, her mouth full of sandwich.

    "What if it was the other way around? What if it was your dad who 
befriended Chipman in an effort to frame him? After all, we only have your 
dad's word that it was Chipman who approached him to play racquetball. Maybe 
your dad was the actual instigator."

    "Okay, let's say that he was. Let's say that my dad was plotting to kill 
Diana, but with the palimony suit, he would look way guilty. So he decides he 
needs a fall guy. Someone who would look equally guilty that my dad and some 
other people could point at and say "We think he did it" and be believed. If 
Albert Chipman was harassing Diana, which he was, he fit the bill perfectly. 
He had a violent past, restraining orders against him and a history of 
bothering Diana. The police would naturally assume it was Chipman."

    "But why go through all that trouble and then be dumb enough to shoot her 
with his own gun? That doesn't make any sense. If he really wanted to frame 
Chipman, he shouldn't have used a gun registered to him." Bobby countered.

    "You're right. That doesn't make sense." Lindsay thought for a moment. 
"Maybe it wasn't planned, you know? Maybe he did go there to talk to her. 
Maybe they argued. She pulled the gun out, they fought and the gun went off."

    "Then how does Chipman come into it?" 

    Lindsay sighed. "It seems like no matter what, there's always a piece of 
the puzzle that doesn't fit."

    "Why would he have killed her? The lawsuit? The money? To save face with 
his family?"

    Lindsay got up from her barstool, her sandwich now gone and her soup bowl 
half empty. "There's only one way to find out."

    Bobby looked at her, silently hoping she wasn't going to say what he 
thought she was going to say.

    "Let's go ask him."
_________________________________________________________

    The stare down went for a full minute before Bobby spoke. 

    "No. You shouldn't go. That's too much."

    Lindsay steeled herself for an argument. "Bobby, this has been a horrible 
day. This case is invading our lives. As much as you feel sorry for me, you 
cannot know how I feel."

    Bobby opened his mouth to speak, but Lindsay quickly continued.

    "Let me finish." She walked over to him, placing the back of her hand on 
his cheek. "You have been so wonderful, Bobby. I sprang the surprise of this 
baby on you and you never blinked. You never freaked out. I have been an 
emotional train wreck and you have been so strong. You have protected me as 
much as you possibly could. You've fought for my father as if you were 
fighting for your own, even when I was too angry to help." She moved her hand 
to his shoulder. "But what is hurting me now is the not knowing. I need to 
know what my father's involvement was in this and I need to know why. I know 
it won't be easy and I know I might hear things I don't really want to hear. 
But I've prepared myself for that. I'm ready. I need the answers only my 
father can give me and I need you standing beside me when I get them."

    Bobby stood in awe of the amazing woman in front of him. He searched he 
eyes and saw three things in them all at once: fear, determination and love.

    "Okay." he whispered, caressing her cheek with his own hand. "Get dressed 
and we'll go."

    "Thank you, Bobby."

    He kissed her forehead and she turned to leave the kitchen to get ready 
to visit her father. Bobby watched her and silently thought to himself 
"Please just let her get what she needs from him so we can go on with our 
lives."
_________________________________________________________

Part 43 will be up tomorrow I PROMISE. ( I can say that because it is already 
written in my brain and I can't wait to get it typed up) Feedback is adored 
as always. Thank you for your patience and for sticking with the story!
    
Title: Forward Motion part 43
Author:Tracy

SUMMARY: This story will make more sense if you read parts 1 through 42 
first. Without giving anything away, this takes place a bit in the future, 
although not very far. And yes, it is about Bobby and Lindsay, but it is also 
about Lindsay's father's murder trial. I know there are those people who 
don't at all care for Bobby and Lindsay together, and I know that some people 
are sick of fanfics about them. My advice to those people is: DON"T READ THIS 
STORY! YOU WON'T LIKE IT! But, if you like B & L as much as I do, then 
please, read on. 

Disclaimer: I don't own these people. David E. Kelley and Twentieth Century 
Fox and ABC do own these people. However, I like to play with them, but I 
promise to put them back the way I found them when I'm finished. I'm not 
making any money here, so please don't sue me. Thanks so much. 


Forward Motion part 43_______________________________________

    They rode in silence to the jail. Bobby rested his hand on Lindsay's 
knee, as if to impart strength to her somehow. Lindsay stared out the window, 
as if searching for an answer in the midday traffic. They pulled into the 
parking garage and into a space before Lindsay spoke.

    "What if he's guilty?"

    "Then he's guilty."

    "What am I supposed to do if he's guilty?"

    "Sweetheart, you'll just have to accept it. It's not a reflection on you 
or your relationship with your dad. It's a different issue."

    "But it's who he is. If he killed Diana Powers, he's a murderer. I can't 
ignore it."

    "I didn't say you should ignore it. You'll just have to learn to accept 
it." He looked over at his wife. Lindsay's lower lip was quivering as if she 
were desperately holding back tears. "I think, before we get too worked up 
trying to figure out what we're going to do if he's guilty, we should go talk 
to him. Maybe he's got an explanation we haven't hit upon yet. Okay?"

    "Okay." she nodded. "I'm petrified."

    "Maybe you should wait and let me talk to him." Bobby made one last ditch 
effort to talk Lindsay out of this potentially devastating meeting with her 
father.

    "No." she said, taking in a deep breath as if shoring up her strength. "I 
need to do this. I need to know."

    Bobby squeezed her knee with his hand and they stepped out of the car. 
They went into the jail and to the sign in window. 

    "Bobby Donnell to see Steven Dole." Bobby showed the policeman behind the 
counter is Bar Association ID.

    The guard looked at Bobby's ID, then at Bobby, then back at the ID before 
nodding his approval. Bobby signed his name and stepped to the side. The 
officer waved a metal detecting wand over Bobby before clearing him to go 
into the jailhouse. Then it was Lindsay's turn.

    "Lindsay Donnell to see Steven Dole as well." she said. Anyone but Bobby 
would have thought she was perfectly calm and collected. Only her husband 
detected the faint tremor in her voice as she spoke her father's name.

    "ID please?" asked the guard. He nodded his approval quickly, ran the 
wand over her and cleared her for entrance. "I'll have him brought into Room 
B in a minute. It's the first door on your left."

    "Thanks." said Bobby as they were buzzed in through the door.

    Once inside, Bobby took hold of Lindsay's arm, guiding her gently into 
Room B. He could feel the tension in her muscles and thought desperately of 
the effect this stress could be having on their unborn child.

    As if reading his thoughts, Lindsay reassured him. "I'm all right, Bobby. 
I promise."

    "I worry."

    "I know you do. You are my strength, Bobby Donnell. If there is one thing 
I have gotten out of this entire mess it's that we really can handle anything 
as long as we stick together. I feel fine. There hasn't been any more 
bleeding. I'm not cramping or having any of the other signs that anything is 
wrong with the baby. The morning sickness is gone. I spoke with the doctor 
this morning. She said it's still a little early to give the all clear 
signal, but she feels that the pregnancy is progressing normally."

    "But the stress of this......" Bobby motioned helplessly around the grim 
jailhouse conference room.

    "I need to know what happened. I need to understand. I need to be able to 
deal with it. That's only going to happen if I get the answers I'm looking 
for."

    "And what is it exactly that you're looking for, Lindsay?" Bobby's temper 
flared a little, fueled only by concern for his wife and child. "What is it 
that you want to hear? I'm sure he'll be happy to tell you he didn't do it, 
if that's what you want. Is that what you want him to say?"

    "Don't yell at me, Bobby. I don't need that." she spoke quietly, as if 
containing the urge to respond with equal anger.

    Bobby hung his head and studied a mark on the ground, as if it were the 
most fascinating thing he had ever seen. He was desperately trying not to 
break down. He did not want to come clean with Lindsay and tell her he was 
scared to death for her and for their baby. He didn't want to say that he 
didn't think he would be able to handle a miscarriage. He didn't want to say 
that he was truly afraid her father was guilty and he didn't want to say that 
he was just as afraid of the answers as she was. He wanted to stay strong for 
her. She needed that and the baby needed that. He wanted so badly to be that 
anchor for them both. He took a deep breath and spoke.

    "I'm just afraid the answers you get won't bring you the peace you are 
looking for."

    "I know. But I have to ask the questions, whether I like the answers or 
not. I'm tired, Bobby. I just want to know the truth now, whatever it may be. 
Yes, I hope he's innocent. I hope he does have an explanation for all of 
this, but I'm not naive. I know it's possible, maybe even likely, that he 
killed Diana Powers. I just want to hear it from him. I need to hear it from 
him, because not knowing is killing me, figuratively and it may be killing 
our baby literally. I have questions I need to ask and I need you to support 
me in this." She paused as Bobby sat down in a chair at the table. She could 
read his face clearly, despite the fact that he was trying so hard to be 
strong. She walked over to him and ran her hands in his hair. "I know you're 
scared." He looked up, shocked at her words, but she continued. "You and I 
are a team. We can be scared together. You are my strength, Bobby, but you 
don't always have to be the strong one. Sometimes, you can lean on me and let 
me be the strong one. That's what marriage is about."

    He looked up at Lindsay standing over him. "I'm so afraid you're going to 
be hurt."

    "I know you are. I'm afraid of that, too. But that doesn't mean we should 
avoid the truth, does it?"

    "No." Bobby paused, looking past Lindsay. "And hopefully we're about to 
hear it." Bobby nodded towards the door to the conference room as Lindsay's 
father was escorted inside.
________________________________________________________

Yee-Haw!! Some of the answers you've been waiting for are close at hand. Any 
guesses? Part 44 soon. I've stopped saying when, because I never seem to get 
it done in time. Feedback and theories are welcomed and adored as always. 
Thanks for your continuing interest!

Title: Forward Motion part 44
Author:Tracy

SUMMARY: This story will make more sense if you read parts 1 through 43 
first. Without giving anything away, this takes place a bit in the future, 
although not very far. And yes, it is about Bobby and Lindsay, but it is also 
about Lindsay's father's murder trial. I know there are those people who 
don't at all care for Bobby and Lindsay together, and I know that some people 
are sick of fanfics about them. My advice to those people is: DON"T READ THIS 
STORY! YOU WON'T LIKE IT! But, if you like B & L as much as I do, then 
please, read on. 

Disclaimer: I don't own these people. David E. Kelley and Twentieth Century 
Fox and ABC do own these people. However, I like to play with them, but I 
promise to put them back the way I found them when I'm finished. I'm not 
making any money here, so please don't sue me. Thanks so much. 



Forward Motion part 44_______________________________________

    Lindsay turned and Bobby stood as Steven Dole entered the jailhouse 
conference room. As if to support her physically as well as emotionally, 
Bobby rested his hand on the small of Lindsay's back. In turn, Lindsay, 
perhaps by instinct, lay one hand over her stomach. Two people, protecting 
three lives, looked on wordlessly as the man with the answers was escorted 
into the room.

    "Lindsay." Steven Dole said, his voice tinged with surprise.

    "Dad." she acknowledged, but seemed unable to say more than that.

    "Hello, Bobby. What's this all about? Do you have something new?"

    Bobby grimaced inwardly. "Yes, there has been a new development, Steven. 
And we were hoping you could explain it to us."

    "I'll try." Steven stared quizzically at his daughter. "I thought you 
were angry with me."

    "I am, but there are other things to consider now."

    "Yes. I know about the baby. And about you being married."

    "This isn't about that, Daddy." Lindsay voice was filled with ice.

    "I don't understand." Steven was still standing by the door, the guard 
who had escorted him in was just outside.

    "He looks like he wants to leave." thought Bobby to himself. Out loud he 
said  "Steven, let's all sit down. There are some things I need...." he 
paused and looked over at Lindsay, "...we need to ask you about."

    "Sure." Steven shuffled over to a chair and took a seat. "Ask away."

    Lindsay sat down across from her father, Bobby to her left. Bobby could 
almost feel the tension radiating off of her. He couldn't read Steven at all.

    "We've determined that Albert Chipman had nothing to do with the murder 
of Diana Powers." Bobby said flatly.

    "But he was stalking her, threatening her. How can you be sure?"

    "Because his prints were not at the crime scene or on the gun. He paid 
for the sofa we originally thought he was threatening Diana over. We have the 
check. He had no reason to kill her."

    "But, you said yourself he might have set me up. You even said that Diana 
may have been suicidal and angry. That she paid Chipman to kill her and set 
me up. How else do you explain why we became friends?" Steven demanded.

    "Maybe because you wanted to." suggested Bobby.

    "Excuse me?"

    Bobby glanced over at Lindsay, but she made no move to jump in, so he 
went on. "We only have your word that it was Chipman who approached you, 
thereby initiating a friendship. It was you who told me that Chipman was 
threatening Diana. You put the idea in my head, knowing I would tell the 
police."

    "But it's true. He was bothering her."

    "Right. And you gave her your gun for protection."

    "Exactly." Steven looked at Lindsay, and then back at Bobby. "Why do I 
feel like you are pointing the finger at me?"

    "Because we have given you every benefit of the doubt, Steven, but there 
doesn't seem to be an answer that includes all the pieces. What we do know is 
this: Katelyn's prints, your prints, Diana's prints and an unidentified palm 
print were found at the crime scene. She was shot with your gun. You have no 
real alibi. She was suing you, threatening to expose you for the philandering 
liar that you are. No one knows where you were when Diana Powers was shot 
with your gun in her apartment. Your own daughter was there, she saw the body 
and you told her not to say anything. You confessed, for God's sake. Then you 
took it back. Recanted it. And I believed everything you said, Steven. All of 
it."

    "But something's changed." responded Steven slowly.

    "Yeah. And it's going to take some explaining on your part."

    There was a thick silence in the room, each person waiting for the other 
to begin. At last, it was Lindsay's voice, in a quiet, angry monotone, that 
filled the room.

    "You lied." was all she said.

    "And what is it that you think I lied about?" Steven's voice took on a 
defensive tone.

    "You told Bobby the key to Diana's apartment was not on your keyring. You 
lead all of us, including Helen, to believe that Chipman took it off your 
keyring while you were in the gym shower." Lindsay stopped staring at her 
hands as she spoke and made direct eye contact with her father. "I called 
Bobby this morning. I asked him to double check about the key. He did."

    Steven Dole swallowed hard, but said nothing.

    "The key was on there. You lied." Her stare was relentless now, as if she 
were daring him to tell the truth.

    "Why did you tell me that key wasn't on there when it was? Did you think 
I wouldn't find out? Eventually it would have occurred to Helen Gamble to 
test that theory out and she would have known you lied. What the hell were 
you thinking? I can't defend you if I don't know the truth." Bobby could 
practically taste the bitterness in his words, but he felt it was warranted.

    "And now you want to know if I killed her after all."

    Bobby found Lindsay's left hand under the table with his right hand and 
held it tightly before answering his father in law. "We want the truth."

    Steven looked at his daughter, who had turned a ghostly shade of pale. 
"Lindsay, you believe I'm capable of this?"

    She tightened her hold on Bobby's hand under the table as she said "I 
never would have believed you were a liar or an adulterer either. I think 
it's fair to say that my judgment of you has always been a bit off the mark 
from who you really are." She paused and gathered her courage. "I think it's 
entirely possible that you are involved. I just want to know the 
truth......even if it will hurt." 

    "How could you think I would do this? Lindsay, you're my daughter. I 
thought you would believe in me. I need my family......."

    "I have my own family now, Daddy. I need to protect it. I can't do that 
if I'm spending every waking minute trying to figure out your guilt or 
innocence. If you care at all about me, or this baby, you'll tell me the 
truth." She dropped her voice to a whisper. "Please.......I need to know."

    Bobby felt his heart snap in two just hearing the pain in Lindsay's 
voice. He glared at Steven, willing him to be honest for once and tell them 
what had really happened to Diana Powers. 

    Lindsay's father took a deep breath in and exhaled slowly. No one spoke 
for a full three minutes. Finally, Steven Dole spoke the words Lindsay and 
Bobby had never really wanted to hear.

    "Yes. I killed her."
_________________________________________________________

CLIFFHANGER!!!!!!!! Hee-hee. This is fun. I think that particular ending is 
very DEKish. I will try to put up the next part this week, but I will not 
guarantee it. Feedback is welcomed as always. Thanks for reading!

Title: Forward Motion part 45
Author: Tracy
 
Author's note: This installment may have a word or two 
that are a bit stronger than I normally use and therefore, some people might 
find them offensive. They are not stronger than anything you would hear on 
the show and my apologies to anyone who is offended by them.

SUMMARY: This story will make more sense if you read parts 1 through 44 
first. Without giving anything away, this takes place a bit in the future, 
although not very far. And yes, it is about Bobby and Lindsay, but it is also 
about Lindsay's father's murder trial. I know there are those people who 
don't at all care for Bobby and Lindsay together, and I know that some people 
are sick of fancies about them. My advice to those people is: DON"T READ THIS 
STORY! YOU WON'T LIKE IT! But, if you like B & L as much as I do, then 
please, read on. 

Disclaimer: I don't own these people. David E. Kelley and Twentieth Century 
Fox and ABC do own these people. However, I like to play with them, but I 
promise to put them back the way I found them when I'm finished. I'm not 
making any money here, so please don't sue me. Thanks so much. 

Forward Motion part 45_______________________________________


    It was Lindsay who moved first. Despite the fact that it felt like a boa 
constrictor was squeezing her chest and she thought her legs might not hold 
her up, she knew she could not sit there and look at her father's face. She 
stood and moved to look out the window into the hallway of the jail. Her head 
was ringing with the words that had just been said. She closed her eyes and 
put one hand over her mouth, as if to keep the screams she felt like 
releasing inside. She said absolutely nothing.

    Bobby watched her like a hawk, making sure she was physically all right, 
even though he knew she was in emotional turmoil. Slowly, quietly, and with 
great anger he broke the silence in the room.

    "You killed her?" He took his eyes off his wife for a split second and 
glared at his father in law. "You pulled the trigger?" His eyes went back to 
Lindsay.

    "It isn't what you think." Steven Dole began. "Lindsay, honey...."

    "Don't talk to her." Bobby interrupted. "You've done enough. I'm talking 
to you now. You will answer my questions and you will answer them truthfully, 
or so help me............."

    "What? What will you do? Refuse to represent me? Fine." Steven was 
becoming defensive in the wake of Bobby's anger.

    "You listen to me. I am no longer here as your lawyer. Personally, I 
don't give a rat's ass about you. I am here as someone who loves your 
daughter. I would do anything for her and that includes getting the truth out 
of you. Start talking, because I guarantee you that if you don't, the 
consequences will be much worse than having to find another lawyer."

    "Is that a threat?"

    "Definitely. If you can still salvage a relationship with Lindsay and our 
child out of this mess, I will be surprised. But I can promise you you don't 
even stand a chance unless you can explain what the hell has been going on." 
Bobby glared at Steven, then tore his eyes away and over to his wife. She 
hadn't moved, but her eyes were open and he could see the tears falling down 
her cheeks in the reflection in the glass. He knew that she was listening and 
was undoubtedly still hoping for an explanation that would exonerate her 
beloved father.

    When Bobby looked back to his father in law, he could see that Steven, 
too, had been looking at Lindsay. He silently hoped that Steven could see the 
damage he had done to her fragile health and emotional state. He leaned 
forward intently and stared at the man across the table. "Start explaining."

    Steven sighed. "I did kill her, I suppose."

    "You suppose?" asked Bobby coldly.

    "I didn't lie. I did go to Diana's apartment to talk with her. I wanted 
her to drop the lawsuit. I was going to offer her some kind of monthly 
financial support. Her business had seen better days. I figured she'd take 
it."

    "So what happened?" Bobby prompted.

    "It was like I said. When I got there, she was already dead. At least I 
thought she was."

    "But you just said you killed her." Bobby reminded him.

    "I know. When I got there, Linda was there."

    "Linda Malone?"

    "Right. She was standing over Diana's body. She had a gun in her 
hand....."

    "Linda shot Diana?" Bobby asked incredulously.

    "Yes."

    Lindsay had slowly turned to watch the conversation between her husband 
and her father. Bobby could sense her eyes on them and mentally tried to send 
her some strength. Steven didn't seem to notice.

    "I don't understand............."

    "Linda and I had become......involved."

    "You were sleeping with her." Bobby clarified.

    "Yes. Diana had found out and had a fit. She owned sixty percent of their 
business, you see. She was maneuvering to buy out Linda's share as revenge. 
Linda poured her heart into that business. She snapped."

    "So she found your gun and shot Diana with it?"

    "It's true what I said about giving Diana the gun for protection. She 
kept it in her desk. Linda found it there and took it over to the apartment."

    "Premeditated murder." muttered Bobby.

    "They argued. Diana laughed at Linda. She said Linda was finished and so 
was I. She'd ruin us both. It was pure revenge."

    "So Linda shot her."

    "Yes."

    "You said you killed her." Lindsay whispered and could barely be heard 
from where she stood.

    "I did. I got there shortly after Linda fired the gun. Diana was 
alive.....barely, but alive. Linda was just standing there, like she was in 
shock. I went inside and tried to bring her around, you know? When she really 
realized what she had done, we began to devise a plan. One that would point 
the finger at Albert Chipman."

    "How did you even know about Albert Chipman?" Bobby asked.

    "About three months ago, Diana had said she was thinking of getting out 
of the business. Linda wanted to buy Diana's share, but Diana was thinking of 
giving it to her sister, Deena. Deena is an idiot and Linda couldn't stand 
the thought of her business being run by her. So we got Chipman to threaten Diana to 
try to scare her out of the business."
    
    "And he came in handy when you needed a suspect for murder." stated Bobby.

    "Yes. He did." Steven admitted. "We quickly agreed to point the finger at 
Chipman, although we both knew I would be an initial suspect."

    "And all the time you were discussing this, Diana was still dying on the 
floor?" Bobby was disgusted.

    Steven nodded. "Yes. I let her die there. I could have called for help, I 
could have tried to save her. I didn't. I let her die. I may not have fired 
the shot, but I killed her just the same."

    "What about Katelyn?" Bobby, asked, stealing a quick glance at Lindsay 
before resuming his questioning.

    "Linda and I walked down to her car. We got our stories straight. She 
left and I got rid of the gun. To be honest, I never even really realized it 
was my gun until you told me. Then I went back upstairs to see if Diana was 
still alive. I knew she was bleeding to death. It was just a matter of time. 
But when I got back to the aprtment, Katelyn was there. It changed 
everything. I  pretended I'd just gotten there. I told her to leave. I 
confessed, because I knew she would be a suspect, and I didn't want that kind 
of cloud over her head for the rest of her life. I needed to protect her and 
I needed the police to stop from doing too much digging. I was afraid they 
would find the truth."

    "That your new lover killed your old lover and you covered up for her." 
Bobby summed up.

    Steven nodded slowly. "Then, when you came to me with the theory about 
Chipman, it was too good to be true. It was exactly how Linda and I had 
wanted it to go all along and it seemed that you and Helen Gamble were 
believing it. So I went with it."

    "But then we found out that you lied about the key and now we're supposed 
to believe, after all of the lying and deceit that you are finally telling us 
the truth." Bobby's anger flashed in his eyes, but he kept his voice calm.

    "I am. I've been covering for Linda and I've done far more harm than 
good." Steven Dole looked pleadingly at his daughter. "Lindsay, do you think 
you will ever forgive me?"

    She didn't answer for at least one full minute. And when she finally did 
mange to speak, she said only one word.

    "No." And with that, Lindsay Donnell left the room.

    Steven Dole looked down at his hands, and began to pick at his 
fingernails, much as his daughters both did. "I've screwed up, Bobby. Do you 
think you can still help me?" He didn't dare look at Bobby. He could feel the 
younger man's anger radiating towards him. He waited for another minute 
before he heard his answer.

    "No." Bobby echoed his wife, and then he too left the room.
_________________________________________________________

I will try to have more for you this week, but you have all realized by now 
that I am not always successful when I say that. Feedback is appreciated, 
especially now that we are down to the good stuff. Tell me what you think! 
Thanks for reading!
~Tracy

Title: Forward Motion part 46
By: Tracy

SUMMARY: This story will make more sense if you read parts 1 through 45 
first. Without giving anything away, this takes place a bit in the future, 
although not very far. And yes, it is about Bobby and Lindsay, but it is also 
about Lindsay's father's murder trial. I know there are those people who 
don't at all care for Bobby and Lindsay together, and I know that some people 
are sick of fancies about them. My advice to those people is: DON"T READ THIS 
STORY! YOU WON'T LIKE IT! But, if you like B & L as much as I do, then 
please, read on. 

Disclaimer: I don't own these people. David E. Kelley and Twentieth Century 
Fox and ABC do own these people. However, I like to play with them, but I 
promise to put them back the way I found them when I'm finished. I'm not 
making any money here, so please don't sue me. Thanks so much. 

Forward Motion part 46______________________________________ 



Bobby found her sitting in a plastic chair in the lobby of the jail. Her 
face was stained with tears, but she was no longer crying. That was not 
particularly comforting to Bobby, because she now wore a rather haunted look 
on her face. She looked lost, unreachable. 

"Inconsolable" thought Bobby to himself. Wordlessly he sat down next to 
her. 

She never looked at him. She never even blinked. She just stared straight 
ahead, completely silent. 

Bobby brushed a lock of hair off her face and pushed it back behind her 
ear. He didn't know what else to do, so he just sat next to her, stroking 
her hair over and over and over again. He knew there wasn't anything he could 
say to fix her broken heart and he knew there wasn't anything he could do to 
glue back the security she had once felt. So he just stayed with her, as if 
it was a silent effort to show that he would always be there when she needed 
him. 

He had no idea how much time had elapsed when she finally spoke. 

"Can we go home?" she asked, her voice quivering. "Please, Bobby....could 
you just......just take me home?" She looked at him pleadingly, and Bobby was 
absolutely certain he had never seen so much pain in a person's eyes. 

"Of course, Baby. Whatever you want." He touched her cheek softly with 
his fingers. 

"I just want to go home." she repeated, the tears now reappearing. 

Bobby gently helped her up out of the chair and guided his wife to the 
car. They drove home in total silence, the devastation squelching all 
conversation. 

Once inside, Lindsay made her way to the couch, immediately putting her 
feet up. Hope tugged at Bobby's heart as he realized that even in her 
emotional turmoil, Lindsay was remembering to care for the baby. 

"I'm going to make some phone calls." Bobby explained. "I'll be right in 
there if you need anything." He pointed toward the computer room. 

Lindsay nodded, but still didn't speak. Bobby reluctantly went into the 
home office and dialed the office. 

"Donnell, Young Dole and Frutt." Lucy chimed from the other end of the 
phone. 

"Hey Lucy." 

"Bobby! Is everything all right?" 

"No." Bobby sighed. "It's actually a God-awful mess." 

"What's going on?" Lucy's voice was filled with worry. 

"I still have to sort it all out myself, Lucy, before I can even begin to 
explain it. Is Eugene back yet?" 

"Yeah. Hang on." Bobby listened to the hold music for about thirty 
seconds before Eugene picked up. 

"Bobby?" 

"Hey, Eugene. I need a little advice." 

"Okay." 

"Hypothetically, if you had a client you knew was guilty of accessory to 
murder, falsifying court documents, and you recused yourself as the attorney 
of record, what would your obligation be to attorney-client privilege?" 

"Still stands. If you were the attorney of record when he told you what 
happened, privilege is still intact." 

"What if you told the client he would have to get other representation 
before he told you what really happened?" 

"Then I would say that privilege doesn't apply. But Bobby......" Eugene 
paused. 

"Yeah?" 

"You'd better be damned sure you know what you're doing here." 

"What do you mean?" 

"Well, it sounds to me that you are looking for a way to get the truth 
out about Lindsay's father. Am I right?" 

"Maybe." answered Bobby guardedly. 

"Then you better be sure you were not there as his lawyer. If he thought 
in any way you were functioning as his attorney, what he told you is sealed 
under privilege and you know it." 

"I told him I wasn't there as his lawyer." 

"You got a witness who can back you up on that?" 

"Lindsay was there." 

"What happened, Bobby?" Eugene lowered his voice, as if to keep any 
eavesdroppers, like Lucy, from hearing him. 

"We went to see him. Lindsay......she needed answers and she needed to 
hear those answers from him. We knew he lied about the key. It was on his 
keyring all along." 

"Did he confess?" 

"More or less. He didn't pull the trigger. The business partner did that, 
but he sat back and watched her die without doing anything to stop it. He 
cooked up a scheme to focus blame on Albert Chipman. He got rid of the murder 
weapon. He's in this up to his eyebrows, Eugene. The only thing he didn't do 
was fire the shot that killed her." 

"And he knew you were no longer acting as his attorney when he told you 
what his involvement was?" 

"Yes. I clearly told him I was no longer there as his lawyer." 

"And what do you want to do with that information. Bobby? Turn it over to 
Helen Gamble?" 

"He needs to pay." 

"For what he did to Diana Powers or for what he's doing to Lindsay?" 

"Excuse me?" 

"Listen, Bobby, all I'm saying is that right now, you're mad. You're 
thinking like a husband, not a lawyer. You and I both know that all Steven 
has to do is claim that he thought you were still there as his lawyer and 
anything you testify to will be inadmissible. And with his history of story 
telling, I wouldn't put it past him to lie about that, too." 

"So what are you suggesting? That I keep this to myself? He's a murderer, 
for God's sake." Bobby voice was thick with frustration. 

"Not legally." 

"Eugene...." 

"Listen to me. You called for my advice and I'm giving it. Get yourself 
on the record as having excused yourself as his lawyer. Do it as soon as 
possible. He'll need another lawyer. Do you want us to turn it down?" 

"Yes. I don't want anyone at our firm handling this. Our loyalty should 
be to Lindsay." 

"Fine. Was she there as his lawyer, or as his daughter?" Eugene asked. 

"As his daughter." Dread began to seep into Bobby's chest. "Why?" 

"I think the best way to go about this is to have Lindsay tell Helen what 
she heard her father say." 

"Eugene..." 

"I mean it, Bobby. If you do it, you're opening a potentially ugly can of 
worms. Lindsay's clear to do it. There would be no possible breech of 
attorney client privilege, because she was never his attorney." 

"I don't think......" 

"Bobby, it's the best way to protect yourself and your reputation." 

"I'm not worried about me, Eugene. I'm worried about her." 

"How is she?" 

"Not good." 

"I know you want to protect her, but I really think this might be the 
only way to get what you know back to the DA's office." 

"I can't. She's so upset, so..........fragile. I can't......" 

"Then he might get away with it. The only option is for Lindsay to come 
forward with what she knows." 

"There's got to be another way, Eugene. It would be too much. I just 
can't ask her to do that." Bobby's heart sank as he heard a noise behind him. 

"Ask me to do what, Bobby?" asked Lindsay, from the doorway. "What is it 
that you don't want me to do?" 
________________________________________________________ 

Yep, it's a cliffhanger of sorts and it will most likely be another week or 
so before I get a chance to post another installment. Feedback is my favorite 
thing, so please give me some. I swear this story is almost finished. Thank 
you so much for all of your continued interest and support. And, as always, 
thanks for reading!!! 

Title: Forward Motion part 47
Author: Tracy

SUMMARY: This story will make more sense if you read parts 1 through 46 
first. Without giving anything away, this takes place a bit in the future, 
although not very far. And yes, it is about Bobby and Lindsay, but it is also 
about Lindsay's father's murder trial. I know there are those people who 
don't at all care for Bobby and Lindsay together, and I know that some people 
are sick of fanfics about them. My advice to those people is: DON"T READ THIS 
STORY! YOU WON'T LIKE IT! But, if you like B & L as much as I do, then 
please, read on. 

Disclaimer: I don't own these people. David E. Kelley and Twentieth Century 
Fox and ABC do own these people. However, I like to play with them, but I 
promise to put them back the way I found them when I'm finished. I'm not 
making any money here, so please don't sue me. Thanks so much. 


Forward Motion part 47_______________________________________ 

"I'll call you back." Bobby hung up the phone and opened his mouth to 
explain. 

"We've been through this a hundred times, Bobby. I don't need you to 
protect me." Lindsay admonished him bitterly, before he could utter one word. 

He didn't want to argue, but the fact that Lindsay seemed ready to fight 
actually made him feel better. This was the woman he knew, the woman he fell 
in love with. She took on all challenges and came out swinging. Lately, she 
been so broken and sad. Every other minute new tears had been forming. Now 
she was mad, a new emotion in the recent days, and he was glad for it. 

"Are you going to answer the question?" Lindsay asked edgily. 

"I was talking to Eugene about turning your father in to Helen." Bobby 
replied. 

"Privilege." Lindsay reminded him. 

"I wasn't his lawyer when he told us what happened, remember?" 

"Still......" 

"That's what Eugene said. He suggested you do it, since you were never 
his lawyer and privilege doesn't apply." 

"And you don't want to ask me to do that. You think it's too stressful." 
Lindsay summed up Bobby's feelings. 

"Yes, I do." Bobby admitted. "And I know it makes you mad when I try to 
shield you from things, but I'm just trying to get it all straight in my own 
head before I lay it on your shoulders." 

Lindsay sighed and crossed over to Bobby from the door way. She put one 
hand to his cheek. "I know you're just trying to help, but I'm a big girl. I 
can handle this." 

"I'm not even sure I'm handling it." Bobby confessed. 

"Let's go in here." Lindsay took Bobby's hand and lead him to the couch. 
He sat at one end, she at the other, with her feet in his lap. "Tell me." She 
prompted him. 

Bobby sighed and began to explain. "This time, right now......." he 
stopped, frustrated that he couldn't gather his thoughts into coherent 
sentences. He tried again. 

"I'm angry, Lindsay." 

She looked at him, wordlessly urging him to continue. 

"This should be an exciting time for us. We're newlyweds. We are 
expecting a baby. We should be happy. We should be making plans, looking at 
new houses, picking out baby names, buying baby furniture......." 

"But instead, we're spending our time defending my father over a murder 
that, as it turns out, he did in fact commit. And that makes you angry." 

"Yeah, it does. And I blame him. We almost lost our child and I know it 
had something to do with the stress of his case. You've been so upset and 
I've felt so helpless and I'm ............." Bobby stopped and exhaled 
deeply. "I'm mad. I don't want to help him anymore." 

"You want to take him down instead." Lindsay said gently. 

Bobby nodded. "And I know that's wrong, but after what he's 
done.........Eugene was right." 

"About what?" 

"I'm not thinking like an attorney. I'm thinking like a husband. And as 
your husband, I hate him. I'm sorry, but I do. I hate him." 

"And you want him to pay for what he's done." Lindsay said. 

"Yes." 

"I think I understand." She gave her husband a small, tired smile. "You 
want him to pay for the damage you feel he's done to us. For what he's taking 
away: the joy of being newly married, the excitement of expecting our first 
child and all the things that come with that. You feel like his actions have 
jeopardized the health of our baby." 

"And your health, too." 

Lindsay sighed. "I can't disagree with you, Bobby. He certainly hasn't 
made this an easy time for us. But I don't think we should want him to go to 
prison for how he's made us feel. He should go to prison for taking Diana 
Powers' life." Lindsay leaned over and found Bobby's hand resting on her leg. 
She took it in her own hand and squeezed it. "As angry as we may be because 
he almost took our child's life, he actually did take her life. She was 
someone's daughter, too." 

"He should pay for that." 

"How many people have we gotten off who should have gone to prison? We 
don't have enough fingers and toes between us to count them all. Why should 
my father be any different than anyone else?" 

"How can you look at it like that?" Bobby was shocked. 

"I guess it's because he's not the person I thought he was. I feel 
detached. Who he actually is isn't someone I care about. I have a lot of 
great memories of my dad from when I was a little girl. If that man was on 
trial, I would be devastated. But the man I saw today, the man who confessed 
to being an accessory to murder......." Lindsay shrugged. "...he's a 
stranger. I don't know him at all. He's a cheating, lying, manipulative man. 
I refuse to let him devastate the wonderful, amazing life I have now." 

Bobby was overwhelmed by Lindsay's strength. "Is that what you were 
thinking about on the way home?" 

"Yeah." Lindsay nodded. 

"So, what do you want to do?" 

"I don't know. Part of me wants to turn him in. I mean, he's guilty of 
several criminal acts. But part of me, the lawyer part, knows that we'd be 
opening up a huge can of worms for the firm if we did that. And I'm not sure 
we'd be doing it for the right reasons, either. In the back of my mind, I 
would always wonder if we turned him in for revenge, for wreaking havoc in 
what should be an amazing time in lives, or if we turned him in because he's 
a criminal." 

"You want to let it go? See what happens?" Bobby knew he had to let 
Lindsay decide and that he would have to respect whatever decision she made. 

"I think," Lindsay said after several moments of silence, "that we should 
make sure you withdraw as his attorney of record. Notify him he needs to find 
a new lawyer. That will most likely tip off Helen that we know something she 
doesn't. She'll start digging. Eventually, she'll figure it out. The firm 
won't risk any negative exposure that way and justice will be served." 

"Okay." Bobby rubbed his hand over Lindsay's knee. "I hope it works." 

Lindsay sighed. "Me, too." 
______________________________________________________ 

Part 48 sometime within the next week. Either that one or part 49 will be 
the last one. Thanks for reading! 

Title: Forward Motion part 48
By: Tracy

SUMMARY: This story will make more sense if you read parts 1 through 47 
first. Without giving anything away, this takes place a bit in the future, 
although not very far. And yes, it is about Bobby and Lindsay, but it is also 
about Lindsay's father's murder trial. I know there are those people who 
don't at all care for Bobby and Lindsay together, and I know that some people 
are sick of fanfics about them. My advice to those people is: DON"T READ THIS 
STORY! YOU WON'T LIKE IT! But, if you like B & L as much as I do, then 
please, read on. 

Disclaimer: I don't own these people. David E. Kelley and Twentieth Century 
Fox and ABC do own these people. However, I like to play with them, but I 
promise to put them back the way I found them when I'm finished. I'm not 
making any money here, so please don't sue me. Thanks so much. 

Forward Motion part 48_______________________________________ 

Bobby and Lindsay spent the rest of the day and evening on the couch, 
trying to normalize their life. They agreed that Bobby would take her 
father's keys and switch them with his in the personal affects envelope. That 
way, it wouldn't be discovered that Bobby had, in effect, stolen evidence for 
a short time. Afterward, Bobby would inform Steven that he was withdrawing as 
his attorney and that the entire firm of Donnell, Young, Dole and Frutt was 
unwilling to represent him. He would then go to the clerks' office and file 
the necessary paperwork to remove himself from the case. After a small amount 
of discussion it was also agreed that it would be Lindsay who informed Helen 
of Bobby's withdrawal from the case. 

"Why?" Bobby wanted to know. "If I'm withdrawing as attorney of record, 
it's my obligation to inform all parties involved." 

"Let me do it, Bobby. She won't drill me as hard for an answer to why you 
are withdrawing. She won't let you off the hook that easily." 

And so it was decided. They washed their hands of the case. It was time 
to move on. 

"I like Philip." Bobby murmured while stroking Lindsay's hair as she lay 
with her head in his lap. 

"Philip who?" asked Lindsay drowsily. 

"For our son. I like the name Philip." 

"I don't. I like Jackson." 

"Jackson? Sounds like a snotty rich kid." Bobby made a face. 

"I like Sam, too." 

"Sam's nice." Agreed Bobby. 

Lindsay smiled up at him. "Do you realize that next Christmas we'll have 
a six month old?" 

"I know. It's incredible." Bobby smiled down at his wife. "You're 
incredible." 

Lindsay closed her eyes and snuggled closer to her husband. "I know 
everything has been a mess, Bobby. But all in all, I think you were right the 
other day." 

"About what?" 

"I think we really have done a lot of moving forward. I can't imagine not 
being married to you or not being pregnant with our child. I'm excited to 
start our new life. I wouldn't trade any of it." 

"Neither would I." 

_________________________________________________________ 

The next morning at eight o'clock, Bobby faked another paper cut at the 
personal affects counter at the jail and switched the keys back. He then met 
Steven in a conference room. 

"I'm making this a quick meeting, Steven. " Bobby warned. 

"Okay." 

"I'm on my way to the courthouse to file a withdrawal as your attorney." 

When Steven didn't respond, Bobby continued. "Neither I nor anyone in my 
firm will be representing you. You will need to find a new lawyer." 

Still, Steven said nothing. 

Bobby sighed. "Do you realize the mess you have gotten yourself in? You 
could go to prison for the rest of your life!" 

"I know." Steven met Bobby's eyes for the first time since they had been 
in the same room. "My biggest regret is my family. What they must think of 
me..........." He stopped and blinked back tears. 

"They think you're a liar, Steven, and they're right." answered Bobby, 
not unkindly. "All I can suggest, not as your lawyer, but as your son in law, 
is that you come clean. Call Grace and your kids and tell then what you've 
done. Come clean. They'll be angry, but they'll never forgive you if they 
hear it on the ten o'clock news. Maybe, if you tell them, you can salvage 
some kind of relationship with them. But I also think you'll have to give up 
Linda to the DA." 

"I can't. I love her." 

Bobby's anger returned. He stood and strode to the door. Before he left, 
he leveled one final angry blow. "I don't think you know what love really is, 
Steven. You don't love anyone but yourself." And he threw the door open and 
stormed out. 
_________________________________________________________ 

By ten o'clock that same morning, the entire firm, with the exception of 
Lindsay, was gathered in the conference room for a meeting. 

"Okay, before we get started on any other business, I want to let you all 
know that I have withdrawn as Steven's attorney. None of us will be 
representing him." Bobby swept his hand in front of him for emphasis. 

"Eugene told us what happened. Is that why you're not representing him?" 
Jimmy asked. 

"Partially, yes. But mostly it's for personal reasons. I can't defend him 
because I'm too angry with him. He's better off with another attorney." 

"How's Lindsay?" Rebecca inquired. 

"Amazingly, she's holding up well, considering her father is a murderer." 

"She's stronger than you think, Bobby." Ellenor reminded him. 

"Oh, I know. I know." 

"What about the baby?" Lucy's voice was barely a whisper, as though she 
were afraid of the answer. 

"We've got another week and a half before the doctor gives the all clear. 
Lindsay will not be in until then. She's resting at home. Right now, 
everything seems to be fine. We'll know more after we see the doctor next 
week." 

"Okay. Let's all get back to work, then." Eugene was ready to move away 
from the high drama that had settled upon the office in the recent weeks. 

"Real quick, one more thing." Bobby said. Everyone looked at him and 
waited. 

"Thank you all for your help. It means so much to Lindsay......well, to 
Lindsay and to me. Your support and friendship as well as your work on this 
case........we're lucky to have you all as friends." Bobby swallowed, then 
clapped his hands together as if to clap away the emotions. "Let's get to 
work!" As if on cue, the phone rang and everyone went back to their desks, 
eager to move on from the all encompassing Steven Dole case. 
_________________________________________________________ 

At ten forty-five that morning, the telephone in Helen Gamble's office 
rang. 

"Helen Gamble" she said sternly into the phone. Upon hearing who was on 
the other end, however, she broke into a wide grin. "Hey babe! What's up?" 
She listened for a minute, then said "Hang on." She looked up at the man 
sitting across from her. "I need to take this privately. Shut the door on 
your way out?" 

"Oh....sure. Um....how about lunch later?" 

"I don't think so, Richard. Rain check?" Helen gave him a small smile, 
mentally willing him to leave. 

"Yeah sure. Later." Richard Bay walked out and closed the door behind him. 

"Lindsay? Still there?" Helen asked into the phone. 

"Yeah." 

"What happened?" 

"C'mon Helen, you know I can't tell you that." 

"You weren't his lawyer. Privilege doesn't apply." 

"Sorry. Not telling." Lindsay almost laughed when she heard Helen sigh. 
"You're a good DA, Helen. You'll figure it out." 

"So there is something I should be looking for?" Helen's brain picked up 
a clue in Lindsay's voice. 

"Let's just say you have the keys that will unlock the mystery." Lindsay 
hinted broadly. 

"What the hell are you talking about?" 

"Do you like Philip?" asked Lindsay, switching topics. 

"I'm not interested in dating any more of Bobby's law school friends." 
Helen said firmly. "I don't remember meeting this Philip person, anyway." 

Lindsay laughed "No. Not a person. The name. Do you like the name Philip?" 

Helen wrinkled her nose. "Is that one of Bobby's choices?" 

"Yep." 

"Yuck." responded Helen. 

"I think so, too." giggled Lindsay and soon they were chatting away, 
Steven Dole temporarily pushed to the back of their minds. 
_________________________________________________________ 

A week went by and no one had heard anything about the case. Lindsay's 
mother, Grace, called a few times, but had not heard anything from Steven. 
After eight days, Lindsay became worried. 

"Bobby, do you think Helen will ever figure it out?" 

"I don't know. All we can do is wait." 
_________________________________________________________ 

On Thursday, the ninth day since Lindsay had dropped her hint in Helen's 
lap, the phone rang. It was just after nine thirty in the morning. 

"Hello?" 

"Lindsay?" a low voice asked from the other end of the phone. 

"Helen? Is that you?" 

"I have to be quick. Richard Bay is around the corner. I'm on my cel. 
Courtroom 5 at 3 o'clock this afternoon. It's about to come down. I thought 
you'd want to know." Helen was whispering into the phone. 

"Thanks." 

"Are you gonna come?" 

"I don't know." Lindsay answered honestly. 

"Well, okay then, Mom. I'll see you on Saturday." Helen spoke loudly into 
the phone. 

"I'm guessing Richard is listening?" Lindsay asked. 

"You're right, Mom. Bye." 

"Bye, Helen." Lindsay hung up the phone and sighed. 
_________________________________________________________ 

At three o'clock, in the very far left corner of the room, Lindsay and 
Bobby Donnell sat and waited for an arraignment proceeding to begin. 

"Case number 55937, Commonwealth versus Linda Malone" the clerk called. 

"Linda Malone?" repeated Lindsay incredulously. 

"He must have flipped her after all." Bobby muttered. 

"The charge is murder in the first degree." Linda Malone was lead in by 
the bailiff, looking bedraggled and ashamed. 

"Helen Gamble for the people, Your Honor." Helen called from her side. 

"Kevin Gilmore for the defense. Waive reading. Request bail." 

"No way. This is murder." 

"My client has ties to the community...." 

"Which are tenuous at best. She's a flight risk, Judge." 

"Bail is denied." The judge ordered. "Trial starts two o'clock a week 
from tomorrow. Next!" The gavel slammed. 

"Case number 776921, Commonwealth versus Steven Dole. Charge is accessory 
after the fact and obstruction of justice." 

"Helen Gamble for the people again, Your Honor." 

"Loni Fennerman for Mr. Dole. Waive reading. Request bail." 

"I'm agreeable to that." Helen acquiesced. 

"Fine. Defendant can be out on a fifty-thousand dollar bond." 

"Your Honor, my client has struck a deal with the DA and is ready to 
plead guilty to the charges in exchange for a lighter sentence." Loni 
Fennerman interjected before the judge slammed his gavel. 

"Miss Gamble?" 

"Yes, Your Honor. We'd be willing to settle for two and a half years with 
credit for time served." 

Lindsay gasped in her seat and Bobby's mouth literally fell open. 

"Done. Enjoy your stay in our prison system, Mr. Dole. Seems to me, you 
got a good deal. NEXT!" 

Lindsay watched her father be lead off and wondered briefly if there was 
anyone left who would post his bail after all the people he had hurt so badly. 

"Hey, Helen." said Bobby as the DA approached. 

"Hey. He flipped her this morning. Told us everything." 

"You gave him a good deal." Lindsay said quietly. 

"Yeah, well.....he's still your dad. I gave him a fair deal in exchange 
for his testimony against Linda Malone. For her, I want life." 

"How'd you figure it out?" asked Bobby. 

"I found the key on the ring and I knew he'd lied. When I confronted him, 
he confessed to his lie, but he didn't give her up until this morning." 

"Thanks, Helen." Lindsay whispered. 

"Thank you. Justice is being served here, you know. You helped with 
that." Helen squeezed Lindsay's hand and walked away. 

"What exactly did you tell her?" Bobby asked his wife. 

"Just that she had the keys to figure it out." 

"Very nice clue." 

"Yeah." 

"You okay?" Bobby put his arm around his wife and drew her to him. 

"You know what? I really am. Two and a half years is good. He's paying, 
I'm healing and Linda Malone is going to trial. Justice is being done." 

"Let's go home. We have a big day tomorrow." Bobby handed Lindsay her 
purse and they left the courthouse hand in hand. 

_________________________________________________________ 

At precisely nine o'clock the next morning, cold, cold gel was squirted 
on to Lindsay's belly. Bobby held her hand tightly and prayed as he had the 
last time they had been in the doctor's office. Tears of fear and 
anticipation balanced dangerously on the edge of Lindsay's eyes, ready to 
slide down her cheeks. Silence filled the room. 

"Have you felt any movement from the baby?" asked Doctor Jackson after a 
few moments, as she moved the monitor around on Lindsay's belly. 

"No. Should I be?" asked Lindsay worriedly. 

"Not necessarily. Not yet." 

The silence came again and the tears fell over like waterfalls. Bobby 
wiped them away with his free hand, never letting go of his wife with the 
other. 

"Doctor?" Bobby asked, his voice cracking with anxiety. 

The doctor shook her head and cocked her ear toward the monitor. "Hang 
on." Silence again, then "Lindsay, you've had no more bleeding?" 

"NO!" cried Lindsay, nearing hysteria. "My God........" 

Then it came, the quick sound of a tiny little heart. 

"There we go." said the doctor. 

"Oh my God!" laughed Lindsay, smiling through her tears. 

"He sounds perfectly healthy to me. Looks good, too. Everything is right 
where it should be in this stage of development." The doctor smiled at Bobby. 
"See here, Dad? Your baby is sucking his thumb." The doctor pointed at the 
monitor. 

"So, we're out of the woods? Everything's okay?" Bobby's own tears were 
spilling over as well. 

"I would say so. Congratulations." Doctor Jackson switched off the 
monitor and wiped the extra gel off of Lindsay. "I will see you next month." 

"Thank you, Doctor." said Lindsay. 

"Yeah. Thanks." Bobby echoed. 

"My pleasure." Doctor Jackson left, leaving Bobby and Lindsay alone. 

"Bobby......." Lindsay cried. 

Bobby wrapped his arms around his wife. "Everything's good. Everything's 
good." He kissed the top of her head. 

"Now we can really move on." Lindsay wept from inside Bobby's embrace. 

"Yes. From here out, it's positive, constant, forward motion for us." 

"All three of us." Lindsay pulled out of Bobby's arms to smile up at him. 

"All three of us." agreed Bobby. "Ready to go home?" 

"Yeah, I am." 

"Then let's go." 

And together they left the doctor's office, ready to move forward as a 
family. 

THE END 
_______________________________________ 
Feedback is adored as usual. Thank you all for your patience and support. 
You'll be hearing more from me. I guess that's good or bad, depending on your 
point of view.