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“Hmm.” Steven rubbed his chin. “What do the persuasive cases say?”
After fumbling through the stack of papers he held, Michael set a pile on Steven’s desk. “That the hospital’s medical negligence doesn’t preclude the state’s liability since Mrs. Harris fell in their building.”
“And there’s no Maryland case law backing that up?”
“I mean, there are other slip-and-fall cases, but the facts are distinguishable from our case. For instance, in one case Sandra found, the victim of the slip-and-fall had worn inappropriate footwear, and the court found them comparatively negligent. In another, the company admitted they had just mopped the floor but argued they had put up appropriate signage that the victim ignored.”
“That’s frustrating.” Steven ran a hand through his hair. They were running out of time to file the pleading, but he held out hope of finding some obscure case that aligned closely enough to theirs to bolster their argument. “Keep looking. And double-check the cases you’ve found. Maybe there’s something in there that can help us persuade the jury.”
“No problem, boss.” Michael stood and left the room.
Once he was alone, Steven put his head in his hands. Going up against a government agency was starting to feel like a fool’s errand, but he wanted to get justice for his client. Mrs. Harris was a sweet, grandmotherly type who had tripped on a rug at a state building and fallen down a flight of stairs. As if that wasn’t bad enough, the hospital had somehow missed a fracture on her left shoulder, which had caused her pain for days. His firm had sued the hospital as well on her behalf, but since the initial incident had occurred at the state building, he’d had no choice but to go after them too.
Just thinking over the situation caused his heart to beat erratically. Taking a few slow, deep breaths helped, but if Rose walked in at that moment, she would likely murder him on the spot. With good reason. He knew he needed to take it easy, but a lot was weighing on him. Once the Harris pleading and the Peterson motion were filed, he promised himself, he would take an afternoon off to rest.
Steven turned back to the will he’d been working on. Sometimes being a small-town attorney wasn’t all it was cracked up to be. It required a lot more work than he’d realized. He would get familiar with one set of statutes and regulations, find case law to back up his arguments, then pivot to learn something completely new for a different client.
But he wouldn’t trade it for the world because the end reward was worth the sacrifice. Once he’d built his practice, he and Rose would be set for a comfortable life. She might even be able to quit nursing if she wanted, though he would leave that choice to her. Either way, she and their future children would be well cared for.
“Knock, knock,” Lanie said from his door. The scent of fast food wafted into his office. “I come bearing sustenance.”
“You didn’t have to do that.” He moved some of the folders from his desk to make space. “I planned to order in.”
“In a way, you did.” Her hazel eyes danced with amusement. “And don’t worry, my delivery fee is reasonable.”
He lifted an eyebrow. “Why do I have a feeling you’re about to ask me for a favor?”
“Because you know me so well.” She smiled. “But first, you need to fuel up if you have any hope of making headway on that document you’re writing.”
The delicious scent of fries grew as he removed the food from the bag. But Lanie took the burger and fries from him, replacing them with a much less appetizing salad. She handed him a small soda before slipping into the chair opposite him.
He took a sip and grimaced. “Diet? Really?”
“You can’t expect me to spoil your well-regimented diet all the time.” Her lips pushed out in an unconvincing pout. “Rose would have my head.”
As much as he hated to admit it, she had a point. If he was honest, he would rather eat rabbit food than try to figure out how to reduce his stress level at work. Still, he hated diet soda and much preferred water or lemonade.
“You need the caffeine,” Lanie said, reading his mind. “I can’t justify a coffee this late in the afternoon, but a soda is doable.”
“Are you sticking around?”
She nodded. “I figured you could use some help with the research.”
The tomato he’d taken a bite of turned to ash in his mouth. “I’m not sure you’ll have more luck than Sandra or Michael. They’ve hit a dead end.”
“Ah, ye of little faith.”
He eyed her over his food. “What do you have in mind?”
Instead of responding, she gave him a mysterious smile as she popped a fry into her mouth. He hoped whatever she had up her sleeve would help him, though he doubted it would be enough.
After they finished their meal, Lanie gathered the wrappers and empty containers and tossed them into the bin. Since she didn’t have an office, she set up her computer on the other side of Steven’s desk. He considered telling her to go to the conference room but found her presence oddly comforting. It meant a lot that she was willing to devote her summer vacation to helping him.
“So, what’s the favor?” he asked, figuring he’d better get that conversation over with or he would never be able to concentrate.
At first, she didn’t respond, and he wondered whether she’d heard him. He was about to ask her again when she looked up from her computer.
“Nate and I are starting to work with vendors, and some of them have sent contracts. Between Mom’s estate and helping here, I’ve taken a crash course in learning the law, but I’m still not quite up to speed on the legal lingo.” She took a deep breath. “So I was hoping you’d take a look.”
