Justice

Something told Minerva that none of the businesses that Coastline invested in would be allowed to fail as long as Hayden had any say in the matter. He didn't come across as the type of person who would invest in a business, but rather in the people behind the business. These investments by his company were personal. This was a part of his character recognized by many others, and one that likely contributed to the reverence in which so many people held Hayden Justice. If she was a betting woman, Minerva would lay money down on the odds that both the Ole Irish Pub and Maggi D's were among the businesses in the area which had received their signs as an investment by Coastline.

Another thought came to her. "Okay, explain the car to me."

Hayden paused between bites of food, "What do you mean?"

"It's not you. I mean, it's a magnificent car, but it doesn't seem like something that you would own. It just doesn't fit with the Hayden Justice I have been shown."

"What exactly have you been shown?" Hayden asked teasingly. He leaned over so Minerva could hear him whisper, "You haven't caught me with my fly down or anything, have you?"

Minerva blushed, "Behave yourself! Explain the car and leave it at that for now."

Chuckling, Hayden leaned back and said, "The Bentley is leased by Coastline as a parade car. Its role is to promote the company as a participant in parades around the region, such as the Shriners parade, the MLK Day parade, and any others that our marketing team feels are worthwhile for us. It also has been used to drive the local high school homecoming royalty out to the football field and similar special events. My mom also drives it when she has flown here from Charleston and needs transportation during her stays. The lease on the truck that I normally drive is up and it will be replaced for me on Monday, so I am driving the Bentley over the weekend. Do you still want to drive us back in it?"

"You were serious?" Minerva asked.

"Sure, but you cover your own traffic tickets, Counselor."

Minerva winked, "You mean that I cover any traffic tickets that I can't talk myself out of."

The casual and sometimes teasing conversation between Minerva and Hayden continued throughout the meal. Minerva was so focused on Hayden that she paid little attention to Alex as he ate silently beside her. She only glanced at her nephew once her own plate was empty, not realizing that she had consumed more food in a single seating than she had in years.

"Have you had enough?" Minerva asked Alex, which prompted a laugh from Hayden.

Pointing to the empty serving bowls on the table, Hayden asked, "Who do you think cleaned those out?"

For his part, Alex was sitting with a content and quite satisfied expression on his face. This dining experience with the boy reminded Hayden of something that his mother used to say about him and brought to mind once again the similarities between him and Alex that people kept mentioning to him.

Minerva couldn't understand what Hayden mumbled under his breath, so she asked, "What did you say?"

Irked by the realization that he had verbalized his thoughts, Hayden hesitated before responding to Minerva's question. He finally said, "Alex must have one straight gut and a hollow leg to be able to eat as much as he does."

"I'm going to have to remember that one," Minerva laughed. She placed an arm around Alex's shoulder and affectionately pulled him into a hug as she said, "What girl doesn't love a growing boy?"

The "growing boy" was sound asleep in the backseat of the Bentley before Minerva entered the ramp onto SC31. Before leaving Chili Frito, Hayden had suggested that they put the convertible top up for the drive home so that Minerva would be better able to hear any directions that she might require to navigate back to the parking lot across from the Ole Irish Pub. This resulted in a quieter interior and no wind to disturb Alex's slumber.

"I had hoped that we would have had more opportunity to talk tonight," Minerva lamented.

Hayden glanced at the side of her face as she concentrated on the road ahead, "I think we made good 'progress', as you called it. I have enjoyed this evening."

"I've enjoyed it too," Minerva admitted, "but you know what I meant. What are your plans for tomorrow?"

"The 9 am service at Midtown Vineyard Church followed by a late breakfast and then I'll see where the day leads me. Why?"

"Can I join you?" Minerva asked nervously. "Alex will be leaving with my dad for Lake Hartwell first thing in the morning. Maybe you and I could have a more meaningful conversation after church?"

"Are you saying that you want to join me for church or for us to get together after church?"

Minerva hadn't considered how Hayden might feel about being seen with her; just the two of them together, especially after the trial fiasco. Having Alex with them provided a chaperone of sorts that might have made her presence more tolerable for Hayden. She suddenly realized how much the possibility of Hayden not wanting them to be seen together bothered her.

"I'm sorry," Minerva said. "Let's just leave it at me being available tomorrow if you want to get together to discuss anything. You can decide when, where, or whether."

So far, Hayden had been able to maintain a clear distinction between what he had shared with Athena and what he was sharing with her sister. Athena's reticence toward crowds kept them away from the same establishments where Minerva and he had been spending time together. The only place with the potential for a mass of people being present that Athena willingly accompanied Hayden had been Sunday church services.

The most logical place for Hayden and Minerva to discuss Athena would be at his house because that offered them privacy and is also where the documents from the psychiatrist currently were. The problem for Hayden was that his house is where he and Athena had spent the vast majority of their time together alone. What would sharing time with Minerva at church and his house do for the separation that he had been able to maintain so far?

Whether he wanted to or not, Hayden knew that Minerva's knowledge about Athena would be invaluable to his efforts to understand why she had betrayed him. He didn't want to let the pain and anger that he had felt for Athena detract from their quest for answers. Could he share the same environments with Athena's sister and not let it influence his emotions? The fact that he remained in a playful mood while contemplating the situation gave Hayden hope.

"Okay," he said. "The 'when' will be tomorrow morning at 8:30 in the morning. The 'where' will be my house. I don't know what the weather has to do with anything, but we can check the forecast and dress accordingly before heading to church."

Fighting to suppress her grin, Minerva kept a smile off her lips as she replied, "Mr. Justice. While most people admire a small ass, no one likes a smart ass."

"Well, I'll take your word for that," Hayden teased. "Because you likely know everything there is to know about having an admired ass."

Minerva might have been shocked by Hayden's comment, but she didn't want him to have the satisfaction of seeing it. "After what we just went through in court, you can't believe that what you said to me was appropriate."

Hayden countered with a smile, "After what we just went through in court, I know that what I believe is irrelevant. What matters is whether or not you believe it was an appropriate comment for me to make."

Pursing her lips as she pondered a response, Minerva basked in the elation she felt over this man not only taking notice of her physical attributes, but also voicing his admiration. She realized that her appearance for Hayden Justice mattered to her. Minerva Hart actually wanted a man - this man, to be attracted to her.

She finally grinned and said, "I suppose that I would have to weigh the sincerity of the person making such a statement. Was the comment intended as complimentary or merely a flippant, disingenuous, or flirtatious turn of phrase?"

"I guess that you'll just have to trust me," Hayden said.

"At the risk of sounding narcissistic," Minerva announced, "I will accept your comment as an appropriate appraisal of my derrière. Thank you."

Chapter Twenty-Four

"HAYDEN?"

"I'm out here."

Minerva followed his voice out the open floor-to-ceiling sliding glass wall that led to the patio. As she approached him, she said, "I thought that you were going to meet me in the kitchen."

Hayden pulled out a chair for her at the umbrella-shaded table, "You were quicker than I anticipated. I wanted to bring the documents out here so that my hands were free to carry whatever you decided that you wanted to drink while we went through them."

"What, my hands aren't suitable for helping you carry drinks?" Minerva teased. She knew that Hayden was simply trying to be considerate of her but if he could tease her at any time, she could return the gesture. "What are my options?"

"Now that you've changed, let's go see what he can rustle up for each of us."

Although the church services at Midtown Vineyard Church were casual, the attire that both Hayden and Minerva wore that morning was not as casual as they wanted for lounging around his house while they discussed Athena. Minerva had brought a change of clothes with her and had used one of the five guest bedrooms to don the more comfortable shorts and tank top that she wore over her bikini. Hayden had changed into cargo shorts and a Tommy Bahama shirt that he left unbuttoned. The slightest breeze provided Minerva with a teasing glance at his sculpted torso.

Hayden carried two glasses and the chilled bottle of champagne back to the table while Minerva followed with the pitcher of orange juice. He held a chair out for her and began opening the bottle while she poured orange juice into each glass. Minerva added the champagne while Hayden got settled in the chair across from her.

Raising her mimosa, she toasted, "To progress."

Tapping his glass against hers, Hayden said, "To that point, I want to tell you something."

Crooking a questioning eyebrow, Minerva remained silent and waited for Hayden to continue.

"I have something for you, Minnie." Hayden paused to take a sip of his drink. "My faith. Not my faith in God, faith in you. I had some reservations about how my feelings for Athena might affect my feelings for you, but spending time with you has allayed most of those."

"Most, but not all?" Minerva interjected.

Hayden shrugged, "I imagine that your resemblance to Athena will always be there. However, when I look at you now, I see you. When I listen to your voice, I hear you. Your being such a different person than your sister emotionally has been huge for me. The confidence and strength that you possess were things that I never saw in Athena."

"Hayden Justice, you are the most confusing man that I have ever known. I recognize that a majority of that confusion is on me and my foolish assumptions, but you don't get off Scot-free. How do you go from being a contentious adversary to a doting admirer so easily?"

Hayden laughed, "I was never your adversary. Believe me, you would have known it if I was. For a time, we were opponents in the games that you orchestrated, but hopefully, we have moved past those and I am free to express my admiration for you."

"Like you did last night?" Minerva teased. She quickly added, "Not that I minded."

Grinning, Hayden simply said, "You're you, and I like the you I have come to know."

"I like the you I've come to know as well," Minerva said. Becoming more serious, she asked, "Can I share something with you that Alex told me last night?"

"Sure."

Making certain that his eyes were meeting hers, she said, "He asked me if you were his father."

Setting his glass down, Hayden leaned back in his chair and considered what Minerva had said. His expression was stoic as he asked, "What did you tell him?"

"The truth. I told him that I didn't know."

"But you believe that I am."

"Hayden, even if everything that I knew about my sister didn't imply that you were the father of her child, the similarities between you and Alex would lead almost anyone to that conclusion."

"Tell me something," Hayden said. "How did Athena die? The psychiatrist that sent these documents implied that I may have somehow contributed to..."

Minerva gasped, "Oh, Hayden, I can't see how that would have been the case. Athena died from HELLP syndrome."

"From what?"

"It's an acronym for 'Hemolysis, Elevated Liver enzymes and Low Platelets'. It's considered a variant form of preeclampsia," Minerva explained. "We were told that because all of the typical signs of preeclampsia may not be apparent initially, such as high blood pressure and protein in the urine, HELLP syndrome can be difficult to diagnose. In Athena's case, her symptoms were mistaken for gastritis resulting from the pregnancy and subsequent delivery. By the time they figured out what was wrong with her, there wasn't much that the doctors could do to save her."

Shaking his head and pointing at the stack of documents, Hayden said, "This lady definitely implied that I may have contributed to the cause of Athena's death."

Minerva's heart was aching for Hayden. He had endured the pain from Athena's perceived betrayal for a decade and now was facing possible guilt over her death. She asked him, "How far into the documents have you read?"

"There's a playing card marking the spot," he told her. "I read about her problems as a child with hyperactivity and got as far as when Athena had started seeing this doctor again after her first summer here."

"So, you started at the beginning of the files?" Minerva asked and Hayden nodded.

"Okay. I know about that period in Athena's life, so I want to take a different approach. How about if you continue from where you left off and I'll start at the end of the file and work forward? We'll meet somewhere in the middle and compare notes. What do you think?"

Pulling a book out from under the document stack and holding it up for Minerva to see, he said "If we're going to split up, I get to use this."

Smiling at him, Minerva said, "Fine, but if I need to reference your medical dictionary, I get to do so while sitting on your lap."

"That could be a very uncomfortable seat for both of us," Hayden replied.

"That's what I'm counting on," Minerva thought as she grabbed the bottom half of the documents.

She had only read a couple of pages when Minerva looked up at Hayden, "These look like transcribed recordings of conversations followed by clinical notes by the doctor. Is that what you're reading?"

Shaking his head, Hayden replied, "No. What I have reads like a pharmaceutical handbook. There are a lot of details about chemical compounds in relationship to different neurotransmitters, whatever those are."

"I'll tell you something else," Minerva said. "I remember this doctor. It didn't click with me until now, but if Athena was seeing the same doctor who treated her for the ADHD when she was younger, then I had a few sessions with her too."

"You had ADHD too?"

"No," Minerva assured him. "My sessions focused on how as Athena's younger sibling her behavior influenced my behavior. I remember answering a bunch of questions about how I felt about Athena getting in trouble sometimes at school, if I resented her for me not being able to have friends over and stuff like that."

Nodding, Hayden said, "She told me that she had treated Athena since she was a child, so it must be the same doctor. Do you remember her name?"

Minerva shook her head, "Not her last name, but my mom probably remembers. I'll send her a text to ask."

She quickly typed out and sent a text message to her mother. She then continued, "I do remember her first name, though. It was 'Denisa'. Spelled like "Denise', only ending in an 'a' instead of an 'e'. I also noticed something else in what I have read..."

"What's that?" Hayden asked.

Her cell phone dinging caused Minerva to pause her response as she checked the incoming message. Reading it quickly, she reported, "Dr. Denisa Vinson. I remember now. She must be in her mid-sixties by now."

"She implied that she was still practicing," Hayden said. "She mentioned that sharing this information with me could cost her her license."

"Oh, that's what I was going to tell you about what I read," Minerva said. "It is clear to me from the transcribed recordings that I have read so far, Athena gave at least implied consent for the doctor to share her entire medical history and her current condition with you. There was even mention of inviting you to participate in joint sessions after the baby was born to help you understand Athena's condition."

"Does it say what her condition was?"

"I haven't gotten to the details yet, but to my limited understanding of what I have read, Athena was losing her mind."

~~~

"Oh, God, your shirt is soaked!"

"It will dry," Hayden assured her with his words and by pulling her tighter against his chest.

"I'm sorry," Minerva said for the umpteenth time since they had moved from the patio to the couch in his family room. "Every time that I feel like I'm done crying, my guilt resurfaces."

Hayden wanted to try and assuage Minerva's guilt, but he was struggling with how to deal with his own. There was still a lot that they didn't understand about Athena, but what they had learned made several things very clear.

First, they had learned that Athena had been one very ill young woman. A stubborn, very ill young woman. They didn't understand all the medical jargon used in the notes by Dr. Vinson, but they understood enough to realize that the doctor had been extremely concerned over Athena's mental state during the months of her pregnancy. Many of the transcribed recordings that documented Athena's discussion were those of a seriously depressed woman.

Two of the things they learned weighed heavily on Hayden at the moment: Athena's continued declarations of her loving and faithful devotion to him, and her confession that she had purposely lied about her child not being his. He didn't yet understand why, but Athena had deliberately sought to push him out of her life at a time when she likely needed him the most, and he hadn't tried hard enough to convince her otherwise.

For her part, Minerva was now burdened with the knowledge that she had been so wrapped up in her own life at the time that she had been completely oblivious to the psychological struggles that Athena had endured while pregnant. The fact that her own sister had not felt confident enough in Minerva's love and devotion to even let her know that she was pregnant left her more guilt-ridden than Minerva could have imagined possible.

It was clear from the documents that Athena had purposely kept her pregnancy to herself, with Hayden being the only person besides her doctors that she had shared the information with. Her conversations with Dr. Vinson showed that Athena hadn't been ashamed of being an unwed mother, and had expressed occasional optimism at the prospect of having a baby. While Athena had agreed with all recommendations for the prenatal care of her fetus, her mental state sometimes affected her sticking with the prescribed regimen.

Minerva and her parents learned of Athena's pregnancy after the fact. When the seriousness of the post-delivery complications became obvious, the hospital contacted Athena's next of kin. Athena had been in and out of consciousness during the eight hours that Minerva and her mother had sat with her, urging her to continue fighting for her life, and it was during the brief periods of lucid consciousness that Athena had relayed what little she had about who the father of her child was.

The words that had haunted Minerva for ten years were now viewed in an entirely different light: "It's too late for me. Get Justice from Coastline. Get Justice for Alexander." Athena hadn't wanted her sister to seek retribution or revenge; she had wanted Minerva to bring together father and son.