Chapter 4: “Hello, Your Honor”

The guards looked at me. I was pale, bleeding where the IV had been pulled, holding my cheek where a red mark was beginning to bloom. Then they looked at the older woman in the fur coat, weeping theatrically.

“Madam, move away from the bed,” the head guard ordered me, his hand on the pillowcase.

“She’s dangerous!” sobbed Mrs. Sterling. “Take her away! Save my grandchildren!”

I didn’t move. I didn’t scream. I didn’t play along. I simply pointed a finger toward the upper corner of the room.

“The security camera is active, right, Chief Mike?” I asked clearly.

The head guard, a burly man named Mike, with whom I’d spoken yesterday about security protocols for high-profile patients, froze. He squinted as he looked at me. The adrenaline from the entrance had blinded him for a second, but now he really looked.

He saw the face he’d seen on the news during last month’s RICO trial. He saw the woman whose security clearance was higher than the hospital administrator’s.

Mike’s face went pale. He immediately pulled his hand away from the taser. He ripped his cap off his head.

“Judge Vance?” he said, lowering his voice to a respectful, almost whispered tone.

Mrs. Sterling stopped pretending to cry mid-sob. She blinked. “Judge? Who are you calling judge? That’s Elena. She’s unemployed. She’s a nobody.”

Mike ignored her. He stepped forward, signaling his men to lower their weapons. “Your Honor… are you alright? We received the panic signal. Is this woman bothering you?”

“No, I’m not okay, Mike,” I said, pointing at Mrs. Sterling. “This woman just assaulted me. She punched me in the face. She tried to kidnap my son, Leo. And right now she’s making false statements to law enforcement officers.”

Mike turned slowly to face Mrs. Sterling. His demeanor shifted from confused guard to intimidating enforcer.

“Judge?” Mrs. Sterling stammered, looking between us. “What’s going on? Why are they calling her that? She stays home all day! Watches TV! Doesn’t have a job!”

“I’m talking about the woman you just assaulted,” Mike said coldly. “The Honorable Elena Vance, U.S. District Judge for the Southern District. You just slapped a federal official inside a secure facility.”

Mrs. Sterling’s mouth opened and closed like a fish’s. “No… that’s impossible. Mark said… Mark said she was a consultant… a freelancer…”

“That’s called keeping a low profile for security reasons, ma’am,” I said, wiping a trace of blood from my lip. “My job involves sentencing drug traffickers and terrorists. I don’t go around announcing that to people I don’t trust. And, it seems my instinct was right not to trust you.”

“But… but…” Mrs. Sterling backed away until she hit the wall. “You can’t be a judge! You don’t wear a suit! You don’t make money!”

“I work remotely when I have a high-risk pregnancy,” I said. “And my ‘consulting’ involves reviewing appeal briefs that determine the fate of people far smarter and more dangerous than you. As for the money, Ms. Sterling, my salary pays the mortgage you think Mark is covering.”

I looked at Mike. “Put her in handcuffs. I want to press charges for assault, attempted kidnapping, and child endangerment. I want her out of this room immediately.”

“With pleasure, Your Honor,” Mike said.

He stepped forward and pulled out a couple of plastic cable ties.

“No! He can’t touch me! My son is a lawyer!” Mrs. Sterling shrieked when Mike grabbed her wrists.

“Your son handles traffic cases in the suburbs,” I said calmly. “I preside over a federal court. I think I know the law a little better than he does.”

Chapter 5: The Verdict

As Mike dragged the screaming Mrs. Sterling toward the door, Mark came running in. He was out of breath, his tie askew, like a man who had run from the parking lot.

“Mom? Elena?” He stopped, taking in the scene. His mother was handcuffed. His wife was staring at him with eyes so cold they could freeze hell.

“Mark! Tell them!” Mrs. Sterling shouted, struggling against Mike. “Tell them to let me go! She’s lying! She’s crazy! She says she’s a judge!”

Mark looked at me. “Elena, honey… what’s going on? Why was Mom arrested? Did you two get into a fight?”

“She tried to take Leo away, Mark,” I said. “She said you agreed to give him to Karen. She slapped me.”

Mark paled. He looked down at his shoes. “I… I didn’t agree. I just… I didn’t say no. Mom was just… you know how she is. She thought it would help. I thought… maybe we could talk about it later.”

“Talking about giving our son away?” I asked. “Like he’s a puppy?”

“Karen is so sad, Elena,” Mark pleaded. “And Mom… she didn’t mean to hurt you. She’s just intense. Please. You’re the judge. You can make this go away. Just tell Mike it was a misunderstanding. Don’t ruin the family over this.”