“Are they getting any closer to catching this guy?”

“I don’t think so.” Julia talked about the case, describing nothing more than what had already been on the news. She stopped once the waitress came by to take their order.

As soon as the waitress left, Bradley spoke. “Julia, I had a meeting with Lauren’s lawyer yesterday,” he said optimistically. “She wants ten million dollars to settle this case. It’s a good deal. Honestly, she might get much more if this goes to a jury. Your malpractice insurance is worth ten million. I think that’s why they picked this amount. That’ll cover it and you’ll be done with this issue.”

“I’m not going to settle. I’m not guilty,” she said plainly. It was obvious that Bradley wasn’t expecting this answer. His eyes opened wide and his mouth opened slightly. It stayed that way for a second or two before he answered.

“This isn’t about you being guilty or not.” His voice was firm. “That doesn’t matter. The woman lost part of her face. She’s disfigured. She’ll easily get the sympathy of any jury. I think we should settle. In fact, I’m advising you to do so.”

“My innocence does matter. It matters a lot. This is my life you’re willing to give up. Maybe that doesn’t matter to you, but it certainly does to me.”

Bradley took a deep breath and calmly said, “Lauren lost portions of her nose, right cheek, lips and chin due to the infection that started just the day after you removed a mole for her. This strain of bacteria was aggressive, flesh-eating, and not responsive to any antibiotic therapy. The only way to save her life before septicemia set in was to cut the infected tissue off. How am I going to convince a jury that you, a plastic surgeon with a PhD in pathology, did not purposely do this in retaliation to your unemployed husband’s mistress?” The tone of his voice trailed upward on the last few words. He took a deep breath. “It’s your life I’m trying to salvage. Julia, think about the consequences.”

“I’ve had the luxury of thinking about them every minute of every day since this happened. It’s with me when I get up in the morning and when I go to bed at night and every waking moment in between. This is with me always. If I settle that means I admit to doing something I didn’t do.”

“I’m not saying you did anything wrong. This is about your life now. A jury decision could easily triple or quadruple that ten-million-dollar amount. How would you be able to pay that? After they garner your wages, a room at the Y might be all that you can afford. Do you want that? Just say the word and this nightmare ends now and you move on.”