The Fighter

"If you fall pick yourself up off the floor (get up)
And when your bones can't take no more (c'mon)
Just remember what you're here for
Cuz I know Imma damn sure
Give em hell, turn their heads
Gonna live life 'til we're dead.
Give me scars, give me pain
Then they'll say to me, say to me, say to me
There goes the fighter, there goes the fighter
Here comes the fighter
That's what they'll say to me, say to me, say to me,
This one's a fighter
'Til the referee rings the bell
'Til both ya eyes start to swell
'Til the crowd goes home,
What we gonna do kid?" The Fighter by Gym Class Heroes ft Ryan Tedder 

"Ok...Where did he go?" I asked, confused.

"I don't know. I have to find him. He doesn't understand." Rocky said, frantically.

"Rocky, calm down. Understand what?"

"About Bilal-"

"You told him?!?" I gasped, cutting her off, shocked. I thought she decided to move forward- meaning not tell him!

"Yes! And he just left. He's not answering my calls. I have to find him. I need your help." She pleaded.

Rocky never pleads. I sprang into action.

"I'm on my way Rocky." I told her, putting on my shoes. I raced to Trevor's room. I told him what I knew and a sad expression passed over his face.

"Should I come too?" He offered.

"No, stay here. I'll be back." I said, before leaving. I sped all the way to Rocky's house. Before I could even reach for the handle, the door swung open.

"You have to call Ethan." Rocky said her voice wavering as she pulled me into the doorway.

"Have you tried to call him?" I asked, confused.

"No. Then he'll know something is wrong and Brandon would hate that if he hasn't told him yet. Tell him you're looking for me. Make something up." Rocky requested, desperately.

I pulled out my phone. I dialed Ethan's number and he answered on the third ring.

"Hey, do you know where Brandon is?" I asked, plainly.

Rocky looked at me wide eyed, shaking her head no. I shrugged, confused.

"No... Did you try Rocky? Why are you looking for him?" Ethan questioned me.

"Um, I'm actually looking for Rocky. I need to talk to her; I'm not getting an answer." I lied through my teeth while Rocky nodded approvingly.

"I'm sure that means they're preoccupied. Is everything ok?"

"Yeah, Yeah. Of course. Like you said, they're probably busy. Reuniting and stuff." I said, nervously as Rocky gave me a harsh look that told me to get off the phone. She got up and started pacing across the room, fidgeting with her engagement ring on her finger. I have never seen her this frazzled before; she was really freaking me out.

"I meant with your job. Brandon told me what was going on. Are you ok?" Ethan continued his interrogation of me.

"Yes... no... that's why I needed to talk to her." I stuttered trying to end the conversation.

"Can I reach out to that lawyer I know now? You never followed up with him." Ethan asked.

"I would love that. Just text me his contact information. Thanks Ethan." I said, hanging up rudely.

I took a deep breath and turned to Rocky.

"Rocky, just calm down and sit."

She shook her head vehemently. "I will, after I talk to him."

"Rocky-" I started.

"Call Jake!" She begged me.

"Rocky, no. He has to come back. Just wait."

"I can't. I didn't get to tell him how sorry I was or how I was going to fix it." Her eyes filled with tears. "He left before I could explain. He didn't say a word. He just heard what I did and just left. Like I was nothing." She said, her voice cracking. Her pain was palpable. It broke my heart and made me dial Jake's number.

"Lily." Jake said as he answered the first ring.

I could tell by his tone he knew. "Jake, do you know where Brandon is?" I asked already knowing the answer.

"Yes. He doesn't want to talk to Rocky right now." He answered, shortly.

"Rocky's worried-"

"He's fine; he needs space. I gotta go." Jake said, before hanging up. I put the phone down while Rocky watched me hopefully.

"He's with Jake, but he doesn't want to talk-" Before I could finish, she was heading to her purse. I chased her down.

"Rocky no." I said grabbing her arm.

"I have to talk to him. He's with Jake! Who knows what he's telling him right now!" Rocky exclaimed grabbing her bag and digging for her keys.

I grimaced. I knew cheating was a sensitive subject for Jake. He held a grudge against all women for the longest time after what his ex put him through. Rocky wouldn't stand a chance if Jake was giving Brandon that kind of advice.

I cut Rocky off before she could head to the back driveway, standing in front of the door.

"Move Lily." She snapped at me.

"No! He doesn't want to talk to you. You can't decide how he deals with it. You knew this would hurt him. Respect his decision!" I told her harshly.

She was physically taken aback and shrank away from me. I didn't want to be cruel, but she had to know this was a risk she was taking when she told him. He had every right to be upset. I was ready to kill at the thought of Trevor cheating on me. If Brandon needed space, he deserved that.

I softened when I saw her shoulders shake with her sobs. I tried to wrap my arms around her, but she pulled away and stalked into her room.

She left the door open and I joined her on her bed. She cried softly into her pillow. I sat beside her and let her cry. After 10 minutes, she quieted.

"Rocky... I thought you weren't going to tell him." I said, gently.

"I wasn't, but I couldn't do it. I couldn't live with myself, even if I made him happy. I wanted to move forward, but not on a lie." Rocky explained, tearfully. "I can't lose him." She added, sniffling.

"Then don't. It's not going to be easy, but you have to fight for him." I encouraged her.

She didn't respond.


As soon as Rocky fell asleep, I called Trevor to let him know I was spending the night. In the morning, I was surprised Rocky was up, getting ready to go to work.

"He doesn't want to talk. I need to work so I can respect that. Besides, I used enough sick days." Rocky said when I questioned her decision to go to work.

"I'll be here when you get back." I promised.

"Why?"

I shrugged. "I have nothing better to do today." I joked, lightly.

She didn't even attempt a smile.

I guessed Ethan figured I didn't have anything better to do either because he texted me the name and address of a lawyer in Dallas as promised. It also included an appointment time for 12:30 that day. Part of me wanted to be annoyed he didn't run it by me first, but I appreciated him setting it up so I got over it.

I immediately went home and picked out an outfit. I had no idea what I should wear, but considering the allegations, I went for demure and professional. I paired black slacks with a white and black two layered top. I removed the blue hair extensions and pulled my hair up in a sleek ponytail. I did my make-up lightly with a nude lip. I left super early so I could find the law office.

I sat inside my car until 15 minutes before the appointment. After straightening my clothes and patting down my hair, I went inside the office building. A pretty receptionist greeted me as soon as I walked through the turning door. After I told her I had a 12:30 appointment with Nathaniel Stewart, she offered me a seat.

I sat down and checked my phone. Trevor texted and asked how everything was going. I told him to give me a call as soon as he got off.

"Lilian Harris?" I looked up to see a guy around my height, approaching me. I put my phone in my purse and stood up quickly.

"That's me. Mr. Stewart?" I asked.

"Nathaniel." He said, shaking my hand. "Follow me."

When we went into his large office, he closed the door and motioned for me to have a seat. I did and waited for him to sit behind the desk.

"Mrs. Harris-"

"Lily is fine."

"Lily," He corrected. "How can I assist you?"

I quickly filled him in on the situation I was in at work. I told him how and who started the rumor, how she took the post down and admitted it wasn't true, and now the rumors got to my boss.

"Right now, I'm suspended pending an investigation." I concluded.

He started playing with his laptop at the same time he was talking to me. "The first thing we need to do is file a defamation complaint. We're going to need proof and witnesses to the statement-"

"Defamation? So filing a lawsuit against the girl?" I cut him off.

He stopped typing and looked up at me. "Yes. The case meets every criteria for libel."

"She already admitted she lied; I'm not worried about her. I'm more concerned about my job and the investigation. I have no idea what I should do." I explained.

He studied me for a moment before exhaling deeply. He closed his laptop before looking at me.

"How old was the patient when you started working with him?"

"17."

"Good. You need to start documenting every interaction you had with the patient. If there is any truth to the allegations, start therapy to show remorse and rehabilitation."

"There is no truth." I blurted out.

He gave me an annoyed look. "You only want my advice correct?"

When I nodded, he continued.

"I'm generally speaking, everything might not apply to you." He informed me like he was speaking to a child.

After that, I shut up and let him talk.

"If the accusations are false, gather evidence from the interactions. Witnesses, phone calls, text messages, or emails; any and all of them can be evidence to prove your innocence." He finished.

When I was sure he was done, I asked, "Any idea how long these investigations last?"

"In a case like this, I've seen it last anywhere from a couple of weeks to a year."

I deflated at the mention of a year.

"Ok. Thank you for your time." I said, standing.

He stood up too. "Mrs. Harris, I will tell you this. If you don't want to take legal action against the young lady that started the rumor, your best bet to defend yourself is to determine why the investigation started to begin with. I've never seen someone suspended over idle gossip alone. It's hard to have an accusation without an accuser or evidence."

I nodded. He handed me his card. "Here's my number if you decide to take legal action."

I thanked him one last time before I left. I went straight home and started documenting everything.

I sent out an email to Christy and Derek. Christy observed my interactions with Darren and Derek was my supervisor at the time. I needed them to be witnesses to my behavior at work. I figured I would talk to Jordan and Q when I went in for my meeting Wednesday. I was sure they already knew what was going on.

My last email was to Forrest. I didn't really want to bother him, but he was the only person who could attest to my behavior with Darren outside of the clinic and to the fact Darren's girlfriend admitted she made up the rumor. I made sure to CC Rachel in the email as well. I told Forrest I was suspended last week and I needed him as a witness to my relationship with Darren.

I was surprised when Forrest called me 30 minutes after I sent the message. I ignored the call, emailing him back saying I preferred to talk through email. I didn't want Rachel to think I was going behind her back or using this as an excuse to talk to Forrest. That wasn't the case at all. Forrest didn't respond.

I drove to Rocky's place after I finished my emails. I called Ethan when I got there to thank him for setting me up with Nathaniel. He might have been short with me, but at least now I had an idea of what I was dealing with.

Rocky came home around 6 while I was finishing dinner. She went to the bedroom to change. When she came back out, I had a plate of food waiting for her.

"Brandon came home." She said, emotionless.

"When?" I asked.

"I don't know. He took some clothes and left a note." She passed the note over to me. It read:

I'll be back Saturday for the rest of my stuff.

"I'm sorry Rocky. What are you going to do?"

"Not be here. Give him his space." She responded, pushing her food around.

Trevor called me and I put the phone on speaker so I could tell them both what happened with the lawyer and I explained to them my next steps.

"I'm going to bed." Rocky told me after we finished the dishes. "Just lock up when you leave."

"I can stay." I offered.

"I'm ok. Really. I just need some time alone." Rocky assured me.

"Ok." I told her.



Wednesday was my meeting with Sandra. I was nervous going back, thinking that everyone knew what was going on, but I put on my poker face, kept my head up and went straight in Sandra's office.

Sandra let me know that my leave was with pay until a decision was made. When I questioned her about how Ann heard the rumors and what was going on with the investigation, she frowned at me.

"I wish you would have told me. There may not have been an investigation if you came to me as soon as you knew."

"I thought it would be done and over with after the girl recanted. My patient never made an accusation. I never imagined I would be disciplined over rumors."

"It's not that simple." Sandra argued.

"Then explain it to me. There's no accuser and no evidence. I don't understand how I can be suspended without either one."

"I can't discuss a pending investigation." Sandra tried to end our conversation.

"Sure." I said standing. "Can you let Ann know I have no intentions of letting this investigation drag on? I've already reached out to a lawyer and if I don't hear anything soon, I will take legal action."

She stood up too. "I will let her know."

I left and went to the nurse's station to talk to Jordan. She immediately offered to walk me to my car.

"They're not saying why you were suspended. Nobody knows, except me because of Derek, and I'm not saying anything. He wanted me to tell you they're hiring at the hospital."

I smiled. "I'll kept that in mind, but I really don't want to work under Derek again. It's weird."

Jordan smiled. "I understand.

"Lily!"

I looked up to see Kendal jogging our way.

Jordan was getting ready to leave, but I asked her to stay.

"Yes Kendal?" I said, politely.

"Lily, I didn't tell Sandra about Darren." He exclaimed to me.

I looked over at Jordan, who looked surprised.

"How do you even know about Darren?" Jordan asked, narrowing her eyes at him.

"Jasmine. Look, my patient did say something, but I figured it was just boys being boys. I didn't go to Sandra about it because I didn't believe it." He said, trying to convince us.

"Ok." I replied.

Kendal just looked at me. "Ok?"

"Yeah, ok. It doesn't matter at this point."

"Jasmine broke up with me because of this." Kendal told me.

"I'll talk to her, ok?" I sighed.

After I left the clinic, I headed to Rocky's house. Upon seeing me, she kicked me out. She didn't want to talk about Brandon and didn't want me 'babysitting' her. She told me she would call if she needed me. I didn't hear from her for the rest of the week.

I did talk to Jasmine about Kendal. She told me it wasn't just me; she was focusing on her job and didn't want a relationship. I let it go after I told her to tell Kendal that.

On Saturday, Sammy invited me out to an event the Honey Bees were hosting for the Mayweather vs Pacquiao fight. It was completely her event and she was so excited for me to come out and see. Rocky spent the whole day with me to give Brandon a chance to get into the house and gather some things, so I dragged her out too. Corey and Trevor where meeting us up there.

It was a cool set up: a big sports radio station rented out a movie theater to show the fight. The station gave away tickets to its listeners as prizes. It was full of people, eating, drinking and settling in to watch the fight. When Sammy got a minute, she joined us.

"This is so cool Sammy." I complimented her.

"I know! Keep your fingers crossed. Hopefully they'll continue to use us." She smiled, sitting next to us.

"Have you seen Corey and Trevor?" She asked.

"Not yet." I responded.

"So what was going on with Trevor?" Sammy asked me.

Rocky looked at me, questioningly. She had enough going on; I didn't fill her in on our little issue.

"He's fine." I told them both about what my dad said to him and how he chose to deal with it with alcohol.

Sammy gave me a suspicious look. "That's all?"

"That's all." I repeated with a smile.

"I don't know Lily. I've never seen him like that." Sammy commented.

"Yeah, but he was drunk. We've all been there." I brushed her off.

"I get that, but it was kinda scary. Have you ever seen him really mad before?" Sammy asked.

I rolled my eyes. "No, because he's normally the one talking me down. It was a one time thing. We're fine."

Sammy looked at Rocky for help, which Rocky just kinda shrugged. "I agree. I can count a handful of times I've seen Trevor mad. There's nothing scary about him." Rocky supported me.

I gave Sammy a look that said "See? Drop it" and she did. She got up and returned to checking on the bartenders.

The fight was about to begin when Sammy brought Corey and Trevor over to us. Before the 3rd round, Jackie arrived.

I narrowed my eyes at her and glared as she sat down. She pretended she didn't notice and greeted us all before sitting next to Rocky. I paid attention to the fight, doing my best not to let Jackie irk me. Obviously it wasn't working. When she got up to get a drink, Trevor turned to me.

"What's your problem with Jackie?" He asked softly.

"No problem. I'll be right back." I said, standing. There wasn't going to be a problem; I was going to solve it then and there.

I found her at the closest bar, chatting up a guy. I made my way over to them.

"Excuse me, can I borrow you for a second?" I asked, not really giving her a choice as I pulled her away.

"Ow, what do you want?" She asked, pulling away from me.

"For you to grow the hell up and stop acting your daughter's age. Since that doesn't seem likely, I'll settle with you not spreading lies about me." I crossed my arms.

"I don't know what you're talking about." She sneered at me.

"Yes you do. That bullshit you told to Serena about Ethan and me." I confronted her.

"You need to get over yourself. No one is worried about you." She said in a nasty tone.

"Good. So it won't be hard for you to keep my name out of your mouth." I said, turning away from her.

I heard her say "bitch" under her breath, but I kept walking. I said my peace, no use getting into a verbal spar, even though I really wanted to.

"Girl fight? Do I need to get bikinis and a mud pit?" Trevor asked with a grin when I returned to my seat.

I smiled at him. "Never Trevor. That only happens in your dreams"

"Awww..."

For the rest of the night, Jackie flat out ignored me. I welcomed it and had a great time. I was picking my battles, and Jackie wasn't worth it.

Sunday morning, I said goodbye to Rocky and she headed back to her place. I offered to go with her, but she shot me down. I sighed but let her go.

I took Justine on a long run. When I came back, I was shocked to see who was waiting outside my door.

"Forrest? What are you doing here?" I asked bluntly.

"I need to talk to you."

"Does Rachel know that you're here?"

He gave me a wryly smile. "Sure does. She trusts me."

I snorted. "I'm sure she does now that the evil home-wrecking whore is out of y'alls life."

He ignored that statement. "I have information that can help you with your job."

"I know. That's why I wanted you to write it in an email as evidence." I agreed.

"No Lily. I know how the rumor got back to your boss."