my fingers gripped the phone tightly, pressing it hard against my chest as though that alone could mask the tremor in my hand. the last thing i needed right now was for a brand-new colleague to make me feel like a loser in a place i had fought so hard to find myself at. in truth, i might have expected at least some level of empathy... we are both junior barristers under pressure to prove our worth, especially before male defenders & judges (however, senior female judges at times seemed capable of crushing someone with a glance sharp enough to pin them to the ground). but grace, too, was a mother. a single mum. perhaps that's why she seemed unable to approach this so casually. ❝ michael is adamant he cannot leave chambers. & i cannot— ❞ i couldn't just leave my beautiful boy, even if i suspected this sudden fever had less to do with a cold & more to do with the difficulty of adjusting to nursery. i sigh, dragging my fingers through my hair. ❝ please, grace… ❞
@daffcdill said "are you fucking serious?"