Posted by Kim on 10/28/2001, 3:40 pm "Sure Scott." Mac stood and offered Scott a seat. "We have 15 minutes before we have to go and meet with Felicia and her lawyer." Mac came from behind his desk and sat on the edge of it in front of Scott. Watching Scott's body language as he sat in the offered chair, Mac sensed that whatever Scott was preparing to say would not be pleasant. "Mac, I just want to prepare you for the meeting. You initially hired me because Felicia's lawyer was giving your previous lawyer the run-around when it came to moving forward with the divorce proceedings. Donna Latham hasn't been any more cooperative since I've been representing you but at least I was able to force her to meet us today. The operative word here is force. Mac, it's obvious that Felicia is going to pull out all of the stops in contesting this petition for divorce. I know what you went through with Felicia's involvement with Luke Spencer." Scott laughed silently to himself, grimly thinking his last comment was an understatement. Scott knew exactly what Mac was going through. He himself had been deeply in love with a woman who fell under Luke Spencer's inexplicable spell. But even up to when his divorce from Laura became final, Scott would have done everything that he could to save his marriage; he had loved Laura that much. Scott wanted to make sure Mac truly wanted this divorce because he anticipated things could turn nasty quickly, and there were two children involved. Mac interrupted, "With all due respect Scott, I know of your history with Luke and Laura, and I know you were in the courtroom when Felicia testified about the night she spent with Luke. But you don't know the half of all of the mess I went through with Felicia. With New York being a no-fault divorce state I don't want to revisit those issues. But understand this, I want this marriage in name only ended as soon as possible." "No matter what the cost is?" Scott persisted. "Do you really what every detail of your marriage discussed in open court if Felicia contests the divorce?" Wanting to see if Mac was open to an alternative, Scott made a suggestion. "You know, if you are legally separated for a year or more, it would be much easier to get the divorce, with or without Felicia's consent. We will do our best today to move forward but if Felicia decides to contest the divorce, you might want to continue the legal separation for another 9 months. After that, you can be granted a divorce in as little as sixty days, with or without Felicia's consent." Mac took a deep breath after hearing Scott's proposal. Being an excellent lawyer, it was Scott's job to tell Mac all of the legal options in pursuing this divorce. But there was absolutely no way that he intended to stay married to Felicia for almost an additional whole year. He believed in his heart that Dara truly loved him and that if necessary, she would wait a year for him to be free of Felicia. But in his mind there was no reason that they should wait. "Scott, do whatever you have to do. I want the divorce finalized as soon as possible." Sighing, and steeling himself for an acrimonious encounter, Scott understood his client's wishes. "O.K. Mac. Let's go do it." Walking into the luxurious walnut-paneled offices of Attorneys Spiegel, Latham, and Barnes, Mac hazarded a guess as to how many embattled divorces contributed to the success of the firm. Scott and Mac were seated only a minute in the reception area when an assistant escorted them to a large meeting room. Felicia and her attorney were already seated at the large mahogany conference table with their backs facing the office windows. After perfunctory introductions, everyone took their seats. Scott began speaking, "Ms. Latham, my office has sent you the divorce petition, all information regarding my client's assets and financial information, requests regarding visitation rights, and a proposed financial settlement for your client and her daughters. I have not received one official response from you, which is why we are meeting today. My client wishes to finalize the divorce with all deliberate speed and in a manner which is fair to all parties." "Well we have a problem Mr. Baldwin," Donna Latham stated. "My client does not wish to terminate the marriage and is willing to do everything possible to accomplish this goal. Apparently Felicia has tried several times to discuss this with her husband without the presence of lawyers and Mr. Scorpio has been unwilling to hear her out. My only purpose for being here today is to facilitate in a reconciliation of Mr. and Mrs. Scorpio's marriage." Mac immediately interrupted Felicia's attorney by commenting bitterly, "Well then you're wasting everyone's time because I can tell you now what you're asking is not going to occur." He glared at Felicia who noticeably flinched for a second upon hearing Mac's comment, but she remained quiet and was content to let her lawyer do her job. "Mac," Scott warned his client. Knowing that Scott wanted him to be quiet, Mac leaned back in the swivel chair in an effort to calm down, but his hands tightly gripped the armrests. Everyone - Kevin, Taggert in a stupid way, Dara, and Scott - warned Mac that Felicia was not going to act reasonably about the divorce. Looking at her sitting confidently across the conference table from him, the realization finally became clear to him also. Continuing, Felicia's attorney informed them, "Our proposal is that Mr. Scorpio immediately moves back into the family home with his wife and children and Mr. and Mrs. Scorpio attend marriage counseling sessions for a period of at least 6 months. If, after that time, both parties feel that the marriage should not continue, a divorce can be granted within as sixty days." "Are you going to address anything in the divorce petition which was served to your client?" Scott asked. Replying as if she were speaking to an imbecile child, Felicia's lawyer stated, "As I said just a moment ago, that was not our purpose for meeting with you today." To hell with this Scott thought. He acknowledged to Mac in a brief glance that he was in agreement; continuing this meeting would be a waste of time. "Let's go Mac." Knowing that if Mac walked out of the office, there would be no possibility of getting him to move back into the house in the near future, Latham quickly stated, "Even if your client insists on getting a divorce, our proposal is the quickest way for him to do so with the least amount of trauma. It will take at least three months before a judge will hear this case. And then, does he really want to discuss all aspects of his marriage in an open courtroom? After all, your client is a public figure. And he should consider the effect of an open divorce hearing on the two young girls." Fed up with these arguments to coerce him to move back in with Felicia again, Mac looked directly at Felicia and countered, "If we have a divorce hearing it won't be the first time that the problems of our marriage will be aired in a public courtroom." Felicia stood quickly and slammed both hands on the table. "Mac, stop and listen to reason!" Felicia shrieked. Pent-up rage from watching Mac resist every proposal offered by her lawyer was beginning to show in her demeanor. "Mac, can we talk now for a few minutes? Looking at her lawyer and then Scott, Felicia asked, "Please, leave us alone for a few minutes." Mac gave Scott an affirmative nod of his head and both lawyer left the meeting room, leaving Mac and Felicia alone.
Responding to the command to enter the Police Commissioner's office, Scott Baldwin poked his head through the slightly opened door. Seeing that Mac was alone in his office Scott inquired, "Can we speak a few minutes before heading over to Donna Latham's law office?"
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