No Legal Grounds by James Scott Bell

drinking. You don’t know that’s wrong?”
“Yes, but — ”
“And then you get in a car and drive?”
“It was stupid, I know . . .” Sobs erupted, cutting off words. Heather put her face in her hands.
“More than stupid.”
“Sam.” Linda shook her head at him.
No, he wasn’t going to stop. This had to come out now, hard. This had to be cut out of her. It had to hurt.
“Here’s what’s going to happen,” Sam said. “Your driving privileges are being revoked.”
Heather’s streaked face shot up at him. “No!”
“And you’re going to drop this whole band thing — ”
“No! You can’t — ”
“And go to college in the fall. Maybe JC to start — ”
“You can’t make me! You can’t do this!”
“In the morning, I’ll call Rich Demaris to take your DUI — ”
“Mom, make him stop — ”
Linda pulled Heather to her chest. “It’s been an emotional night. Let’s wait until tomorrow.”
Sam, feeling like a blood vessel might pop in his brain, threw up his hands.
7.
    Oh good one, oh drunk, oh driving, and Daddy must love you for that, Mommy must be so proud.
    Heather lay on the bed, looked at the ceiling, stayed there until the family was through with dinner downstairs. She could hear the sounds of routine footsteps on hardwood floor, doors closing softly, as if they thought by keeping down the noise the tension would all go away.
    She lay there in silence for a long time, until it was quiet. She got up and went to Max’s door, knocked softly, and heard him say, “Come in.” He was at his computer, playing chess. Buzz, lounging on the floor, looked up and wagged his tail.
“You winning?” She closed the door behind her.
“It’s on beginner setting, so I’m killing it.”
She looked around his room. His bed was made and there were no clothes on the floor. The opposite of her room. Max could have been the neat guy on that old show about the odd couple who lived together.
Heather sat on the edge of Max’s bed, a few feet from him. “I really admire you.”
“Huh?” Max turned in his chair.
“Your brain. You can do that stuff, like chess.”
“I just like it.”
“And I think you’re a really cool brother.”
He looked stunned at that. She slipped off the bed and onto her knees on the carpet. “Listen to me, will you?”
“Yeah,” Max said tentatively.
“I wish I could be more like you.”
“Why?”
“I just do. But look, we all have to be who we are. And I want you to remember something I tell you, okay?”
“Okay.”
“No matter what happens to me or anybody, you’re a great kid and you’re going to be a great man. So if anything ever happens, you just keep on going and be who you are and don’t ever be down on yourself, okay?”
“What’s wrong?” Max said.
“I don’t know.” She paused. “I just love you and Mom and Dad, that’s all. And I don’t want anything to happen to you guys.”
“Nothing’s gonna happen.”
Buzz came to her then, nosing her side. “And if anything ever happens to me, you’ll be all right, right?”
“What’s gonna happen to you?”
“I don’t know.”
“Dad said he’ll get a lawyer — ”
“I don’t care about that. I’m not talking about that.”
“So what then?”
“Just say you know you’ll be all right.”
“I guess so — ”
“Say you know it.”
“Why are you crying?”
She put her hands around his neck and pulled his head down so she could kiss the top of it.
“Say you know it,” she said. “Know it know it know it.”
8.
    At 3:14 in the morning, Sam woke up fully, as if someone had slapped his head.
    The blur of his thoughts pressed against his skull. He knew he was not going to go back to sleep. He’d had this feeling once before.
    It was during his first big trial. All the anxieties of trial work were new to him then. The cluster of worries grew exponentially the closer he got to that first day. And then they increased as every day in court presented new challenges.
    After the two-week trial there