35

mapping is not an exact science, yet. But this array brings us one step closer." Derek speaks to the crowd of surgeons and researchers with Callie by his side. Eleanora sat in the front row, a smile on her face as she listens to the presentation happily.

"Dr. Torres and I have had tremendous success so far, and because of that, we are moving from an animated hand to a robotic one."

Excited murmurs start in the room, Eleanora giving her two friends an enthusiastic thumbs up. Nobody really heard the door open, but Derek does notice a man in a suit whispering to Edwards in the back.

"I'm sorry, sir. Are you lost?" Derek's words makes Eleanora turn her neck around to look, her eyes following the man with slight confusion as he walks towards the stage.

"Sorry. I'm looking for...Dr. Torres?"

Callie gives the man a warm smile, taking a small step forward. "Yes! Hi."

"Great!" The man says excitedly. His smile doesn't falter from his lips as he hands her a packet of papers, his words making Eleanora's eyes go wide. "You're being sued."

Gasps start up in the room, Callie freezing with her hands on the packet. Eleanora scoots forward a bit in her chair, her mouth opening and closing as she goes between watching the man walk away and looking at a shocked Callie.

"Love what you're doing here, by the way." The man tells them, giving them all a tight-lipped smile as he reaches the door. "Robot hands. Freaky!"

Eleanora and Derek share a look before focusing back on Callie who is now looking through the packet, panicked.

"That's not good." Eleanora whispers to herself, wincing as the whispering gets louder.

_____

came as soon as I got your call." Enzo told Eleanora, walking out of the elevator into the lobby. Jenna was behind him with Mia tailing along, the eldest Amedeo giving his sister a quick kiss on the head. "Is she okay?"

"Well, I mean, she's being , Enzo." Eleanora told him, her voice a little low. Her eyes then moved to Mia, the little girl growing excited and launching herself at her Aunt. "Oh, look at you! You're getting so big."

"Auntie Ella!" Mia squealed, Eleanora picking her up in a hug. "Hi, hi, hi!"

"Hi to you, too, little miss." Eleanora greeted happily. She kept Mia on her hip a bit, sending Jenna a warm smile. "You look good. You keeping my other little niece happy in there?"

"She's always kicking me, so we'll have to ask her when she comes out." Jenna jokes, moving to give Eleanora a side hug. The woman was six months pregnant with their second daughter and Eleanora hadn't seen her since after Max's....

"Well, I'm sure Callie will be relieved she has two amazing lawyers on her side instead of one." Eleanora told them. She nodded towards the stairs of the lobby, readjusting Mia. "Callie is in conference room 3 just to the left of those stairs waiting for you guys. I'll take Mia to the daycare to spend time with the twins."

"Thank you." Jenna focused on her daughter, pressing a kiss to her head before starting for the stairs. Enzo did the same, sharing one last look with Eleanora, voice low.

"How bad is it?"

"Bad." Eleanora whispered, shaking her head curtly. "From what I know, he has a strong case. Good luck with that one."

"Oh, I will." Enzo tells her, voice firm. "I don't like to lose."

Enzo jogs off after his wife, Eleanora letting out another sigh before smiling at her niece, her face and voice excited.

"So, Mia, what do you say about going to see your cousins, huh? They have this really cool train set I think you'll like upstairs."

"Yes please!" Mia cheers, Eleanora laughing before turning on her heels and heading back towards the elevator.

_____

fiddle with your ring, Callie." Enzo warns her in the elevator, Jenna on her other side taking one last look through the case notes.

"What?" Callie asked him, voice shaky as her eyes snapped over to him. Enzo nodded towards her hand, straightening his own tie.

"Don't fiddle with your ring. You need to act confident, fiddling with your ring can been seen as a weakness, especially with the jury. Just breathe, count to ten whenever you're anxious, and don't drink—"

"—the water too much." Callie finishes, nodding her head quickly. "Right, yes, I know. I'm just nervous."

"There's no reason to be nervous yet." Jenna tells her, closing the folder as the elevator nears their floor. She places a reassuring hand on Callie's back and smiles warmly. "Enzo will preside over your case, I'll give my insights when needed. We don't know what they're gonna say, but you have two of the best lawyers in New York on this."

"Not to be braggy." Enzo joked. Callie let out a small snort at that, Jenna and Enzo giving each other a knowing smile as she calms down.

"Eleanora said everyone from the hospital is taking turns to be here. So you'll have support, which is good. Having support from people, especially others in your field, is a good look for us." Jenna assured her, readjusting her purse as the elevator doors begin to open. "Now, don't say a word and keep your eyes in the ground."

"What?" Callie asked, confused. However, once the doors fully open to reveal a wall of reporters and flashing cameras, she gets it.

"Yeah." Enzo mumbles, placing an arm around Callie's back and begins to push the reporters back. "And people think are vultures."

_____

case is about a man you probably already know—at least by reputation, Mr, Travis Reed." The opposing lawyer spoke to the jury. Eleanora sat beside Hunt in the crowd, her eyes leaving the opening statements when Alex scoots past her and sits on her other side.