"Could you tell us in your own words, Ms. Carlson, about your relationship with Mr. Masters," Ally prompted her client.

"We were involved .. a couple .. um .. lovers for nine months.

"Had you discussed marriage?" Ally asked.

"Generally, but not specifically. We loved each other and I just thought it was understood that we'd eventually get married."

"Did anything happen to change your mind?"

"Yes. Several days before I ... I saw him with his ex-girlfriend .. he'd been acting weird, totally unlike himself. He was nervous, distant, and secretive. For the first time in our relationship, I felt that I couldn't trust him. He broke a date with me and a few hours later, well, that's when I saw him and his ex-girlfriend in the park. They were laughing and looked so close and intimate and - I'm a little emotionally psychic - I just knew they'd decided to get back together. That he was going to leave me."

Ally asked, "And, how did that make you feel?"

"I guess I just lost it. I could only think of my life without him and knew I wouldn't be able to survive. I confronted him in the park and we had a terrible fight. I said some things that I regretted and followed him home from the park to explain. But, when I saw him get out of his car and start across the street, the thought of never having him in my life again made me ... I don't know ... I .. I .. can't remember what happened next. The police told me that I ran over him with my car. But, I can't remember any of it. I swear, I didn't mean to hurt Jeff .. I love him."

"Thank you, Lorrie." Ally concluded her direct examination.

Larry rose and walked slowly to the witness stand. Sympathetically, he asked, "Ms. Carlson, during the days when Jeff was acting weird, did he say that he didn't love you anymore?

"N-no. But, by the way he was acting, I just knew."

"Did he ever come right out and tell you that he was going to break up with you, that he was going to leave?"

"No. Actually, during our fight in the park, I broke up with him! I didn't trust him anymore and told him to leave. And, he did." she said. "He'd lied to me about where he was going that day. He never would've done that if there hadn't been something going on between him and his ex-girlfriend!"

John and Ally exchanged another "uh-oh" look.

"I see. In other words, HE didn't jilt YOU ... YOU left HIM, correct?" Larry asked.

"Yes."

"Hmm. You've heard testimony from his sister that Mr. Masters had purchased an engagement ring - for you - the day before the incident?"

Lorrie started to cry. "Y-yes."

"Hmm. I wonder .. looking back .. do you think his behavior could've been attributed to nerves? Trying to find the courage to ask you to marry him? Anxiety about committing his life to you forever?"

"I don't know ... oh ... maybe ... yes." Lorrie bent her head and cried.

"So ... you just ran over him," Larry said, "... because you thought he was going to leave you."

"I guess so...yes...that's what the police said I did."

Ally and John turned to each other (we've lost)!

"Thank you Ms. Masters, no more questions." Larry said. As he walked back to his table, he looked at Ally - and his eyes spoke volumes.

"Any redirect, Ms. McBeal," Judge Walsh asked.

"Um...um...no, your honor. The defense rests."

"Good. If there are no other witnesses, the court will recess and resume at 9:00 tomorrow morning for closing arguments." The judge banged his gavel and court was adjourned.

Back at the office, Clay approached Ally, "I was hoping you might like to get a drink?"

Preoccupied with thoughts of Larry, Ally looked at him without hearing what he'd said. "Hmm?"

"A drink? Would you care to have a drink with me?

"Oh, um .. sure .. sure," she said unenthusiastically, "that'd be fun."

Over a martini, Ally reflected on what had happened at trial wondering why Lorrie hadn't just confronted Jeff about how he'd been acting - what she'd been so afraid of? She played with her olive.

Someone touched her shoulder and she turned to see Clay. She looked at him curiously. She could tell he was talking because his lips were moving, but she couldn't hear the words coming out of his mouth. It was as though his volume was turned completely off. Ally sat there staring at him, fascinated. Then she looked around and realized that the volume was turned down on everybody in the bar. The only thing she could hear was the song Renee was singing:

May-hay-be, if I pray every night
You'll come back to me
And may-hay-be if I cry every day
You'll come back to stay
Oh-oh-oh, May-be

Although she hadn't heard him, she guessed that Clay had asked her to dance because he was dragging her out onto the dance floor.

May-hay-be if I hold your hand
You will understand
And may-hay-be if I kiss your lips
I'll be at your command
Oh-oh-oh, May-be

Clay was apparently talking as they danced but Ally just continued to stare at him because she had no idea what he was saying. Her focus shifted just in time to see Larry enter the bar with his client. Her body bolted as though she'd been shot.

"IS ANYTHING WRONG?" Clay's volume suddenly came on full blast and it was deafening!

"Ah...um...um...no. It's just ... my opposing trial counsel .... is here with his MODEL ...uh...client!" Ally blurted out.

Clay shrugged nonchalantly, "Yeah, it's a small world."

"TEENEY WEENEY!!" Ally spat.

I prayed and prayed to the Lord
To send you back, my Love
But instead you came to me
Only in my dream

Ally maneuvered Clay so that she had a bird's eye view of Larry and his model at their table. They were smiling at each other and looking very cozy. (You PIG! Ally thought.) A couple danced close by and blocked her view. "Do you mind!!" she hissed at them through clenched teeth.

As she and Clay danced, she kept positioning herself so she'd be able to see Larry, but Clay kept turning her. When she finally got back to her original viewpoint, LARRY WAS GONE, she didn't see him anywhere! Panicking, she spun Clay around so she could search the bar and her feet got tangled up with his. She fell and went sprawling on her stomach all the way across the dance floor. When she looked up, she was lying at Larry's feet.

May-hay-be if I pray every night
You'll come back to me
And may-hay-be if I cry every day
You'll come back to stay
Oh-oh-oh, May-be
(Maybe Maybe Maybe)

Larry, amused, looked down at her with a half grin and said, "Tiring day in court?"

She snarled as she looked up at him, sitting at the table so cozily with his client. Picking herself up, her eyes ablaze, she gave him a look that could kill.

Larry stood, "Mzz. McBeal, you know Ms. Masters?"

Ally gave him an icy stare and gave his ‘model' an even icier one.

Clay came running over, "Hey, Ally, I'm sorry. Me and my big feet."

She said curtly, "Clay, Larry - Larry, Clay." They nodded to each other.

Briskly, Ally whisked Clay away from Larry onto the dance floor. "Are you all right?" Clay asked.

"Yeah, yeah," she said. (Humiliated AND jealous, she thought, that's attractive!!!) "Clay, um .." she stammered, "Um... you know, Clay, um ... I've got closing arguments in the morning and ..ah .. you know .. if you don't mind, I'm just gonna go, okay?"

"Okay. I'll walk you home."

"Uh, no, I really like to be alone the night before court. Helps me think. But, thanks. You stay - enjoy yourself. I'll see you at the office tomorrow."

"You're really all right?"

"Yeah, sure. I'll be fine," Ally said (in about a thousand years!). As she left, she didn't see Larry watching her from where he sat.

The night was crisp, just the way Ally liked it. She walked slowly her mind flooded with memories of Larry. A song filled her thoughts:

I used to walk with you
along the avenue
Our hearts were carefree and gay
How could I know I'd lose you
Somewhere along the way.

The friends we used to know
Would always smile hello
No love like our love they'd say
But love slipped through our fingers
Somewhere along the way.

She stopped briefly at a coffee shop they used to frequent and bought a latte to warm her against the chilly night.

You're gone and yet
There's still a feeling deep inside
That you will always be
Part of me

Ally walked by the ice cream shop where she and Larry had had their first date, and also where she'd dumped ice cream and hot fudge on his head when she'd found him with his ex-wife - after breaking a lunch date with her. The thought of him looking like an ice cream sundae brought a sad smile to her face.

And now I look for you
Along the avenue
And as I wander I pray
That someday soon I'll find you
Somewhere along the way.

As she neared her apartment, Ally was stunned and slightly delirious to find Larry sitting on the steps waiting for her. She gasped (her heart was in her throat and her first inclination was to run to him. Calm down, Ally!) "Where's your little Ms. Model?" she asked him acidly. "You don't think it's inappropriate to be dating your client?!"

"Well, technically, she's Coretta's client," he shrugged. "Um .. where's Play Dough?"

"His name is Clay!" she said vehemently.

"Oh, right, Clay," he nodded.

"What are you doing here, Larry?

"Hoping we can stop playing games."

They studied each other and Ally could feel herself begin to ache for his touch.

"Take a walk with me?" Larry said.

"Why?" she asked, rather shyly.

He bent his head and looked up at her, "So I can feel you close to me for a little while ... and," he smiled sweetly, "so you can get me up to speed."

Lost and all alone
I always thought that I could make it on my own
But since you left, I hardly make it through the day
My tears get in the way
And I need you back to stay

I wander through the night
And search the world
to find the words to make it right
All I want is just the way it used to be
With you here close to me
And I've got to make you see

They walked silently for awhile when Larry reached out and took her hand. Ally offered no resistance. Still they said nothing.

That I'm lost without your love
Life without you isn't worth the trouble of
I'm as helpless as a ship without a wheel
A touch without a feel, I can't believe it's real
Someday soon I'll wake and
find my heart won't have to break

Hand-in-hand, they walked for what seemed hours, not saying anything. From time to time their eyes met, but there was no need for words because their thoughts traveled along an invisible bridge connecting them.

Yes, I'm lost without your love
Life without you isn't worth the trouble of
All I want is just the way it used to be
I need you here with me

Oh, darling, can't you see
If we had love before
We can have it back once more.

Finally, back at Ally's steps, they stood entranced, their eyes exploring, questioning, pleading, and offering promise. Ally finally said, "Um..would you like to come in for some coffee?"

Larry's eyes shone. He touched her hair and, with his finger, he communicated three tender strokes (his silent I-love-you). Ally shivered with awakening. "I really have to decline," he said, "I have trial tomorrow remember?"

"Oh, yeah. Haha ...um...hum...me, too! I guess I blocked that out." "Ally ....." Larry said, almost reverently, gazing at her with intense longing as he leaned in to kiss her.

"Yes?" Her eyes concentrated on his lips before closing altogether in anticipation of that sweet, wonderful, kiss that she had missed for such a long time.

At the last second, Larry veered and kissed her on the forehead, and Ally stared at him in wide-eyed disappointment.

"Nite," he said quietly, "see you in court."

"Um..um..yeah." She wanted to SCREAM! "See you in court."

Standing at the window in the darkness of her bedroom, Ally glanced at the side of her bed that used to belong to Larry. Then up at the stars. Tears glistened on her face.

Only you
can make all this world seem right
Only you
can make the darkness bright

Only you and you alone
Can thrill me like you do
And fill my heart with love
For only you.

"Whatcha doin?" Renee asked quietly from the doorway.

"Oh, um .. um, just thinking," Ally said, wiping her eyes, but the tears kept falling.

Renee could feel Ally's anguish and loneliness from across the room, but she knew that Larry was the only one who could provide the comfort that Ally needed. "Do you want to sleep with me tonight?"

Ally tried to smile. "Maybe. ... Ah .. we .. we .. went for a walk tonight, Renee."

"You and Larry?" Renee asked excitedly.

Ally nodded.

"And, what happened?"

"Nothing happened," Ally shrugged. "We walked for hours without saying a word. When he held my hand ... I wanted ... I hoped ... he was going to kiss me ... but ... he did it AGAIN! The forehead! He kissed me on the FOREHEAD, Renee! I'm such a dope." Dejectedly, she added, "When he said he needed me in his life .. I thought he meant .. I needed to believe ... I ... I never considered that all he might want was a friend."

"Ally, he kissed you on the forehead once before, remember? And, that had nothing to do with friendship! Don't be believing something that's gonna make you crazy!"

Only you can make all this change in me
For it's true, you are my destiny
When you hold my hand I understand
The magic that you do
You're my dream come true
My one and only you.

Softly, Ally said, "Larry's my SOMEONE, Renee, you know? My dream come true. You want to hear something silly? Since he's been gone, the only way I can fall asleep is by holding onto a pillow - pretending it's him - that he's still next to me. ... I know it's crazy ... and I think ... I hope ... someday I'll get over him, but I keep asking myself, when?"

"Ally," Renee said, "it's gonna take as long as it takes."

Larry and Ally avoided looking at each other the next morning as they entered the courtroom. But each was acutely aware of the other's presence. Judge Walsh entered and announced the start of closing arguments.

"Most of us have known what it's like to be in love," Ally said, directing her statement to the jury. "In fact," she added sadly, suddenly lost in her own thoughts and speaking to no one in particular, "only those who've been lucky enough to find that very rare, once in a lifetime love, can understand how I could love him so much that he became the center of my universe. ..."

All members of the jury leaned forward studying Ally very closely. It was then she realized what she'd said. Embarrassed, she glanced over at Larry who was watching her curiously.

"Ah .. um .. I mean Ms. Carlson loved Mr. Masters so much that he became her whole world. The thought of losing it all caused me to ... uh ... her to snap. Did she run over him with her car?"

The jury members said "Yes," in unison. The judge cautioned them not to direct any comments to counsel.

"Okay, okay, she ran him down with her car, but was she totally to blame?"

She looked as each of the jury members shrugged their shoulders as if to ask - wasn't she? Ally shook her head in the negative as if they were sharing a secret. And, she continued:

"We know Mr. Masters lied to the defendant about where he was going to be that day, and then, that same afternoon, she discovered him being very intimate with his ex-girlfriend. Is that a man I ... she could trust?"

Everyone on the jury raised their eyebrows questioningly.

"We heard testimony that, for days, Mr. Masters had been distant, irrational, secretive, and, in general, acting weird! Now, add that to his lying, well, was it any wonder that Ms. Carlson believed he was breaking up with her - believed that her world was collapsing?"

Again, the jury unanimously shrugged.

"You've also heard Ms. Carlson admit that she has no recollection of anything that happened after she observed Mr. Masters crossing the street to his apartment. Itwas only after the fact, from the police, that she learned she'd run over the man she loved.

Well, I submit that his actions, and his alone, were what caused me .. uh, Mr. Masters' actions caused .. the defendant .. such extreme emotional distress that she didn't have control of her mental faculties ... which resulted in his injuries. Temporary insanity IS a defense, and clearly, Ms. Carlson was temporarily without her mental faculties when the incident occurred and she should be found not guilty by reason of the same. Thank you."

Ally looked over at Larry. He was reading his notes and rose leisurely, buttoning his suit jacket. He crossed his arms and leaned his head back, in thought.

"I wonder," he said, "how things could be right now if the defendant had simply asked Mr. Masters why he was acting so strangely. Imagine, even, if she had acted out her jealousy or anger or distrust in a less destructive way like, say, ‘dumping ice cream on his head,' instead of running him down with her car."

Larry directed his last comment to Ally, who sat with a pained expression on her face.

"The defense would have you believe that Mr. Masters contributed to his own injuries because of his strange behavior. However, we know that Mr. Masters was guilty of nothing more than being nervous - because he was trying to propose to the woman he loved. His behavior was no different than that of any other man who's about to ask someone to share his life forever.

We also know that Ms. Carlson assumed things that weren't true. We know that Mr. Masters was not planning to leave her. He'd just purchased an engagement ring for her the day before - with the inscription always and forever - clearly not the act of a man intending to break up with someone. In fact, Ms. Carlson admits that she broke up with him. And, we certainly know that he wasn't planning to get back with his ex-girlfriend - because she's now a happily married woman.

Ms. Carlson testified that she'd finally found the love of a lifetime. Love, true love, is hard to find and sometimes does only come along once in a lifetime. I've been there, actually. Perhaps .. it was really herself that the defendant distrusted, and the fact that real happiness, forever, could actually be just within her reach.

The defendant could have easily learned why Mr. Masters was acting so strangely by simply asking, ‘honey, what's wrong?' Clearly, had she not jumped to conclusions, she and Mr. Masters could be happy right now, busily planning their wedding. But, instead, she stands charged with vehicular assault and he lies in a coma, hanging onto life by a thread.

Everything could've been different here," Larry concluded. And, turning directly to Ally, he said, "All she had to do was trust it."

The jury retired for deliberation and Ally watched as Larry and his client left the courtroom and he was HOLDING HER ARM! (Bitch, she thought.) Larry turned briefly before they disappeared through the door and the expression on his face was hard to read.