BACKSTORY: Evangeline Williamson did not die from her attack by the White Supremacists, One Pure People.  She awoke from her coma and found that she needed time to herself, away from her family and the men that had once loved her in Llandview. But in order to do that, and deal with what she had been through, Evangeline leaves Maryland.

Using her law school connections, one of them being lawyer Christine Williams, Evangeline ends up in Genoa City, Wisconsin, where she becomes Michael Baldwin’s partner at his law firm. But it is her first case that causes Evangeline to attract the attention of many in the town--professionally and personally. And that case is the defense of psycho Patty Williams.

Phyllis’s sister, Avery Bailey Clark is the new D.A, and doesn’t want to hear that Patty was insane or mentally unstable, when she shot Jack Abbott. The community is sick of the raven haired psycho and wants her put away, sick or not. Evangeline is drawn to Patty’s case, for some reason. And despite Michael’s warnings that maybe taking the case isn’t such a great idea, Evangeline does become Patty’s lawyer.

Meanwhile, several male Genoa City residents,  notice the new attorney, one of them being, Jack Abbott, who survived being shot and almost sentenced to life in a wheelchair. He is tired of the sight of Patty every few years. Then there is Victor Newman, who usually wants women that Jack might be interested in. Neil Winters casts glances Evangeline’s way as well...

All of these men are drawn to the new girl in town.

                                                             ****

    Michael Baldwin walked into Crimson Lights and ordered a latte, before looking around the place. Christine Williams, his former law partner, was sitting at a table checking over her phone messages. He paid for his latte and walked over to join her.

    “Christine.”

    Christine Williams dragged her eyes from her phone and looked up at Michael.

    “Michael. Hey, why don’t you join me?”

    “I thought you’d never ask.” Michael said, sitting down.

    “How are things going with Van?” Christine asked, sipping her coffee.

    “Fine. Better than I expected from a woman that spent years in a coma.”

    “Okay....but I sense a ‘but’ coming on.”

    Michael blinked.

    “You haven’t heard?”

    “Heard what?” Christine asked, frowning.

    “Evangeline has agreed to defend Patty Williams.”

    Christine shook her head slightly.

    “What do you mean ‘defend her’? She’s mentally unstable. She’s going to spend the rest of her life in a state mental hospital...”

    “No,” Michael interrupted, “throwing insecticide into scumbag Adam’s eyes, almost permanently crippling Jack Abbott, not to mention her interference in the Diane Jenkins murder...there is a public outcry now. Patty managed to escape from a mental hospital before, now taxpayers want her in prison. For good.”

    “She’s sick, Michael! Oh my God! Poor Paul.” Christine sighed.

    “Yes, well, Evangeline feels as you do. She’s met with her and doesn’t even think Patty is fit to stand trial. Christine, I’m worried. I mean I don’t mean to keep harping on Evangeline being in a coma for so long, but is she really ready for the abuse she could possibly endure, for taking this case on?”

    Christine gave Michael a wry look.

    “A woman that can survive years in a coma, can probably take this town’s abuse and God knows what. I have to get going.” Christine said, now standing up. Michael said nothing, but he knew Christine was probably going to find Evangeline and have a talk with her anyway about this whole thing.

                                                            ****

    Evangeline sat at a table at the Genoa City Athletic Club and put her phone back inside her purse. She had checked her messages and found two: one from Christian Vega and the other from her sister, Layla Williamson Vega.

    Evangeline shut them out of her mind. She wanted to understand how it was possible, that those two had found happiness, while she had slumbered in a coma. But for some reason, that understanding wasn’t within her quite yet.

    Maybe because she came out of the coma realizing that she still loved Christian.

    A waiter brought a drink to her table and she thanked him, before picking up part of the Patty Williams file.  Her new legal assistant, a woman named Chloe Mitchell, was on her way with Patty’s police record, which for some reason, wasn’t with these files.

    Evangeline sighed, recalling her meeting with Ms. Williams only an hour before. There was no way this woman was competent to stand trial. Her eyes went over Patty’s early years in the file. Marriage to Jack Abbott, who was the head of a company called Jabot...Evangeline squinted slightly. Oh. He wasn’t anymore. She would have to tell Chloe to update the file a little better. Evangeline wondered if Jack had been paying Patty alimony all of these years as well? Nothing in the files about that. Hmm...

    Her time after the marriage to Jack Abbott was spotty. And that was because Patty had been homeless a good part of that time. Evangeline set some pages aside. Then there was this business about Dr. Emily Peterson...

    Something made Evangeline look up. Standing before her was the prototype for Patty’s new face. Dr. Emily Peterson sat down, uninvited.

    “Hello. I’m Dr. Peterson.”

    Evangeline gave her a small smile.

    “Uh, yes. I know. I just visited a client of mine that happens to look exactly like you.”

    Emily cleared her throat.

    “How is she?”

    “Unaware that she is in a padded cell. I doubt very much she’ll even notice when she’s sitting in a court room.” Evangeline said bluntly.

    “Well you can count on me to help Patty in anyway I can.” Emily replied. Evangeline leaned back.

    “I’m just amazed that you could be so generous after what she did to you.”

    Emily cleared her throat again.

    “Patty IS sick. You have seen my notes. I just want her to finally get the help she needs.”

    Evangeline leaned forward now.

    “Dr. Peterson...”

    “Emily, please.”

    “Fine, Emily. I have to ask: why did you take up with Jack Abbott, knowing that Patty had such a fixation with him?”

    Emily stared at her briefly, before answering.

    “I don’t know what you’re asking?”

    “I think you do. I mean, you continued to treat her while dating this man. You had to know it was a conflict of interest.”

    Emily smelled trouble!

    “What are you accusing me of, Ms. Williamson? Oh and call me ‘Dr. Peterson’ from now on.” Emily sniffed.

    “Fine, Dr. Peterson. I appreciate all of the help you can give my client.”

    “But?”

    “But I think you’re culpable in this whole thing. And to be honest, I find it hard to believe that you didn’t know that this woman was so obsessed with being you, that she might want to...”

    “Get plastic surgery and look like me?!” Emily snapped, standing up. “How dare you! I don’t know what your defense is going to be, but it sounds like you could end up hurting Patty more than helping her.”

    Evangeline stood up, just as Jack Abbott and the new woman he was seeing, who just happened to the new D.A., Avery Clark(talk about conflict of interest), walked in.  Jack left Avery, who didn’t look thrilled, and came up behind Emily. He rested his hands on the back of her shoulders.

    “Emily? What’s going on?”

    Emily composed herself and pulled out of Jack’s embrace.

    “It’s nothing. I should get going. I can’t say it was a pleasure,  Ms. Williamson.” she said, before walking past Avery and out of the club. Evangeline returned to her seat and ignored Jack Abbott’s glare. Finally, she looked up.

    “Did you need something?”

    Jack painted on a phony smile.

    “Ms. Williamson, correct?”

    Evangeline didn’t answer him. She found his behavior equally as disgusting. He purposely chased after his ex-wife’s shrink.

    Avery joined them.

    “Evangeline. I heard you took on the Williams case and Deacon Sharpe’s? Why the last one?”

    “Why the bad taste in men, Avery?” Evangeline replied blithely, as her phone rang. Jack’s mouth dropped open and Avery pulled him away from the table. Evangeline answered a call from Michael.

    “Evangeline,” Michael said in a sing-song voice, “why are we defending Deacon Sharpe? How is he paying you?”

    Evangeline glanced over and saw Chloe coming in with an arm full of files.

    “Deacon should have been let go when the others were, for the Jenkins murder. Plus Nikki Newman is doing time for that, isn’t she?”

    “He was an accessory! He knew she murdered Diane and didn’t report it to the police. He used it for blackmail.”

    “Yes, well, I think he did it out of love. Plus, his daughter, Hope Logan is paying me.”

    Michael, on his end, raised a brow.

    “Isn’t his daughter somehow connected to the Forresters?”

    “Yes, so that means Mr. Sharpe can afford our services.”

    Michael emitted a nervous laugh!

    “Of course money is not the most important thing here. I mean I do believe in justice.”

    Evangeline refrained from commenting, that coming from someone who had actually served time in prison himself, Michael SHOULD believe in justice.

    “Well Mr. Sharpe is going to get his day in court. Listen, Chloe is here and we have a lot of work to do. I’ll see you later.”

    “Evangeline?”

    “Yes?”

    “You know I wouldn’t be asking after you all of the time, if I wasn’t concerned.”

    “I know, Michael. I should get going.”

    “I mean you were open and honest about your medical condition. I know you’re fine but your doctors do want you to take it easy. Two high profile cases in such a short time...”

    “Are just what the doctor ordered.” Evangeline finished. “Goodbye, Michael.”

    Chloe sat the files down, then seated herself.

    “Was that Michael?” she asked. Evangeline nodded. Chloe cast a surreptitious glance behind her.

    “Jack Abbott is looking over here.”

    “So he is.” Evangeline asked, looking through the police reports. Good God! Patty had been arrested for prostitution once in Seattle!

    “Correction, he’s glaring over here. Avery doesn’t look pleased either.”

    Evangeline put the file down.

    “Avery should recuse herself from this case. She’s sleeping with one of the victims. It won’t look good.”

    Chloe turned back around to face her boss.

    “Yes, but it could also help, right?”

    Evangeline smiled.

    “Yes. Yes it could. Us. Listen, I want to keep Patty’s past from before she returned to Genoa City, out of court. I need for your to get me an appointment to speak with Victor Newman.”

    Chloe nodded and stood up, pulling out her phone. She wandered away from the table to make the call, just as Christine walked in, nodded at Avery and Jack, before settling in at Evangeline’s table.

    “Hey!” Evangeline said, setting down another file. “What’s up? Are we still on for dinner?”

    “Yes and no. I mean, yes, we are, but...I’m having dinner with Paul. My ex.”

    “He’s Patty’s brother, right? Well, i don’t want to be a third wheel.”

    “Van, I think we should make this a working dinner. I also think you should hear what Paul has to say.”

    Evangeline nodded.

    “You’re right. And now would be the perfect time. I just wish I could spin this better in the press. I want to quell all of the negative reaction to Patty’s even getting a trial.”

    Christine sighed.

    “You can blame Restless Style and Phyllis Sommers for that.”

    Evangeline began looking through the files.

    “Why is that name so familiar?”

    Christine cocked her head over towards Avery and Jack Abbott, who was still openly staring over at their table.

    “Phyllis runs Restless Style, the premiere tabloid in this town. She also used to be married to Jack Abbott and Avery is her sister.”

    Evangeline gasped and locked eyes with Jack Abbott. She then tore her gaze away.

    “The first thing I plan on doing, is getting Ms. Clark removed as D.A. on this case.” Evangeline told Christine.

                                                               ****

    Jack could see that Ms. Priss over there, must have learned something shocking about him, from Christine. That was quite the dirty look she just gave him!

    “So, who is this lawyer that’s defending Patty?” Jack asked. Avery raised a brow.

    “Evangeline Williamson. She’s from Llandview where she spent the last, I believe 2-3 years in a coma.”

    Jack’s eyes grew huge!

    “A coma?!”

    Avery put a hand on his arm.

    “Could you keep your voice down?”

    “I’m sorry, but Patty’s lawyer was in a coma for two years?

    “Maybe three. I know that her boyfriend married her sister while she was comatose. Evangeline is also old friends with Christine Williams, so hence, she’s now in Genoa City.  Coma or not, the woman knows her stuff. I have an old friend from Llandview that went up against her many times in court.”

    Jack stopped glaring at Evangeline. So, this woman had to be angry. Angry, frustrated...angry and maybe a little sex starved? His eyes went over her again. She WAS beautiful. Hmmmm....

    Jack smiled at Avery, pulling his thoughts off of that line of perverse thinking. He had already taken up with Patty’s psychiatrist and a treacherous woman named Genevieve, who oddly enough, had been Patty’s employer.  Nothing good could come from making a play for Patty’s lawyer. Nothing good at all.