Once more...

While Olivia was wasting away in a prison cell, Harrold and his goons didn't fare much better. They too didn't stand a chance in court, especially when faced up against a team helped by Joe. Although there was heaps of evidence against them, even if there wasn't, Joe's involvement would have guaranteed a conviction. So, it was no surprise to anyone, including Harold's lawyer, that they were all convicted and sentenced to serve jailtime. Just like Olivia had been. Only in their case, having been criminals most of their lives and plenty of them with earlier convictions, their sentence was far more severe. It wasn't the lawyer's fault. In fact, no lawyer would have stood a chance and even if someone thought they did, Joe being involved in the case, erased any confidence they might have had. He was very well known in his field and his reputation was enough to make most tremble when facing him in court.

The hearing for Harold and his goons lasted four days. In those four days they got crushed by the district attorney. Harold, as the head of this operation and the head of a crime organization, was sentenced to 20 years for the former and another 25 years for the latter. Each sentence to be served consecutively and with no chance of early parole. Ensuring he would be in prison for most if not all of his life. His goons were each sentenced between 10-25 years for their involvement, where the people going after Laila and Maria had gotten a smaller sentence as their intent couldn't be fully proven and they hadn't managed to hurt them at all. This was contrary to the ones that had placed the bomb in de I.E. Headquarters nearly costing Noah and Steve their lives and causing a great deal of physical and monetary damage. There the intent to kill was clear and the means to do so were severe, adding their willingness to risk the lives of many more I.E. in the process of getting to Noah and Steve. These actions granted them no mercy from neither the judge nor the jury. 

As soon as the sentence was in, Joe informed Noah, who spread the news to the others. Filling them all with a sense of relief that part of their justice had finally been served. The remaining part of it, would be served by Noah himself by making use of his connections and Max's connections in the prison system. Ensuring that Harold and his goons wouldn't be able to live the 'top dog' life in prison, but would be punished with at random for the foreseeable future with random searches of his cell, losing privileges, being put in solitary, getting a hose washdown, and of course he too would have to face the consequences of going after Laila. But in his case he didn't need to pay anyone, because men in prison aren't big fans of people going after the weak and vulnerable. Being husbands, fathers and fathers-to-be themselves, they take offence to those who prey on certain groups of people in society. Pregnant women being one of them. So, all he had to do, was let a guard slip the word of his crimes and them receiving 'visits' would be guaranteed. Making sure that he would beg for solitary for his own protection.

Of course Harold too had lost whatever money he had earned and any possessions in his name. While criminal court simply froze his assets, Joe filed a civil suit to seize his assets. Having had to sit on the side-lines for the criminal case, he put all his remaining energy and anger to get Noah and Steve the best monetary deal he could get in the field where he shined. He brought his balance to zero and then pushed as far beyond it as he could go, to force Harold to pay off his debt while he lived his miserable life in prison. Joe made him pay for the damage done to I.E. Headquarters, for Steve's hospital bills, for his after-care, for any emotional damage that Joe saw fit as well as their lawyer bills, where he made sure to charge as much for his time as the courts allowed him. 

With both cases having been wrapped up, all people involved having been punished as far as the law and their abilities allowed for, there was only one matter that was left unresolved. This was the matter of Laila refusing to wake up. Weeks had gone by and nothing had changed in Laila's situation. But while everything seemed calm on the surface, underneath Laila's sub conscience, a lot was taking place. Because as she was fighting for her life, the man she had met in her previous life, the one who had given her the necklace and the chance to change the trajectory of her life, had presented himself before her once more...