All of ME
Page 12
"I know Aunt Suzanne. I know. " She sighs slightly and kisses my temple, before walking off to check on Maddy. Putting my empty cup in the sink, I smooth down my hair and wrap my hand firmly in Brandon's. I hope I'm ready for this.
~~~~
Walking into the courtroom makes my skin crawl. Taking my seat on the right hand side of the gallery I notice the three ladies sitting with my attorney which eerily favor me. All three are roughly the same height and build as me as well as the same shade of brunette.
As the first woman begins to tell her story, I find my blood running cold. The details, the actions, the same sweet gestures. I blink to fight the tears and suddenly I feel guilty. It's my fault these girls were subjected to such violence. Had I only stayed they wouldn't be testifying right now. The next thought hits me even harder. If I had stayed I might not be sitting here right now, I might be buried right next to Caleb. A shiver hits me and Brandon grasps my hand tighter, slowly tracing his thumb in the space between my thumb and index finger. "Baby, are you okay?"
"No. It's my fault. All my fault."
"No it’s not. He's the one who hurt you and them. Never blame yourself."
"I could have stopped it."
"How? By staying and being his personal punching bag?"
All I can do is shake my head.
"Jasmine, look at me. It’s all on him. Let this unnecessary guilt go and tell your story. If they don't see him as the monster he is, then I'll have to take care of him myself."
"Brandon." He places his finger to his lips and averts his eyes towards the judge. The judge is staring at us with a hard look on his face. "Is there something you would like to say, Miss Grayson?"
"No sir."
He looks over to girl on the witness stand. "You may continue."
As her story unfolds I realize that they were the lucky ones. The ones without scars, only pictures are their reminders. As they show the bloody and bruised images of those poor girls faces I can feel the bile rising into my throat.
~~~~
“We now call to the witness stand, Miss Jasmine Grayson."
I’m still shaking like mad as I step up to the witness stand, realizing that at this moment in time, I probably look like a scared child. The judge bows his head slightly in my direction, giving me the smallest amount of comfort. I placed my unsteady hands on the edge of my seat and draw in several deep breaths. As the questions begin, my head is spinning. The very thought of him being only a few feet from me makes me sweat.
"She says she was abused, but we have no proof. Where are the photos showing Miss Grayson’s bruises and scars?" That statement sets off a rage in me I can't control.
"You want proof?! I can give you fucking proof!" I scream, as tears begin to fill my eyes.
“Miss Grayson please control yourself. I realize that this may be painful for you, but I will not hesitate to place you in contempt."
"Yes your honor," I croak between the sobs. My attorney, Whitley Blake, shoots me a soft glare, before turning to the judge.
"Your honor, permission to show proof?" He nods curtly, and the defense attorney glares at me. Whitley leans over to me, and softly whispers, "Would you be up for showing the people in the courtroom your scars?" I nod lightly, and pull my hair back revealing the pink scar running down my jawline to my neck. Murmurs among the jury escalate for a moment and suddenly stop as I turn around. I slowly lift up my shirt up and gasps run through the room as they see the scarred mess that runs from my back to my side. But the one sound that really stood out was the retching of one of the other girls. I hear a door slam somewhere in the back of the room and I blink back the hot tears that are continuing to pool. Lowering my shirt, I slowly turn around, dreading the looks of pity on their faces. Even Jeff looks lost for words through sober eyes, though he quickly recovers his composure.
"I think we've heard enough from Miss Grayson now. Thank you." I nod at the judge and leave the stand, running from the room and straight into the arms of an awaiting Brandon. Nuzzling my head into his chest I let the tears fall, and as I shake and sob he strokes my hair, his face buried in my hair. When I calm down, he lifts my face up to look at him and he gently strokes away my tears.
"Do you want to watch the rest of the trial? Or do you want to go home?"
"I want to watch him go down. I need closure." He nods silently, and we walk back into the courtroom, hand in hand. Sitting down next to Mrs. Whitaker, I place my head on her shoulder for a few moments and she leans, in placing a kiss on my temple in return. Gripping my hand in his own, Brandon gives me a smile that says, "If I'd known...” and I nod to let him know I understand. Just as I begin to control myself and my emotions, the judge utters the words I honestly don't want to hear, as I am brought face to face with the reason for my demons once more.
"We now call to the stand, Mr. Jeffrey Callahan."
As he walks to the stand, my heart stops. His eyes are cold, a small smirk is on his face like he knows he’s going to get away with it. My hands are shaking and it takes every part of me not to run up to him and wipe the arrogant look off his face. As the questioning begins, I feel myself calm down, seeing the jury's reaction. His tone and demeanor speak volumes. The members of the jury seem to feel as I do. They all have disapproving and disgusted looks on their faces, like they have already reached a verdict, and my hope returns.
Listening to him talk makes bile begin to rise in my throat again and a cold chill washes over me. Everything he says is a lie. I look at Brandon and shake my head trying to fight the urge to vomit. His grasp on my hand becomes tighter with every word.
"I love you," he whispers. I only nod because I can't speak. As Jeff finishes his testimony and leaves the stand, the look on his face is arrogant. Closing my eyes, I swallow hard hoping the jury will see through his bullshit. A look in his direction reveals he is staring at us. Before I can turn away I see him swipe his finger across his throat and points at me. The nausea is now almost overpowering so I lean forward and rest my head in my hands. "I saw that," Brandon hisses under his breath, "and I'm pretty sure everyone else did too." I can only nod due to the emotions running through me, rendering me unable to speak.
Recess is called and we step outside to wait for the verdict. The next couple of hours begin to wear on me. As I pace the floor, one of the other girls comes up to me, stopping my incessant fidgeting and pulls me into an embrace. "I'm so sorry for all he did to you. He tried to pull some shit with me but I was fortunate that my roommate got off work early," she whispers into my ear. Her tear soaked cheek finding mine brings me an odd sense of peace.
I nod.
~~~~
"Has the jury had enough time to deliberate?"
"Yes, your honor."
"And what is the verdict?"
"For actions of domestic violence and child endangerment, we find the defendant guilty." I feel Brandon's hand tighten around my own in triumph.
"For both emotional and physical harassment, we find the defendant guilty."
"For attempted murder, we find the defendant..." I began to shake, happiness building inside of me. Since he’s been found guilty of the previous two charges, then he would get what was coming to him with this final charge, right?
"Guilty."
My breath stops in my throat, and everything goes black.
Epilogue
Brandon
I smile as I kneel down to kiss the swollen belly of the woman standing before me. Her ivory skin glistens in the summer heat and her dark hair blows with the warm breeze. The long white dress that she wears accentuates every curve. The wedding was supposed to be next year, but in light of the impending birth of our son, Caleb Hank Whitaker, we figured what better time than now to get married.
"Daddy?"
I look down at Maddy’s smiling face beside me. I ruffle her hair and lean down, kissing her forehead.
"Ewwww...you're supposed to kiss mommy not me. Yuck! And don't touch my hair. You're gonna mess it all up!"
Jasmine covers her face to hide her smile and I just laugh. Like mother, like daughter.
"Very well then. I'll kiss mommy instead. Today and forever."
"I love you, Mrs. Whitaker," I say kissing her lightly.
"I love you, Mr. Whitaker,” she replies with a laugh.
Jasmine
The wedding was absolutely beautiful. Despite my life being a series of mishaps and bad luck, I finally found the one who completes me. Brandon has been nothing short of a miracle, and every obstacle that has been placed in front of us, we have conquered, together. For the first time in my life, I have the family I’ve always wanted and I now believe in a happily ever after.
A note from the Author:
Domestic violence can happen to anyone of any race, age, sexual orientation, religion or gender. Abuse is about power and control. While I have not been involved in an abusive relationship I have other family members and friends who have. If you or someone you know are in this type of situation I implore you to seek help. It doesn't have to be this way.
National Domestic Violence Hotline: 1 (800)799-7233
Safe Horizon: 1 (800)621-HOPE
www.ncadv.org
www.thehotline.org
www.safehorizon.org
www.feminist.org
www.helpguide.org
What Does an Abusive Relationship Look Like?
Does your partner ever:
Embarrass you with put-downs?
Control what you do, who you see or talk to or where you go?
Look at you or act in ways that scare you?
Push you, slap you, choke you or hit you?
Stop you from seeing your friends or family members?
Control the money in the relationship?
Statistics courtesy of:
http://www.thehotline.org/resources/statistics/
On average, 24 people per minute are victims of rape, physical violence or stalking by an intimate partner in the United States — more than 12 million women and men over the course of a year.
Nearly 3 in 10 women (29%) and 1 in 10 men (10%) in the US have experienced rape, physical violence and/or stalking by a partner and report a related impact on their functioning.
Nearly, 15% of women (14.8%) and 4% of men have been injured as a result of IPV that included rape, physical violence and/or stalking by an intimate partner in their lifetime.
1 in 4 women (24.3%) and 1 in 7 men (13.8%) aged 18 and older in the United States have been the victim of severe physical violence by an intimate partner in their lifetime.
IPV alone affects more than 12 million people each year.[v]More than 1 in 3 women (35.6%) and more than 1 in 4 men (28.5%) in the United States have experienced rape, physical violence and/or stalking by an intimate partner in their lifetime.[vi]Nearly half of all women and men in the United States have experienced psychological aggression by an intimate partner in their lifetime (48.4% and 48.8%, respectively).
Females ages 18 to 24 and 25 to 34 generally experienced the highest rates of intimate partner violence.
From 1994 to 2010, about 4 in 5 victims of intimate partner violence were female.
Most female victims of intimate partner violence were previously victimized by the same offender, including 77% of females ages 18 to 24, 76% of females ages 25 to 34, and 81% of females ages 35 to 49.
Acknowledgments
Thank you, Tonya Ridener and Ellie Hart for your input! I am truly grateful for your friendship and advice. I certainly can't forget my family. You dealt with my ups and downs and craziness. I'm so grateful for the opportunity to share this with you all.
It's always been a dream of mine!
Very special thanks to Michael White for your input in all things military and for putting up with my incessant and annoying questions.
To Angel, Stephanie, Janet, Jules, Jenna, Shea, Harper, Monique, Desiree, Emily, Amanda, Kristyn, Penny, Tonya, Rochelle, Holly, Debbie M., Debbie B., Echo, and Bebe, Thank you for your never-ending support and encouragement. I love you guys!
Thank you to my coworkers who don't think I'm crazy for carrying on conversations with fictional characters.
(If I have forgotten anyone I apologize, it has been quite a wild ride.)
Thank you so much to my beta readers, the bloggers, and the readers who took a chance on me.
About the Author:
Sabrina Archer grew up in a small town in northwest Florida where she still resides. She is the 37-year-old mother of three lovely children and two crazy pups. She has always been an avid reader and wanted to write. Sabrina finally took that chance and is so very excited to share her imagination with you all.