“No.”
“Why not?”
“How am I supposed to know? I wasn’t privy to their decision making.”
He ignores my comment. “Did she witness any of the alleged abuse?”
“I don’t know. I was too busy being beaten,” I say, lacing my words with disdain. “And it’s not something that was discussed openly in the house.”
“That’s all I have for now,” he says, returning to his seat next to my father.
The judge peers down from his perch. “You are excused, Miss Parker.
I rise with all the grace I can muster and make a beeline for the door. I can’t sit in there after that. It’s stifling. Jason follows me as I pass the bench where his parents, Arissa, Damian, and Hunter sit. Rose passes me on her way to the stand, concern marking her face, but I continue on.
Jason engulfs me in his arms in the hallway. I grab his button down shirt in my fists as I scream into his shoulder.
I hate Father.
I hate Gary.
His hands run up my back and into my hair, crushing me into his chest. My anxiety releases through a flurry of tears and my energy rushes out of me like a wave charging the shoreline. My knees buckle and Jason sits on his haunches, rocking me back and forth.
He kisses me and rests his head on mine. “You did it,” he murmurs.
Andrew kneels next to us and strokes my shoulders. “I’m so proud of you, Sara.”
The three of us remain on the floor until the doors open and a surge of chattering people spills into the hallway. Jason wipes my face dry and I release his shirt, attempting to smooth it out.
“Sweetie,” Rose says.
I glance at her with bleary eyes.
“They’re taking a lunch break. Andrew and I have to stay in case they call us after lunch. Do you want to stay?”
I shake my head.
“I’ll take her home, Rose,” Jason says.
“What about your parents?” I ask.
“We’ll take them home,” Rose answers. “I want you to take care of yourself.” She hands me a tissue.
Jason pulls his toes under him, then stands, bringing me up with him. He keeps an arm around me as we leave.
My father stands with Gary in front of the bank of elevators. I stop in my tracks as Father’s gaze locks on mine. I slip my arm around Jason. “Let’s take the stairs,” I mutter, not breaking eye contact with Father.
I wake with a start, clutching Jason’s shirt. He caresses my shoulder, talking in hushed tones with his arms wrapped around me.
My eyes open to Andrew sitting in the overstuffed chair with a beer in his hand. I prop myself up and look at Jason. “I slept all afternoon?”
“Yeah.”
“Wow,” I say, rubbing my face. I focus on Andrew. “Did it go okay?”
“It was more of the same. Len was good about getting the facts from us and Gary tried to tear it apart.”
I rest against Jason again. “I know he’s just doing his job, but he was an ass.”
Jason and Andrew break into hearty belly laughs.
“I don’t know if I can go back and watch.”
“You don’t have to. And you certainly don’t have to decide tonight,” Andrew says. “I’m going to see if Rose needs help with dinner. It’ll be just us. Damian and Arissa are having dinner with his parents tonight,”
“Okay. Holler if you two need help,” I offer.
“Sure thing, sweetheart.” He steps over and kisses my head, then tousles my hair.
I place my hand over Jason’s heart, steadily thump-thumping. I sit up, hand still on his chest. “You must need to get up and walk around.”
“Probably, but I liked holding you while you slept. It made me feel better.”
“I saw your reaction while I was on the stand. I haven’t seen you like that since the first party we went to at Damian’s.”
He sets his mouth in a straight line. “I didn’t like how he was twisting everything. Most of all, I didn’t like that I was right there and couldn’t do anything for you while you were up there.”
I stroke his face with my palm. “You don’t have to worry about me so much. I told you that before.”
“I just want your pain to end.” He brings my hand to his lips.
“J, I’m going to live with it the rest of my life. It may not be quite as agonizing in the future, but it will still be there.”
The corners of his mouth drop down and his forehead wrinkles.
“It’s okay, you know,” I add. “If I hadn’t been through all of that, I couldn’t appreciate you as much as I do.”
CHAPTER FIFTY-ONE
The verdict is in.
It’s my first time back in the courtroom in two weeks. I had no desire watch the rest of the trial.
Deliberation took two hours.
The judge hands the written verdict back to the tall blond bailiff, who then hands it to the jury foreman. “Please read us the verdict.”
The foreman’s ginger hair is slick from too much hair product. He clears his throat and reads the paper in his hand. “In the State versus Simon Parker, we the jury find the defendant guilty...” His voice is lost in the haze as he lists the counts and charges.
Relief floods my body and soothes the tension in my muscles. I cover my face with my hands as I hunch over, letting the tears fall freely and quietly. The judge orders, “Take the defendant into custody.” I bring my head up, watching as the metal cuffs grind and snap into place around his wrists. He does not look in my direction once.
Jason and Rose hug me and hands rub my back and arms from all directions. Len spins around and steps up to the wood barrier separating the main courtroom from the spectator benches.
I wrench myself away and throw my arms around Len. “Thank you. Thank you. Thank you.”
His arms circle around me. “It was my pleasure, Sara.” His eyes gleam as he lets go. “With all the medical records we gathered and my medical expert, I knew I had enough to convict. Your testimony helped immensely, showing the jury that your father was guilty beyond a reasonable doubt.” He grasps my shoulder. “I’ll be in contact about your mother’s trial.”
Andrew and Rose take turns shaking his hand before he leaves the courtroom.
“I think we need to celebrate,” Andrew says.
“Yes!” Damian exclaims.
“Definitely,” Arissa agrees.
Jason tips his head down to Mike. “Do you feel up to it, Dad?”
“Hell yes, I do,” he answers, his eyes gleaming. “I don’t think I’ve felt this good in a long time.”
Jason pushes Mike’s wheelchair while Damian calls his parents to join us.
“Sweetie,” Rose says, handing her phone to me, “call Hunter and ask if he wants to come.”
“Are you sure?”
“He’s your friend and he’s been supporting you. I think he deserves a seat at the celebration.”
I smile at her. “Thanks, Rose.” I call Hunter and he agrees to meet us at the restaurant.
An hour later, we’re gathered around three tables the restaurant pushed together for us. We spend dinner regaling each other with jokes and stories, the trial forgotten for the moment. At the end, Andrew, Felix, and Mike argue over the check. Felix wins by snatching it from Andrew and rushing off to find our server.
Jason rests his arm over the back of my chair and leans in. “Do you want to do something when we leave?” he whispers. I nod and the corners of his mouth turn up.
“Rose, would it be okay if I take Sara out after I drop my parents off?” Jason asks, smiling at her.
“Home by midnight, young man,” she answers, stern but returning his smile.
“Midnight it is.” He stands and pulls my chair back. “Let’s go for ice cream.”
Hunter gets up and hugs me, whispering in my ear, “I’m happy for you, Sara.”
“Thanks for being here,” I say in low voice. “It’ll always mean a lot that you chose to be my friend. I’ll never forget
it.” It’s the fundamental difference between my friends. He faced adversity with his own friends, knowing what I was up against, while Arissa, Jason, and Damian didn’t.
Jason and I sit on the concrete planter outside the ice cream shop.
“We need more you and me time,” he says between licks of his chocolate ice cream.
“We see each other every day, J,” I remind him. The mint chocolate chip is cool on my tongue.
“Most of the time we’re with Arissa and Damian. Or my parents. Or the Jerichos.”
“You and me time,” I say mulling it over. He’s right, this is one of the rare times we’re alone.
“Maybe before the cookout on Saturday we could go out and bowl or something, instead of hanging out at my house." He stops eating and covers my knee with the gentleness I’ve grown accustomed to. “How are you doing? No one’s asked you since the verdict and you’ve been pretty quiet.”
“I’m always quiet,” I remind him.
“More than usual.”
I drag the coarse paper napkin across my mouth, weighing my feelings as I do so. “I’m relieved. He was the one who did the most damage. No matter what happens with Mother’s trial, I’m glad he’s going to prison.”
“Me too.” He touches his ice cream to my nose.
“Jason!” I raise my hand with the napkin and he catches it.
His eyes glimmer in the twilight and his half-cocked grin appears for a second. He swoops in and licks the ice cream off in slow motion. I inhale a sharp breath from the combination of cold ice cream and his hot tongue. He takes the opening, his mouth covering mine. His sweet, chocolate-coated tongue brushes the roof of my mouth, sending off sparks in my throat. I gasp and he captures my bottom lip, sucking on it. The sparks travel through me as I groan.
What’s going on with my body?
CHAPTER FIFTY-TWO
I sit outside another courtroom with Jason, Andrew, and Rose. Again. Everyone else is inside for opening arguments. Again. Jason’s arm is around my shoulders and I lean into him with my eyes closed, taking in deep breaths, then expelling them slowly. Andrew and Rose speak in hushed tones next to me.
I can do this.
Jason follows me in when I’m called in. I take my seat on the stand, sitting up straighter and with more confidence than I had at Father’s trial. Len asks questions tailored to Mother’s indifference to the abuse, her part in keeping me isolated from others, her refusing medical care at times, and her knowledge of Father raping me.
Len stands in front of me, casual and relaxed, like we’re old friends. “What happened the night you broke your elbow?”
I give details of the fight between my parents, the mess they made, how my elbow fractured as Father forced me to clean up the mess, and how Mother refused to take me to the emergency room.
After what feels like an hour, Len asks, “Sara, how do you know the defendant knew your father was raping you?”
I like that Len uses that ugly word, instead of sugar coating it. Paint it for what it really is. “They were fighting one day and I overheard her yelling at him about it.”
“Lies!” Mother smacks the table with her palm while jumping out of her chair.
“Mrs. Parker, sit down,” the judge orders.
She reluctantly takes her seat and glares at me, daggers poised to throw in her eyes.
It’s a role reversal. At his trial, my father was quiet and in control of the temper he never controlled before. Maybe he knew that even if the facade was broken, he still needed to maintain a cool head.
Now, Mother’s outburst belies the poise she normally uses in public.
Does she have anything left to lose? Maybe this is the one thing outside of our DNA giving us the same hair and eyes that we’ll always have in common. We both know what it’s like to have nothing left to lose.
I want her to lose it all.
“She also knew I was probably pregnant when I told her I had been vomiting for a week. She took me to a gynecologist instead of my pediatrician. She scheduled the abortion at the end of the appointment and told me to tell no one on the way to school. She also had me take the birth control pills Dr. Black prescribed. It was the only time she didn’t scream and yell at me.”
“Did the defendant force you to have the abortion?”
“It was my choice and she was relieved when I voiced my decision.”
He continues questioning me for what feels like another hour. Then, he dips his head once in the direction of the defendant’s table and returns to his seat.
Mother’s lawyer stands, Edgar Thomas. He’s a carbon copy of Father’s lawyer. But his cross-examination is mild in comparison to Gary.
The judge calls for a lunch recess as soon as I’m excused from the stand. I file out of the courtroom with everyone and step away for a drink of water from the fountain down the hall. The cold water passes through my lips, refreshing me.
A hand grabs my arm and spins me around violently. Mother stares me down with a look of malice. “I never loved you. They placed you in my arms after you were born and I felt nothing. Nothing, Sara.”
No surprise there.
“They forced me to hold you before we went home. I hated every goddamned second of it.”
“Why me? Why not Victoria?” I have to know since she’s telling me this.
“She was different. I knew she would grow up to be just like me as soon as I saw her face.”
Sick, twisted, narcissistic. “Maybe you’re the one who needs therapy. Maybe there’s something wrong with you, but no one wanted to tell you because they knew you’d blow up.”
Out of nowhere, the palm of her hand connects with my cheek. I cover the sting with my hand, rooted in place and staring at her, vaguely aware of camera flashes going off around me.
“You filthy, lying bitch!” She raises her hand to slap me again, but a sheriffs grabs it and wrenches it behind her back into a waiting handcuff.
Everyone gawks as Jason runs to my side, trying to lead me away from her.
“You’re going to regret this, you whore!” she screams as the sheriff pulls her away. She fights against him, trying to close in on me. “You wait, Sara. Even if I do go to prison, they can’t keep me there forever. I will find you and make you pay!”
Another sheriff rushes in to help. They hook their arms through hers and drag her away, her shoes falling off in the struggle. My gaze is glued to her fading down the hallway, but her words echo loud in my head.
I will find you and make you pay!
Jason shakes me and I finally hear him calling my name. “Parker! Parker!” He grabs my face and turns it to him. Concern wrinkles his eyes.
The shock hits in a violent wave, my body trembling uncontrollably as tears gush.
His arms close around me. “It’s okay, Parker. She can’t hurt you. She can’t hurt you,” he repeats like a mantra.
I choke back the sobs. “You don’t understand. She always treated me with indifference or contempt.” I sniff. “She’s always composed in front of others. She wouldn’t lose it in public if she didn’t mean it.”
Another hand slides across my back and Len moves into my view. Jason lets go, but keeps one arm around my waist.
“I’m sorry, Sara. They have her in holding right now. The judge will decide how to proceed when we reconvene after lunch.”
I nod my understanding, wiping the tears away with my hand.
“We’ll be delayed while he makes his decision. I’ll be meeting with him and Edgar in his chambers first, then he’ll want to instruct the jury before he allows everyone in the room.”
“Thanks, Len.”
“You’re welcome.” He nods once. “I’ll see you soon.”
Everyone swarms in as Len saunters down the hall. They ply me with repeated questions of, “Are you okay?” “Do we need to go home?” “What do you want us to do?” It overloads my brain and I can’t think straight. I’m about to scream when Damian says the first words not formed into a question directed at
me.
“That was intense.”
“You think?” The question comes out as I glare at him.
Hunter slips his hand into my free hand, squeezes, then lets go.
Arissa slaps Damian’s arm. He holds his hands up. “Sorry, I only meant to lighten things up.”
“I know. I’m sorry too.” I wrap my arms around him. “The rapid fire questions were inundating. I didn’t mean to take it out on you.” I step back next to Jason. “Can we just go get something to eat, please? I need to get out of here.”
An hour later, we wait on the benches outside the courtroom. An hour passes by before Len appears. He scans the hall and joins me in several long strides.
“The judge is adding physical abuse charges. He’s holding her without bail for the duration of the trial. Also, he decided to recess until tomorrow since it’s late and your mother is still screaming in holding. This means I’m going to have to recall you to the stand tomorrow.”
“Okay.”
“No matter what happens, you’ve already won.” His smile is infectious. “By the way, I was assigned Manny Valdez’s case. Would you be willing to testify in his trial?”
“Yes,” I reply.
“You’re sure?”
“If I hadn’t fought back, he would’ve raped me. He needs to be in prison where he can’t hurt women.”
He pats my arm as he leaves.
I tell Jason I’m going home with the Jerichos and apprehension overtakes him, despite my assurances.
We reach the parking garage and he places his hands under my jaw before parting ways. His eyes burn with intensity. “I love you, Parker,” he murmurs.
I rest my hands on his forearms. “I love you too. I’ll be okay. Honest. Spend time with your dad.”
He kisses me softly, then draws me into a brief embrace.
Rose pours everyone a glass of lemonade as we gather around the kitchen island. “Can we ask you something, Sara?” she asks, sliding a glass to me.
“Yeah.”
“What do you think about us adopting you?”
My gaze flickers between Rose, Andrew, and Arissa, all grinning from ear to ear. A lump of emotion lodges in my throat.
Family Ties Page 20