Nightmares by Pari

[Reviews - 18] Printer

- Text Size +

She felt closed in even though she sat in a very large room. However, the room was filled with people, whom she felt were staring right at her. Her heart beat pounded in her ears, so loud it blocked out the voices around her. Her hands felt clamy so she kept rubbing them against her legs. She thought that her lungs were closing down on her, because with each breath she was finding it more difficult to breath. She nearly jumped out of her skin when she felt a hand touch her arm.

“Whoa, mama are you ok?” She looked at the man seated beside her with wide fright filled eyes. “Ok why don’t we step out and get some air,” He whispered. She could only nod as she allowed him to help her up and lead her our the door. When they left the room and got into the corridor, she instantly crumbled against the wall. She faced the wall and pressed her forehead against it. Her shoulders heaved up and down at a fast pace. “Come on baby girl calm down.” Morgan spoke softly as he stood at her side, not touching her. She did calm down at hearing his voice. She turned to face him, her tears streaming down her face causing her makeup to run a bit.

“I don’t think I can do this,” She siad in a near whisper. His heart ached at seeing how broken she was. “I have to testify next. Up there in front of everyone. Tell them in detail everything Kevin did to me. I don’t want everyone to know, and then start trating me like I’m damaged.”

“No one’s gonna treat you differently. At least no one who knows you and loves you.:” Morgan stated.

“You do!” She spat out and instantly regretted how angry her words sounded, but she continued on. “Ever since you found out you treat me like some fine china you’re too afraid of touching. I mean you haven’t even tried to ‘touch’ me since the last time we made lov…” She stalled her words as a thought occurred to her. “Maybe I’m just being presumtious. Maybe our time together made you realize you don’t me, maybe you didn’t like it.” Morgan gently grasped her shoulders. “Was I bad?” She asked self-consciously and he leaned down a bit so he could look her directly in the eyes.

“Stop it. Our night together was incredible. I don’t regret a second of it, in fact I’ve spent every night since thinking about it, and thinking about you. About touching you and making love to you again. It’s just that…after what happened. I didn’t think you’d want to…that you weren’t ready for ‘that’ yet.” He said and she smiled as fresh tears slid from her eyes.

“Oh Angel, Kevin hurt me and I’m dealing with that. I’ve been going to meetings ever since it happened. Talking with other survivors has really helped me get through this. Yeah sometimes I have nightmares about it, but not since I’ve been back. Not with you holding me in your arms every night. When I look at you I see you, not him. I’m not afraid to be with you. I want to be with you, I’ll probably always want you.” She ducked her head a bit but he reached out and grasped her chin, lifting her face back to eye level.

“Then you’ll always have me beause I’m not going anywhere.” He stated and then leaned in to do something he had been wanting to do for weeks, but had relucted to do because he didn’t want to rush her into something he had assumed she wasn’t ready for. He captured her lips in a sweet yet sensual kiss.

“Uhm…Ms. Garcia, they’re ready for you.” The bailiff spoke from the doorway. Her eyes once again filled with fright.

“Hey, you don’t have to be scared, I’m right in there with you. If you get scared just look at me ok.” She only nodded her head as they made their way back into the courtroom.

The prosecution had began with what Garcia thought were simple question, ones she didn’t mind answering, but after about 15 minutes into things she was asked to tell the court what had happened on the night of June 10th. She had being terrified but she locked her eyes onto Morgan’s and she was able to tell her story. When she was finished Morgan threw her a supportive smile. Then the prosecution had rested their case and the defense began theirs.

“Ms Garcia,” The female defense attorney, Eve Williamson, who didn’t look much order than Garcia stood and walked closer to the witness booth. “You and my client were dating?”

“Yes.”

“You were boyfriend and girlfriend?”

“Yes.”

“So, when did you two break up?”

“I’m sorry I don’t under…” Garcia was a bit confused by the question, Morgan had told her that the defense would try to trick her, use her words against her. So she wanted to word things carefully so they wouldn’t ‘trap’ her.

“It’s really not a difficult question Ms. Garcia. You say you and my client were a couple, were you a couple on June 10th?”

“Uhmm…Yes but…”

“A simple yes or no will suffice Ms. Garcia. So as of June 10th on the day of this supposed ‘rape’, you and my client were still a couple.”

“Yes, sort of.” Garcia answered honestly and her heart sank a bit because the looks the jury was now giving her weren’t looks of sympathy as they had been just a few moments before hand.

“Sort of, why sort of. Usually you’re either in a relationship with someone or you’re not.”

“We were but something happened and I wasn’t sure where we stood.”

“Something happened, what happened exactly, Ms. Garcia?” Garcia’s throat was suddenly dry. Her hands became clammy so again she began to rub them nervously against her legs. She looked to Morgan but only got sympathetic eyes staring back at her. “Ms. Garcia I asked you what happened that would make you unsure of your relationship with my client?”

“We’d had a fight,” Garcia answered in a lower tone.

“You had a fight, about what?” Garcia looked up at the woman before her with almost pleading eyes, but all she saw was a gloat on the woman’s face.

“Kevin and I had a misunderstanding…”

“Right, the truth is Ms. Garcia my client, who was as you say your boyfriend at the time, walked in on you with another man. Isn’t that correct?”

“No, it wasn’t like that…”

“So you didn’t sleep with another man while you were with my client? And let me be crystal clear when I say sleep with I mean had sex with.”

“Yes,” She replied in a meek voice as fresh tears flooded her eyes.

“My client walked in and discovered you and this ‘other’ man, correct?”

“Yes,”

“Was he upset?”

“Yes.”

“So this is what you meant when you said you were ‘unsure’ if you were still a couple. The fact is you got caught cheating and my client was upset, and my client dumped you.”

“It didn’t happen quiet like that.” Garcia went on the defensive. “Kevin wasn’t mean or angry. He ended thing friendly.” Morgan could only close his eyes and silently curse, he knew she was only being honest, but he also knew how her words would make things seem, how the defense would use it.

“Really, so he dumped you but in a nice way. So why in the world would he attack you like you say, later the same day.”

“I don’t know, he came by to return my keys and we were talking, and then he kind of lost it.”

“The truth is Ms. Garcia you asked my client to come by, under the guise that you wanted him to return your keys. But what you really wanted was to seduce him back.”

“No, that’s not true.”

“You invited my client to your home and to your bed.”

“No, I didn’t. I didn’t ask him to come by and I certainly didn’t ask him to rape me!” Garcia spoke in a raised voice. Morgan leaned in towards the prosecution’s table.

“Aren’t you guys gonna object to any of this shit?” Morgan asked.

“There’s nothing to object Mr. Morgan. She opened this door by suggesting the guy was ‘nice’. You both knew that the defense were going to tear into her like this.”

“I know but look at her, she’s about to lose it up there.” Morgan said as he looked at Garcia who was sobbing on the witness stand.

“Ms. Garcia, why did it take you so long to report this alleged rape?” The defense continued to question as she moved back to her table and yanked up a few tissues from the box that sat there. She then moved back to Garcia and held them out to her uncaringly. Garcia took them and quietly thanked the woman who was currently torturing her. “Three weeks pasted before you decided to make your report, why?”

“I don’t know, I guess at first I just wanted to forget it, and I kind of felt like I deserved what happened because I cheated on him.” At hearing these words Morgan had to fight the urge to run up there to her and wrap her in his arms to protect her from everyone and everything.

“Right, it had nothing to do with the fact that you discovered you were pregnant?” The defense asked as she picked up a folder and began reading it, while she awaited Garcia’s answer. Garcia felt as if the wind had been knocked out of her.

“Objection! How would the defense have knowledge of a pregnancy? You have heard of doctor, client privilege, right?”

“Yes, and I’m sure the prosecution knows that I can subpoena medical records if it’s relevant to the case, and it is.”

“I’ll allow it.” The Judge said and then turned to Garcia. “Ms. Garcia, please answer the question.” Garcia sat still, too stunned and scared to answer. She was too afraid to look at Morgan whose shocked eyes were boring into her.

“Allow me to rephrase. Ms. Garcia after this alleged rape you discovered you were pregnant, correct.” Garcia could only nod her head in reply.

“Ms. Garcia, you will have to speak your answers to the court please.” The judge instructed.

“Yes,”

“That’s interesting, so why didn’t you come forth when you learned you were pregnant. I mean that would have been the perfect evidence to your case, since there was none found at your apartment, which is where you say this attack took place.”

“I don’t know.” Garcia answered in a deflated tone. She suddenly didn’t care anymore she was sure she had lost her case now that her pregnancy had come to light, and she feared that she would lose Morgan due to it well.

“Let me tell you what I think happened. I think you slept with my client and this other man, got pregnant and panicked because you didn’t know who the daddy was.”

“No, that’s not…”

“By the way are you still with this other man?” The defense asked cutting her off.

“Yes,” Again Garcia answered, though she wasn’t sure at that moment how true that answer was.

“Let’s be honest here Ms. Garcia. You slept with two men around the same time. You strung them both along until you finally got the one you wanted, which wasn’t my client, but Mr. Derek Morgan one of your co-workers. I don’t blame you, I mean look at him,” She then wave to Morgan who sat seething. All eyes followed her hand and looked to the handsome young black man seated behind the defense. “Problem was you got knocked up and you didn’t know who the daddy was, so to save face with your new man and explain away the abortion you got, you cried rape. Isn’t that right?”

“No, Kevin raped me. You raped me.” She directed her words directly to him and he stared back at her with a look of panic and regret. “Yes I got pregnant and no I didn’t know who the father was, so I got an abortion. Not because I was trying to cover up anything, but because I didn’t want to have ‘his’ child growing inside of me. I was afraid that if it were his I would hate it as much as I hate him. I couldn’t risk it, I couldn’t. I’m sorry, I’m so sorry.” Garcia cried out her last words while looking directly at Morgan, and then she crumbled into sobs.

“Stop.” Kevin spoke out but his words didn’t seem to register so he stood. “Stop! Leave her alone.” He said and all eyes looked to him.

“Ms. Williamson, please inform your client that outburst are not tolerated in my courtroom.”

“I did it. I raped her.” Kevin continued cutting off his attorney’s words and gasps filled the room, and Garcia looked at him in disbelief. “I thought…I just wanted to make you love me. I wanted you to see how much I loved you. I thought that eventually you’d stop crying and you’d stop fighting me and enjoy it.” He spoke and tears fell from his eyes. “But you didn’t. God Penelope, I’m so sorry. I’m sorry for everything.” He then sat back down and stared at the tabletop.

“Mr. Lynch you do understand that by confessing in open court you run the risk of not having your ‘fair’ trail with a jury of your peers.”

“Yes your honor, I don’t need a trial you can go ahead and sentence me.”

“Well, that doesn’t happen everyday.” The Judge stated looking as dumbfounded as everyone else in the courtroom. “Due to the new circumstances, I don’t think we need to waste anymore of the Taxpayers money nor the Juror’s time. Court’s adjourned until tomorrow when I will pass a sentence. The court would like to thank the jury for their time, and dismiss them.” With that he tapped his gavel and then stood to leave. Garcia sat staring at what seemed to be commotion occurring around her. She watched as Kevin got escorted from the room and the jurors filed out, and the pews emptied out its spectators.

“Hey,” A voice called out to her and she turned to stare into kind brown eyes. “Let’s get you home.” Morgan said as he stood beside the witness stand. Garcia couldn’t move it felt as if her legs wouldn’t work.

“I’m sorry. I should have told you.” She said softly as more tears slid down her face. Morgan reached out and wiped them from her cheek.

“I’m not judging what you did baby girl. You did what you thought was best for you and under the circumstances I can respect that. But…” She held her breath as she awaited what else he had to say. “If the circumstances were different, if you knew for sure that it was my baby would you have still gotten an abortion?”

“I honestly don’t know. I mean you made it clear that you didn’t think you would be a good father. I just assumed you didn’t ever want kids.”

“Yeah well it’s easy to say things when you think there’s not a chance of it happening. But just so you know if you got pregnant with my baby, I’d feel blessed, not burdened.” His word brought a wide smile to Garcia’s face. “Now, let’s go home.”

“Ok,” She said as she stood and they left the courtroom.

You must login (register) to review.

Nightmares by Pari

Site Info

Skins

Shoutbox