Better Than Yesterday

Thirty-Five

30 Weeks

"You've really sat through how many of these?" Calum leans over to whisper in Skye's ear as the judge drawls on about the case again.

"Too many." She signs, "Actually only like three, but today is when they might actually call me to the stand. And I am nervous to be asked anything about my dad or Jordan." She sighs, laying over against his shoulder softly.

"You've got this, baby." He whispers encouragingly, pressing a soft kiss to the top of her head.

"I'm just glad you got to come with this time. I can make sure you don't run off to get shit face with Mitchy again this way."

"Hey, I thought we had got past that, I thought you had forgiven me." He frowns.

"I have, but that doesn't mean I'm not going to make you remember it for far longer than you would like." She smirks subtly up at him. Calum scoffs, chuckling softly as he rolls her eyes at her before they both turn back towards the front of the courtroom.

Skye is shaken from her slight daze as her name is called by the state lawyer asking her to take the stand. Swallowing hard, and with an encouraging squeeze of the hand from Calum she carefully steps out of the pew and makes her way forward. Swearing on the bible to tell the truth before she is greeted by Jordan's dark eyes caught up on her, the first time she has really made eye contact with him since before she turned him in.

"Mrs. Hood, thank you for coming out today, we know it isn't the easiest or most comfortable for you to travel while in your third trimester, but we are grateful to have your involvement today." Skye doesn't respond verbally, nodding slightly to indicate she heard him though. How could she say 'happy to be here', 'glad to help', or any other sentiment that would indicate she has found any joy in helping incarcerate her oldest friend and someone she still loves.

"Now, Mrs. Hood. Last summer some footage came out of a known member of a drug train that spanned from Northern Mexico, through San Diego, California and up to our own city of Las Vegas. This footage was discovered by your now husband when he was charged by Joseph Daniels for a physical altercation. You saw the footage and quickly and confidently identified an associate of Mr. Daniels that we had not identified yet. Is that person in this room?"

"Yes." Skye answers confidently but also with an air of pain as her eyes stay locked with Jordan's, trying to pick up his emotions, to see if there is anything close to remorse left in them.

"Is the person you identified the defendant sitting here, Mr. Jordan Osborne?" he motions to Jordan.

"Yes." Skye repeats herself.

"Can you please share with the court how you know Mr. Osborne."

"Jordan and I, we are cousins. He was adopted by my mother's brother and his wife when he was about a year and a half old. We are the same age, and grew up together. We were practically joined at the hip for almost two decades, the closest of friends."

"Due to your lifetime of friendship and close family relations to Mr. Osborne can you confirm with 100% certainty that the man in these photos, is in fact Mr. Osborne." He holds up the photos from the case file.

"Yes. I am 100% certain that it is him." she nods.

"Thank you."

The questions continue even more painfully for nearly ten minutes, but it feels like a whole lot longer to Skye before she is released to her seat again. Calum immediately pulling her under his arm kissing her head softly, "I am so proud of you, Skye, I know that wasn't easy for you."

"His eyes, they weren't him..." She mumbles, "My Jordan, I think he's gone. Whatever version of him he has let take control has destroyed the version of him I knew and loved."