Something Great

73

Cassidy’s POV

(This gets confusing, but Mr. McCall is their attorney, Ms. Lehman is her father’s psychologist, and Mr. Kilgore is her father)

From the outside he looked like a different man. A changed man, perhaps. He’d shaven and combed his hair over the balding spot on the back of his head. His suit was a little large, he’d lost some weight in jail. But I could still see the darkness in his eyes. The smirk he threw me before anyone could catch him looking at me.

I stopped dead in my tracks, dropping my hand from Liam’s. Liam turned around and looked at me, confused. I shook my head and bit my lip. Liam’s eyes wandered to him and his face showed understanding.

“I can’t do it,” I whispered, stepping backward.

“Yes, you can. I know you, Cass. I know you are capable of doing anything. I know how strong you are, now you to show him how brave you are. You aren’t scared of him any longer.” Liam stares me directly in the eye and I believe him. I believe that I can do this, and I will. 

I direct my gaze towards the table where the boys are already sitting and scoot in between Harry and Zayn, making myself face forward. I don’t let my eyes travel to him. The clock ticks as the judge swears everyone under oath, including my father. He doesn’t have an honest bone in his body, this must be a joke. He’d never tell the truth.

The judge is a middle aged lady with short spiked brown hair and red lipstick. A set of black reading glasses rest on the tip of her nose as she reviews some documents. A bunch of legal words swirl around the room, and I’m easily lost in the conversation. I look from one side of the court room to other, as each attorney speaks. Zayn’s arm is slung across my shoulders and Harry’s hand holds mine. He brushes his thumb of my knuckles, furrowing his brow in concentration.

All the sudden the conversation escalates and my father stands up. “Can’t you see I’m healed? I was grieving over the loss of my wife and son, but now I’ve found closure. I just want my little pumpkin back.” He cries with fake hurt. At the name ‘pumpkin’ I flinch. When I was a toddler he would call me that. And then sometimes when he was drunk. He had no right to call me anything but Cassidy.

“No, he just wants his punching bag back, Your Honor!” Mr.McCall verges on shouting.

“Order in the court!” She demands and everybody takes there seat once again. It’s a psychologist’s turn from the jail to speak. Apparently she was his mandatory counselor.

“Mr. Kilgore (sorry I forgot Cassidy’s old last name if there was one) has been a patient of mine for the entirety of his stay at London Correctional Institution. Over the past four years he’s displayed exceptional growth and I believe is ready to take the custody of his daughter back.” She proclaims, and my father’s attorney steps out onto the platform to question her.

“You don’t think my client would cause any further harm to Cassidy?”

Her eyes flick over to me then back to my father. “No, she is safe with him. Like Mr. Kilgore stated earlier, he is ready for Cassidy to be back in his life.” But I’m not ready to be back in his- I never will be.

“That will be all.” Father’s attorney went back to his seat and Mr. McCall stood up and walked over to her.

“With all due respect Ms. Lehman, what makes you think Mr. Kilgore won’t hurt his daughter again? He’s already done it before, how can you be so sure he won’t try again?”

“He’s dealt with the grief that came along with two deaths in the family. And Mr. Kilgore does recognize his actions were wrong.” Ms. Lehman explained.