Custody Granted (Scömìche)

Fourteen

"Cover yourself up please," he said. I nodded and put the jacket on, then sat back down next to Kirstie. 

"Are there any more witnesses?" The judge asked. No one said a word. "If there are no more witnesses, then I will allow for your closing statements. Mr. Grissom, you may go first," 

Mr. Grissom stood up from his chair and faced the judge. I braced myself for whatever sly trick he was about to pull over on everyone. Then he opened his mouth and said...

"We have no closing statement Your Honor," then he sat back down. I watched as my father aggressively whispered something in his ear, causing his legs to shake nervously underneath the table. 

"Well then, do you have a closing statement Mr. Levine?" the judge asked. Max stood up and cleared his throat.

"I just have one thing to say Your Honor. Ladies and gentleman of the jury, imagine this was your child standing up here. Try to visualize what it would be like to have your child reveal a scar or injury like the one Ms. Zimmer bares and think about how that would make you feel. Think about which is worse, a broken foot, or a scar that's almost 3/4 of the length of your child's body. What kind of a person, let alone a parent, would inflict someone with that kind of pain, if they allegedly love and care for them? That is all I have to say. Thank you Your Honor," 

The room was silent as Max sat down. Judge McCormick hit his gavel on the podium. 

"The jury has an hour to come to a decision, until then this court is dismissed," 

After the jury had left, members of the audience began to stand up and file out of the room. Kirstie, Avi, Kevin and I all made our way up the boys at the front of the room. 

"So? What do you think Max?" I asked wrapping my hands in Scott's suit sleeves. 

"I don't wanna get your hopes up, but I think things are looking pretty good. Although, they'd be more certain if you'd told about your fathers sexual activity..."

"Max, it's fine. She showed them the scar, I think it's enough to show them our case," Mitch said. Max nodded his head and raised his hands up as if to call for peace. 

"So now we just wait for the rest of the hour?" Avi asked. 

"Yep. The door to the discussion room is locked until the hour is up. That way nobody can get in or out of the room and nothing else can sway the jury's decision," Max explained. 

"Well, then I guess we have a long hour ahead of us," Scott said. I suddenly felt like I was going to cry or something. I moved towards Scott, burying my head in his shoulder. His arms wrapped around me, shielding me like a force field from any harm that might come my way. I felt Mitch's beard rub against the top of my head as he kissed it. 

"I'll always love you guys, no matter what happens," I said, my voice shaking. 

"We'll always love you too. If this doesn't end good for us today, we're not going to stop fighting. They can't break us if we're strong and stick together," Mitch whispered. 

"I know," 

And so, the longest and most excruciatingly nerve wracking hour of my life began. We had no reason to leave the court room so we stayed there. The boys and Kirsite paced back and forth across the floor. I would've too if I hadn't been throbbing from standing on before. Scott let me sit in his chair since he was too nervous to just sit there and do nothing. I almost fell asleep from sitting there quietly for so long. Just as my eyes were about to shut, people began to re enter the court room. 

"I have to sit down now sweetie," Scott whispered. I nodded and let him help me up and back to my seat next to Kirstie. She let me rest my head on her shoulder as everyone got resettled in their seats. I had no idea what time it was, but I was ready to go home and go to bed.

"This court is now back in order. Ladies and gentleman of the jury have you reached a verdict?" Judge McCormick asked after hitting his gavel on the podium. A skinny, bald man with glasses stood up and nodded.

"We have your honor,"

I anxiously sat up and grabbed Kirsite's hand. Avi had his arm around Kevin and Scott and Mitch were both holding hands. My father sat in the front of the room, alone.

Then it hit me. I realized why I hadn't been able to confess what my father had done to me.

I pitied him.

Before my mother died, my dad had actually been normal. He loved me and my mother with all his heart. When she told us about her cancer, my father had put on a front for me. I was only 4 when she was diagnosed, and neither of my parents wanted to scare me, so he refused to cry in front of me. I remember lying in bed later that night, unable to fall asleep because I could hear my dad sobbing in the next room. He refused to leave her side for a second. My aunts and uncles had to do all our shopping for us when my mom was too weak to leave the house because he wouldn't leave her on her own for a second. 

Two years later when my mother passed, my father shut himself off from me. I barely saw him the week of the funeral and even after that. Whenever I came home from school he was either working or locked up in his room. Even in those early days where I never saw him, there was always something for me to eat for dinner when I got home from school. 

Then one day, I came home from school and there was no food. No food on the table, no food in the refrigerator, and no food in the cabinets. When my dad came home that night from work, I asked him where the food went. 

"I ate it dumbass! I payed for it, so I ate it. You want your own food, then go out and buy it, lazy ass!" That was the first day my father hit me. 

That was also the day my parents had gotten married, 10 years earlier. 

I thought it was just the drugs that caused him to snap, but now I realize, it was a coping mechanism. He was afraid of being alone. By hitting me, he was scaring me into staying so he could never really be alone. It was insane and fucked up, but it was the truth. 

I looked over at my dad who was staring at me. Instead of getting scared, I took a deep breath and mouthed the words, "I'm sorry" at him. He started at me in confusion. He shook his head, then turned towards the speaking bald man. 

Well, this it it. 

"We the jury, have decided that it is in the best interest of Alex Zimmer to place her under the custody of..." 

CLIFF HANGER!!!!!!!!!!!!! ;) See you in the next update my little chickadees.