Day two of the trial started at 9 am, but Rafael and Cadence started their day at 5:30. They had been sleeping in the same bed since Cadence had gotten back, and only recently had they began to cuddle again. After their date, Rafael had set up an appointment with Olivia's old therapist for Cadence. He knew that the therapist was good, after all, Olivia seemed much better than she was a year ago. Maybe Cadence will be better by that time too.
When Rafael's alarm began to blare, he turned, quickly switching it off. Turning back to Cadence, Rafael watched her sleep for a few moments and gently stroked her cheek. They said their first 'I love you's' last night, and Rafael couldn't be more happy. He sighed softly, knowing she's have to wake up sooner or later.
"Hey," he whispered, gently rubbing her scalp. "Hey, Cadence. mi amor musical. Time to wake up." Cadence groaned softly, rolling over away from Rafael with a small smile on her face. He rolled his eyes, smiling as he kneeled on the bed slightly.
"Cadence. C'mon. You need to wake up." Rafael rolled her back towards him, sitting near her feet. He gently rubbed her knee, smiling softly at her as she opened her eyes.
Cadence stared at the ceiling. "Today is day two, Rafi." She looked over to him, Rafael's face turning slightly somber. "Wh-what if..." Rafael shook his head, hushing her.
"They won't get away, I promise." Rafael gently crawled towards her, placing one arm to the left of her head. He gently kisses down her neck, letting his head rest on her collarbone. "I won't let them walk free, I promise." Rafael and Cadence lie there for a while, Rafael's head lying on her breast, listening to her breathe. Cadence gently stroked Rafael's head, twirling his hair between her fingers.
...
The two arrived at the courthouse at 7:30, meeting with Olivia and Nick in Rafael's office. They reviewed the witness list, and both Nick and Olivia were supposed to take the stand today. Cadence was sitting on the table, while Olivia and Nick sat at the table, Rafael standing and pacing.
He had removed his suit jacket, his best showing his tummy slightly. Cadence honestly thought that his belly was... Adorable. Sexy. She knew he was self conscious about it, though. They would walk past a pastry shop, and Rafael would stop to look in the window, but never go in. She would catch him staring at himself in the mirror for moments at a time.
"Cadence? Hello?" Cadence snapped out of her train of thought, looking up at Rafael slightly. "Are you ready?" Rafael's hand gently rested on her shoulder, his thumb rubbing up and down.
She looked around at Nick and Olivia, before looking back at Rafael.
"Yes. Let's get these bastards."
...
First to the stand was the Medical Examiner..
Rafael stood, buttoning his suit jacket. "Ms. Warner, when the NYPD had eventually found Ms. Hampton, what condition was she in?"
"She was ... A mess. Bloodied, beaten, bruised. She had suffered enormous physical and psychological trauma. Rope burns along her wrists and ankles. Cuts along her breasts and abdomen, large amounts of bruising and trauma on her inner thighs."
Rafael paced slowly, arms behind his back. "And... These injuries are common with a rape victim?"
"Yes."
"Thank you." He turned to Cohen. "Your witness."
Cohen smiled his yellow, devil-like smile as he stood.
"Ms. Warner, How long have you been a medical examiner for?"
"About 15 years."
"So, you're absolutely credible?"
Melinda furrowed her brow, narrowing her eyes. "Yes. I am credible."
Cohen shrugged, pursing his lips slightly. He turned back to her, tilting his head slightly. "Is there any way, any way possible, that these injuries could have been self inflicted?"
Cadence sat up slightly, a look of shock on her face. Rafael looked back slightly, biting his lower lip.
"I... I suppose. I'm not exactly sure why someone would do that, but someone could."
The jury shifted slightly, one juror whispering something to another. Cohen smiled at the slight discourse, head held high slightly as he walked back to his desk. "No further questions."
Melissa stepped down from the stand, Olivia sitting down at the stand. Cohen stood again, approaching Olivia.
"Sargent Benson, you say that there are multiple children who were found at the same place where Ms. Hampton was found?"
Olivia nodded. "Yes. About 5. After getting the locations of other streaming areas, we found at least 3 dozen more children."
Cohen looked to the jury. "41 children... That must have been many testimonies." He turned towards Olivia, placing his hand on the stand. "The children did answer your questions, correct?"
Olivia blinked, biting her lower lip. "We were able to interview the 5 that we found at the warehouse. The other 3 dozen were to mentally incapacitated to be considered credible."
"Can you tell me how often a 12 year old takes the stand to testify, Sergeant Benson?"
Rafael sighed softly, leaning back in his chair.
"Not often. But, it does happen."
"And when these... Tweens, take the stand, are they usually credible? I mean, they lie to their friends, family... What would make them tell the truth on the stand?"
"When a person suffers as much trauma as Ms. Hampton has, they could hardly lie about what they went through."
Cohen crossed his arms. "But... It is possible, correct?"
Olivia closed her eyes for a second. "...Yes. It is possible."
"Thank you, Sargent Benson." Cohen sat down, Rafael standing and walking towards Olivia.
"Sargent Benson, you testified that most of the children you recovered from the other locations were to mentally incapacitated to testify, is that correct?"
"Yes."
"Would you mind explaining to the jury exactly what you meant by that?"
Cadence, who was seated right behind Rafael's table in the gallery, smiled slightly. He found a way.
"Well, a majority of the children we recovered had suffered massive head trauma, violent rectal penetration, and had suffered through many scars, cuts, and in some cases, even burns."
"And when it comes to the credibility of these children you did interview, how did you know that they were credible?"
Olivia sat up slightly. "Well, we had found multiple amber alerts for the missing kids, so that rules out paid actors. The children's stories were consistent, and never changed or differed."
"So, the defendants claim of the children being uncredible is baseless?"
"Objection," Cohen exclaimed. "Argumentative."
Rafael turned towards Cohen, quirking his eyebrows with a slight smirk. "Withdrawn." He walked back to his desk. "The people rest."
Nick took the stand, and it Rafael's turn to examine first.
"Detective Amaro, when you entered the room where Ms. Hampton was being held, what did you see?"
"I saw Cadence tied to a chair, wearing nothing. I saw multiple bruises and wounds that Ms. Hampton had sustained."
"And do you have any idea how those marks and injuries got there?"
"It is safe to say that Mr. Escobar had hurt her."
"Objection, speculation." Cohen stood, arms crossed.
"Actually, no. It isn't." Rafael shook his head, smirking as he took a picture from his file, handing it to the jury. "People's evidence 4-80, a large scar, on Ms. Hamptons lower back. The scar reads 'Ramóne's Bitch.' Last I checked, Ms. Hampton wasn't double jointed." He shot a smug look over at Cohen, who was staring daggers back.
After Nick's testimony, the 5 children testified against Ramóne, who was seething, and red faced. Jim, who was sitting next to him, stared at the floor, white as a ghost.
"Your honor, I would like to call for a short recess before I finish cross examining Ms. Hampton." Cohen fixed a few files into his briefcase, the judge allowing a 15 minute recess.
Rafael left his desk, moving to sit next to Cadence in the now empty gallery. "How are you doing?" Cadence gently rested her head on his shoulder, looking up at him.
"I'm doing well. You're winning." Cadence nuzzled into Rafael's chest slightly, closing her eyes.
"Well, nothing is set in stone. They still have yet to finish cross-examining you." Rafael gently rubbed her knee, Cadence sighing contentedly. She chuckled, placing her hand on his.
"Did you see Ramóne's face? He looked absolutely steamed." Cadence smiled softly. Rafael couldn't help but feel a slight déjà vu in this moment. He had remembered someone saying those words, but about a different person... He just couldn't place who it was about it, but Rafael felt like something was burning in his stomach.
The judge returned, and court was back in session. Cadence was sat on the stand again, sitting tall and proud. Cohen approached her, his hands in his pockets.
"Ms. Hampton, we have heard a lot from many different people. That you were abused as a child. Kidnapped well after our 'victim' demographic. Could you please.. Tell us the truth?"
Cadence furrowed her brow. "I have been telling the truth."
"Mhm... Now, would you please remind the jury why the defendant took you?"
"He said that I had some missed time I needed to make up."
"And nothing else?"
Cadence pouted her lips in confusion, tilting her head. "What are you implying?"
Cohen smiled, raising his eyebrows. "Ms. Hampton, is it possible that you could have been participating in these pedophilic acts?"
Cadence looked shocked, her mouth opening slightly. "N-no! I would never harm a child after what I had went through!"
Cohen pulled a remote out of his pocket, smirking. "Are you entirely sure? Because this video says otherwise."
A small TV screen began playing the video from the websites most recent live stream. Rafael buried his head in his hands slightly, but reluctantly watched. Cadence couldn't force herself to watch the screen, tears falling.
The video stopped shortly.
"Ms. Hampton, this video shows you unzipping a young boys pants. Would you like to see it again?"
Cadence sobbed softly, wiping away tears. "N-no. Please, no."
"The defense rests."
Rafael sat up slightly, remembering something. "Redirect, your honor." The judge allowed it, Rafael standing up. He took the remote from Cohen's table, walking back towards Cadence.
"Ms. Hampton. Would you like to see it again?" Cadence wiped her nose on a tissue, tilting her head. Something in Rafael's eye told her to trust him.
"...Yes." The courtroom watched as Rafael reminded the video from the very beginning. The jury watched in horror as a crying Cadence was forced to unzip the young boy's pants. Cohen rubbed his eyes as a tear stained Cadence addressed the screen.
"Rafael... They have other children here, the car! I-it's a de--." A crumpling sound of skin on pavement filled the courtroom as the jurors watched Cadence be pistol-whipped. Rafael stopped the video.
"So, in this video, you were forced at gunpoint to do sexual acts to this boy?"
"Y-yes."
"And before you even started to touch this boy, you gave the police a tip to what was going on."
"Yes." Cadence smiled slightly, Rafael returning the smile.
"The people rest."
Rafael had just turned from the stand when Ramóne jumped up, angrily yelling. An officer of the court attempted to calm him down, pulling out her gun. Ramóne wrestled the gun from her, shooting her in the chest.
The jury ran out, as did the gallery. Ramóne shot Rafael in the leg, his accuracy blinded by his anger. Cadence, who had ducked for cover from the moment he jumped up, heard the gunshots. He shot at both his lawyer and Jim, killing Jim.
Olivia, who was sitting in the Gallery, ran after Ramóne as he ran out the door. The doors shut behind them, gunfire sounding and then suddenly stopping. Cadence got out from behind her cover, looking around and screaming as she saw Rafael sitting on the ground, clutching his leg.
Cadence knelt near him, applying pressure to his knee while she searched for something to make a tourniquet with. She ripped fabric off of her dress, tying it above the bullet wound.
"Rafi? Rafi, I need you to stay with me, okay? You're going to be okay."
Rafael turned his head towards her, smiling slightly. "I'm just glad it wasn't you." He grabbed her hand and kissed it.
Two men in police uniforms entered, one of them calling for a gurney for Rafael. Rafael's breathing sped up slightly, looking around in a confused manner. "Cadence? Where are we?" The gurney arrived for him, one of the people stating that he was going into shock. The lifted him up, quickly speeding him through the door.
Cadence tried to follow after him, but was told that only family and officers were allowed in ambulances. Cadence shook her head, walking out the way Olivia went. She walked into the hallway, gasping as she saw Ramóne's dead body on the floor. Olivia was sitting on a bench with a medical respondent. Olivia saw Cadence approached, standing and pulling her into a hug.
"How is Rafael?" Olivia just couldn't stop being a mama bear, no matter the situation.
"They said he's in shock. I made a tourniquet while we waited for the gurney to get here. They wouldn't let me ride in the ambulance with him." Cadence shook her head. "How are you?" Olivia smiled, shaking her head.
"I'm fine. He was a terrible shot. He missed me twice, I got him in the head." Olivia dismissed the Medical Respondent, wrapping the shock blanket around Cadence.
"I'll get you in to see Rafael, okay? You did such a good job, Cadence. It's finally over."
They hugged again, Cadence looking at Ramóne's body over Olivia's shoulder.
It's finally over.
(A/n: Hey! I hope ya'll aren't mad at me with this! The story is almost over, and I honestly can't believe it. I almost don't want this to end. Actually, I really don't want this to end. I'll probably still update this every once in a while, after I finish it. Just with cute little fluffy things. Anyway. More to come. Soon.)