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Michelle’s P.O.V
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I hold Emma and Daniel back with one arm as my other takes Noah from the officer that grabbed her from my mom. “Guys no! You cant go in there!”
Emma looks up at me, tears streaming down her face. “W-Who… who i-is that guy?” She stutters over her sobs holding onto Daniel who puts his body in front of her protectively.
I stare down into Emma’s eyes, but soon am forced to look away. It’s too complicated. Mom and dad have to do it. Hopefully the twins are old enough. I look back into the room and instantly my eyes meet with dad. He caught mom before she fell and is now guiding her body over to the rocking chair. He nods at me and gestures for me to come inside. Instead of obeying I look over at… him.
My arms tighten around Noah instinctively even though I know he cant hurt her anymore. I still remember, 11 years ago. I remember what he did to my mother and me. It stayed with me throughout my childhood and on my body where the cuts and bruises faded away. All, but one. NO one knows what happened, only Uncle Edward and Uncle Emmett whom had promised to not tell. I told them I would tell mom and dad when I was ready. I still don’t think I’m ready to tell them what that bastard did to me.
Daniel picks up on my hesitation and turns around to face Emma blocking the scene from her. “Come on Emma, they’re busy.”
“But w-what’s ha- happening?! Momma, she-”
“They will tell us later. Come with me to my room.”
Before leaving he turns, grabs Noah from me than grabs Emma’s hand and leads her down the hallway to his room. A couple minutes later I hear Daniel’s music blast throughout the entire hallway. I have to thank Daniel later.
I hesitate before stepping into the room. I ignore the pregnant lady and the dead body and run straight to my parents. I bend down in front of mom and take her hands in mine. “She’s fine. Just in shock. She only has a few bruises.”
My dad replies lifting mom’s shirt so I can the damage done. I growl and push her shirt down before I get enraged and do something I’ll regret later. “Is he gone?” I ask through gritted teeth feeling hatred towards the dead man near Noah’s crib. The man I use to call my father. If anything, I’m glad he’s dead. I don’t care what he did for me my first 5 years of life. It will never compete with what he did after my real father came into my life. I will never again feel sympathy for the man who I called my father years ago. The man who, at first, loved and protected me. And the man who hurt me, took advantage of my mother and tried to split my family apart.
Just as my lips touch my mom’s forehead I hear a scream behind us. My dad’s head snaps to the scene behind me just as my head does. “Hey!” We both scream at the same time, my dad getting up and running over to the officer who has just pinned the pregnant lady down putting her arms behind her back. “What do you think your doing?!?!” My dad screams angrily shoving the officer off of the lady. He pulls her to her feet and behind him just as the officer had regained his balance. The lady grips the back of my dad’s shirt tightly as she sobs into his shoulder. The officer doesn’t reply, but starts to walk towards them. “Don’t come closer.” My dad threatens stepping forward, but keeping contact with the lady.
She looks so scared and helpless. Running over I take her away from my dad and the officer. I bring her over to my mom and sit her down on the beanbag beside the rocking chair. Her grip on my hand doesn’t loosen and she refuses to let go of me. “The-… They a-are trying to… to… to-“ Her sobs interrupt what she’s trying to tell me. I bend down in front of her and try to calm her down enough so she can speak. What the hell is going on!? Why was she pinned down?
I look over at my father seeing how pissed off he looks. “They are trying to send me to prison.” She finally speaks in a low whisper before bursting into tears. She puts her head in her hands I turn my attention to my father.
“WHY!!!!???” Both my father and I scream. I growl and step forward making sure my mother and the lady was behind me. “She should not be put behind bars.” My father says watching the officer with intense eyes.
“She murmured a man-“
“Out of self defense!!” I interrupt continuing before he cant stop me. “Self defense can be issued when a non deadly force is present in order to prevent imminent injury. The use of the right of self defense as a legal justification for the use of force in many jurisdictions, but the interpretation varies widely. Meaning if their life is on the line they get to do whatever they can to protect themselves and others around them.”
The officers seems assumed by my explanation, but it seems he has already had rebuttal before I even began. “Yes that is true, but a person may not use deadly force unless that person is in reasonable fear of serious injury or death. Some states also include a duty to retreat, when deadly force may only be used if the person is unable to safely retreat. A person is generally not obligated to retreat if in one’s own home in what has been called the castle exception.”
“Fuck that! She was protecting herself, her baby, my baby sister and my mother! The victim here is them, not that dead bastard laying on the floor over there!” I scream at him, but my father walks over to me and pushes me behind him.
He speaks up with a calm voice that aggravates me seeing as I want to punch a bitch right now… “You cant put her in jail and let me tell you. If we move this to court, who you think the judge will go in favor or? A dead psychopath or a 7 month pregnant lady who killed to protect herself and her child?”
The officer just glares at us until we hear chains behind us and cry of pain. My father and I turn around just in time to see another officer has stood her up and cuffed her. ‘LEAVE HER-“
“Michelle… don’t.” I growl under my breath and shake my father’s arm off my shoulder. I watch as she's is taken out of the room along with Jacob’s covered body.
“Dad what are you going to do?” I ask worried about the lady’s and her baby’s fate.
Biting his bottom lip he whispers, “Stay here.” Before running out of the room.
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Michael’s P.O.V
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“You cant take her! She did nothing wrong!” I follow them out of the house and to the car. They shove her in the backseat and close it just as my hand makes contact with the door.
“Yes we can. Set us up for court if you want to argue, but as of right now, she’s ours.” The officer walks away and I have an urge to strangle someone right now.
“What are you going to do with them?!” I scream when the door closes.
I hear Leah’s sobs get louder from inside the car and her plead of letting me speak with her. “Please!... I-I just ha-have to tell him something. It’s r-regarding my ba-baby.” The officers bickers in the front and finally the windows roll down. I lean in desperately to hear what she has to say. Reaching I touch her cheek gently caressing it as she starts to whisper, “Michael… there is no one I trust more than you and Alice. Please! please can you… can you… when the baby is born, can you and Alice take care of him?”
My eyes widen. Is she giving us her baby?! “But Leah, this is your baby. I wont take him away from you.”
I refuse her offer leaning in more to hear her. “Please,” she whispers broken heartedly. I want to give in, but I don’t want to take her child away from her. “Don’t try to get me out. I should be in jail for killing Jacob-“
“He tried to hurt you and your baby!” I reason with her, but she holds up a hand telling me to quite.
“I know. Please Michael. Come visit me in four months, take my baby and you, Alice and the kids can go back to having the life you did before all this shit happened. I wouldn’t want it any other way. I dont want a stranger taking care of my baby while I rot in jail. I’d rather you and Alice do it. You’re the closest things I’ve got to friends and I know if I ever get out of there, you’ll allow me to see my baby again.” A single tear rolls down my face and I force myself to nod. She reaches up and kisses my cheek softly. “Thank you” she sobs and kisses me again before sitting back in her chair. “Thank you so mu-“ That’s all I’m able to hear before the window rolls back up preventing me from speaking to her.
“Hey! No, wait! STOP!!!!” I follow the car as it backs out of the driveway and stand there at the edge of my lawn watching the car disappear with Leah and her baby inside.