The trial went on for the better part of two more hours. Of course, the new evidence was damning to Elijah's case. Clearly, it would have to be corroborated by the police (at least the parts that could be corroborated, such as the text messages, Anna's and my friendship, and the fact that I wasn't at the murder scene and Anna wasn't at the Concert Hall with Elijah that night). After I testified, however, others did take the stand. It seemed as though new evidence was popping up left and right.
After I testified against Elijah, Camila's sister, Adeline, took the stand. She shared that she remembered Camila telling her that she was seeing somebody new and that she had shown her a picture of Elijah. Adeline said that she never met Elijah, but that she could tell as the months went by that Camila wasn't happy.
"She wouldn't be home for hours on end and when she was home, she wouldn't talk to anybody unless she had to. She was different. I could hear her yelling in the night. I always assumed that she was on the phone with him," Adeline, added.
Henry Riles did question Adeline, but he didn't do much. "So you never saw Elijah with Camila?"
"No," she answered.
"So you couldn't tell for sure that the man she was seeing was him," he stated clearly.
"I saw his photo. I know that she knew him. I don't know whether they were together or not, but she knew him."
I loved Adeline's determination. She had the same fire that Cara White, the witness who'd seen Elijah flee the scene, had.
After questioning her a little further, she was let off the stand. Then they called up Camila's mother, who, with tear rimmed eyes, spoke lovingly of her daughter and about her belief that whatever Camila had been dragged into, it was definitely not her doing.
Finally, when all of the witnesses had been exhausted, the judge spoke. "Thank you to all of you who took your time to be here this morning. In light of all of the new evidence presented in the case against Elijah Miller, we'll reconvene when the police has concluded it's new investigation. Until then, Mr. Miller will be held in the California State Prison in Los Angeles with no bail. Court is dismissed."
I sat immobile next to Harry as I watched Elijah be escorted out of the room. His eyes met mine briefly. The look he gave me sent chills down my spine.
"Hey," Harry said, pulling me out of my thoughts.
I turned my head to see him. The rock at the pit of my stomach was back. "Harry, I'm so sorry. I know that wasn't what we talked about but-"
His hands were now on my arms, and he pulled me into a tight hug. "It's alright. I'm the one who's sorry."
I felt utterly confused as he pulled away and looked me in the eyes.
"I never should have asked you to go against what you felt like you needed to do. Clearly, you were right. He's guilty and I think everybody in the court realized that. And it was all because you had the courage to stand up to him. You were excellent," he said, a small smile on his lips. I could still see the disbelief in his expression, but there was more to it than that. He actually looked proud.
I closed my eyes, letting out the breath I didn't know I'd even been holding in. "I was so afraid," I admitted.
The rest of the group walked over. The first one that I saw was Liam, who's smile was wider than I'd ever seen it before. "I can't believe you did that!"
"Holy crap, I thought that guy was going to kill somebody, he was so angry," Niall stated.
We all looked at him, realizing that what he'd said was a joke and not a recount of the fact that Elijah had, in fact, killed somebody. I knew that at a moment like that, laughing was truly not something too advisable. But somehow, we all ended up laughing, even if for only a moment.
April 30, 2019
Despite the fact that everything had gone better than expected with Elijah's trial and my involvement in it, that didn't stop me from overthinking. Almost every moment I had alone to my thoughts, I thought of him and the trial. I wondered what he was feeling. I wondered how deep my testimony had buried him.
The police had contacted me the following day to corroborate my testimony. I showed them everything that I could find that I still had of Elijah's. I showed them the same evidence I presented at court and also my phone so that they could see the messages between Anna and I that same night. They told me that they'd be going through my phone records and my social media accounts later on, as well.
I knew that all of this should have made me feel better, but somehow, it didn't ease all of my worries.
I tried to keep busy with all of the boys and Harry. I found myself being more and more grateful every day that he'd been back when all of the drama with Elijah emerged. I didn't know what I'd have done without all of his support.
The morning of April 30th, Liam had invited us all out for breakfast. Only he, Harry, and I ended up going, seeing as the rest had already made plans. We'd chosen to go eat at Denny's this time and were driven over by the security team, as always. It was about ten minutes away from the house, for which I was grateful. I was incredibly hungry.
As soon as we arrived, we were seated quickly. Already the smell of the food had my mouth watering.
Of course, I had to order a chocolate milkshake. The both of them followed my lead and ordered the same. Eventually we were able to order what we were going to eat. All I really wanted was pancakes, so the waitress started me off with two and told me that they'd make more as soon as I told her that I was ready for them.
Once we were all eating, I let the conversation between the boys continue uninterrupted. I was too busy eating to talk.
They ended up talking about the band and the tour. I basically zoned out while eating just because the food was so good. I did end up ordering another plate of pancakes.
Liam was reading something on his phone as he spoke. "You know, I've been thinking going to see my family soon. Before we have to go back on tour, I mean."
"That might be a good idea. You've still got plenty of time," Harry returned, taking a sip from his milkshake.
By my second plate of pancakes and half of my milkshake, I was already stating to feel uncomfortable. My back began to ache and I tried to move round the relieve some of the pressure. When I realized that my twisting and turning wasn't going to make a difference, I excused myself and went to the bathroom, hoping that the short walk there and back would help with the pain.
Once I reached the bathroom, however, the pain in my lower back had somewhat intensified. The bathroom was empty, so I walked toward the sink and leaned over it, hoping that that might help.
After a while, the pain extended to my stomach and I knew that something was going on. I immediately feared for my baby's life. I didn't know what I was supposed to do. My legs grew weak and I sat down on the ground next to the sink.
Realizing that I'd left my phone on the table, I felt a sudden sinking feeling in the pit of my stomach. I needed help and I couldn't get up to ask for it. After a couple of minutes I started to feel faint, and, looking down, realized that there was blood seeping through my jeans between my legs.
I didn't know how long it had been since I'd stood up and gone to the bathroom, but I was hoping that somebody would walk in. I hoped that Harry and Liam would wonder why I'd been gone so long and send somebody in. I was hoping something would happen before I lost my baby for sure - if I hadn't already.
My hands pressed against my stomach, as if trying to relieve the pain. I was trembling in fear, trying not to cry. And then I wondered whether I should cry - scream, even, until somebody could hear me.
As soon as I decided that that was what I would do, the door swung open slowly and an employee walked in.
The woman, in her mid fifties, looked at me in horror. "Oh, dear. Are you alright?" She asked. "There are two very worried young men outside asking for you."
I shook my head. "I think I just lost my baby."
She disappeared behind the swinging door for a moment. I wondered when she'd return - if she'd return - when Harry burst in.
I sighed in relief when I saw him.
He crouched next to me, his eyes full of worry. He looked up at Liam, who was now standing at the door. "Call an ambulance," he demanded quickly. Then his eyes were on me again. "What're you feeling?"
I pressed my palms down onto the cold tiled floor. "My back was hurting. And now my stomach is hurting... I'm bleeding," I tried to explain.
Harry's eyes followed mine down to the blood showing on my jeans. I knew that he was trying to keep calm, but as soon as I saw him close his eyes, I knew that he was just as afraid as I was.
"It's going to be alright," he told me, a weary smile on his lips. His hands reached out for mine. They were warm against my cold skin.
I could hear Liam's voice, explaining to whoever was on the other end of the call where to find us.
My heart was racing.
"I'm cold," I told Harry.
He shrugged off the jacket he had been wearing quickly. "You're pale," he noted as he wrapped me in it. I was thankful for the immediate warmth that was passed onto me. His hands ran up and down my arms quickly to create friction.
"The ambulance is on its way," I heard Liam say.
I nodded once, trying to ignore the stabs of pain in my abdomen. The pain wasn't too strong, but it was there. More than anything, I was afraid.
I reached up with both hands to take Harry's. For a moment, I missed the friction on my arms, but I quickly realized that I needed to hold onto him.
"Did I just lose it, Harry?" I asked, tears quickly beginning to burn my eyes.
He shook his head. "No. No," he repeated, shaking his head. "Everything is okay. Alright? Don't you worry.
I didn't know why I couldn't just believe him. "The blood..."
His beautiful green eyes met mine and he tried to smile. "It's going to be fine. You'll see."
"Okay," I heard myself say, squeezing his hands when I felt the pain reach it's peak. "It hurts."
He squeezed my hands back gently. "I'm so sorry. Hold onto me. You're going to be alright."
I closed my eyes, trying to avoid looking into his worried ones. I just held onto him until the paramedics came. They were quick to get me on a gurney and into the ambulance. Harry was the only one allowed on. Liam and the security team would just have to follow. They administered pain medication once I was in. The relief was almost instant. The pain of knowing that I'd probably just lost our baby, however, never dulled.