Time at JAG
Rating: pg-13 for subject matter
Disclaimer: I do not own JAG nor do I own Quantum Leap.
Sam winced as the usual blue light surrounded him, while he made his leap. This part of the journey had always fascinated him. There was nothing but a void of blue before him as he passed through the very fabric of space and time. Suddenly the field faded and Sam found himself standing before what looked like a courtroom.
Sam looked at the judge. He was surprised to see that the judge was wearing what looked like a military uniform. Upon closer inspection he realized that he to was wearing a military uniform.
'Where am I?' he wondered, 'I hate when this happens.' Sam was reminded of the time when he leaped into a comedian's body, while he was onstage. Since he didn't know the punch-line he froze up.
The judge's voice broke his train of thought, "Commander, do you intend to ask any questions of your witness?"
It took Sam a moment to realize that the judge was addressing him. He looked beside the judge and saw a man in a civilian suit sitting on what must have been the witness stand.
"Oh, boy." He whispered to himself.
Quickly, he looked around for anything that might save him. Suddenly he noticed the junior officer sitting beside him, looking up at him with a bemused look on his face.
Sam acted quickly, "Uh…Co-counsel will continue questioning the witness your honour." The officer sitting beside him looked even more confused. The judge, however, nodded.
"Lieutenant Roberts, you may continue."
The younger officer, obviously Lieutenant Roberts stood up from his chair and proceeded to question the witness. Sam tried, with all the inner strength he could muster to avoid collapsing into his chair with relief. Instead he slowly sat down and cast his gaze skyward, silently thanking God for the save. Then it occurred to him that he should actually be listening to the testimony being given.
"Doctor Bellings," Lieutenant Roberts began, "You have been a Medical Examiner at Bethesda Naval Hospital for ten years, is that correct?"
The man on the witness stand sat up straight and leaned towards the microphone. "Yes that is correct."
"How many autopsies have you performed?"
"You honour," A new voice spoke. Sam looked over and saw an attractive woman with cropped brown hair, wearing, what Sam guessed, was an Army uniform.
"The defense is willing to stipulate to the fact that the witness is an expert." She continued.
Both the Judge and Lieutenant Roberts looked over at Sam, who suddenly began to feel very small. Mustering up his courage, Sam stood up and cleared his throat.
"We are willing to stipulate, your honour." Sam announced rather unconfidently. A fact that did not go unnoticed by both Lieutenant Roberts and the female officer.
"Doctor," Roberts continued, "You performed the autopsy on the victim. One, Petty Officer Veronica Chambers is that correct?"
"Yes, Lieutenant, that is correct."
'Thank God.' Sam thought. The testimony was medical related, at least that he could understand.
"What did you discover to be the cause of death?"
"The victim had been strangled, with what appeared to be a length of chain."
"Objection," The female officer jumped from her seat, "The witness is not qualified to testify as to the nature of the alleged murder weapon."
"You stipulated that he was an expert." The judge pointed out.
"On medical matters, your honour. The witness is a Medical Examiner not a criminologist."
Sam knew enough about Medical Examiners to field this one. "Your honour, the witness has conducted many autopsies involving homicide and is quite capable of distinguishing the type of object used as a murder weapon."
The judge nodded, "Objection overruled."
Lieutenant Roberts turned to the witness. "How do you know that the murder weapon was a chain?"
"The murder weapon left very distinctive marks on the victim's throat. The marks themselves were consistent with a chain."
"Were there any other marks on the body?"
"There were stab wounds in the victim's upper torso. From the trajectory and depth of the wounds, we determined that the wounds were administered from behind and by a man who was left handed."
"Could you demonstrate that for us, please?" Roberts asked the witness and then looked at the judge, "With your permission, you honour."
The judge nodded.
The Doctor got up and walked behind the Lieutenant. Sam looked on, enthralled. He had to admit, this was exciting to watch. The Doctor grabbed Lieutenant Roberts by wrapping his right arm around the man's shoulders. He then demonstrated the stabbing by raising his left hand and bringing it down towards the lieutenant's torso.
Afterward he sat down and explained, "The diagonal trajectory of the wounds suggests a downward thrust. The lack of depth suggests that the wounds were caused by someone bringing the knife towards themselves. The wounds went through the body from left to right indicating that the victim was stabbed by someone who favoured their left hand."
"What else did you find when you autopsied the body?"
"We administered a sexual assault kit on the victim."
"What conclusions could you draw from it?"
"It was very clear that victim had been raped."
Lieutenant Roberts nodded, "No further questions, your honour."
The judge spoke, "Then we will adjourn for the day. This court stands in recess until 0900 hrs, tomorrow." With that, he banged his gavel and began to leave. Sam breathed a sigh of relief.