Author Note: Thank you for reading this week! Thank you for your continued support and love for this story, I've had so much fun writing it!
Chapter Eight
His voice. Jim could hear it clearly, and suddenly his eyes flew open. He gasped deeply, vision blurred from sleep and tears. "Len -" he choked. It was dark. Suddenly there were hands on his face, and they turned his gaze upward. Leonard was there, looking extremely concerned. "Len -"
"Breathe, Jim," the doctor coached. "Breathe real easy now. There we go, a big one in...and one out. You're okay, sweetheart."
"Leonard," Jim sobbed. Hot tears now cascaded down his cheeks, mingled with the cold sweat dampening his body. He tossed himself into Leonard's arms and cried, soaking the man's shirt instantly. "I can't do this anymore...I can't sleep..."
"Shh, darlin', just relax. I'm right here, and I won't let you go. Right here..."
This had been going on for two weeks. Jim had been having nightmares about Frank, almost every night. They were usually different scenarios, but Frank was always the same - threatening and violent. Jim usually went to bed with his nerves gnawing at him. "Please," he whispered, "I want this to be over."
Leonard held Jim tight. The hearing was today, scheduled in a few hours' time; thankfully it was a very in-and-out arrangement. Frank's charges would be read, then case closed. The problem wasn't the hearing, it was Jim's stress and anxiety leading up to it. Leonard had spent most nights getting kicked from unconscious thrashing, then shaking Jim awake from a near-scream on the poor kid's lips. "It's okay, sweetheart."
Jim pulled away and hiccupped, wiping at his eyes and nose. "Bring Joanna in?" He asked. "I want to hold her."
Leonard nodded and kissed Jim's damp forehead. He wandered into the hall, nearly jumping from his skin when he saw his daughter there. "Jo, baby, come on in, sweet pea."
Joanna took his hand. "I heard Jim. Is he sad?"
Leonard hesitated, but he said, "Yeah, baby. He wants you to make him feel better, okay?"
Joanna hopped onto the bed and snuggled right into Jim's arms. She looked up at him and patted his face. "Don't cry, Jim. It's okay."
Jim shook his head and started all over again. "I love you so much, princess. You're so beautiful..."
Leonard sat down next to them, wrapping an arm around Jim. "Why don't we get some sleep, okay?" He pulled the covers aside and let his daughter crawl under them, then nestled down on the other side. He ran a hand over both her and Jim, wishing he could fix all of this. The dark room fell silent for a long while, and Jim's sniffles subsided.
Joanna stroked through his hair, then kissed his cheek. "Jim? Can I ask you somethin'?"
Leonard looked up at her. "Let him sleep, honey."
"It's okay, Bones," Jim's voice came. It was thick and emotional, but he smiled at her and asked, "What is it, Joanna?"
"Did something bad happen to you, Jim?"
Jim hesitated, and he glanced at his boyfriend. Leonard's mouth was set into a thin line, though his eyes were yielding. They'd been debating on telling Joanna about this, because she wasn't a little kid - she could handle more than most others could. Jim kissed the top of her head, and suddenly found the right words. "Remember when I first met you, at the school?"
She nodded.
"You were being picked on. I had someone pick on me, too."
Joanna's dark eyes went wide. "You did? Was he really mean?"
Jim nodded. "Yeah. It's okay, now, because your daddy protected me," he smiled.
Joanna turned on her father, grinning widely. "You did? Did you beat up the bully?"
Leonard gave a laugh he shouldn't have. "No, I did not. I told the police officers, and they took care of it."
"Ohh," Joanna answered. "That's why they came to the house." She looked up at Jim, and hugged him tightly. "I'll protect you, too! Just like you protected me."
Jim smiled, and pulled her back under the covers. "Just keep drawing me lots of pictures, and giving me lots of hugs. I love you, princess."
Joanna snuggled against him. "Love you, too."
Neither of the men could sleep much after that. The sun began to light the room around seven-thirty, and Leonard was the first one up. He walked around to Jim's side and looked down at him for a long moment. Finally he leaned down and kissed Jim, then pulled away to whisper, "I love you. Get some sleep till breakfast is done, okay? I'll bring it up."
Jim nodded, then nestled back down with the girl in his arms. He was exhausted and ready for the day to end. He thought of his dream, remembering how panicked he'd felt. He'd been packing to come here, but in reality, all of his things were now here in Leonard's home. It was official, thank God. The last two weeks had been nothing but filling out papers for both the hearing and changing addresses.
An hour later, Leonard was bringing in a tray with two beautifully arranged plates on it. Jim smiled and nudged Joanna, who immediately woke up to the sight of food. "Breakfast!"
"Don't y'all make a mess in bed, or there'll be trouble," Leonard added. "Joannna, Chrissy's gonna look after ya today, understand?"
Joanna politely nodded around her recently stuffed cheeks. She gave a thumbs up, then swallowed. "Okay!"
Jim laughed and kissed the top of her head. He was content to listen to her chatter as they finished their food; Leonard had wandered off, with the shower running down the hall. Jim supposed he ought to do the same, and once his plate was empty he set it on the tray next to the bed. Then he wandered over to the closet and pulled out clothes he deemed appropriate. He set them on the bed, and was taking the plates and tray downstairs when the doorbell rang. "Coming!"
Jim checked the window, finding Christine waving at him happily. He smiled and let her in, giving her a tight hug as she did so. "Hey, how are you?"
"Good," she smiled. As she pulled back, she ran a gentle hand down the side of Jim's face. "You ready for today? You look tired, kid."
Jim shrugged. "A little. It's okay, though, I don't have to worry about a thing after today."
Christine nodded. "I'm happy for you. I'll just wait down here until Joanna's ready." She stepped over to the couch and sat, resting against the back. "Ohh, it's been a long couple of days."
Jim sat on the arm. "You all right?"
She nodded up at him. "Just long hours at work."
They talked until both father and daughter hurried downstairs, Joanna with her backpack, and Leonard with a folder under his arm. He smiled and hugged Christine when she stood. "Hey, darlin', how are ya?"
"Good, good! Ready, Jo, honey?"
Joanna nodded and took her hand. Leonard walked them out to the car, then waved goodbye as they drove off. He wandered back inside, finding that Jim had gone upstairs. He worked on the dishes until Jim came back down, who was dressed and ready to go. Leonard smiled and took a moment to look him over. "You look awful handsome."
Jim laughed. "Aren't I always?"
Leonard shrugged teasingly, earning a smack onto his backside. "All right, I s'pose you are."
Jim slipped him a kiss as they headed to the truck. "You, too," he winked.
The courtroom was cool, but Jim still decided to pull his collar loose. Frank hadn't been brought in, and the judge wasn't here. It was five after and everyone but them were seated. It was just Jim, Leonard, Winona, Chris, and the attorneys, so the room was painfully quiet. Jim sighed and clasped his hands together, resting them against his forehead. His knee bounced anxiously, but stopped when he felt Leonard's hand over it.
"Jim, it's okay."
"...I know, I just - "
"All rise for the judge," came the sudden announcement. Everyone stood and Jim could breath again. Frank was brought in from the opposite door, and guided to the desk at Jim's right. He suddenly wished he hadn't chosen the end seat. All were allowed to sit again, and the judge filed through his papers.
"We're here today to finalize the case concerning Mr. Casey and the Kirk family, are all present for the proceedings?"
Jim's attorney nodded that yes, they were. Frank sat quietly, with the police officers who'd brought him in, standing over his shoulder. He glanced menacingly at Jim, who gulped as he remembered this morning. He shook himself from thought when he heard his name called. "Yes, I'm sorry?"
The judge looked him over. "Are you all right?"
Jim gave a shaky nod. "O-Oh, yes, thank you. I apologize, your Honor."
Nodding, the man held up a paper and read it off. "Mr. Frank Casey, you have been charged with multiple counts of domestic violence, spanning the time frame of twelve years to both your wife and step-son. You have also been charged with multiple counts of embezzlement, to the same party. Do you have anything to say concerning this?"
Frank nodded. "Yes, I still plead not-guilty, considering I was not the one who damaged my car in the first place."
The judge nodded, impassive. "Any further comment?"
Frank shook his head. The judge turned to Jim, his expression softening. "Mr. James Kirk, do you wish to say anything?"
Jim took a couple of deep breaths. He looked to Leonard, then to their linked hands, and then to his mother. There was something right at the tip of his tongue, but he just wasn't ready to say it. He was sure that Frank wasn't ready to hear it, either. "No, your Honor." Maybe someday.
The judge nodded and went to another page. "Very well. Mr. Casey, I hereby sentence you guilty for continued involvement of abuse and financial theft against Winona and Jim Kirk. Your sentence comes to a total of twelve years in Fort Des Moines Federal Prison, with an additional charge of ten-thousand, three-hundred and twenty-five dollars. No bail, no parole, case dismissed."
Jim's world was a blur the next hour. He was asked a few more questions, which he believed he answered the best he could. He distinctly remembered that Leonard's hand was in his every minute, and that gave him comfort. They sat together with the attorney, who happily announced that Jim and his mother were being reimbursed for the extra money they'd given to Frank.
Jim shifted. He hadn't even thought about something like that. "W-Well...how much, exactly?"
The man smiled and handed him the statement. Jim's eyes went wide, and suddenly he couldn't breathe. "Bones," he gasped, passing the paper.
Leonard glanced at the amount, not really that surprised. He was suddenly focused on the fact that Jim had fallen off his seat, out cold. "Whoa - Jim!" He moved over to Jim's side, sitting him up. Leonard looked at the attorney apologetically. "Could you bring me a glass of water? This has been a day for him."
"I'd imagine so," the man agreed.
They left the courthouse a while later, allowing Jim to get some fresh air. He leaned against the truck, quiet for a long while. Leonard finally cleared his throat and asked, "Jim?"
Jim's head bobbed up in response, but he still looked in thought. "Three-thousand dollars." He finally smiled up at Leonard with tears threatening. "I've never had so much money at one given time."
Leonard moved closer and placed a hand over Jim's back. "It's yours, Jim."
Jim nodded emotionally, and straightened up to hug Leonard. "Thank you," he choked, "for saving me."
"We saved each other. I love you so much."
Jim pulled away, just enough to close the space between their lips. "I love you, too."
Jim decided the next day, that he knew what he was going to use some of that money on. He had to wait a week for it, but when it was in his account he hurried out and made the purchase. Then...he waited. Mainly for his nerves to stop choking him every time he went to present it. Their opposing schedules to make sure Joanna had someone at the house made it difficult, as well.
Also, Leonard's need to relieve after-work stress was unusually high. Not that Jim was complaining, but he didn't feel that popping the question while sweaty and breathless was romantic. The morning was usually their time, right when Jim was waking up. Leonard came home from his shift, slipped into his pajamas and under the covers. He kissed and cuddled Jim until his lover was more attentive.
Jim surprised him before they could get into it. "Bones, wait."
"Mmm Jim," Leonard whined. "You have to get up soon, so let's just have fun..."
Jim giggled against his onslaught of kisses. "We will. I just want to say something."
Leonard bit at his jaw. "Okay, what is it?"
Jim took Leonard's chin to stop him, so their eyes were on each other. Then he sat them both up, and took a deep breath. "I was hoping to find a more suitable time to do this, but it's been busy for both of us."
Leonard was paying attention now, a light frown on his face. "Somethin' wrong?"
Jim shook his head. He stepped onto the floor, taking Leonard with him by the hand. He walked to the center of the room, where the light hit the most this time of morning. Then, from his shorts pocket he pulled out a black box, and got on one knee.
"Jim!" Leonard gasped.
"Like I said, probably a little less romantic setting than I imagined...but, it works," Jim teased. Then he grew serious and continued. "Leonard, you really did save me. We've only known each other three months, but I feel like it's been a lot longer. You've made me so happy, and stuck by me through my worst times. So, would you let me do the same for you? Will you marry me?"
Leonard was already nodding through his tears. Jim slipped the ring on with a shaky hand, and got to his feet.
Leonard stared at the ring a long moment. "I love it, Jim."
Jim seemed relieved. "You do? I know looks a little old-fashioned - the guy called it champagne, I just chose it because - well, I mean, you love peaches, and the color fits - " Oh, God, I'm rambling, shut up, Jim!
Leonard brought him into a silencing kiss. "It's perfect, Jim."
What a little adventure this has been! There's one more chapter to close the story. I'm planning on writing little ficlets to continue with this story, but it's early days yet :) Thank you so much!
EDIT: I tried to post a picture of the ring, but I had to take down the link because it wasn't working. Just google Champagne sapphire engagement rings, and you'll get the idea.
