Hello!
I'm going to try to do a little (actually a lot) better in posting updates. Just a huge caution, there are some triggers to sexual assault so if that completely bothers you, you are more than welcome to skip to the end of the chapter. However there is some poetic justice. Anyways, leave a review if you'd like. I always appreciate the feedback or opinions on it. Or if you actually have questions pertaining to the story you can PM me. I like meeting new people and being able to connect over something.
Happy reading! :)
-SHF95
Chapter Twenty-One
My alarm woke me up the next morning in sharp, piercing tones. I reached over groggily and shut it off, then turned over on my back and stared at the ceiling. It was comfortingly quiet in my room until I heard a soft snore to my right. Barry was still asleep. He was laying on his stomach with his head half buried behind his arm. Very lightly and carefully enough to not disturb him, I ran my fingers through his hair. His shoulders reflexively raised up a bit and then came back down. Link came bolting into the bedroom and hopped up on the bed, meowing at me.
"Hi, buddy." I scratched his head affectionately. He closed his eyes as he enjoyed the morning head rub. His tail twitched lazily and then he looked up at me again. Um, it's breakfast time for me, his eyes read. He came closer to me and climbed on my chest before promptly head butting me. "Ow, why do you have to walk on my boobs?" I complained. "Those have feelings, too." His whiskers twitched once in annoyance and he hopped off, walking snobbishly out of the room. "Fucking brat." I muttered. I climbed quickly and quietly out of bed and made my way to the kitchen to feed my annoying, yet adorable, fur child his breakfast. As I picked up Link's food dish he began to start meowing obnoxiously. "I know, I know." I chided him. "You're hungry and I'm not moving my ass fast enough for you." I opened a can of cat food and dumped it into the bowl. Link kept meowing and wrapping himself around my legs as I placed his food in his spot. He hungrily started eating his food, occasionally making little growling noises as he ate.
A sigh escaped through my pursed lips as I browsed through my fridge to figure out what to do for breakfast for me and Barry as soon as he got up. I could keep it quick and simple with bacon and eggs. I looked at the clock on the stove that read it was half past six. Yep, eggs and bacon it was. I needed time to take a shower and Barry probably wanted one, too, before heading off to work. I pulled the package of bacon and the carton of eggs out and grabbed a frying pan. The bacon was going to take the most time to cook so I started on that. The sliced pork felt a little slimy as I pulled it apart and laid the strips down in the heated pan, immediately starting to sizzle and crackle.
Barry eventually woke up, shuffling out into the kitchen still in his pajamas. His hair was a little messy as he rubbed the sleep from his eyes. God damn he still looked hot even when he just woke up.
"Morning." I greeted with a small smile. "How do you like your bacon?" It took him a moment to register everything.
"I like my bacon crispy." He wrapped his arms around my waist and kissed my cheek. "And a good morning to you, too. How did you sleep?"
"Probably one of my better nights I've actually slept." I answered as I flipped a strip of bacon over. Barry rested his chin on my shoulder.
"I would completely agree." He lightly rubbed my arms and watched for a minute. Almost all of the bacon was completely cooked. "Do you mind if I use your shower?"
"No, go ahead." I replied. "I should have everything ready by the time you're done if you want to take one now."
"It'll be quick." He kissed my temple before leaving me alone to finish cooking. He walked into the bedroom to grab his bag and headed into the bathroom. The bacon finished cooking and I set them aside to turn my attention to cracking a decent amount of eggs. I plopped them into a bowl and whisked the yolks with a fork and dumped them into another pan. As those slowly started to cook, I popped some bread into the toaster. It didn't take too long to cook the eggs and the toast was finished. Barry shortly came out of the bathroom all dressed and freshly cleaned. Today he was wearing slim khaki slacks, a light blue plaid shirt with the sleeves rolled up to his elbows with a solid black tie, and his trademark black high tops. He grabbed the toast from the toaster and buttered them for me and grabbed a couple of plates and forks. Once the eggs were done I divided them up on the plates and grabbed a few pieces of bacon.
"Any particular beverage?" I asked. "I have orange juice."
"Ooh, I love orange juice." He piled bacon on his plate. I grabbed the cups we washed last night and poured us juice. He took a cup and planted a soft kiss on my lips. "Thank you." I gave him a smile and dug into my breakfast. "Honestly, last night was probably the best I've slept in a long while."
"I actually felt like I got sleep for once." I replied, munching on my bacon. I had occasional nightmares or some really strange dreams plague my sleep. "Plus last night was nice."
"Which part?" He smirked.
"All of it, actually." I smirked back.
"Well, we just might have to do it again." He suggested. And maybe do some other 'activities' since we were now on the same page with our intentions.
"I like the sound of that." I winked. We finished breakfast and cleared the table.
"You go get ready while I take care of the dishes." He blocked me from the sink. I almost made a face at him. "Go." He turned me around and gently pushed me towards my room.
"I'm going." I held my hands up in surrender. I grabbed our shirts that we threw off last night and stuck mine in the hamper and Barry's into his bag. Then I grabbed a set of clothes for the day and made my way to the bathroom. The water didn't take long to heat up as I started the shower and climbed in, quickly scrubbing from head to toe. The hot water was welcoming as it woke me up more from my sleep. I made a mental list of what I needed to do at work today. There were some pictures I needed to edit and print and then go out and take pictures for various articles people need photos for. Perhaps I might get a photo of the Flash that Mr. Larkin wanted. Easy, right? Except it was damn near impossible to capture him on camera.
I finished washing off and climbed out, wrapping a towel around me. I quickly got dressed and stuck the diffuser on my hairdryer to style my hair a bit. Satisfied with everything after brushing my teeth, I was all set. I cleaned everything up in the bathroom and headed out, dumping my pajamas on my bed. Barry was sitting on the couch playing with Link when I came out of my room. I pulled a pair of combat boots on, black semi-skinny jeans, a gray top, and an army green jacket. "Ready?" I asked. I had my camera bag slung over my shoulder.
"Pit stop at Jitters?" He asked, standing up and grabbing his bag.
"Absolutely." I agreed. He walked over and tucked a wavy lock behind my ear.
"You look nice today." He complimented.
"You look rather dashing, yourself." I complimented back with a smile. We grabbed everything we needed and said a final goodbye to Link before heading out and locking the door behind us. The drive to Jitters was a comfortable silence, apart from the radio playing in the background. Traffic surprisingly wasn't horrible despite it being the morning rush. The line at Jitters was a little longer than I would have liked for it to be, but at least they weren't training a new person. I felt a little deflated when I had to drive Barry to CCPD to drop him off. I rather quite enjoyed having him around.
"I don't want to go in." Barry let out a groan. "I'd rather stay in all day with you."
"Believe me, if I had the ability to grant your wishes I would do that in a heartbeat." I agreed. He touched my cheek softly.
"Thank you for last night." His eyes were bright with energy, though I couldn't figure out if it was from the coffee or just being around each other. "I had an absolutely wonderful time."
"I did, too." I smiled at him. He cupped my cheek and pulled me into a deep, yet sadly quick kiss. "Not fair." I sighed. Barry let out a chuckle of amusement. He kissed me again and then climbed out of the car.
"If you're not too busy after work, we could hang out a bit." He offered.
"I'm more than okay with that idea." I nodded. "Go before you're late or Singh will yell at you again."
"See you later." He smiled. I watched him walk away and disappeared into the building before I made my way to CCPN.
Iris was at her computer when I arrived a little before nine.
"Hey, how was your little date with Barry?" She greeted with a smile.
"How-?" I began to ask.
"He told me he was staying over." She gave a small smirk. "Did you two…?" Have sex?
"Not yet." I winced. Iris let out a groan.
"It's been three months since you guys since you guys started dating. I'm sure you're more than ready by now." She teased a bit.
"We just don't want to rush things since it's been awhile for both of us." I shrugged, taking a sip of my coffee.
"I totally understand that." Iris agreed. "However, by now you know that he's nowhere near like your ex. Girl, next time you two are alone like that you should nail it down. He's nuts about you." I stood there thinking for a moment. I couldn't believe I was having this conversation with her. Out of all people, Iris was the last person I should be talking to about having sex with him. She practically grew up with him and then there's also that part where he was madly in love with her. However, she did have a point. It had been three months since we started dating and Barry was nowhere near like Grant. I was completely smitten with him and actually happy. Maybe I should just rip the bandaid off because it was bound to happen at some point, right? "Riley?" Iris waved a little in my face.
"Sorry." I blinked rapidly into focus. "I was thinking. Maybe you're right. I need to rip the bandaid off." I let out a sigh. "I'm just a little worried that it could blow up in my face or it would end up being used as a weapon."
"I promise you that you have absolutely nothing to worry about." She gave a gentle smile. "Like we've said before, he's nothing like your ex. He actually cares about you and I'm pretty sure he's just as nervous as you are. I don't want you to feel pressured by it."
"I'm not bothered by it." I lied. Who am I kidding? Of course I was bothered by it, especially by Nat.
"Tell you what." She suggested. "We'll do a Girls Night together. Just the two of us. We'll go out to eat, maybe go shopping or see a movie, and you can ask whatever questions you have about him."
"Fair enough." I shrugged. I haven't had the chance to really hang out with her apart from going on short lunch breaks or double dates. "Let me know when, but I can't do it tomorrow because I promised Thalia I'd go to the trial with her tomorrow."
"Oh shit, that's right." She grew somber for a bit. "How's she doing?"
"Honestly, I'm worried about her." I pursed my lips. "I think she might have some ease after the trial's done, but I still worry about her."
"I couldn't think of a better person to be there for her." She said. "You're an amazing person to be around. She's incredibly lucky to have you as a friend."
"You're gonna make me cry before I start working if you keep that up." I smiled sheepishly.
"Good." She grinned. I waved her a small goodbye and headed to my computer to get set up. Linda Park walked by as I turned all of my equipment on.
"Morning." She greeted.
"Hi, Linda." I greeted back.
"How are things with you and Barry? Still together" She asked.
"Things are great." I replied. "So far it's three months now." She raised her brows in surprise.
"Three months? I'm actually impressed." She gave a genuine smile. "There must be something about you that he likes."
"I couldn't tell you what it is." I shrugged.
"Sorry for coming off as a bitch earlier." She took a moment to be serious. "I can be a little rough around the edges, especially since I'm in the sports section and have to be tough in a competitive field. Plus, I was concerned that you'd end up as another fling for Barry. However, I can see that is not the case at all." She gave a small smile. "Have a nice day." She left me alone to my thoughts and confusion as she headed to her desk.
"Thank you?" I was taken by surprise. "Huh…" Today was getting weird. I spent a portion of the day working on editing a few photos for the paper and printing them out to be used. Larkin actually gave me a compliment on how well they turned out. Then he also added he hoped I could get a picture of the Flash today if he was out there in the streets. "We'll see."
Around noon I stepped out of the office to go on a lunch break and get ready to head out to take pictures for a few articles. There was this little café on the corner of the street that sold some really good pasta that I decided to have. With a filled stomach, I was ready to venture out. I had a list of article names that needed photos. There was one about the museum displaying some kind of painting, a corporation that supposedly was a little shifty, an article about the mayor, and a new park being opened. The mayor was giving a press conference at two, so I decided to go with the park, corporate building, and museum first. It was pretty uneventful so I found myself taking pictures of random things I could stick in my portfolio. On the plus side, the weather was pretty nice.
As I was finishing up at the corporate building I was in the parking lot, putting my camera away. There was a gust of wind that suddenly erupted from behind me.
"What are you up to?" A familiar voice asked. I jumped and my camera slipped from my fingers.
"Jesus Christ!" I exclaimed. The Flash was quick to catch it.
"Sorry." He gave a sheepish smile and tried really hard not to laugh.
"Don't do that." I glared at him.
"Save your camera or sneak up on you?" His eyes glint mischievously.
"Sneaking up on me. I'm a jumpy person." I frowned. "I almost broke my camera because of it."
"But you didn't." He pointed out and handed me back my camera. "I'm sorry." I let out a sigh.
"It's fine." I brushed it off and packed it away.
"What's up?" He asked as he casually leaned against my car.
"A little frustrated with my boss." I replied.
"How come?"
"This morning I was editing and printing out pictures for the paper to use and he complimented me that they turned out fantastic. Then he casually slipped in saying 'Hey, I hope you get a picture of the Flash out there today'. It's a little frustrating. Sometimes I feel like he values my photos of you than anything else I take. Plus you make it damn near impossible."
"So why don't you take one now?" He suggested. "I'm not doing anything at the moment."
"That wouldn't be fair, though." I said. "I'm friends with a superhero and it feels like cheating if I call you up and be like 'I need pictures for my job. Mind help me staging a photo?'."
"Right." He drawled out slowly. "You actually like to work to get your photos."
"Exactly." I let out a breath. We were quiet for a few moments. I couldn't stay frustrated at him.
"How are things between you and your boyfriend?" Flash asked.
"Since when are you interested in my personal life?" I raised a brow skeptically.
"We've been working with you for the past couple of months, Riley." He said. "We know a decent amount about you. Saying that now sounds much more creepy than I intended it to." He frowned at his comment. I waved it off.
"We're good." I replied. "Things are good."
"Have you told him about your ability yet?"
"No." I shook my head. "I don't know how to tell him. Or even found the right time to tell him. I don't know how he would react."
"I'm sure he wouldn't be too judgmental about it. You'll never know unless you tell him." Damn, he was good. "Do you like him?"
"A lot." I nodded. "What about you, speedster? Anyone in your life?" He smiled at the comment.
"Not really." He looked at the ground and shuffled his feet. "The whole 'being a superhero' thing makes it difficult."
"Oh." I replied quietly. Duh, Riley. He can't because then his enemies would know exactly how to get to him. "Sorry, stupid question." I was silent again. He gave me a crooked smile. "How do you do that thing with your voice?"
"I vibrate my vocal chords." He explained.
"That's still weird." I made a face. Flash only laughed in amusement. He was quiet for a moment and pressed a hand up to his cowl.
"Yeah?" He asked. "I'm on it." He looked a little deflated. "I gotta go."
"See you around." I smiled. He smiled back and took off in a blur. I pulled my phone out to check the time; 1:45. Shit, I needed to go. I packed everything up and headed over to the city hall and wait for the mayor to give his press conference. I didn't exactly like Mayor Bellows. He seemed too chipper for my taste. No one could be that happy. Still, I continued to take a few pictures of him for the paper.
There was a sudden loud crack of a gunshot being fired that narrowly missed Mayor Bellows. Everyone ducked and screamed in fear. The mayor cowered behind his podium as his security detail hurried to move him to safety.
"Mayor Bellows!" A broad man screamed and strolled into the hall. "We need to have a little chat." I scrambled away from the man and fished my phone out of my pocket.
Shit. Shit. SHIT! My mind was racing. I quickly searched for Cisco's number and opened up a text message from him.
Gunman. City Hall. NOW!
I pressed 'send' and waited in fear, hoping he would get my message and pass it on. My mental barrier I worked so hard to keep up came crumbling down in an instant and the floodgates were opened. Dozens of voices were crying out in fear. People were still screaming.
"Everyone quiet!" The gunman roared, firing off another shot into the air. There were more screams, but everyone quieted down immediately. "Don't move, Mr. Mayor." He aimed the gun at Mayor Bellows.
"Come on, come on, come on." I murmured quietly. There was a blur of red and a gust of wind and the gunman was taken out in a single, but hard hitting punch. He collapsed to the floor and everyone immediately erupted into cheers and applause. The Flash took a pair of handcuffs from the security detail and placed them on the incapacitated gunman. He gave a small wave and scanned the crowd. His eyes fell on me and gave a small smile. You wanted to work for your pictures? Take it, he seemed to say. I snapped a couple of photos of him.
"Thank you." I mouthed softly. He gave a nod and sped off with the criminal. My phone started buzzing and I answered it. "I'm fine, Cisco. Thanks to our mutual friend."
"Oh, thank God." I heard him let out a huge breath over the phone. "You had us worried for a bit with that text."
"I'm fine." I reassured. "No cuts or bruises. Just a little shaken up, but I'm fine. I should have been paying more attention. I could have heard what the guy was thinking before it happened."
"Hey, don't sweat it." He replied. "You couldn't have known there was a shooter there. You still were able to send out an SOS to us. Can't even begin to tell you how many blunders Flash had when he first started." I felt the corners of my mouth turn up at the thought.
"Thanks, Cisco." I let out a small sigh. "I unfortunately have to get back to work."
"Any time, girl. Just holler if you see anything." The call ended with a click. I shoved my phone in my pocket and shook my hands out. I marveled at the fact that my camera came out unscathed during the whole ordeal. I needed a drink in the worst way possible.
The rest of the day was luckily uneventful when I got back to CCPN. Iris fretted over me to make sure I was okay and asked if I needed anything. I must've told her 'I'm fine' at least a dozen times. Mr. Larkin showed the same amount of concern, but also asked if I got a picture. Nice to know I'm valued. When I showed him the photo of the Flash apprehending the gunman, his face lit up in delight.
"Fantastic work today, Riley." He clapped me on the shoulder. "I'm glad you came out unscathed. That's top priority."
"Thank you, sir." I said through my teeth. I just wanted to be done for the day. For the rest of the work day I sat at my computer and looked through the photos I took. The ones I took for my portfolio and liked I stuck them on a thumb drive. The other ones I worked on editing them and printed them out to give to Larkin, including the Flash photo which he was very delighted to have. Iris decided that after work we should go to a bar with Barry and Eddie to grab a drink or two to unwind from the day. She took one look at me and told me I needed it with the day I was having.
We hung out at a bar in the downtown area that was build underground across from a theater. Best part about it was that they served steaks until four in the morning. I unwound from the day with a bottle of beer along with Eddie and Barry. Iris decided to have a Long Island. We talked about how our respective days went and I had to deal with the guys fretting over the ordeal at the city hall. On the other hand, Barry looked mildly interested when I brought up my success of getting a photo of the Flash. Eddie had mixed feelings.
"Eddie, are you anti-Flash?" I randomly asked him.
"I'm not anti-Flash." Eddie defended himself. "I just don't think that even if someone with superpowers should be running around as a vigilante. Look at Star City; they've got that hooded archer guy running around putting arrows into people."
"Oh, here we go again." Iris ran her fingers through her hair. "The Flash doesn't run around killing people. That's against his moral code. He's helped this city with crime that the police even struggle to get to in time."
"Like today." I made a point. "No one got shot if he wasn't there." Eddie puffed his cheeks out and looked a little frustrated.
"He's still a little mad from when the Flash wasn't acting like himself." Iris explained.
"I thought that it was confirmed he got affected by another meta-human. The same one that affected those people at that bank and they went on a sudden rampage attacking each other." Barry's brow furrowed in speculation.
"He did mention that in a talk we had." Iris recalled. "I didn't believe him at first, but he's been making up for it."
"Eddie, I apologize if I'm opening up old wounds for you." I tried to be sympathetic. "That wasn't my intention to do that."
"It's fine." He brushed it off. I didn't need to be a mind reader to tell that he was still in a bit of a grumpy mood by the end of evening.
"Ah, shit." I groaned, looking at the time. "I probably better get going. I gotta feed Link and get to bed. Roger Clark's trial is tomorrow."
"Let us know what happens." Iris slipped a hand in mine and squeezed it. "Thalia's going to need all the support she can get." I nodded in agreement.
"Do you need a ride home?" I asked Barry.
"I have to stop by the house to grab something so I can take you home, Barry." Iris offered. Barry gave me a questioning look.
"I don't care." I shrugged. "You do what you want to do."
"At least let me walk you to your car." He slipped his hand into mine. I nodded in agreement. Even though it was downtown and there were a lot of lights, it was still a little dangerous to be walking alone.
"Let me know when you want to hang out." I took Iris up on her offer.
"Yeah, I'll let you know." She replied.
"See you later, Riley." Eddie gave a small smile.
"Bye, guys." I smiled back and we stood up and made our way out. We took our time walking to the parking lot where my car was at. "I think I made Eddie mad." I winced at the conversation.
"Don't worry about it." Barry shook his head. "Eddie's like that all the time. He really does like you a lot. He's just has a strong standpoint as a cop."
"What does Joe think?" I asked curiously.
"Joe's got a completely different opinion." He explained. "Mainly due to the fact that he's been saved by him from a meta who could control the weather. He caused a tornado out on a farm and it almost took Joe out."
"I remember hearing about that on the news. One of the Mardens." I nodded. "That must've been some scary shit."
"That's part of being in law enforcement." His cheeks puffed out a bit. "Joe's seen some shit while I was growing up. He had this 'Earth to Joe' look a few times when he would come home from work."
"What about you?"
"That's the different part about my job. I don't exactly have to deal with all of the danger that he does or see the things that he's seen. Every now and then there are a few crime scenes that aren't exactly pleasant, but it pales in comparison to what Joe's been through." I slipped my hand into his and gave it a gentle squeeze. "There's been a couple of scary scenarios, but we come out alive."
"If I ever complain about how my job sucks you have my permission to smack me." I sighed. "And I thought my boss getting on my ass about getting pictures of a superhero that moves incredibly fast was rough." Barry gave me a small laugh.
"I think I'll give you a pass on that." He smiled. "Both of our jobs have their own hardships. Yours is more…"
"Normal?" I raised my brows.
"Well," He huffed out a breath. "I don't know if you would say getting pictures of superheroes is exactly a normal routine." I let out a genuine laugh.
"I will agree with you on that. A year ago if you told me I end up working for a paper and occasionally run into meta-humans I would say you're crazy."
"About as crazy saying that I got struck by lightning and ended up in a coma for nine months?" He quipped.
"That definitely is pretty high up on the list." I agreed. So is the fact about having abilities. Maybe…now is the time to tell him? My speedy friend might be right. I don't know how he'll react, but then again, I won't know unless I tell him. "Barry?"
"Yeah?" We reached my car and I came to a stop.
"I'm…" I took a deep breath. Say it. Just say it. "I'm grateful that I met you all of those months ago. Even if it was on a fluke and we basically ended up getting set up by Iris." Nope, too chicken to do it, Lewis. Barry cupped my face in his hands and planted a tender kiss.
"So am I." He rested his forehead against mine. One day I'll eventually tell him. "Drive safely, okay? And keep me updated on what happens tomorrow."
"I will." I nodded. He gave me another kiss before he watched me leave the parking lot.
When I got home, I made it a priority to invite Thalia to stay the night. She looked paler than normal and looked like she lost some weight due to stress. At first she protested against it, but she came to terms with it when she realized how much she isolated herself from everyone. I kept her company with movies she liked and Link immediately snuggled with her. He has a talent for sensing when people aren't doing well. She insisted that she slept on the couch that night, not wanting to kick me out of my own bed.
"You've already done so much for me, Riley." Her eyes filled with tears. "You've shown me so much kindness I could never repay you."
"Don't worry about it." I waved it away. "Just promise me that when he's locked up that you won't isolate yourself anymore. He won't be able to hurt you or anyone." She nodded in agreement with a sniffle. I pulled her into a hug. "It's going to be all over after tomorrow." I kept my door open that night while we slept. She cried out once in her sleep, but she was able to sleep. I, on the other hand, barely got any sleep. My mind was too anxious about the trial, facing Clark, Thalia's well-being, Barry, my conversation with the Flash, and the whole gunman incident.
The next morning we woke up around seven in the morning and had a quick breakfast. Thalia didn't have much of an appetite, but she did eat some toast. We got ready separately and I drove her to the courthouse where we would meet her attorney.
"You ready?" I asked her with a worried expression as I shut my engine off.
"I feel like I'm going to be sick." Thalia looked down at her feet.
"We're going to put this bastard behind bars right where he belongs." I squeezed her hand in comfort. She looked up and nodded hesitantly.
"Okay." She took a deep breath. "Let's go." We made our way to the front entrance of the tall white-stoned building. Luckily there wasn't much of presence of reporters there swarming to get a quote. When we were inside, we were greeted by a large man in a suit.
"Paul Thomas." He introduced himself. "I am Miss Jackson's attorney."
"Riley Lewis." I shook hands with him. "I'm her friend and neighbor."
"Pleasure to meet you." He gave a small smile. "You were the one that took her to the police station and hospital that night?"
"Yes, sir." I confirmed.
"Miss Lewis, you have shown nothing but kindness her. I believe you have the soul of a saint." He gave me a small smile. "Miss Jackson," He addressed her directly. "I do want to warn you that it will most likely will be difficult to testify in there today. It'll probably will bring up unpleasant memories from that night, especially when you see him. I assure you that he can't and won't harm you. The defense attorney may come off harsh and try to twist things, but don't let them get to you. You are a very strong and brave woman for coming forward and facing this. We'll get this guy off the streets for good with your help." Thalia nodded shakily.
"I'll be sitting right behind you." I assured her with a smile. "You can do this."
"Okay." Thalia nodded. "Let's go in." Paul opened the door for us and we walked into the courtroom. We took our seats on the side closest to the jury stand. I sat in the pew right behind where Thalia would sit with Paul. We waited patiently as the jury, general assembly, and other essential staff took their places. The door on the opposite end of the jury panel opened up and a well-dressed Roger Clark was escorted in.
Thalia went rigid as he walked to his seat with his attorney. He looked exactly as I remembered when I drew the sketch of him for the police. He looked a little thinner, but his eyes were void of empathy. Very carefully, I let my mental barrier down to probe his thoughts. There was nothing. Absolutely nothing. Clark looked a bit around the room and his eyes fell on Thalia, who trained her eyes to look forward. There was a certain malice that flashed through his eyes as he looked at her. I looked at Thalia and felt a sense of coldness and fear seep through me.
"Remember, he can't hurt you." Paul quietly assured Thalia.
Oh, God, she whimpered. I looked back at Clark and felt my skin squirm in disgust. I heard the quiet whispers of the thoughts from everyone in the room. They were all aimed at Thalia and Clark. My head began to swim a little and I began to feel the familiar headache of when I heard too many voices. I mentally built the wall back up and focused on the voices around me.
"All rise for the honorable Judge Whitfield." The bailiff announced. Everyone stood up as Whitfield, a man around in his fifties, walked in with his sweeping black robe. He took his seat at the pulpit and everyone else took theirs.
"Court is in session." He declared. "Case is Thalia Jackson versus Roger Clark. Prosecution may start with opening statement, followed by the defendant." Paul stood up and straightened his tie, squaring his shoulders.
"Thank you, your honor." He acknowledged before walking in front of the jury panel. Paul was very convincing as a communicator to them. He gave his opening statement in a persuasive manner to set the stage to prove that Clark was guilty of raping Thalia. It was hard to listen to the statement as I felt waves of dread and anxiety. Thalia had her eyes shut, trying very hard to not relive through her assault.
What a scum bag, one jury member thought.
Vile human being.
He deserves to be locked up.
He's guilty. There's no denying it. Just look at how he's reacting while he's listening.
My eyes shot over to Clark; he had a smug expression on his face, but he continued looking at the floor.
That's right. I made her scream. Bitch was asking for it. My stomach dropped to the floor and my blood ran cold. He was a sociopath. Clearly, he could care less at what happened to him. He was just glad he could see Thalia was extremely uncomfortable and he relished in it. After Paul was done with his statement, the defense attorney gave his opening statement.
Good luck trying to convince them he's innocent, Paul smirked. That's going to be damn near impossible for that bastard. The defense attorney's statement also made a somewhat compelling gesture that Clark was innocent, but it was nowhere near as compelling as Paul's. Paul was good. Real good. The next process in the trial was presenting the prosecutor's evidence. They pulled records from CCPD about the night we came in to file a sexual assault report, DNA evidence to prove that there was penetration, they showed the pictures of Thalia's bruises and injuries that the hospital took for documentation, and Lou's had a copy of the receipt from the night he was there, along with footage from inside the restaurant when he was harassing her to place him for motivation. Thalia was called to the stand to give her account on what happened. She painted a clear picture of that night.
She had finished her shift at the dinner and she was taking the trash out to the dumpster in the back when Clark appeared from the shadows. He grabbed her and shoved her against the wall, which was how she received the gash on her forehead. He gripped her tightly on the arms which left bruises, as noted by the photographs. She recounted every vile thing he said to her about what he was going to do to her and said that she would like it, how she was asking for it. She briefly described about the moment he did the act and her body shook in sobs. Members of the jury had looks of horror or tears were welling up in their eyes. One woman was silently crying at the recounting. I was even silently crying at her story. I could see everything happen. Even though Thalia was sobbing at the stand, she never lost her confidence. When she was finished, she returned to her seat.
"You did it." I mouthed at her as she walked back. She gave a small nod and a weak smile as she sat down. Paul also made a note about Clark's police file. Just as Barry had confirmed months before, Clark indeed had a criminal record. He had been arrested for driving while intoxicated and aggravated assault. There was no way he could come out unscathed in all of this. When the dense attorney came up to present his arguments, it was rather difficult. Paul made a very compelling case with the evidence presented. There were a few objections and off-track relevances. After a grueling two hours, both sides presented their closing arguments to the case. The judge appointed a foreperson from the jury and gave them instructions to go over what has been presented in the deliberation room to reach a verdict. As the jury took the time to reach a verdict, everyone broke into a quiet murmur.
"I think we made a very compelling argument." Paul let out a breath. He pulled out a cloth from his pocket and wiped his brow. "How are you feeling?"
"Nauseous." Thalia replied, biting her lip. "But, I'm okay. It felt good to get that out."
"You did amazing up there." I gave her shoulder a small squeeze.
"I'm glad you're here." She leaned against my shoulder.
"It's almost done." I assured her. I cautiously glance over at Clark. He was glowering at Thalia. He's done enough damage. A short while later, the jury came back to their panels and everyone took their seats again.
"What verdict has the jury reached?" The judge asked. The foreperson, a man, stood up and cleared his throat. I held my breath as I waited.
"Your honor," He spoke in a clear voice. "In the case of Thalia Jackson versus Roger Clark, we the people of the jury find the defendant guilty on all accounts." I let my breath out through my teeth.
"Given with Mr. Clark's previous criminal record history and the sexual assault against Miss Jackson, I hereby sentence the punishment of twenty years at Iron Heights with a $100,000 fine immediately. Court is dismissed." The judge banged his gavel with one hit and left the room. Thalia collapsed back in her chair and I wrapped an arm around her shoulder.
"It's done. He's going away." I smiled at her. We looked over at Clark as he was being escorted out of the room. Thalia glared at him.
That man should have every form of torture and pain. He deserves it.
Suddenly he collapsed on the floor and began screaming in agony. His body contorted in various angles as he screamed in pain, grabbing at his head. People clambered around him, trying to figure out what was going on. Was he faking it?
"Make it stop!" He cried out. "I'll do anything! Just make it stop! Make the pain go away!" Clark completely broke down in agony at the sudden pain. "It hurts!" I looked over at Thalia. She had a strange look on her face.
"You don't need to see this." I tried to turn her away.
"Yes I do." She replied, still having the strange expression. As quickly as it started, it suddenly stopped. Clark laid there on the floor in a quivering heap with a sweaty brow. There was no way he was faking it. The man that was a monster in every shape and form laid on the floor like a helpless child.