Ch 21. The Hearing (Juliette's POV)
My fingers shook as I buttoned up my blouse, and Esme smiled sadly at me, finishing the row of buttons for me. "Thanks. I'm just so nervous."
She put her hands on my shoulders and looked me squarely in the eyes. "Juliette, there are armed policemen in there, ready if something goes wrong." I hugged her, still feeling scared. I tied on my disgusting converses and a small wave of peace ran over me; those things are my security blanket. We walked out of the room and down to the front hallway, where Carlisle was waiting for us. He kissed us both on the cheek, hugging me gently.
"You'll be fine Juliette. He isn't going to mess with us." I laughed weakly, walking out to Carlisle's Mercedes and hopping in the backseat. He started the engine and zoomed along the highway, right out of Forks. I plugged in my earphones and let The All-American Rejects' "Sunshine" deafen me. Carlisle held Esme's hand throughout the entire drive, and it made me feel strangely lonely. Collin wasn't going to come, since he would be waiting outside the courtroom the whole time. A few hours later, we passed a cheerful looking sign that said, "Welcome to Seattle! Enjoy your stay!" Yeah right. I'm really going to enjoy six hours in a courtroom with my less-than-friendly-father.
20 minutes later, we pulled up to a brick courthouse, with two people standing in front of it. One of them, I hated with every fiber of my being. The other one, I was overjoyed to see. I threw open the door and ran over to him, getting caught in his hug. "You came!"
Collin's husky laugh calmed me. "What, you think I wasn't gonna be here for you?" I kissed him on the cheek and turned to Cammie. She was smiling at me; totally fake.
"Aren't you going to introduce me to your boyfriend?"
Boyfriend isn't the word to describe Collin, but words like destiny, fate, and happily ever after sound awkward in normal conversations. "Cammie, this is Collin. Collin, this is Cammie, my old social worker." He shook her hand politely, but I could see the anger behind his eyes. Carlisle and Esme were a bit more controlled though. They smiled at Cammie and introduced themselves.
"Well, your dad is in there. You ready? Just remember, even though I'll be trying to convince the judge to let you stay with Mr. and Mrs. Cullen, she could very well decide to put you back into the custody of your dad." I nodded, a feeling of dread swirling around in the bottom of my stomach. We started up the steps towards the door, but Collin pulled me aside.
"Hey, since I can't go in there with you, I have something for you." He pulled a little necklace out of his pocket and held it up, smiling. I blushed, a little embarrassed that he had gotten me something. "You like it?" I nodded, hugging him. It was a bluish and white seashell on a piece of twine. It wasn't fancy, but I still loved it. I turned around and lifted up my hair so he could tie it around my neck. The seashell rested right where my heart was. Corny as hell, right? I kissed him gently before heading through the wooden doors. Here we go…
"Juliette, did you enjoy the time you had with your father before you had been abducted?" I sighed at the judge's question, rubbing my tired and red-rimmed eyes. We had been in the courtroom for hours now.
"No, I did not."
She peered at me over her glasses. "Why is that? From what your father has told me, he did everything for you." I stared at her, wondering how dumb she could possibly be.
"Then he's been lying through his teeth. My dad beat me, and my dead brother!" My dad glared at me.
"Your honor, my daughter is lying to you. I was a good father. She just became disrespectful and unruly after her mother left."
Cammie stood up. "May I call a witness, your honor?"
She nodded. "By all means, go ahead." Cammie motioned for a woman to come forward from the benches in the back. It was Laura!
"You honor, this is Mr. Edmunds' current wife. Ma'am, can you tell us how your husband behaved when he saw his daughter for the first time in four years?" Laura kept her head down when she talked, so she wouldn't have to look at my dad.
"He acted like a happy father at first, but then he became violent. He hit Juliette so hard that she flew backwards, and he called her and his previous wife, ungrateful little whores."
Cammie looked harshly at the judge. "No more questions your honor." Tears were running down my face as I remembered when Dad had first reappeared in my life.
"I've reached a decision." The judge sounded and looked determined. "After everything I've heard, from both parties, I've reached the decision to grant Mr. and Mrs. Cullen custody of Juliette, and to grant Juliette a restraining order against her father. I'll need to speak to the three of you in just a few minutes. Hearing adjourned."
I looked at Esme and Carlisle, my eyes wide. "You're my parents now!" I laughed at how weird it felt to say.
Cammie came up, smiling gently. "Well, that's it. Call me if you have any more problems, okay?" I nodded and hugged her. "Good luck sweetie. Sorry for all those years ago." A few tears escaped and I nodded, showing her that I accepted her apology.
Esme – sorry, Mom took my hand and led me over to the judge, who was holding some papers. "I need you and your husband to sign these, and I need you to sign this, Juliette." It was the restraining order we had requested for my dad. I took the pen Carlisle – darn, sorry, Dad offered and signed quickly, wanting to go home. Mom handed the papers to the judge, who smiled. "Good luck." She nodded and we walked out the doors, ready to go home. The darkness surprised me; how long were we in there? My body registered how much energy I had left (not a lot) and I swayed on the spot, nearly falling asleep where I stood. Dad picked me up and cradled me to him. He walked to the Mercedes with Mom, laying me across the backseat. A pair of scorching lips touched my forehead, before I heard a pickup truck start up. Collin had driven behind us to the hearing in his truck, I guess. The Mercedes started with a purr and I felt us pull out of the space and onto the road. I was going home; for good.