Chapter Twenty-Four: A Day To Remember

~Forks - Courthouse~ Saturday

Hailey's PoV

"Any more witnesses counselor?" Judge Johnson asked Rachel she shook her head, the judge nodded and turned to the Mr. Jefferson, "you may call your first witness then."

"The defense would like to call Michael Carter to the stand."

My father glared at me as he walked up to the stand, and when he swore on the bible to tell the truth I knew that he was lying.

"Mr. Carter do you love your daughter Ms. Clearwater?" asked Mr. Jefferson.

"Why wouldn't I, she means everything to me," lied my father, I glared at him.

"You've never harmed her?"

"Never have I ever thought to hurt her, after her mother died I could never think to do something like that, they look too much a like," said my father, I rolled my eyes, he was just lying!

"What happened on April eleventh, Mr. Carter?"

"I was looking for my daughter, Hailey, I had just gotten to La Push, Washington. No one was home at my brother in law's house, so I decided to look around the town and when I didn't find her there I looked around the beach. When I went up to the cliffs I was shocked at what I found, my daughter's boyfriend was beating her," lied my father, "I was lucky to be able to pull him away from her."

"I'm done, Judge Johnson," said Mr. Jefferson and Rachel stood up walking over towards my father.

"Mr. Carter did Embry hit you?"

"Yes."

"And you just said that you were lucky to pull him away correct?"

"Yes."

"So you should've been able to take your daughter to the hospital correct?"

"I did."

"Then why did Dr. Cullen say that Embry insisted that he would take care of her?" asked Rachel, a smile coming to her lips.

"What?" asked my father, dumbfound.

"Mr. Carter you heard me, Dr. Cullen said that Embry insisted that he would take care of your daughter," said Rachel, "but if it was apparently you who took your daughter to the hospital then why didn't Dr. Cullen say that it was you?"

"I-…ah…"

"Answer the question Mr. Carter," said Judge Johnson, she smiled at me.

I was shocked as my father suddenly stood up, "fine I did it! I beat her, just like I did her good for nothing mother! She deserves to die just the same way!"

"She didn't deserve to die!" I screamed at him, jumping out of my seat, "you do, you deserve to rot in jail and burn in the fiery pits of hell!"

"Mr. Carter, Ms. Clearwater, sit down!" yelled Judge Johnson, banging her gavel down.

I sat back down and so did my father, Judge Johnson looked at both of us then said, "are you done Mrs. Tama?"

"Yes, Judge Johnson," said Rachel and she walked over towards me.

"Good as I have come to a decision, Michael Carter is sentence to life in prison for the abuse of Jade and Hailey Clearwater. Hailey is going to be put into the custody of Mrs. Susan Clearwater until Ms. Clearwater's eighteenth birthday, court is adjourn," said Judge Johnson, and with that she stood up and left the room.

I smiled and Rachel hugged me tightly, today I knew would be a day I would remember for the rest of my life.

"This is just wonderful," said Rachel, holding me to her.

"You have no idea," I told her, as I watched my father get dragged out of the room.

~Sam and Emily's House - Living Room~

"Embry you should've never said that, about hitting my father, no matter how much he deserved it," I told him, he just smiled at me.

"Yeah well if I didn't say it then, that guy would've gotten it out of me, one way or another," he said, wrapping his arm around my shoulder.

"So what now?" I asked, he shrugged his shoulders.

"Prom, graduation, whatever comes next after that," he said, I smiled at this.

"Getting your cast off," suggested Aunt Sue.

"When?" I asked, hoping that it would be before Prom.

"Second week of May," she said, making me smile.

"That's before Prom," I said, happily, Embry laughed.

A/N: I got ten reviews, wow, thanks guys! Two more chapters and the Epilogue I think.