Okay, this is EXTREMELY short. I'm very, very sorry. I've been trying to work on this and my other stories but it's not going well. I find it very hard to write things this dark when getting ready for Christmas. I'm not planning on updating any of my stories until after New Years but you never know, miracles do happen! ;)
Once again, have a wonderful holiday season, eat too much, drink too much egg nog, have too much fun and spend too much time with family and friends!
See you in the New Year!!!
Susanne
CHAPTER TWENTY NINE
Sitting in the hallway outside the court room, Reid fidgeted in his seat. It was taking everything he had to not jump up and run away. He didn't want to do this. He REALLY didn't want to have to walk into that room and give testimony about what Mary and her brother had done to him.
Down the hallway Reid heard footsteps. He glanced up to see the source of the sounds. Surprise passed through him as he saw Rachel being led toward him, wearing an orange prison jump suit and chains around her ankles, wrists and waist. The woman looked worn and thin compared to when he'd first met her. Automatically, Reid stood up to greet her. He made an effort to not stare at the guards on either side of her.
"Rachel, hi. How are you?" Reid asked as he awkwardly reached out his hand toward the woman. The need to give her a hug was trying to overwhelm him. He knew all ready that would only upset her and her body guards.
Rachel had been walking with her head down. Reid could almost feel the shame rolling off the woman. He got the feeling that she just wanted to get this over with and get the hell out of Dodge. He couldn't blame her at all. He was feeling something very similar.
"Hi," Rachel said once her eyes came up to look at Reid's battered face. The woman's eyes narrowed with rage and she looked at him intently. "What the hell happened to you?"
"It was work related," Reid responded, unconsciously touching the side of his face. The bruises were darker and more livid, making it look worse than it felt. Well, not really, it still hurt like hell. "It looks worse than it feels."
"Somehow I doubt that," Rachel responded. Then the shame fell back over her face and she looked away.
"How are you?" Reid repeated. Still ignoring the guards, he settled back down onto the bench. The wood was hard on his butt but it made his leg feel better. Too bad his hip didn't really agree.
Realizing that the younger man's voice had moved, Rachel looked down at him. Then she glanced at her guards, clearly asking for permission. The guard to her left, Reid now recognized him as Deputy Callen, nodded his head and helped direct her to sit beside him on the bench.
"I'm fine," Rachel responded once she was situated. Reid could tell that she was lying. She was looking at the people walking by them and the pictures on the wall, anything but at him.
"Somehow I doubt that," Reid responded, a crocked grin on his thin lips.
"Touché," Rachel said as she looked back at the younger man. It was wonderful to see him, even with the awful bruises on his face. "It's prison, not a health club. Of course I'm not great but I will survive until they release me."
"Hotch is working on getting you released early," Reid stated. He'd helped as much as he could but they still had to maintain a certain distance. They were all plaintiffs in the trial taking place right this moment beyond the doors. Absently Reid wondered how Hotch was making out.
"He doesn't have to do that," Rachel said, her eyes following to the ground. She was embarrassed by the efforts of the Unit Chief. She still harboured a great deal of shame for her part in creating the circumstances that brought Mary's dark side out. "I'm more than willing to pay for what I've done."
"You may be willing to do it, but we aren't willing to let it happen. We don't blame you for what Mary did. Her actions were her own as demonstrated by her coming after us after you were removed from the equation," Reid said, trying to get Rachel to look at him.
"I'm not sure you should be discussing the case," Deputy Callen stated. "I don't want to take a chance of Doug having a reason to appeal."
"He's right. Let's just sit here quietly until they call us," Rachel suggested. It was all she wanted. To spend some time alone, well, as alone as she could get in a hallway full of people.
"Perhaps you're right," Reid stated as he shifted in the bench. Damn he wished his hip and leg would get on the same page. Either one of the other was always complaining, it wore thin in a hurry.
OOOOO
"Agent Hotchner, when was the first time you remember seeing Mr. West?" the defence attorney asked. The court room decor was primarily done in wood. The bench, witness stand, jury box, and prosecuting and defending attorney's tables were large and chunky. Aaron thought it might be oak but he wasn't sure. The walls were covered in thick wood panels that weighed the space down. It reminded Hotch dimly of an over done hunting cabin. The lights hanging from the ceiling did little to lift the overwhelming sense of oppression in the space.
Sitting on the witness stand, Supervisory Special Agent Aaron Hotchner tried to appear outwardly calm. It wouldn't do for the jury to see just how upset sitting on the witness stand was making him. As the Unit Chief of the BAU, Aaron was accustomed to testifying. He was always able to appear calm, cool and collected. That was what the prosecuting attorney expected. It helped to instil confidence in the jury of the content of his testimony. He was very careful not to look around at the audience. He didn't want to see any familiar faces among the crowd. This was easier when he assumed he didn't know anyone.
In another life, Hotch had also been a prosecuting attorney. He knew all too well the song and dance going on all around him. Being a good lawyer was almost as much about how well you could present your witnesses as the content of what was said. The turmoil in his mind and body was very hard to hide. As a way of dealing with it, Hotch had his hands resting on his lap where the anxious twinning and releasing of his fingers would go unobserved.
"After the car accident I had difficulty seeing. I think it was a result of the head trauma I'd sustained during the accident. I can remember hearing a man's voice while I was in the back of the SUV with Deputy Callen. It was only later that I realized it was Mr. West, Mary's brother, whose voice I'd heard," Hotch stated. It was a long, convoluted answer but it was also the truth. The only way he was going to survive this situation with his sanity intact.
"When did you find out who Mr. West was?" the lawyer continued. He'd gone through the testimony with all of the prosecution witnesses and yet he knew that all of them were going to be a little shaky and possibly incoherent in places. He had carefully positioned himself to be between Hotch and Doug sitting at the defence table. From past experience he knew that it was harder on the witnesses to have to look directly at the person responsible for their suffering. Even FBI agents were not immune to the loss of power the interaction could cause.
Keeping his voice as strong as he could, Hotch continue to answer the prosecutor's questions. He maintained an outward facade of calm and collection. On the inside, though, images of what he'd felt, seen, smelled and heard raged through his mind. He reeled emotionally, occasionally losing track of what the lawyer was asking him. It was with embarrassment that he'd had to ask the man to repeat his last question, twice. Taking a deep breath, Aaron tried to concentrate on the here and now but he wasn't particularly successful. He felt like he was drowning as he struggled to function. When would this be over?
P.S. I'm only vaguely familiar with the justice system and all of that is from watching TV. If there are mistakes here, they are entirely my own but I'm more than willing to listen to advice. I was going to go through the whole testimony thing line by line but have changed my mind. I was afraid it would become very boring and repetitive. Let me know what you think. PLEASE?????
