Whoo, this is the last chapter of this story! Hard to believe I have been working on it this long. Thanks to everyone who stayed with this story even through my lack of updates, and I hope you all enjoyed it! I would also like to add that this story got the most reviews out of all my stories, which is awesome! Again, thank you all, and here is the final chapter!
Trial Day Part III
Ryan stood and looked around the courtroom, spotting his coworkers sitting not too far from him. He smiled when a few of them smiled at him. He was so glad that they had been here to support him through this whole ordeal. He didn't know if he would have gotten this far without them. He looked to his other side to see Calleigh sitting in the chair next to his. He smiled down at her, also very glad that she had been there with him. "I love you," he said.
Calleigh smiled up at him and reached out for his hand. "I love you too, Ryan. Everything is going to be ok." She looked up at the currently empty witness stand. "Horatio is talking to the judge about setting up the video footage in here for everyone to see. There is no way Richard is getting out of this."
Ryan nodded and sighed. He looked back when he saw Gianna enter the courtroom. "I'll be right back." He slowly walked back to where she was standing. "Hey."
Gianna smiled at him. "Hi."
Ryan swallowed a little. "Um, is Dave here?"
"Yeah, he's still out in the hall," Gianna said, looking over her shoulder. "He told me about what happened the other night when I was out."
"Yeah," Ryan said, touching his cheek lightly where David had smacked him a few nights ago. "We had a disagreement about trust issues."
Gianna smiled a little. "You men are something else. I scolded him, of course. He shouldn't have hit you."
"I deserved it."
"I don't think you did. You were scared and didn't want to say anything." She put her hand on his shoulder. "It's ok to be scared every once in a while, Ryan."
Ryan nodded. "I'm going to talk to him. Calleigh is up there if you want to sit by her."
"Ok," Gianna said, waving to Calleigh and watching Ryan exit the doors to the courtroom.
Ryan walked down the hallway until he found David staring out a large window. He swallowed a little and approached him. "Dave?"
David turned around and looked at Ryan. He looked like he hadn't slept well in a few days. "Hey," he said tiredly.
"Are you ok?" Ryan asked, moving up to stand next to David.
"I've been better," David said. He finally glanced over at Ryan again. "I'm sorry about the other night, Ryan. I never should have hit you, it was wrong of me."
"It's ok, Dave," Ryan said. He looked at his brother, saddened by his guilty expression. "You were right, I should have told you sooner."
"But you were scared, I should have understood that," David said. "I shouldn't have lashed out like I did." He looked down to the floor. "After you left, I was so upset with myself. I hated myself for I did to you. I'm not a very good brother, I-"
"Dave, you've been here with me through all of this, how can you say you're not a good brother?" Ryan asked, causing David to look at him again.
"I hurt you," David said shamefully. "You were hurting already, and I only made it worse."
Ryan frowned and pulled David into a tight hug, please when he wrapped his arms around him in return. "You're the best brother anyone could ask for. I love you."
"I love you too, Ry," David said, hugging his brother tighter. He eventually pulled back and looked at Ryan. "I really am sorry, though."
"Hey, we're brothers. I don't think it would be normal if we didn't beat each other up every once in a while."
David smiled. "You have my permission to smack me any time."
Ryan grinned and followed David into the courtroom. They spotted the ladies and sat down next to them once more. Not five minutes later the judge entered the room. Gerard and Richard entered shortly after; Richard dressed in an inmate's suit.
"Ladies and Gentlemen of the Jury, as you may recall we have received video footage of the crimes of which Mr. Richard Hennessey has been accused of," the Judge stated. He looked over to Horatio. "Lieutenant Caine, will you please present the footage to us?"
"I will, Sir," Horatio stated. He approached the front of the room where a tape player was set up. He inserted the video and pressed play. As the footage was starting, he turned and looked at Ryan, giving him a look that suggested everything was going to be all right.
Ryan and everyone else sat and watched the footage playing. For Calleigh and Ryan, it was a nightmare rerun. Calleigh swallowed hard and reached over for Ryan's hand. She wasn't surprised to see him just as frightened by the footage as she was. She bit her lip when it got to the part where Ryan put his vest on her and was about to take her from the room. Jury members gasped and made small comments when they saw Richard with the gun in the footage, evidence confirming that he was guilty.
When the first gunshot rang out on the video, Ryan nearly jumped out of his chair. He gasped in fright, his eyes filling with tears. He wanted to scream, but was silenced when he felt a hand on his arm. He looked over to see David looking at him, his face as white as a sheet. He remembered that David had only heard about what happened in that room, but had never seen it. Now he was witnessing what happened to his younger brother, and it was tearing him apart.
Once the video footage ended, Jury members again began to chat and whisper and shoot glared at Richard, who sat silently in his seat, looking at nobody in particular. The judge quickly silenced everyone and called a brief recess so the Jury could make his or her decisions.
"Ryan," David started quietly, looking sadly at his brother. He hesitated for a moment. "That video…it was so…horrible."
"I wish you didn't have to see it," Ryan said. "I wish I didn't either. It's not something I want to relive again."
Before they knew it, court was back in order. "Has the Jury reached a verdict?" the judge asked.
A member of the Jury stood up, a note card in her hand. "On accounts of kidnapping, and two accounts of attempted murder, the Jury finds Mr. Richard Hennessey…guilty."
Sounds of approval filled the courtroom. The judge picked up his gavel and hit the stand. "The court appoints Mr. Hennessey to life imprisonment on these charges. Court adjourned."
"This is preposterous!" Gerard growled as Richard was led away in handcuffs. "I never lose." He glared in the direction of his sons and their celebrating friends. He suddenly stormed over to them, pushing people out of his way and receiving a few angry remarks on the way. He grabbed Ryan's shoulder and spun him around to face him. "You think this is over?"
Ryan frowned. "It is over…Dad…not that you're acting much like one." He glared at Gerard, realizing that David had come to stand beside him.
"You're done here," David said, glaring at his father. "You should leave."
Gerard was seething now, his face getting red. "You two think you're all that, but you're not!"
"We're better than you'll ever be!" Ryan snapped.
Gerard snapped suddenly and smacked Ryan across the face, knocking him sideways. He was slightly surprised when David lunged at him, but he retaliated quickly and punched him roughly in the side. He grinned with sick please when David cried out. "You think you're-" He was cut off when a fist connected with his nose and he was knocked to the ground. He looked up, utterly shocked to see Horatio standing over top of him.
"I think it's time you leave, Mr. Wolfe," Horatio said sternly.
Gerard glowered at him and got up off the floor. He angrily stormed form the room, wiping at his bloody nose with a tissue.
Ryan watched his father leave while wiping the blood off his chin. He had only gotten a bloody lip, thanks to Gerard. He looked over at Dave, who had his arm wrapped around his side. "You ok?"
David nodded and looked at Ryan. "You?"
"Yeah," Ryan said. He smiled a little and accepted the tissue that Calleigh pushed at him. "I've never seen Horatio hit someone like that."
Calleigh smiled a little and hugged Ryan close to her. She looked over his shoulder to see David and Gianna hugging each other close as well. "Let's go home, Ryan."
*** Several Days Later ***
Ryan walked sleepily into the kitchen of his and Calleigh's home. After the court case, she asked him to move in with her. Of course she didn't have to ask him twice, he accepted right away. He was glad that he had. Now not only did he get to be around the woman he loved all the time, but he got to be right next door to his brother. He finally spotted Calleigh over by the sink. He approached her and wrapped his arms around her waist. "Hi."
"Hey, there," Calleigh said, smiling at him over her shoulder. "Did you have a good nap?"
"It would have been better if you were there," Ryan said, causing Calleigh to laugh a little. "What have you been doing?"
"People watching," Calleigh said. She returned her gaze to the window, where Ryan noticed the objects of her interest. David and the kids were running around the yard, kicking around a ball. Gianna was over in the garden area watching them and laughing every once in a while. "I want that some day," she mentioned, looking up at Ryan.
"Me too," Ryan said, bending down and kissing her. He wrapped his arms around her, pulling her closer to him. "Don't ever leave me."
"Wouldn't dream of it," Calleigh said with a smile. She turned back around in his arms and nuzzled against him. She looked back out the window, content with where she was.
END
Hmm, I get the feeling that was a dumb way to end the story, but that's al I got. Final reviews would be most awesome. Thanks again to everyone who read!
