Just a couple of chapters and then this one is done.
Dee and Melody belong to me. Everyone else belongs to themselves.
It was five in the morning but Dee was wide awake. With all the stress of the trial she had become used to a disrupted sleeping pattern, but now she found that sleep completely evaded her despite her best efforts. She had tried everything that was pregnancy safe, from lavender scented pillows to hot cocoa to meditation. In a last ditch effort to get some sleep she resorted to counting sheep, which must have worked as she woke around three hours later feeling somewhat rested.
By noon she was back in the courtroom, this time to look on as her attacker answered the questions from both the prosecution and defence lawyers. The brunette sat in between her aunt Dixie and her lawyer, Mr. Curtis, listening as Martin Holden's lawyer spun the courtroom line after line that cast doubt on her own testimony. The accused answered each question in a calm and measured fashion, pausing occassionally to take a sip of water.
"Mr. Holden, do you recall seeing this young woman on the date in question?"
"Yes, I do." the accused cast his eyes over Dee in such a way that she felt her skin crawl.
"Can you explain to the court, Mr. Holden, how you came to be in possession of this item?" Mr. Curtis presented the evidence bag containing Dee's belt for the whole courtroom to see.
"I don't recall."
"It may be of interest to the jury and others in the courtroom that this belt belonged to Delia-Anne Carter. In fact, her initials are engraved on the silver charm attached to the belt."
Dee felt nausea swirling in her stomach as she watched the court clerk present the evidence bag to the jury. Her eyes felt heavy and the room seemed far too warm, despite the presence of air conditioning units in the courtroom. It would pass, she thought as the lawyers continued their questioning.
Back in Florida the newlywed Melody was having lunch with her brother and his tag team partner, Jesse. The beachfront diner was experiencing a lunchtime rush when they had been seated, but now the crowds had thinned out enough to have a conversation without the need for raised voices. Stirring the straw around her strawberry milkshake, the blonde woman decided to address her current concerns with the duo.
"Have you guys noticed anything weird going on with Patrick?"
"Define weird." Jesse replied, taking a bite out of his burger.
"Like, really quiet and distant." she replied.
"It's not even two months since you two got married," Jesse reasoned, "Maybe he needs time to adjust to the changes."
"If that's true then I wish he'd just tell me. I hate not knowing."
"Have you asked him what's up?"
"Yeah, but he just told me to trust him." the Knockout rolled her eyes and sighed.
"Maybe you should try doing that," the mohawked man suggested, "You did promise to do that when you married him."
"You're right, I guess."
"Hear that Shannon? I'm right!"
"Huh?" the Prince of Punk looked up, having been staring a hole in his sandwich.
"Never mind." Melody shrugged, sipping at her milkshake.
"Stuff on your mind, man?" Jesse raised a brow towards his tag team partner.
"Dee."
"Any news on how the court case is going?" Melody enquired.
"Just that she was done giving her testimony." her brother replied with a sigh.
"She's with Dixie and her family." the Knockout reasoned with him.
"I just wish I was there with her."
"I know, but she asked you not to," Jesse reminded his tag team partner, "You have to respect her wishes."
"Jesse's right." Melody offered a sympathetic smile as she patted her brother's shoulder reassuringly.
"Wow, I'm right twice in five minutes! New record!"
"You're a weirdo." Shannon managed a chuckle.
"Takes one to know one." the mohawked man quipped, stealing one of Melody's fries in the process.
"You're gonna have to tell her soon." Josh warned his friend and tag team partner.
"I will, tonight." Patrick sighed, as he twirled a set of keys in his hand.
"She likes surprises," the older Gun offered a smile, "So maybe the house will be a good surprise!"
"The question is how to break the news to Melody. I mean, am I supposed to just slip it into conversation? 'Hey, I know we never talked about it, but I went ahead and bought us a house!' That's bound to go down well!" Patrick fretted.
"It might not be too much of a surprise. I mean, she knows first hand how impulsive you can be. Hell, I think that's part of the reason you guys are married now!"
"Even if she likes surprises, I've seen what she's like when she's pissed."
"You've just gotta bite the bullet, I guess." Josh threw up the Guns pose.
"You're a great friend. I'll be sure to come to you when I'm kicked out of my bed, or worse, when I need help reattaching my balls."
"In that case I would go to a medical professional." Josh replied, patting his friend's shoulder.
The remainder of the evidence had been submitted to the jury for consideration, and the questioning of the accused continued. Dee shifted uncomfortably in her seat. It was still too warm and she could feel herself becoming dizzy. The court would no doubt be adjourning shortly anyway, so she convinced herself that she could hold on for a little longer before excusing herself. Perhaps all she needed was a splash of water on her face and a sugary snack to keep her from feeling light-headed.
"Dee?" Dixie whispered as she noticed her niece looking pale.
"Your Honor, we request an immediate recess." Mr. Curtis addressed the judge as Detective Brenner quietly informed him of his client's state.
"Okay, we'll resume after a thirty minute recess." Judge Solomon nodded, banging her gavel down.
Her aunt Dixie and Detective Brenner both helped her out of the courtroom, with Brenner immediately fetching a some water for the young brunette to drink. Mr. Curtis took a seat next to his client, "Dee, if you're not feeling okay, would you like me to get the case adjourned until tomorrow?"
"I'll be okay. I just need...just need..."
"Dee!" Dixie exclaimed as her niece collapsed to the floor.
"This is Detective Brenner," the cop spoke into his cellphone. "We require an ambulance at the courthouse urgently."
"It's okay, Dee. Help is on the way." Dixie whispered as she cradled her niece's limp body.
Shannon was heading towards the entrance of the gym with Jesse when his cellphone rang. Taking the device from the pocket of his cargo shorts, the North Carolina native was confused to see Dixie's number flashing up on the screen. Dropping his gym bag down next to him the Prince of Punk swiped to answer the call.
"Dixie, is everything okay?" he enquired.
"It's Dee. She's in the hospital." Dixie replied with an anxious tone to her voice.
"What happened? Is she okay? Is the baby okay?" Shannon exclaimed.
"I don't know. She was unconscious when we brought her in," his boss explained, "The doctors are examining her now. I'll keep you updated."
"Screw that. I'm coming down there!" the tattooed man told her.
Dixie didn't argue with him. "I'll send you directions to the hospital."
"Hang in there, I'm on my way." he told her before hanging up.
Patrick had formulated a plan. With a little assistance from a reluctant Josh he had set up a scenario in which he could tell his wife about his impulsive house purchase by first finding out how she felt about it. Still, it didn't make him any less nervous when Melody came back from a Knockouts photoshoot.
The blonde dropped her bags at the door and headed over to greet her husband with a kiss. "Hey."
"Hey." the Detroit native replied.
"What's all this?" Melody equired as she spotted the photos scattered across the kitchen counter.
"I've been thinking about our living arrangements."
"Okay, I'm gonna need more information." the Knockout replied nervously.
"I just figured that since we're married now we could check out some places for us to settle down. I'm done with the bachelor pad. Now I want a marital home." her husband spoke with certainty.
"Really?"
"Yeah. Somewhere to raise a family."
"Oh, Patrick!" Melody exclaimed as she took in her husband's words.
"So, what do you think of something like this?" Patrick asked his wife, sliding over the picture of his recently acquired property.
"Four bedrooms, three bathrooms, large garden..."
"And look, there's a double garage," the Detroit native added, "You could keep your dirtbike in there as well as your truck."
"Something like this would be perfect." the blonde Knockout grinned like a kid at Christmas.
"What about something exactly like this?" her husband asked.
"I don't follow..."
"Please don't kill me, but I kinda already bought this house..."
"Is this what you've been so secretive about? That thing you told me to trust you about?" Melody raised a brow in disbelief.
"Um, yeah."
"I love you so much right now." the Knockout launched herself into her husband's arms as she showered him with kisses, leaving red lipstick stains all over his face.
"So, this is a good surprise?" Patrick raised a brow.
"The best!" Melody replied.
It probably goes without saying but the next chapter will contain some drama... Review!