Chapter 10
Slight Triggers today. It's trial time.
The weekend before the trial has me in a tailspin. My emotions have been all over the place, and I had panic attack after I broke a glass cup while helping with the dishes. I don't remember much about what was said during it either. I remember Rachel yelling for her dads and then mumbled voices. All I know is that I was shaking balled up in the corner waiting for the first strike.
"I'm sorry" Tears in my eyes, I look at the three people staring back at me.
"Quinn, Sweetheart." Leroy and Hiram kneel in front of me. "There is nothing to be sorry for. It was just an accident." Hiram states.
"You are safe here and loved very much." Leroy places his hand on my knee. I feel Rachel's arms wrap around me.
"You are home" Hiram sits on my other side. "May we hug you?" Not trusting my voice, I shake my head yes, and I end up in the middle of a Berry group hug for the first time. A new wave of tears hit me, but this time they are happy tears.
Santana and Brittany show up after dinner Saturday night ready for impromptu sleepover. Judging by Rachel's face, she didn't know about it either. "So, we brought ice cream, the vegan type for Berry. I also have the best movie ever made." Santana holds up a bag with the cheesiest grin that I have ever seen.
"What are you two doing here?" Rachel asks. I can't help but smile at my friends.
"We've decided that a girl's weekend was in order. The only rule is to have fun" Brittany bounces beside her brunette.
Twenty minutes later, we are all in normal spots in the living room. Rachel's dads decided not to join us. "Try this" Rachel has a spoon full of her ice cream waiting for me. I take the offer bit and never remove my eyes from her. "It's good" leaning over I connect my lips to hers in a chaste kiss. "Thank you for earlier" I whisper to her. "Nothing to thank me for, but you're welcome." Her smile causes warmth to spread all over, and I can't help but pull her back into another kiss. Deepening the kiss, I pull her close as possible to me.
"Don't make me get a bucket of water" Santana laughs from the recliner and tosses a pillow at our heads. "It's movie time" She smiles, and presses play.
Rachel and I decide to stay pretty much on top of each other for the entire movie. When the title of the movie appears, I can't help but laugh out. Don't Tell Mom The Babysitter Is Dead is one of the few classic eighties movies that I have seen.
The four of us spend the entire of Sunday together also. Rachel's dads convinced us all to play Monopoly with them. Rachel is absolutely horrible at the game but is so competitive that I can't help but fall a little more in love with her. I'm also pretty sure that Santana and Brittany were cheating too. I swear I saw each of them snag an extra house from the bank when no one was looking. Honestly, I was just enjoying the time and laughing. The day was light and relaxing, and I completely forgot about the trial starting tomorrow.
The courthouse is a daunting building. It almost doesn't seem to fit in the rest of this small town in Ohio. Hiram and Rachel are with me as I stand on the steps of the courthouse. A part of me wants to turn around and run. It will be the first time that I have seen Will since he was taken away in cuffs. Leroy isn't the judge for trial. He said he couldn't be. He is covering the court docket for the judge who is overseeing Will's trial, so he couldn't be with us. At least the trial is set to last for no more than three days at most.
"You ready, baby?" Rachel stands beside me and slips her hand into mine.
"I think so. I'm just nervous about seeing him."
"He can't say or do anything to you." Rachel cups my cheek. Hiram looks at both of us and smiles before ushering us into the building.
When we make it to our courtroom, I see Santana and Brittany sitting outside of it waiting for us. They stand up and meet us at the door. "Us against world" Santana says and pulls us into a group hug again. Inside the courtroom, I see the attorneys for both sides chatting. Plus, I see a couple of reporters with notepads to report on the trial. Looking further around, I see a redhead sitting directly behind one of the attorney tables. I think it's Ms. Pillsbury. "Where do you want to sit?" Rachel asks. She hasn't released my hand since the steps. I end up choosing the bench that puts me the furthest from the defense table and him. Just as I am about to relax about the rest of the glee club not showing, they all walk into the courtroom. They make their way towards the redhead to sit with her. I see Kurt and Mercedes look around and spot us. They point us out to everyone else. Finn ends up walking over to us from the group.
"Do you guys want to sit with us and support Mr. Schue?" I stiffen as he smiles at us.
"We are good here Finnwit" Santana snaps at him. He frowns at the nickname.
"They can answer for themselves, Satan." He tries to be intimating but it looks like he is constipated instead.
"We are good here, Finn" Rachel answers. I haven't been able to talk since we came inside. Finally accepting that answer, he leaves us and goes to sit with his group.
A door in the courtroom opens, and two officers come in with Will in tow. His hands are cuffed, and I see his smile when he spots Ms. Pillsbury and the rest of the glee club. Even being this far away from him and knowing he can't come near me makes me shake. Rachel and Santana both hold onto my hands tight. He scans the rest of the room before addressing his attorney. The moment he spots me, I see the vein pop in his neck. His face remains calm with a small smile on his lips. His attorney gets his attention, and I release the breath that I was holding when he spotted me.
"All Rise" The bailiff says standing near the judge's bench. We all stand as a female judge enters the courtroom and sits at the bench. Before the bailiff tells us to sit, they bring the jury in.
Judge Richards addresses the jury and both attorneys quickly before asking the prosecution to give his opening statement. He talks about medical evidence, and states that once the prosecution has presented their case that a guilty verdict will be the only way to vote. The defense attorney however has a different approach, they are actually trying to say that his client was setup by a vindictive coworker. He is actually going to blame coach Sylvester for everything.
After opening statements, the prosecution will present first. I'm not sure who the attorney is for the state, but he seems very smart and preceptive. His first witness is one of the officers who went to the apartment. After swearing him in, the attorney plugs his laptop into the podium. Photos of the inside of the apartment show up on the screen. I hear gasps on each side of me with the first picture. It's a picture of the living room. The furniture is flipped and thrown about along with ripped clothing. It's the shirt I wore home from Rachel's the day before. The entire room is in disarray. He has the officer explain this photo to the jury before switching to the next one. The next one is the bedroom. The sheet is still on the floor that I was laying on. There is a lot blood in this picture. Plus, the belt that he used on my back. "The place looked almost like a murder scene." The office states from the witness stand. The officer continues to answer questions from both sides for a long time. The defense attorney asks him who called in the report which led them to this apartment. "I don't know that. My dispatch took the call. I and two other units went to the apartment."
"No one was there? How do you know that those rooms where not like that due to a clumsy accident?"
"Objection. Your honor. Officer Jenson is only stating on state of the apartment and not what occurred."
"I retract my last question, your honor." The defense attorney takes his seat.
The next witness makes my heart race. It's the doctor that did my exam at the hospital. I'm not looking forward to photos that will be shown during this testimony. After she is sworn in, the attorney asks her to explain her involvement with the case. "I examined Lucy when she was brought into the hospital." What did your examination discover? We will go through the pictures in a minute, but I want to get this out of the way first." He states. "Lucy had multiple injuries and signs of being sexually assaulted. We were able to collect DNA evidence during her exam and match it to William Schuester." I see Will trying to get his attorney to object to her statement, I think. Since the laptop was still hooked up, he opens up a new folder. Pictures of my wounds are broadcasted for everyone in the court to see. Unless, you know I am Lucy, there is no way to tell it's me. My face is either blurred or cut off in each photo. The first photo is of my neck. It shows the hand shape bruises. The next photo is just below my breasts. They at least added a black line across them. It shows a bite mark. The doctor mentions that the bite pattern matches Will's. His attorney objects but it's overruled. As they flip through the pictures, I can't bring myself to look at the people sitting beside me. They all know that it's me. The pictures of the bruises on my upper inner thighs prompts the doctor to mention that those bruises occur when forced trauma occurs. The next picture is an old scar. It's a 'W' carved into my pelvic hip area. The last picture is of my back. It shows the damage done by the belt and buckle. These pictures in my opinion explain the apartment photos easily. "Multiple stiches were required to repair her back. She will probably always carry physical scars from this attack." Both of my hands are squeezed tightly.
The defense attorney goes to do his cross-examination, and I finally look at Rachel. Her tears are flowing freely. She knew what happened but didn't see the full stint of my injuries. Looking over at Brittany and Santana, they are not doing much better. I can't decide if Santana is going to jump over everyone to murder Will before the trial is even finished. Hiram is also doing his best to comfort Rachel without being able to speak. Chancing a look, I look over at the rest of the glee club. Some of them seem to be shaking their heads in disbelief. I haven't even been listening to the other attorney try to explain away these pictures and DNA results. The judge decides to call a recess for lunch. I didn't even realize that we had been in there that long.
As soon as the Judge is gone, I am pulled out of the courtroom and into the closest bathroom. "Quinn" Rachel says through her tears. I can tell she is at a loss for words. I pull her into me and hold her close until her tears subside. Didn't think I would be the strong one today. Santana and Brittany walk in while we are holding each other. They don't say anything but wrap their arms around us. Once all our tears are gone, we meet Hiram outside. We all end up walking over to a café across the road for lunch. As we are making our way there, I see the gleeks are talking under a tree. If I had to take a guess, I would say some of them are rethinking supporting their glee teacher.
After lunch, we return to the courthouse and take our same seats again. "Hey" we all look up to see Puck standing by us. He doesn't wait for us to say anything at all and sits down on the bench in front of us and looks forward. Surprisingly, so does Mike, Tina, and Matt. They all sit in front of us. "Change your mind?" Santana asks the group. Tina turns around and says "after seeing those photos and hearing that doctor's testimony, I can't… We can't sit over there in support of Mr. Schue." I see the others nod their heads in agreement. All conversation is stopped when Will is led back into the courtroom.
"All Rise" The bailiff is back. Everyone stands as Judge Richards enters the courtroom again. We all stay standing while the jury is lead in too. "You may be seated" The bailiff states and then goes stands next to the judge's bench.
I thought it was going to be my video testimony next, but it wasn't. They called a shrink who spoke with Will to give insight into his mental state. The guy is brutally honest in his opinions. The words he used to describe him were narcissist sociopath. Will's attorney was screaming objections and ranting. They sent the jury out of the room, and the Judge pulled both attorneys to the bench. No one could hear what was being said, but he did not look happy.
With the dispute settled, the jury is led back in again. This time the defense gets to question the therapist. He's steadfast with his answers, and I swear I can see Will's attorney sweating. Maybe he knew this was a losing battle for them. Once he is done being questioned, the Judge calls a ten-minute recess. I see Will turn around and talk to Ms. Pillsbury and the remaining three gleeks on his side. "How did… how come you didn't tell anyone what he was doing to that girl? Did he threaten you or something?" Mike asks. It's the most I have ever heard him talk. He talks less than I do. All their eyes are on me waiting for an answer. "I… I… he…" I have no idea how to answer that without coming clean about Lucy to them; however, court is resumed before I can finish or decide what my answer is.
The State Attorney or prosecution stands and informs the jury that their final witness is video testimony that was recorded in front of the judge and both attorneys. He also states that measures were taken on behalf of the witness to keep their physical identity unknown since they are still a minor in the eyes of the law and at my request. As the video loads up for everyone to watch, I hold on tightly to Rachel as my nerves get the better of me.
My face and voice are distorted but the words are clear. I provide my name for the record, Lucy Fabray. Everyone in the courtroom only knows me as Quinn Schuester. Instead of asking me questions on the video, I am asked to recount my time with William Schuester since the first time I met him. I start with the day that I was forced to marry him and recount what happened on our honeymoon. I keep it vague because whatever they imagine happening is probably not even close to our horrible it truly was for me. Explaining about the first year in Columbus and being near my family, I tell them about my attempts to escape and runaway. Only to be caught and beaten into submission. I was homeschooled to keep me isolated and avoid any questions from others. After that we moved to Cincinnati, where I knew no one and remained homeschooled, he kept me locked in a room most of the time. I tried to escape again when he forgot to lock me up one day. After he caught me that time, I knew I would never try to run away again. He beat and raped me until I thought I was going to die that was also the night he marked me with a 'W'. He said that way I would always know who I belonged to. The next thing that I am talking about is the scar on my wrist. I explain about how death was a better option after trying and failing to escape all the times before. The video shows my scar on my wrist clearly for everyone to see. The video stops, and the entire courtroom is silent. I don't talk about my time in Lima.
My focus is on my lap where each hand is holding another when the video ends. I can't bear to look at anyone for fear that anyone who doesn't know will figure out that it is me.
The State Attorney rests their case, and Judge Richards looks over to the defense before stating that court will adjourn for the day and reconvene tomorrow morning at nine o'clock. The judge and the jury exit the room before they lead him away. "Let's go home" Rachel whispers in my ear, and I see her nod to Hiram before standing up. Four sets of puffy eyes look at me, and I shake my head and I keep my fingers locked with hers. If I let her go now, I don't think I will make it to the car.
Rachel and I both slide into the backseat together. She must know that I need her close or maybe she just needs me close. We still haven't said a word since leaving the courtroom. I ignored everyone and focused on Rachel. Brittany and Santana gave us each a hug before leaving. They couldn't speak either. Once the car door closes, I break down completely. I cry for the girl on the video and the one in those photos. Even though she is me, I am not her anymore. No matter the outcome of this trial, my life will never be like that again. "Quinn?" Hiram speaks softly from the driver seat. I look up at him. "Dr. Fields thought it would be best for an extra appointment this week and next." Letting him know that I understand and agree, I see the tears in his eyes also. Rachel's face is also tear streaked. "I think tonight calls for large amounts of junk food for dinner." He says before turning back to the road.
"Hey" finally speaking, I look at Rachel. When she locks her eyes with mine, I pull her into a simple but needed kiss. "I just needed too" she cuts me off with her lips again. "Me too" she says. Today was a rough day, and I am not sure what tomorrow will bring.
The next day in court is not nearly as dramatic as the day before. The defense's case mainly consists of character witnesses and a different therapist. Surprisingly, most of the glee kids are sitting with us now. Even Mercedes and Kurt joined us. They whispered apologies before taking their seats. I'm still sandwiched in between Rachel and Santana though. Both of them refusing to be anywhere but right next to me. Finn and Ms. Pillsbury are the only two left over behind Will. I've caught him staring at me multiple times today, and each time a chill runs down my spine when he does.
When his attorney calls him to the stand, all the color in my face drains. I didn't think I would have to hear his voice again. His attorney asks him to explain his side of everything that was discussed the day before. "I have been a dedicated teacher for the last ten years, and I have never harmed or thought about hurting any child. These accusations are insane. My apartment did not look like that when Quinn and I left that morning." He looks directly at me, and I grip Rachel's hand tightly. "I'm not sure why she didn't testify to that." For a small man, Hiram is shaking with fury beside Rachel. He knows this man is lying also. "I am not even sure where those pictures came from, and Sue Sylvester must have planted DNA evidence on whose ever body was taken pictures of. If she didn't, why isn't she here defending herself?" Will looks at the jury before continuing. "I have never wanted anything more than to make a positive impact in my students lives. Whoever is trying to frame me for these heinous crimes needs to be arrested." Giving his best, I'm a good guy smile, he waits for the prosecution to ask his questions. He has answers for every question that is thrown at him. It makes me worry until they produce a piece of paper and ask him about it. "It's a marriage certificate" Will states.
"Please read everything on it" I see Will swallow before starting to read it. "This certifies that the marriage of William Schuester and Lucy Fabray on…" He continues to read, and I keep telling myself that it is no longer valid. "Witnesses and Parent consent are signed by Russel and Judy Fabray." He finishes.
"How old was Lucy when you married her?"
"Objection, your honor!" His attorney shouts out.
"On what grounds?" Judge Richards asks. When he doesn't answer, she overrules it. "Answer the question, Mr. Schuester." She finishes.
"She was eleven." Gasps are heard throughout the courtroom. "But it was the only way I could save her from parents. She begged me to take her away from them. It was the only way to legally do it since they wouldn't let me adopt her. It was never a marriage in a true sense." Will tries to cover his bases. Personally, I want to run to the bathroom and throw up.
"Why not just report them to Child Protective Services or similar service?"
"Honestly, I didn't even think of that until after it was all said and done. I would do it completely different now. Lucy was so scared, and her parents were or are high profile people in the Columbus area. I think we were both scared of what they would do if I tried to help her." It takes every ounce of will power I have not to stand up and yell liar in the courtroom. I'm shaking from fear and anger after his testimony.
"No more questions your honor" The state Attorney shakes his head at his testimony.
"Do you have anyone else you would like to call?" The Judge asks after Will is escorted back to his seat. They communicate briefly with each other before the defense rests their case also.
Jury instructions are handed out and explained to them before they are taking away to come to a decision. They also take Will away until a verdict is reached. Hiram mentions it could be thirty minutes or some time tomorrow before a decision is made.
Hiram lets us know that he will stay here to notify us when a decision is made if we want to get some fresh air. "Come on" Rachel stands and pulls me with her. Santana and Brittany follow us hand in hand. We end up outside under one of the oak trees in front of the courthouse. Before Rachel can pull me into a hug, Brittany grabs me and hugs me. "Sorry, I just really needed to do that. These two haven't allowed me to hold your hand inside." I can't help but laugh a little at that. It's nice feeling so wanted and loved. "Thank you, B, I love your hugs very much." I tell her before Rachel is pulling me back into her. I sigh into her. She is my home. "What about me?" Santana pouts. Rachel and I laugh. "I gotcha" Brittany pulls her into her body. Looking at them, I see they are home also in each other's arms. "We need a double date when all this shit is over." Santana looks to me from her lover's arms. I smile and nod my agreement as I squeeze Rachel in my arms.