CJ shut the door behind her. "Ready," she asked Hogan.
"I guess." She looked down at the ground. She didn't want to testify against her father, but knew that it would be the only way for him to see that Kate really was hurting her.
"Let's go," Simon said, opening the car door for Hogan and then for CJ.
When they arrived at the courthouse, Hogan immediately spotted her father. She hoped he didn't see her so that she could simply sneak in without him yelling at her. She managed to hide behind both CJ and Simon.
"What's going on," Simon asked.
"He's here and I don't want him to see me."
"Well you know he's going to once we get inside, right?"
"Yeah but there will be a judge in there so he won't be able to say anything without permission first." She took a deep breath, trying to hold back her tears.
"And furthermore," their attorney continued, "She has been abusing the child for over a year now. From what the plaintiff told me, it has been ever since her father married her back in 2000."
"Objection!" The defense shouted. "There is no evidence that she has ever hit the child. I have yet to see anything, your honor!"
"We're going to be in here forever," Hogan moaned to CJ.
"No we're not. You'll see." She gave her a small smile.
"Your honor, I would like to call Miss Hogan Cregg to the stand." Her attorney said.
Hogan stood up and slowly walked to the stand without looking at her father. She stood in front of the chair as the bailiff swore her in.
"Hogan," the attorney began, "When did your father and step-mother first meet?"
"Christmas Eve in 1998."
"And what did you think of her?"
She took a deep breath and looked over in their direction. "She was nice. She told me that she wasn't going to try to take my mom's place or anything like that."
"When did she begin to hit you?"
"Objection!"
"Sustained. Please re-word your question, Mr. Reilly." The judge said.
"When did you begin to notice a change in her," he asked.
"A few months after they were married. She was always giving her daughter everything she wanted. When it was my birthday, she didn't do anything for me. I didn't even get a card from her. All I wanted was love from her, or at least respect. But she just yelled at me any time I needed something."
"Can you give us an example?"
"There was this one morning last year when I felt really sick. I wanted to stay home from school. I tried to tell her that I had a fever, but she just rushed me out the door. So I went to school."
"And what happened?"
"I got sick. So the school called her to come pick me up, which she did. She took me home and then."
"Then what? It's okay Hogan. No one's going to hurt you here."
She looked over at Simon and CJ who nodded at her to keep going. "She took my arm and dragged me to my room and then slapped me." She could feel tears starting to fall down her cheek. "She said that I was an embarrassment to her and that I humiliated her in front of the school."
Michael looked over at his wife. "Is this true," he whispered.
"She's exaggerating," she said without looking at him.
"Has there ever been any other time when she has hit you?"
"Yes. nearly everyday." She looked down at her feet.
"Hogan, the defense doesn't seem to believe you that she has ever hit you. Can you prove that they are wrong?"
"Yes, I can." She rolled up her sleeve to reveal a rather large mark on her arm. "Two nights ago, she did this."
"I have no further questions, your honor," Mr. Reilly said.
"Mr. Quincy, do you care to cross-examine?"
"Yes, your honor. Thank you." He stood and walked over to Hogan. "Tell me, Hogan. Do you love your father?"
"Yes."
"Then don't you think he would have stopped your step- mother from hitting you, if she even has hit you?"
"He is never home. He's always on business trips or is working at the office until midnight. He never sees."
"Exactly. He never sees this. So if you love him so much, how do you expect him to believe you?"
"I. I don't. I just want him to hear what I have to say."
"I see. So what you're..." Michael who called him over to where he was sitting stopped him.
Hogan looked over at CJ and Simon. She had fear in her eyes, but somehow the two managed to make her feel better, just by being there for her.
"Your honor, it seems that Mr. Cregg believe his daughter to be lying."
The judge looked down at Hogan. "You do know that it is wrong to lie, right?"
"Yes, but I wasn't lying! I am telling the truth." She looked over at her father. "You just don't want to hear the truth! You're nothing but a coward! I hate you!"
"Hogan, stop this right now," the judge said.
"The only people that are lying are the two of them!" She pointed to her father and Kate. "He won't listen to me and she is just denying everything!"
"Your honor, would it be at all possible for my client to step down? It is obvious that she is too upset to speak right now." Mr. Reilly said.
"Yes, you may step down, Hogan. Let's take a thirty- minute recess."
She ran over to CJ and Simon. "I'm sorry," She cried as she held onto CJ for dear life.
"It's okay, you did a great job up there. I probably would have just run out of the court room if it were me up there and I was your age."
"I didn't mean to start yelling at him, I didn't, honest!" She continued to cry.
"I know that. We know that," she said, motioning to Simon who took Hogan's hand.
"She's right, you know. I know you would never lie. And I know you had a good reason to be angry. So don't apologize when you know it isn't necessary, okay?"
"Okay." She said quietly.
After the trial....
"I have made my decision," the judge said, coming back out. "Since it appears that Mr. Cregg and his wife seem to have no care whatsoever about the child, I am giving full custody to Claudia Jean Cregg. Mr. Cregg will have visitation rights every weekend, but is not to be accompanied by Ms. Handler."
"What," Hogan said in disbelief.
"You are now living with your aunt, young lady," the judge said.
She nodded and looked at CJ and Simon and smiled.
"Court dismissed," the judge said.
As they were walking out of the courtroom, Michael came up to Hogan. "You be good, you hear? I'll make sure to come visit you," he said in a monotone voice.
"Okay." Hogan gave him a hug and then walked out of the courthouse with CJ and Simon. "So."
"So what," CJ asked.
"Does this mean you're going to get married?" She smiled at the two."
"What?!"
"Well you two already act like a husband and a wife would act. Why not just finish it off?"
"Let's go home," CJ said, laughing a little.
At Home....
"Finally," CJ said. "I thought she would never fall asleep."
"CJ, I've been thinking," Simon said from the sofa in the living room.
"About what?"
"About how much I love you. CJ, I think you are the most beautiful woman I have ever met. You're kind, loving, you seem to make a great mother."
"What is it?" She wiped a few tears from her eyes.
"Will you marry me?" He took out a small box that had a ring inside.
"Oh my gosh." CJ just looked at the diamond ring and smiled. "Yes, I'll marry you."
He slipped the ring on her finger and kissed her. "You have just made me the happiest man in the world."
"I knew it!" Hogan said, running into the living room. She put her arms around CJ and Simon. "See, now we can be a family."
"Yes, I guess we can," CJ said, kissing Hogan's head and smiling at Simon. "Thank you."
"For what?"
"For lending me a hand when I needed it."
"Anything for the woman I love." He smiled and kissed her again.
THE END
"I guess." She looked down at the ground. She didn't want to testify against her father, but knew that it would be the only way for him to see that Kate really was hurting her.
"Let's go," Simon said, opening the car door for Hogan and then for CJ.
When they arrived at the courthouse, Hogan immediately spotted her father. She hoped he didn't see her so that she could simply sneak in without him yelling at her. She managed to hide behind both CJ and Simon.
"What's going on," Simon asked.
"He's here and I don't want him to see me."
"Well you know he's going to once we get inside, right?"
"Yeah but there will be a judge in there so he won't be able to say anything without permission first." She took a deep breath, trying to hold back her tears.
"And furthermore," their attorney continued, "She has been abusing the child for over a year now. From what the plaintiff told me, it has been ever since her father married her back in 2000."
"Objection!" The defense shouted. "There is no evidence that she has ever hit the child. I have yet to see anything, your honor!"
"We're going to be in here forever," Hogan moaned to CJ.
"No we're not. You'll see." She gave her a small smile.
"Your honor, I would like to call Miss Hogan Cregg to the stand." Her attorney said.
Hogan stood up and slowly walked to the stand without looking at her father. She stood in front of the chair as the bailiff swore her in.
"Hogan," the attorney began, "When did your father and step-mother first meet?"
"Christmas Eve in 1998."
"And what did you think of her?"
She took a deep breath and looked over in their direction. "She was nice. She told me that she wasn't going to try to take my mom's place or anything like that."
"When did she begin to hit you?"
"Objection!"
"Sustained. Please re-word your question, Mr. Reilly." The judge said.
"When did you begin to notice a change in her," he asked.
"A few months after they were married. She was always giving her daughter everything she wanted. When it was my birthday, she didn't do anything for me. I didn't even get a card from her. All I wanted was love from her, or at least respect. But she just yelled at me any time I needed something."
"Can you give us an example?"
"There was this one morning last year when I felt really sick. I wanted to stay home from school. I tried to tell her that I had a fever, but she just rushed me out the door. So I went to school."
"And what happened?"
"I got sick. So the school called her to come pick me up, which she did. She took me home and then."
"Then what? It's okay Hogan. No one's going to hurt you here."
She looked over at Simon and CJ who nodded at her to keep going. "She took my arm and dragged me to my room and then slapped me." She could feel tears starting to fall down her cheek. "She said that I was an embarrassment to her and that I humiliated her in front of the school."
Michael looked over at his wife. "Is this true," he whispered.
"She's exaggerating," she said without looking at him.
"Has there ever been any other time when she has hit you?"
"Yes. nearly everyday." She looked down at her feet.
"Hogan, the defense doesn't seem to believe you that she has ever hit you. Can you prove that they are wrong?"
"Yes, I can." She rolled up her sleeve to reveal a rather large mark on her arm. "Two nights ago, she did this."
"I have no further questions, your honor," Mr. Reilly said.
"Mr. Quincy, do you care to cross-examine?"
"Yes, your honor. Thank you." He stood and walked over to Hogan. "Tell me, Hogan. Do you love your father?"
"Yes."
"Then don't you think he would have stopped your step- mother from hitting you, if she even has hit you?"
"He is never home. He's always on business trips or is working at the office until midnight. He never sees."
"Exactly. He never sees this. So if you love him so much, how do you expect him to believe you?"
"I. I don't. I just want him to hear what I have to say."
"I see. So what you're..." Michael who called him over to where he was sitting stopped him.
Hogan looked over at CJ and Simon. She had fear in her eyes, but somehow the two managed to make her feel better, just by being there for her.
"Your honor, it seems that Mr. Cregg believe his daughter to be lying."
The judge looked down at Hogan. "You do know that it is wrong to lie, right?"
"Yes, but I wasn't lying! I am telling the truth." She looked over at her father. "You just don't want to hear the truth! You're nothing but a coward! I hate you!"
"Hogan, stop this right now," the judge said.
"The only people that are lying are the two of them!" She pointed to her father and Kate. "He won't listen to me and she is just denying everything!"
"Your honor, would it be at all possible for my client to step down? It is obvious that she is too upset to speak right now." Mr. Reilly said.
"Yes, you may step down, Hogan. Let's take a thirty- minute recess."
She ran over to CJ and Simon. "I'm sorry," She cried as she held onto CJ for dear life.
"It's okay, you did a great job up there. I probably would have just run out of the court room if it were me up there and I was your age."
"I didn't mean to start yelling at him, I didn't, honest!" She continued to cry.
"I know that. We know that," she said, motioning to Simon who took Hogan's hand.
"She's right, you know. I know you would never lie. And I know you had a good reason to be angry. So don't apologize when you know it isn't necessary, okay?"
"Okay." She said quietly.
After the trial....
"I have made my decision," the judge said, coming back out. "Since it appears that Mr. Cregg and his wife seem to have no care whatsoever about the child, I am giving full custody to Claudia Jean Cregg. Mr. Cregg will have visitation rights every weekend, but is not to be accompanied by Ms. Handler."
"What," Hogan said in disbelief.
"You are now living with your aunt, young lady," the judge said.
She nodded and looked at CJ and Simon and smiled.
"Court dismissed," the judge said.
As they were walking out of the courtroom, Michael came up to Hogan. "You be good, you hear? I'll make sure to come visit you," he said in a monotone voice.
"Okay." Hogan gave him a hug and then walked out of the courthouse with CJ and Simon. "So."
"So what," CJ asked.
"Does this mean you're going to get married?" She smiled at the two."
"What?!"
"Well you two already act like a husband and a wife would act. Why not just finish it off?"
"Let's go home," CJ said, laughing a little.
At Home....
"Finally," CJ said. "I thought she would never fall asleep."
"CJ, I've been thinking," Simon said from the sofa in the living room.
"About what?"
"About how much I love you. CJ, I think you are the most beautiful woman I have ever met. You're kind, loving, you seem to make a great mother."
"What is it?" She wiped a few tears from her eyes.
"Will you marry me?" He took out a small box that had a ring inside.
"Oh my gosh." CJ just looked at the diamond ring and smiled. "Yes, I'll marry you."
He slipped the ring on her finger and kissed her. "You have just made me the happiest man in the world."
"I knew it!" Hogan said, running into the living room. She put her arms around CJ and Simon. "See, now we can be a family."
"Yes, I guess we can," CJ said, kissing Hogan's head and smiling at Simon. "Thank you."
"For what?"
"For lending me a hand when I needed it."
"Anything for the woman I love." He smiled and kissed her again.
THE END