I'm really not happy with this part, but it will have to do. I was going to post this Saturday to give me two more days to come up with more, but it's not going to happen. So here's the part. This part does deal with Kailyn's previous life, just a little warning. Here you are!

Chapter 38

"Max, she has to testify." His lawyer told him. "It's the only way."

"No."

"Yes, Max, that man is going to get off Scot-free and he'll get custody of that girl. There would be no reason why he shouldn't. Who knows what would happen to her then?"

Max looked down frustrated. He, his father, and his best friend were lawyers. His wife was a social worker, you'd think they could work the system a bit, but this man could still walk if his little girl didn't go through the nightmare all over again.

"I don't want her in that courtroom with him." Max shook his head. "We'll do it by closed circuit television to the courtroom. He scares her, she still has nightmares. That's the only way I'll allow it."

"Fine, I'll see what I can arrange with the judge. They usually allow that for minors testifying."

"Thank you." Max stood. The lawyer left his office.

A few hours later Max picked up the phone. "Evans."

"We're on, Max." They lawyer told him. "We'll see you and Miss Hamilton on Thursday."

"Wait, I have to tell Liz, that's not enough time."

"It'll have to be."

"Alright."

"Kailyn, are you all right?" Liz asked as they stepped from the car. Kailyn's hand gripped Liz's tight.

"Yeah." She nodded. "I think." Her face was pale and she trembled as she walked. Her new dress went down just below her knees. She wore white sandals and her long mass of brown hair was down. Liz had taken her shopping yesterday to pick out her dress along with other clothes. She had never gotten so much before. But Liz had insisted since she was outgrowing Hannah's clothes too quickly. When Kailyn thought back on it, she couldn't ever remember having any new clothes.

Max and Liz flanked Kailyn's side as they entered a side chamber of the courtroom. The door to the courtroom was open and they were just beginning to question a witness.

"Alright, Miss Hamilton, sit right here." A man said.

Kailyn shied away from him and hooked her arm around Max. Kailyn was trembling so hard it made Max's heart ache.

"I don't want to do this." She whispered. "I want to go home."

"I know, you have to do this, sweetheart. So that he'll go away and we can adopt you."

A single tear made its way down her cheek as she nodded. She climbed into the chair. "Liz." She held her hand to Liz.

Liz stood to the other side. Someone moved and Kailyn had a full view of the courtroom and she saw him. "No, no, no, I don't want to." She shook her head. "He's going to come and get me."

"Kailyn calm down." Liz said. "He's not coming, he has to stay there."

Max cursed and had somebody close the door.

"He's going to come!" She said and flung herself into Max's arms. "Don't let him come."

"He won't, and I won't let him." Max comforted. "Be a good girl and sit there, Kailyn. Please, then he'll go away and he won't ever come to get you, I promise."

A promise meant nothing, Kailyn knew, but a promise from Max meant everything.

She nodded and sat back in the chair. "Are you ready?"

"Yes." Both Max and Liz answered.

They waited patiently for Kailyn's turn. Then the cameras were on.

"Our next witness, your honor, is Kailyn Hamilton, who was in the house at the time of the murder." The lawyer proceeded to tell them about her injuries and then it was all Kailyn.

"Kailyn, can you hear me?" The lawyer spoke into the microphone.

"Yes." She answered as her face appeared on the TV screen facing the jury and one facing the judge.

"I'm just going to ask some questions, answer as best you can, ok?"

"Yes." She nodded again. She squeezed Max's hand again and felt safe. He couldn't get her here, Max had promised.

"How old are you, Kailyn?"

"Eight." She said steadily.

"When did you turn eight?"

"On June 24."

"Did you have a party?"

"No."

"Why not."

She paused for a second. "Camilla said little girls like me don't deserve birthday parties." She said quietly.

"And who is Camilla?"

"My...my...my other mom." She said looking at Liz.

"You have two Moms?"

"Yes." She nodded.

"Who?"

"Liz."

"And?"

"Camilla."

"Do you have two Dads?"

"No, just Max." She shook her head.

"I'm going to show you some pictures, ok? I want you to tell me who the people are, Ok?"

The first one was of Camilla Hamilton. "That's Camilla." The picture showed to Kailyn on a tiny monitor as well as to the courtroom.

"That's where I lived with Camilla." She said when the next one came.

The next one came. "That's Grandma Amy and Grandpa Jim."

Then the next one. A picture of the Evans' home. "That's my house." She said.

The next one was a picture of them at the hospital when Caleb had been born. "Tell me who everyone in the picture is as I point."

"Ok." She said. This was easy.

"When was the picture taken, do you know?"

"When my bro—when Caleb was born." She stuttered. She had come to think of the Evans as her family. She wondered what Max and Liz would think of her thinking of them that way.

She paused as he pointed to Liz. After a moment she answered. "That's Mommy." Liz startled but squeezed Kailyn's hand. Her stomach flipped happily.

Then to Max. "Daddy."

Then to Hannah, Holden, and finally Caleb. "That's my sister Hannah, and my brothers Holden and Caleb." She leaned forward and said it with a smile on her face and confidence in her voice.

"Do you love your brothers and sister?" She hesitated. She had expressed herself to Max and Liz never to anyone else. She knew she did she just didn't want to tell these people, what was it to them?

She hesitated. "Come on, Kailyn." Liz comforted.

"Kailyn?" The lawyer said kindly.

She nodded quickly. "Yes." That was all they were going to get from her. She looked at Liz who gave her an encouraging smile.

The next picture came up. Kailyn froze, and fear clouded her features. She closed off, they both saw it. Liz flicked a look at the screen and her heart jumped to her throat. They had been doing so well, why did they have to do this now?

"I don't want to do this anymore." Kailyn shook her head. "I want to go home." She said quietly.

There was a flurry of movement in the room. They couldn't hear anything but a series of murmurs in the courtroom. The microphone was still on. "I don't want to do this, Daddy."

No one could hear Max's reply, only a series of murmurs.

"No." She said. "He's going to come get me. Just like he got Camilla."

"Kailyn, just answer a few more questions." Liz comforted. "Max and I will stay right here."

Liz kissed Kailyn's temple and held her hands tight. "I'll be here, and Max will be here, sweetheart, don't be scared."

Taking Liz's hands in her own, Kailyn folded them over her lap and held on tight.

"Who is that?" The lawyer said again when everything was settled. The fear was apparent on her face.

"That's him." Kailyn said. She looked at Max. He promised he would protect her.

"Who's him?" The lawyer asked.

"Frank."

"Was Frank there that night, when Camilla died?"

"Yeah." She nodded and her hands clenched on Liz's. "I don't want to do this, Mommy." She said again, looking up at Liz. Because of their position, the courtroom could hear Liz's response.

"You're ok," Liz comforted. "You're a big girl, and we're going to stay right here."

"What happened that night, Kailyn can you tell me?"

She froze for a second then took a deep breath. "Yes."

"Start at the beginning, and tell me."

She took a deep breath, clenched her hands tighter on Liz's and told her story.

July 15

"That's enough, Frank, leave her alone." The words were slurred—from behind the couch, a broken Kailyn watched. "We'll have to take her to the hospital and you know they'll take her again, believe it or not, she's worth a few thousand a year."

Kailyn's wrist was burning like never before and she blinked back her tears. She wanted to cry out but there was no one to hear.

"Move out of the way Camilla, she'll earn more than a few thousand a year." His were even more slurred and he reeked of pot and who knew what else he did.

"Frank, she's eight." Camilla swayed on her feet.

Kailyn shrank back and fell on her wrist and cried out in pain. Tears burned her eyes as she tried to move back out and go to her room.

"Shut up, Kailyn! Does it look like I care?"

"Frank, please."

"She's my daughter."

"And mine, if you haven't forgotten. I should have reported your sorry ass years ago. You know how many times I've had to go to court to get her back? How many damn rehab classes and AA meetings I've attended?"

"Move, Camilla." The room was starting to spin, he wanted the little girl and he would have her.

Kailyn stood up from behind the couch and felt the pain in her ankle. It looked as bad as her wrist and the pain was making her head dizzy.

He pulled out a gun, aimed it at Camilla and pulled the trigger.

"No!" Kailyn screeched. She hobbled to her side and fell down next to her.

"Get away from her!" He backhanded her and everything went black.

"I don't remember now." Kailyn said coming back to the present. Her face was pale and Liz looked down at her hand as she released it. Five perfect little moon shapes were imprinted in her hand. "I just remember Liz and Max coming."

"Ok, very good Kailyn. You did a good job." The lawyer said. "We're all done."

Kailyn took the microphone off and turned her face into Liz. "You did good, baby." Liz stood.

Kailyn started crying and hugged her. "I want to go home now." Max bent and picked her up. She wrapped her legs tightly around him and buried her face into his neck.

"Alright, we'll go home now, sweetheart. It's time." Max hugged her tight, loving that he came to her for comfort. It was the first hug she had given him.

iTBC/i