OH MY GOSH GUYS! I have to give a special shout out to my friend Topiko. You found me baby boy! He lives in Texas, and I actually based Andy (from Daddy's Girl) off of him but made her a girl… (The attitude I mean) I love Topiko…he goes to my performing arts camp with me…he's a sweet heart! I go for Drama and Creative Writing (go figure)…he's a music/art guy…he can sing and draw! I love him so much! Thanks for reviewing Piko! I love you!
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"Dad…I'm scared."
"I understand…I'd be scared too if I were you. All you have to do is go in there and tell the truth…no one can tell you that you're wrong for going in there and telling the truth." John said, tucking her hair behind her ear. Mack took a deep breath and adjusted herself in her crutches. (A/N: I don't know if they're called crutches, but you know the thingies that you put your arm through and hold on to the handle and use like a cane…those are what Mack's using now.)
"Ready baby girl?" John said, adjusting his collar. He was wearing a pale blue button-down shirt with a black tie and black pants. He was uncomfortable to say the least…he wasn't a fan of ties or having his shirt completely buttoned up to the top. Mack was wearing a black knee-length skirt and a pink silk tank-top with a sheer black button-down over it. Her hair was down, and she had a pink strip of fabric tied as a headband.
"Well, I'm as ready as I'll ever be. You're gonna be there with me, right?"
"I'll be there the whole time…I'm not going to leave you alone." He said.
"Alright." John opened the door, and they walked into the courtroom. They sat down in one of the benches behind the prosecutor's table.
"Mr. Cena, McKenzie, good to see you both again." Mrs. Williams said. Donna Jo Williams was the prosecutor for the case. She was 45 years old and had instantly asked to be assigned the case when she read the briefing. She had a granddaughter about Mack's age and couldn't imagine what John was going through, let alone Mack.
"Hi Mrs. Williams." Mack smiled.
"Good to see you again." John said, shaking her hand.
"So, how is this going to work? I mean, what exactly do I have to do?"
"Well McKenzie,"
"Please, could you just call me Mackie?"
"Well Mackie, when I call you, you'll come and sit on the witness stand. I'll ask you some questions, then the Defense Lawyer will ask you some questions. Then you can sit down."
"I'm scared…Bryce can't do anything, right?"
"He can't say anything to you either." She said, shaking her head no.
"Okay, I can do this then."
"ALL RISE!" the bailiff called. They all stood up, and the Judge walked in. The judge was a man in his early to mid- 50's and he wore a very stern look on his face.
As the trial wore on, a lot of people were there to testify both for and against Bryce and Dawn. Mack recognized a lot of the people who lived around where Bryce lived said he was an upstanding citizen, and painted Mack as a liar and trouble-maker. Mack rolled her eyes.
"Your Honor, I'd like to call Mr. John Cena to the stand." Mrs. Williams said. John kissed Mack on her head and then got up and took the stand.
"Do you swear to tell the truth, the whole truth and nothing but the truth so help you god?" The bailiff asked.
"I do."
"Be seated." John sat down and Mrs. Williams stepped forward.
"State your full name for the record please."
"Jonathan Anthony Felix Cena."
"And Mr. Cena, how long has your daughter McKenzie been in your custody?"
"Since March of this year."
"And Mr. Cena, please state your occupation."
"I'm a professional wrestler."
"This requires a lot of traveling…"
"A lot is an understatement…we're on the road 200 days a year."
"You take your daughter on the road with you 200 days a year?"
"No, actually, she stays with my parents and attends John F Kennedy High school. She only travels with me on school holidays…we made that agreement."
"So you don't get to see her very much do you Mr. Cena?"
"Not as much as I want to see her."
"How is it that McKenzie just got into your custody a mere three months ago?"
"Well, before that, I honestly didn't even know she existed. Her mother died in a car accident…and Mack; She showed up on my doorstep one day, and I knew she was mine…I could see it and feel it. There was no need for a paternity test, I mean, look at her, she looks just like me."
"Why didn't you know of her?"
"Her mother and I dated when we were teenagers, and I moved out of the state and to Massachusetts before she ever got the chance to tell me."
"So even though you've only known her three months, was it still tragic when she ended up missing the on the night in question?"
"Of course any parent would."
"Tell me about the night in question Mr. Cena…what were the events, as you recall them?"
"Well, it was Wrestlemania 21, and we were in the Staples Center. I'd won my match against JBL for the WWE Championship, and when I came back stage, I half-expected Mack, I mean, McKenzie to be there. She wasn't in gorilla position like I suspected, so I just thought she'd stayed in the locker room like I'd told her to. When I got back there to the locker room, she wasn't there. We looked all over the arena, and when I finally stopped to call her cell phone, she answered crying…so you know, my girl never cries…she was crying and said she was in the back of someone's trunk. I went directly to Mr. McMahon, my boss, and I put in police reports, and an Amber Alert…I did everything I could…her friends….they told me that there was a possibility that Bryce…I mean the Defendant could be the person who has her, so I had the police on the lookout around here. Then, the night of the second day she was missing, she called me, saying that it was the Defendant and his Co-Defendant who were holding her hostage…I got here as fast as I could…Me, my best friend and co-worker Randy Orton, and my friend other co-worker Paul London, we got there that next day at about 4:30."
"Mr. Cena, what injuries did your daughter sustain?"
"She had a major concussion, her brain was swollen…the doctor had to put a tube in her head to help regulate the pressure in her brain. She had three broken ribs, and one of her ribs punctured her lung. Her face was bruised for a while…as well the rest of her body. They had to keep her under close observation for the first 24 hours to make sure she didn't fall into a coma. And on top of that, she was paralyzed." He said quietly, looking at the ground.
"Has she recovered from these injuries?"
"For the most part, yeah, but mentally, she's not all together…she has nightmares a lot…in the last few weeks, they haven't been really frequent, but I heard her talking in her sleep. She has nightmares about what happened to her in that house…and I hate that I can't make them go away."
"Mr. Cena, you mentioned a Randy Orton, and a Paul London, can you explain why these men were the ones to come with you to visit McKenzie?"
"Randy's my best friend…Mack calls him Uncle Randy…he loves Mack like his own. And Paul…he, he calls her his baby sister. The whole roster loves her…she's like the WWE mascot. My boss, all of my co-workers for the most part, they all love her and would do anything for her."
"No further questions."
The Defense Lawyer stood up and walked into the center of the floor.
"Mr. Cena, how old is your daughter?"
"She'll be 15 on Halloween."
"Are you aware of your daughter's past?"
"Well, if you're referring to the overnight she did in the Juvenile Detention Center on her 14th birthday, yes, I'm very aware."
"So you're condoning what she did?"
"Now, I never said that, I just said I was aware of it…I never said that I condoned it. But she's a kid, she has to learn on her own what she can and cannot do."
"A lot of people have labeled her as a liar and a criminal, why do you say that she's any different?"
"Other than the fact that she's mine? Well, you have a point…a lot of the people that testified on behalf of the defense have called my girl a liar, and to an extent, they're right. She lies to a lot of people, her teachers, the neighbors, my co-workers, my parents, hell, I bet she even lied to my boss once or twice. But I know for a fact, she's never lied to ME. EVER. And I know that she never will."
"Mr. Cena, isn't it true that you were arrested two months ago for destructing a co-worker's property?"
"Are you talking about when I tagged JBL's limo? Yeah, I spray-painted it and busted the front tire. I did it, and to be completely honest, I'd do it again."
"Oh would you?"
"Yes, I would. No one disrespects my family…not my daughter, my mother, father, or what would have been my wife…I wasn't having it. I have no regrets about anything I've ever don't in front of my little girl….none at all, because I know that she was raised right, and she knows right from wrong. I know what to say and what not to say and do in front of her."
"Mr. Cena, are you a responsible parent?"
"Yeah, I try to be, but no one's perfect."
Mr. Cena, how is it that you supervise young McKenzie when you have your so-called, "Matches"?" he said, using those finger quote things when he said the word matches.
"She stays in a locker room with the superstars, usually Mark or Paul while I have matches."
"So you leave your daughter alone in a locker room with grown men?"
"Hold on homie, you're twisting my words around." John said, getting irritated. "First off, I already told you, half of the roster loves that girl like family. I would trust these men with my life…and they trust me with theirs. Mark Callaway is one of my mentors in the WWE…he helped me learn most of this business. If it wasn't for him, there wouldn't be the John Cena phenomenon that there is today. I trust Mark around my Mack because I know that he wouldn't do anything stupid like that. And every superstar in the locker room, RAW or Smackdown, know that I'd kill over that little girl." He said viciously.
"Mr. Cena, how can you trust these men when she didn't follow their wishes and stay put on the night of April 3rd?"
"Mr. Green, let me ask YOU a question. Say you're about, 14, or 15 years old, and your dad's a basketball player for the Bulls. He gives you floor seats for game 7 of the finals. Now, even IF, he told you to stay in the seat no matter whether he won or lost, and he WON and fulfilled one of his lifelong dreams…would you get up and run onto the court to congratulate and celebrate with him?"
"Of course."
"Now, put this situation on for Mack. She's watching Mania, and I win the biggest belt Smackdown has to offer. SHE'S GONNA BE EXITED. She ran out of the locker room and ran to meet me in gorilla, and she never made it there. She's a 14 year old girl, how can any one tell her not to come and celebrate with her dad?" John said, nearing a yell.
"Mr. Cena, I will ask you to calm down or I will hold you in contempt." The Judge said, looking at him sternly.
"I'm sorry."
"No Further questions Your Honor."
"Mr. Cena, you may step down."
John stepped off of the witness stand and went over and sat back with Mack. He gave her a reassuring smile and squeezed her hand.
"Was it scary?" she whispered.
John just shook his head no, and kissed his daughter on the forehead.
"Your Honor, I would like to call Ma. McKenzie Winters to the stand."
Mack looked at her dad nervously, and he stood up and helped her over to the stand.
"Remember, all you have to do is tell the truth."
Mack stood in front of the chair and looked at the bailiff.
"Do you swear to tell the truth, the whole truth and nothing but the truth so help you god?" The bailiff asked.
"I do."
"Be seated." Mack sat down with some difficulty, and Mrs. Williams stepped forward.
"State your full name for the record please."
"McKenzie Emily Winters."
"McKenzie, tell me how old are you?"
"I'm 14."
"How are you doing in school?"
"I'm on the Honor Roll…not straight A's, but I'm pretty close."
"What do you like to do outside of school?"
"I'm in a band with some friends of mine…I love to sing. And I'm a Wrestling fanatic."
"So you enjoy what your dad does?"
"Of Course."
"Is he your favorite?"
"No." The people in the room laughed a little. "I'm a Shawn Michaels fan…and the Undertaker, and Shelton Benjamin. Those are my Top 3."
"So you've been happy living with your dad?"
"Unbelievably happy."
"So you weren't happy living with your step father?"
"Hell…I mean, not at all."
"And how old were you when your mother married the Defendant?"
"I was 7,"
"Had you ever met your dad before?"
"Nope, but Bryce, I mean, the Defendant, told me all the time that my dad was a worthless nothing that didn't want a kid as big of a disappointment as me."
"At 7?"
"Yeah."
"McKenzie,"
"Please, call me Mackie, the only person to call me McKenzie is my dad, and that's only when I'm in trouble."
"Well, Mackie, how was life with your stepdad?"
"Excuse my language, but it was a living hell. Especially once JJ was born."
"Who is JJ?"
"My brother…he died three days before Mama did. But once JJ was born, I went from the step daughter to the outcast. Bryce would hit me for no real reason. He didn't need one to hit me. I could be sitting on the couch watching wrestling, or listening to music in my room, and he'd punch me in the back of the head. He told me if I was a good kid, he wouldn't have a need to."
"McKenzie, please tell us what happened on the night of January 18, 1999?"
"I was watching Cartoons with JJ in his room, and I got up and asked if I could get a glass of water, I wasn't allowed juice or milk he said…he said that those are for good kids. He was drunk…he and Mama had gotten into an argument and she'd gone to stay with my Grandma for the night because she couldn't stand the sight of him. He wouldn't let me go with her. I went into his bedroom and asked for a drink of water. He grabbed me by my hair and punched me in the chest. He never did anything to my face that would leave a mark or else mama would find out. After beating on me for a good ten minutes or so, he dragged me down the hall and threw me down the stairs. I was unconscious before I reached the bottom of the stairs. When I came to, I got up and ran out of the house and over to James's house…he always took care of me after Bryce would beat me up. I was wearing a pair of shorts, a tank top and no shoes in the middle of winter. I heard Bryce lock the door when I closed it and ran."
McKenzie kept her eyes on the Prosecutor, but out of the corner of her eye, she saw John staring daggers – no, SWORDS – at Bryce, who was giving Mack the evilest look imaginable.
"Who is James?"
"James is my best friend. He's like the big brother I never had…he's 17."
"Why didn't you ever tell anyone about the abuse you sustained?"
"I was scared mainly…I was scared that if Bryce found out I told, he'd hurt JJ, or worse, Mama. I figured if I kept my mouth shut, he wouldn't hurt them…he didn't."
"Can you tell us about the night in question?"
"Well, when Dad won the match, I decided not to listen to what he told me and went out to meet him at gorilla. I didn't make it there. Someone hit me hard in the back of the head, and I woke up in the back of someone's trunk. Dad called me and asked me where I was, but I couldn't tell him much. Then I fell back asleep, and I woke up when I heard the trunk open. The guy had a popped the trunk. He put this cloth with this stuff on it on my face and I passed out."
"Please continue."
"When I woke up again, two guys came in and one of them told me to make him a sandwich. I got up to do it and I asked where the kitchen was. I got back handed for it. I made the sandwich, and the guy said that it was horrible and I got smart with him…he beat me up pretty bad…he busted my lip and my nose open. I got back in the room and turned on the TV…they came in, and I just asked what they wanted. They cracked my ribs and I pretended to pass out so that they would leave. When they did, I got up and looked out of the boarded up window. I noticed someone sitting on their roof, and recognized them as James…I knew it was him because the person's hair was bright green. I realized that I was in the old Peterson place. I pulled out my cell phone and called my dad…then I called James and had him call the cops."
"What happened next?"
"I went to lay down, and the door opened. Someone came in, I couldn't really tell who, because my face was starting to swell…my eyes mainly. But I knew it was Bryce…he punched me around for a while, and I felt my neck snap back and I lost feeling in my legs. Then…then he told me that it was my fault Mama died…that if she hadn't been on her way to my spring concert, the car wouldn't have been hit by the 18 wheeler, and she'd be alive. He said after he had his way with me…he was going to kill me."
Mack started to cry silently.
"And then….then he took out a knife, and cut off my shirt. But then a voice stopped him…it was the co-defendant. She said that it was my fault Dad didn't want her...and that I'd been the cause of both of their problems. They beat me until I was unconscious, and the next morning, my face was so swollen, I couldn't open my eyes even if I wanted to. The cop that James called had to carry me to the car."
"No further questions."
The defense Lawyer stepped forward. Mack recognized him as Bryce's friend at the firm where he worked.
"Ms. Winters, it is true that you were once arrested for destroying a neighbor's home?"
"Yeah, it was just an overnight thing cause all we did was egg it…and teepee it." Mack said, smiling slightly at the memory.
"So you admit to it?"
"Duh?" she said, rolling her eyes. John gave her a look and she sat back in the chair. "Sorry… but yeah, I did it."
"Ms. Winters, why did you run away from home to the house of a complete stranger halfway across the country?"
"Because Mama said that she wanted me to live with my dad…she gave me his address and told me where to find him."
"How'd you get there?"
"Greyhound."
"How did you get the money? Did you steal it?"
"No, I didn't need to…I had money saved from all of my birthdays…Grandma and Grandpa always gave me about 75 bucks every year…I used that."
"Why don't I believe you?"
"Because you worked with Bryce and you've been friends with him since before I was born."
"No, it's because you're a bit of a liar."
"Well, yeah, you've got a point there…but I don't even need to lie today…I have proof that it was Bryce…I know how it was him."
"Oh really? And how is that?"
"He called me Butterfly. No one has EVER called me Butterfly but my mom…he was mocking her."
"How do you know he didn't tell someone?"
"Well, I also know his habits…usually, when someone punches you, they hit and pull back, but with Bryce, he punches, and twists his fist into your flesh when he does…his class ring cuts the skin that way instead of causing just bruising…I know how he hits…"
"So, you're saying that the only proof you have that it was the defendant was a nick name and punching habits?"
"I JUST KNOW!" she screamed, tears streaming down her face angrily. "I…I can't explain how I know, but I do alright? It was Bryce! It WAS BRYCE!"
"How do we know you're not lying?" he sneered.
"Objection!" Mrs. Williams called.
"Ms. Winters, you don't have to answer that question." The judge said.
"I WAS IN A FREAKING WEELCHAIR FOR ALMOST TWO MONTHS! DO YOU REALLY THINK THAT I'D PIN THIS ON THE WRONG GUY? I WANT TO GET THAT ASS BACK FOR WHAT HE DID TO ME! SO DON'T CALL ME A LIAR BACAUSE THERE ARE BETTER WAYS TO GET BACK AT SOMEONE WHO MADE MY LIFE A LIVING HELL FOR THE PAST 7 YEARS THEN WASTING A COURT CASE ON HIM!" she screamed, jumping out of the chair and gripping the banister in front of her so tight her knuckles were white.
"No further questions." He said, walking back to the table. Mack struggled to stand up, and the bailiff helped her stand up. She went back to her seat next to her dad. She buried her face in his side and cried. John put his arm around her and hugged her tight.
"Shhhh…I know baby girl…after this, we'll get some ice cream and we'll go back to the hotel and hit the sack, okay?"
Mack merely nodded and wrapped her arms around his waist.
"Court is now adjourned. We will continue tomorrow morning at 9:30."
Everyone started to file out, and suddenly, John's all over Bryce, beating the hell out of him.
"Someone get him!" a woman screamed. Security tried to get him off, but it was really no use. Only one voice stopped him from killing Bryce.
"DAD STOP! It only makes you just like him! Can we please just go home?" Mack asked, looking sad. John sighed and got up. They walked out of the court house and into the sunshine.
"Cena, you DO realize you could have been arrested right?" a voice said. They turned around to see an amused looking Randy Orton and Paul London beside him snickering.
"UNCLE RANDY!" Mack screamed, throwing herself in his arms.
"Hey, how's my favorite girl doing?" he smiled burying his face in her hair.
"That sucked…the defense lawyer…he's Bryce's best friend…he used to come over the house all the time. Bryce used to tell him all types of things, like I stole from him and I took things from JJ's Baseball bank he had on his dresser in his room." She said, scowling.
"You know C, she's definitely you're kid…you could tell when she gave the smart-assed comments…"
"Shut up Orton…we're going to get Ice cream…you guys coming?"
"When do I ever turn down food?" Paul laughed.
The rest of the night was spent in the hotel they were staying in, eating ice cream and talking about the case. The next day, John and Mack went back to the court house with Paul. Randy had to go because he had to go to a house show. After a day of more testimony, the Councilers made their final arguments.
"Deliberations will begin immediately." The judge said, banging the gavel.
WOW, I DID THIS CHAPTER IN ONE DAY! I'M PROUD OF ME! (Go me…) anyway, you know what to do…click on the pretty blurple (a mix b-tween blue and purple) button and Review!
OH YEAH…I'M PISSED! THE SIDESHOW BOB LOOK-ALIKE STOLE MY BABY'S TITLE! (CARLITO) SHELTON'S GONNA GET IT BACK! I BELIEVES IN YOU BABY BOY, EVEN THOUGH I MADE YOU AN ASSHOLE INFAMILY IS MORE THAN A WORD!
