Lindsey didn't like the house being silent. Ever since Gil had moved in with them (even though no one had formally said he had), the house had been filled with chatter and laughter. He was always there to soothe her mother's tears. Lindsey remembered that he was always there to help her as well.
This morning however, the house was eerily quiet. She knew that Gil and her mother were both awake, because she'd heard Uncle Gil making her mother some coffee, and then going into their bedroom and whispering sweet things to her.
Since then, the house had been quiet. She had been thinking about going to investigate, when Uncle Gil opened the door.
Gil smiled down at Lindsey. "Coming to check up on us, were you?" he teased.
"I was just making sure everything was okay," Lindsey replied, in all seriousness. "Things were too quiet."
Gil's eyes softened and he hugged her. "Everything's fine, Lindsey. I just wanted a quick chat with your mom, to make sure she was doing okay."
"And is she?"
Gil nodded. "She's tired and a little worried, but she's going to be fine, Linds. We're on the home stretch now, remember?"
Lindsey nodded for a moment and then looked up at Gil. "What if they don't go to jail?"
Gil said nothing, trying to reason with himself. What would happen if they didn't go to jail? He took a deep breath. "We're going to have to cross that bridge when we come to it, Lindsey, but I don't think that's going to happen."
The little girl looked at him for a moment, belying a wisdom that should have been many years ahead of her. "I wish I had your faith, Uncle Gil." With that, she turned around and headed to her room.
Gil sighed and rubbed his forehead. He headed back into the bedroom where was buttoning up her blouse.
She caught him looking at her. "I'd let you do it, but then it'd be coming off, and we'd be late for court."
He smiled slightly at her. "Do we want to be on time?"
Her eyes narrowed. "Don't be giving up just yet, Bugman. We're not done yet and I need your support."
Gil put his arms around her. "You always have my support, Catherine."
She leaned into him, hugging him close. "I know. And I always appreciate it."
They kissed long and gently, Catherine's arms around his neck and his around her waist.
As the kiss broke, Catherine rested against his chest. "We should probably go."
"Probably," Gil agreed, making no movement from his position.
"Sometime today," Catherine said, moving closer to him.
"Definitely," Gil agreed.
Lindsey appeared in the doorway again. "Do you two need a chaperone?"
Jennifer Cowen met Catherine, Lindsey and Gil at the doorway. "Morning."
"You don't sound too enthusiastic," Gil said.
"Sorry. It's not your case. I just had a child molester get off on a technicality." She hugged her coat around herself. "I had to go tell the kid."
"Sorry to hear that," Gil told her.
Jennifer tried to shrug it off, but was unsuccessful. Instead, she turned to Catherine. "How are you doing today?"
"I'm doing okay," Catherine replied. "I just want to get this over and done with, and put it all behind me."
Jennifer nodded. "The judge has set a time for 11am this morning. You have some time to go and get coffee if you want…at least better coffee than the courthouse sludge."
"And you?"
Jennifer sighed. "I've got to get back to the office. See if I can find anything else to pin this bastard."
"Which bastard would that be?" Gil asked.
"Child molester. Believe me, Dale Graves and Stan Graves are as pinned as they're gonna get."
"I'm going to get fat."
Catherine looked up alarmingly at Lindsey, who was slurping a milkshake. "Excuse me?"
"Well, with all this ice cream and milkshakes I'm eating, I'm going to get fat."
Gil looked surprised. "You're not fat, Lindsey. You're beautiful."
"You have to say that. You're biased," Lindsey replied.
Catherine starts to rapidly realize how quickly her daughter is growing up. The teenage years were upon them. She places her hand over Lindsey's. "Linds, is everything okay at school? No one's pressuring you or…"
"Mom, I'm fine."
Catherine arched an eyebrow. "Is it a boy?"
Lindsey blushed. "No."
Gil and Catherine exchanged glances.
"Never were a good liar," Catherine said, kissing her daughter on the head. "Never mind. We'll talk later, okay?"
Lindsey nodded. "Sure. Okay."
Gil looked at Lindsey sternly. "Finish your milkshake."
Lindsey giggled. "Yes, Uncle Gil."
After a few moments, Gil started watching Catherine carefully. She kept checking her watch, then checking the clock in the shop.
"Why don't we slowly walk back to the courthouse?" he suggested, resting a hand on hers.
Catherine looked over at him, a grateful smile on her face. "Okay."
Gil turned toward the back of the room after he had sat Catherine down, and a smile spread across his face. "Catherine, look."
She turned around in his arms, and grinned.
It was a quiet, but united group that had just filed in, standing at the back of the room. Jim Brass, Warrick Brown, Sara Sidle, Nick Stokes, Greg Sanders, Doc Robbins, Jacqui Di Franco and even Conrad Ecklie stood stoically there, like her own private army.
She squeezed Gil's arm. "Did you call them?"
Gil shook his head. "But I do know they've been keeping an eye on what's happening."
Catherine's eyes widened when Sam Braun came in, surrounded by two of his bodyguards and a PA. She connected eyes with her father for a moment, then broke away to face the front and lean against Gil.
Lindsey put her hand in her mother's and squeezed it tight.
"All rise for the honorable Judge Dallas Kincaid."
Everyone stood and then sat again as the judge sat down. Dale and Stan Graves sat at their tables with their lawyers and Catherine glanced at the jury. Jennifer Cowen turned to give Catherine a reassuring smile.
"The jury has reached its verdict?"
The jury's foreman stood up. "We have, your honor."
"The defendants will please rise." As Dale and Stan got up, Judge Kincaid turned to the foreman. "What say you?"
"People versus Stanley Graves. Conspiracy to rape. We find the defendant, Stanley Graves, guilty. On the charge of conspiracy to murder, we find the defendant, Stanley Graves, guilty."
Waves of appreciation went through the courtroom, and Catherine's grip on Gil's hand grew tighter and tighter. Lindsey had let out murmurs of approval at each finding. Gil pressed a gentle kiss to Catherine's head.
"We're almost there, sweetheart. Almost there."
Stanley had almost slumped in his seat when he heard the verdict, and Dale was looking a little less cocky.
"People versus Dale Graves. On the charge of rape in the first degree, we find the defendant, Dale Graves, guilty. On the charge of attempted murder, we find the defendant, Dale Graves, guilty."
Gil clutched Catherine tightly as she let out a choked sob against his shirt. Lindsey's arms went around her mother, hugging her tight.
The CSI's and lab techs in the back of the room were all smiles.
Sam Braun smiled satisfactorily and got up, his bodyguards and PA escorting him out.
"Jury, thank you for your service. Sentencing will be next Tuesday at eight. We are adjourned." With finality, Judge Kincaid bashed her gavel.
Gil's eyes met Catherine's. "Let's go celebrate."