Chapter 25
Abbey had stood by her principles. She had been strong once again. Now it was up to the jury as what her fate would be.
Once again, the possible consequences of her actions had been overridden by principles and sheer will power.
As Abbey left the courtroom, Zoey and Liz came forward and hugged their mother. They could see and hear the anguish in Abbey on the witness stand, describing that last night. Both knew how deeply their parents cared for other and the absolute bond between the two of them. They knew it had taken a lot of strength for their mother to stand by her principles, regardless of the impact on her case. And Liz finally understood the depth of the love it took for her mother to do what she did.
Abbey was gratified that Zoey and Liz now understood why she did what she did. She only hoped that one day Ellie could forgive her and understand that love is a strong influence and sometimes it requires actions that others don't agree with.
The next morning both sides presented their closing statements.
First, it was the DA's turn.
"Ladies and Gentlemen, you heard the admission of guilt from the defendant herself. This was not a case of physician assisted suicide. Mrs. Bartlet is no longer a licensed physician. This was intentional, unjustifiable homicide.
"You've heard testimony about euthanasia. Euthanasia is defined as the administration of a lethal agent by another person to a patient for the purpose of relieving the patient's intolerable and incurable suffering. And ladies and gentlemen, that act is illegal. It is an act of murder.
"You must remember certain facts. You must remember the fact that Abigail Bartlet has been the primary care giver for her husband for many years, especially since he became such a burden in the last two years. You must remember the fact that she lost her medical license due to administering drugs to her husband without proper authority. You must remember the fact that she became very wealthy on the death of her husband. You must remember the fact that she knew how much Morphine to administer to kill him. You must remember that she had the opportunity to carry out her plan when the nurse left the room. And most important of all, you must remember the fact that she herself, on this very witness stand, admitted to administering the drug which killed the former President.
"You have no choice but to find Abigail Bartlet guilty of second-degree murder. A person is guilty of murder in the second degree if she knowingly causes the death of another person; or a she causes the death recklessly under circumstances manifesting an extreme indifference to the value of human life. That's exactly what has occurred here. Abigail Bartlet knew what she was doing when she injected the Morphine into President's Bartlet's IV the evening of his death. It was intentional. She did it knowing in advance that it would cause his death.
"Ladies and gentlemen, I repeat. You have no choice. You must find Abigail Bartlet guilty of second degree murder. Thank you."
Not a sound was heard as the DA made his way back to the table and sat down.
Pat stood and started her closing statement. She played to the emotional side of the jury because the facts were too obviously against her client.
"Ladies and Gentlemen, you have heard Mrs. Bartlet's story. You have heard how much she loved her husband and cared about him. You have heard the anguish of a wife who could do only one thing for her husband in his last few days. She was able to relieve his pain and suffering. She does not deny that she administered a drug. But Ladies and Gentlemen, think of your loved ones in pain, severe uncontrollable pain. Wouldn't you want to do something about it? Wouldn't you want to end their misery? In this case, that's exactly what Abigail Bartlet had the strength to do. It took unbelievable compassion and love to do what she did. She should not be persecuted for being willing to surrender her very soul for the sake of another human being. She will have to live with this for the rest of her life. She should not be found guilty for her actions. The only thing she is guilty of is loving one man too much. Do you love a person so much that you would consider doing the same thing? Think about it. Then allow my client to go free." She gave each of them a meaningful look. She'd done the best she could. "Thank you."
As Pat made her way back to the table, Abbey turned to look at her family behind her. With surprise, she noted that Ellie had slipped in and was sitting on the second row, behind her sisters. But as much as Abbey desired it, Ellie refused to meet her gaze. Sighing, Abbey turned back to face the judge.
Judge Adams turned to the jury, giving his instructions on how to come to a verdict.
"Ladies and Gentlemen, you have heard the testimony presented to you. Now, you must decide whether the defendant is guilty of the crime she is accused of.
"You have one choice. If you believe the defendant intentionally killed the victim, but it was not premeditated or planned, nor committed in a reasonable 'heat of passion' then you must find her guilty of second degree murder."
After listening to the judge's instructions, they filed out to begin their deliberations.
And the defendant's waiting began.