A/N: GUYS! I have passed 400 reviews! THAT IS AMAZING! You will never truly understand how much that touches me and makes me feel so special. I started writing fanfiction to give Tommy/Kim the ending the deserve for myself and it's become so much more than that to me now. And it's all because of every single one of you. I live for your reviews and your messages. Each one gives me the spirit and the energy to write the next paragraph, the next chapter, the next fic. You all mean so much to me and I feel so blessed to be able to connect with you on our love of Power Rangers. 3
Here is our next chapter! We are still in the middle of our trial here and again, there's some talk of what she went through that could be a trigger.
I also have a request. Our real life Marci, HighffelFlower, has been battling COVID. Could you all send her some love, support, and prayers for a speedy recovery? She's such a huge part in my fic writing process and I can't have her down and out quite yet. Where else would our Marci get all that lovable spunk from?
Here's my typical disclaimer that I own nothing and my polite request for you to R&R! :)
Thank you!
January 4, 2005
Angel Grove, CA
The next morning, we all were up and ready to head to the courthouse by 8 am. I hadn't slept much, my conversation with Marci replaying in my mind over and over again throughout the night. I did my best to put it behind me though, moving forward and getting ready to face what the day was going to bring me. I had no doubt that Nick would be interested in trying to scare me again today. I almost counted on it, knowing that he's been told he was seeing jail time regardless after his actions yesterday. Would he even care if it risked him more time in there if it meant trying to destroy me?
Trini drove us to the courthouse and the guys were waiting for us in the parking lot. As I climbed out, I saw that they were all looking a little worse for the wear. Zack was leaning against Jason's truck, covering his face with his hands. Meanwhile, Rocky looked as white as a ghost and was moving slow enough towards us to give a sloth a run for their money. Tommy and Jason, on the other hand, seemed to be standing and moving okay. To my surprise, Tommy actually smiled at me as the guys came to a stop next to the door. Adam and Billy were holding hands at the back of the group, making me smile. They'll always be adorable to me.
"How was girls night?" Jason asked, leaning in and giving Trini a kiss. She smiled, pulling back.
"Terrific. Did you boys find your way to the bottom of a whiskey bottle and spend the night?" She asked.
"Shhh. No loud noises." Zack croaked out, wincing behind his sunglasses. Aisha glared over at Rocky who seemed to be cowering behind Jason for protection.
"What were you thinking? I told you to go have fun. That didn't mean get drunk off your ass! What if I had gone into labor? Were you going to stagger to the hospital or just come after you sobered up?" She questioned, stepping towards him. "This just might be the most single handedly stupidest thing you've ever done, Rocky!"
"I married you, didn't I?" I heard him mumble.
"Yikes." Tommy whispered next to me as we all exchanged looks. Aisha raised her eyebrows, crossing her arms in front of her.
"Guys! That's enough." Adam said, coming between the two of them before she could remove his head from his shoulders. "We're supposed to be here to support Kimberly. If you two can't do that, take this somewhere else."
"Sorry. I didn't mean it." Rocky said, giving Aisha a guilty look. She rolled her eyes, turning away from him.
"We should get inside." Billy stated, glancing at his watch. Our group headed out of the parking lot and headed towards the front doors. As we neared the front of the building, I found Tommy falling into stride with me.
"How was your night?" I asked, glancing up at him. He shrugged.
"I baby sat Rocky for the most part. At one point, he started rambling about how scared he was about becoming a father. I felt for him until he threw up all over Trini's kitchen. I had to scrub that shit clean at 2 o'clock this morning. He owes me big time."
"Aww. No wonder he got so drunk. Do you think he's ready for it?" I asked. He shrugged.
"Is anyone really ready to become a parent?" He answered.
"I don't know. Ask me that in about five months." I smirked at him and he nodded.
"I'll hold you to that. How was your night? Did you girls get all wild and crazy?" I shook my head.
"It was fun but not too crazy. By the way, I may have told Marci about us all being Power Rangers." He stood in his footsteps, pulling me to a stop as well.
"You did what?"
"What? I told Marci we were Power Rangers." I replied. He looked at me in disbelief.
"Kimberly, do you know how serious this is? What if she tells other people? What if she becomes a target now? You do remember that we had some powerful enemies out there, right?" I scoffed.
"Right. When was the last time we had to battle one, Tommy? She's not going to tell anyone. Trust me. Besides, who is going to believe her? She barely believed me when I told her." He glanced over me in Marci's general direction where she was walking with Aisha and Zack. "I only told her because I knew I could trust her. It's going to be okay, Tommy."
"I hope you're right." He sighed, hanging his head. "I know it's been sometime but I always worry about what might pop up."
"I think the scariest thing we have to worry about now is Aisha." I said, putting a hand on his arm. "C'mon. We gotta get to our seats." He nodded, following me as we started walking again.
"So, have you told Marci a lot of secrets?" He asked. I whipped my head to look up at him. "You said you trusted her to keep a secret. Do you guys keep a lot of secrets?"
"She's a teenager. That's all they do." I replied quickly. "Plus, she knew about Nick hurting me longer than you guys and didn't say a thing."
"Still not the greatest secret to keep but I see your point." He pulled the door open for me and we walked into the building.
Once we were in the courtroom, I could tell there were more people this time around. I had a feeling that word about what happened yesterday had travelled and people had come to see what would happen today. I was relieved my testimony was over with if that was the case. I would rather not be put on display like a circus attraction just for people's amusement. I sat in the gallery, Tommy on my left and Jason on my right. Marci had opted to sit with Aisha since she was still not speaking to Rocky who hung in the row behind us with Billy and Adam, looking like a scolded puppy. Miss Kirkland was seated at her table, flipping through her notes. Mr. Powers was not present yet and the jury had not filled into the box yet. Glancing at the clock, I saw there were still ten minutes before the judge had ordered us all to return.
"I'm going to the bathroom. Do you want some water?" Tommy asked. I shook my head. He excused himself, standing before walking out of the courtroom. Jason watched him leave, turning to me once he was gone.
"Did he say anything to you?" He asked. I looked at him confused.
"About what?"
"Your time in Florida." I shook my head. "Dammit. I told him he should have told you first thing this morning."
"Tell me what?" I asked.
"He should be the one to say something." Jason said, glancing at the door where Tommy had disappeared.
"Well, he hasn't and you mentioned it so spill. What's going on with him?" Jason sighed, shifting towards me.
"Tommy's starting to think that you should have stayed in Florida." He replied. I gaped at him.
"What?" I whispered. "He wishes I never came back here?"
"What? No! No. Not like that. He thinks that it's his fault that Nick changed the way he did. We talked about it for a long time last night. After hearing about your time with him down in Florida, he really thinks that if you had stayed there, you would still be happily married and expecting your baby with your husband. I tried to talk to him about it but I don't think it fully sank in like I wanted it to."
"That's ridiculous!" I exclaimed. "It wasn't because of Tommy. It was because Nick is a psycho who was doing enough drugs to kill an elephant. Why wouldn't Tommy just talk to me about it inside of acting like I did something to him?"
"Cause it would have meant that you still left him." Jason replied. "He's still holding a lot of his feelings from your break up inside, Kimberly. I know he says he's over it but I don't think he is."
"Ugh." I groaned, sitting back in my seat. "I knew it was too good to be true when he said he was."
"Can you really blame the guy? You know I love you but all of this is kinda rubbing Tommy's nose into the fact you left him for Nick. He's sitting here listening to what it was like for you after you shattered his heart into a million pieces. I'm not saying that you didn't go through some traumatic shit cause of Nick but Tommy did too. I think it's expected for Tommy to feel some kind of way about it."
"It's not like I went out of my way to hurt him."
"You never go out of your way to hurt people but yet, it keeps happening. I know it's no fault of your own but I think you need to keep it in mind that you're not the only one that Nick hurt." I moved to argue but the door opened and Tommy reappeared. He walked over and sat down, a water bottle in hand. He handed it to me.
"I thought you might need it while we're sitting here."
"Thank you." I said, looking at it in my hands. There was some movement and another door opened, Mr. Powers entering with his assistant from yesterday as well as Nick behind them, a bailiff leading him in chains. His handcuffs were not removed and the bailiff had him sit in his chair before attaching him to another secured fixture on the table. His lawyers sat with him, talking in hushed voices while Mr. Powers flipped through papers. Nick looked behind him and saw me looking in his direction. He smiled, nodding his head before winking at me. I wanted to get up and punch him but I didn't. There was another noise and the jury door opened, the group of men and women walking into the jury box. The court clerk came in as well, taking her seat.
"All rise." The bailiff announced. We all stood and Judge Matthews entered the room, a folder under her arm as she walked up to her seat.
"You may be seated." She said after sitting down. The wooden benched groaned as everyone returned their seats, dress shoes squeaking on the wooden floor under our feet. "This is the case of the State of California versus one Mr. Nicholas Anderson. Mr. Powers, I trust you've spoken to your client about the consequences of his actions that last time he appeared in my courtroom. Mr. Anderson, will there be any issues in my courtroom today?"
"No, ma'am." Nick said.
"Thank you. Mr. Powers, I'll allow you to take the lead."
For the next couple of hours, Mr. Powers and Miss Kirkland went back and forth, questioning several witnesses including another police officer and the ER doctor who had attended to me. As noon approached, I could feel that the air in the room had changed from one of alertness to that of subdued interest. Nick had opted to not testify on his behalf, something I was quite certain had been strongly urged advice from his lawyer. As the last witness left the stand, Mr. Powers stood to deliver his closing arguments. He buttoned his suit jacket and walked to the center of the room, stopping in front of the jury box.
"I won't stand here today and tell you that my client is the perfect husband. Like all of us, he has flaws. Drugs can do awful things to good people, including changing the way the chemicals in a person's brain react. Mr. Anderson was a doting and caring husband before the grasp of these drugs sunk their teeth into him. Now Miss Kirkland will come up here and paint him to be this evil and horrible monster of a person. That is not the case. Mr. Anderson is a man who simply is not capable of harming his wife in the way he is being accused of based on the simple fact that he loved his wife with his whole heart. Not only that but he is more than willing to start a family with her, something the two had been attempting to do for years leading up to this year. If the allegations are true, why did Mrs. Anderson not leave any sooner? Why not seek the help she claims she had around her? Mrs. Anderson was looking for a way to leave her husband that would not cast any suspicions on her and this is the story she developed. It was clear that she had other relationships in mind before ending her current marriage with the defendant. Nicholas stands here an innocent man who is being blamed for a crime he did not commit. Your job today is to see in yourselves the truth and find him innocent. Please consider how you would feel in his shoes if you were sitting in that seat yourself. Thank you." He walked over and sat down. Miss Kirkland was on her feet before his ass even hit the chair. She walked around, folding her arms in front of her before smiling at the jury.
"While you are deliberating the verdict, there's one person I want you to keep in mind while you are in there. It's not Mr. Anderson. It's not even Kimberly. It is the unborn child who is growing in Kimberly's womb. The unborn child that Mr. Anderson was well aware of when he viciously attacked Kimberly and left her for dead. He had no care and continues to have no remorse in his actions. Actions that could have not only killed Kimberly but also cost the life of a precious unborn child who has done nothing to this man who tried to stop them from existing. Mr. Anderson not only attacked and beat Kimberly, he forced himself on her and raped her. He was the man she promised her life to. The one person she should have been able to trust more than anyone on this Earth and he broke those vows he made to her. He broke them the moment he laid one hand on her and treated her like a piece of property. Kimberly suffered abuse at the hands of Mr. Anderson for almost an entire year in order to protect the ones she loved from his unpredictable and dangerous ways, including threats of murdering all the people she held dear with a gun he showed to her on a daily basis. Your job today, as the jury of his peers, is to think about that unborn child and the impact this man could have left on their life. Think about your own children and your own loved ones and how you would feel if they were in Kimberly's place. Finding Mr. Anderson guilty is the only way to give Kimberly and her unborn child the justice they deserve and to keep other people safe from the actions of a man who has no regard for human life, no matter the person in question. Thank you." She smiled one last time at the jury before heading back to her seat. The judge cleared her throat and shifted in her seat, facing the jury box.
"Ladies and gentlemen of the jury, you'll now be excused for deliberations. Please be reminded that you are to come to unanimous conclusions and have no room for doubt in your decisions. The evidence will be available to you as well as any of the testimony provided during the time of this trial. Bailiffs, please escort the jury to the deliberation room." The jury stood and followed one of the bailiffs out of the room. The judge turned to face the rest of the courtroom. "Court will be adjourned until the jury has returned. Thank you." She banged the gavel before standing and leaving the room. The bailiffs lead Nick out of the room, his lawyers staying in their seats. Miss Kirkland stood and turned to me. I stood as well.
"Well, I guess it's time to wait and see what happens now. We did the best we can do. It's in their hands now." She said.
"That's not terrifying or anything." I replied. She gave me a small smile, putting a hand on my shoulder.
"Regardless of what happens in there, you should be proud of yourself. You stood up there and faced your abuser. And you didn't even flinch when he came at you like that. You must have some nerves of steel. If things should happen to not go our way, I can still find ways to assist you to keep you and the baby safe. Either way, this will be the last time you have to see Nick."
"Thank you, Miss Kirkland."
"You're welcome. I do have some words of advice as well. This is off the record but when the baby is born, have someone else put their name on the birth certificate as the father." I looked at her, confused.
"What?" I asked.
"If there is another name on the birth certificate, it will be harder for Nick to try to get custody or attempt anything towards the baby. He would need to prove he is the father and would need legal representation for that. And once a lawyer sees another name on that piece of paper, there's no way they will try to fight that."
"I'll do it." Tommy said, standing up. "I'll sign it as her father."
"Tommy, I don't think it's necessary." I said.
"You heard her, Kimberly. We need to protect you and the baby at all costs. It's fine. It's just a piece of paper, right?" He smiled down at me. I gave him an uncertain glance, looking back at Miss Kirkland who nodded.
"It's the best plan you have right now. I don't believe the jury will be back very soon. Why don't you all head home? I'll call you when they have a verdict." She squeezed my arm before heading out of the courtroom. I watched her go, her words vibrating in my head about the birth certificate.
"Kimberly?" Tommy asked, pulling me from my thoughts. I shifted my gaze to him. "Did you hear me?"
"No. Sorry. What did you say?"
"We're going to head over to Adam and Billy's house since it's the closest. Unless you wanted to go home." I shook my head, seeing that everyone was standing and looking at me.
"That's fine. Let's go wait this out."
