The next two weeks were pretty much the same thing, of traveling around to
different cities and doing what they do best of entertaining the fans. The
only thing that changed was Kara's behavior. Everyone knew the stress she
must be feeling due to the court appearance that was happening tomorrow.
Kara has been so distant to everyone, including Shane. She was escaping
everyone by immersing herself in paperwork. She even started to rent her
own hotel room for the past couple weeks. Every night when she turns in,
she cries herself to sleep. After the trial, her relationship with Kevin
had turned. Though not for the worse, but for the better. Kara was sitting
there at her desk in the makeshift office, frustrated with what needed to
be done, that she didn't even hear the insistent knocking at the door. She
jumped and screamed when she felt a hand on her shoulder. "Sorry," Kevin
felt guilty for bothering her.
"You scared me," Kara said, calming down. "Is there anything that you need?" I need to get back to work."
"Yeah, I need something..." he started off.
"Could you make it a little snappy, please? I don't have a lot of time," Kara said.
"What's going on with you?" he asked.
"I'm just working. What does it look like I'm doing?" she asked in confusion.
"I mean, you're not hanging out with us, you're not even willing to share a hotel room with me anymore. Hell, you're working hard everyday," Kevin explained.
"I'm sorry if work calls me, Kevin. I can't even take time off right now... Vince needs the paperwork done ASAP," Kara shot back angrily.
"Hey, don't take it out on me," Kevin said, anger rising up. "I just talked to Vince recently; he doesn't even need most of the paperwork until the next pay-per-view, which isn't for another couple of weeks."
Kara looked at him and softened up, but wouldn't allow Kevin near her. "Kevin, could you just leave me for now?"
"What for?"
"Godammit, Kev!" Kara shot back, angrily.
"Look, Kara, the only reason why I'm talking to you about this right now is because I love you and I care about you. I know that you're worried about the trial tomorrow, but you have me to rely on," Kevin explained.
"Kevin, just please leave me alone," Kara asked, looking down at her papers, trying not to cry in front of Kevin.
Kevin sighed heavily and reluctantly said, "I'll leave you alone for now, but as soon as the trial's over tomorrow... we're talking." With that he left the office. He stood near the door, trying to hear Kara.
As soon as Kara felt safe, she pushed the papers away and sobbed. "I wish I could tell you, Kev, but I can't..."
Kevin frowned at what he heard. "What are you hiding, Kara?" he said softly.
At the trial
The trial was going slowly and Kara wanted to leave. It was not the attorney pleading against Robert Linhardt. Kara was sitting directly behind the lawyer and knew that her time was to be questioned was next. "Your honor, the next witness I'm about to call has nothing to do with the murder, but we're hoping that it will build a stronger case. Mr. Johnson has an extra copy of the witnesses," My. Lexington said.
"Bring in your next witness," the judge said.
"The people call Kara Linhardt," he said. Kara stood up slowly and walked over to the witness seat. She stood as the bailiff took the oath. After sitting down, Mr. Lexington approached her. "Miss Linhardt, do you recognize that man sitting over there?" he asked as he pointed over to where Robert was sitting.
"Yes, I do," she replied.
"Please tell the jury who he is," he said.
"His name is Robert Linhardt, my father," she said nervously.
"Please tell me what your relationship with your father is like."
"Well, from what I can remember from when I was younger, he loved me. He protected me like any father would do for his children. As I got older, he changed."
"Changed as in how?"
"He started to get more abusive when I didn't do anything. I wasn't sure what I did exactly. I asked one day and he said that I was behaving badly from what my mother told him. I told him that I never behaved badly around mother. As time went on, the more abusive he got," she said, one by one, tears were rolling down her face.
"What happened after that?"
"When I became 18, he started to touch me and did a lot of sexual harassment. I told my mother, but she didn't believe me. On Christmas day that same year, he got my mother drunk and she was knocked out due to the amount of alcohol consumption. Then he came into my room while I was watching television," she said, trying to control her sobbing.
"Miss Linhardt, everything will be all right. You're safe here in court," Mr. Lexington said. "Please go on."
"He turned the volume up more louder and raped me. After he left, I curled up in a corner of my room away from my bed and cried. I fell asleep from crying too much. When I woke up in the morning, I took a shower and scrubbed myself until I was red all over. Then I took my clothes and the sheets and threw them away. The following month, I kept throwing up every morning and I realized that I missed my menstrual cycle. I went to the store and bought a pregnancy test. When I took it, it said that I was pregnant," Kara said. She looked at Kevin and she could tell that he was fuming but he was trying to keep it in control for her sake. "I never felt so ashamed before in my life. I didn't tell anyone about it, not until I knew for sure that I got it confirmed with the doctor. So I made an appointment at the health center at my college and they confirmed that I was pregnant. I came home later that day and my father asked me what was wrong. I didn't say anything and I couldn't tell him because I knew that he would beat me up and make me miscarry," Kara said, pausing so that she could breath. More tears were coming down her face and was grateful that Lexington gave her a handkerchief to wipe the tears away.
"Do you think you can go on?" he asked.
"I'll be fine. Thank you for asking," she said, took another pause and continued on. "I came home that day from the doctor's appointment and I went to my bedroom. He was there, sitting on my bed. He looked so angry and I wasn't sure what I did or what was wrong. I asked him if there was something wrong. He didn't reply, just showed me the pregnancy test that I took. I was already afraid of him, but I became more afraid and I knew that he knew that I was pregnant. He asked me if I was pregnant and I told him yes because I knew that lying would make him even more upset, but I was wrong."
"Wrong in what way?" he asked.
"He became more violent and outraged when he found out that I was pregnant and that it was his child. Somehow he knew it was because he was the only one who touched me sexually. He took his belt and whipped me. I couldn't stop crying. Then he stopped and left. I thought I would be alone for a few hours, but I was wrong again. He came back into my bedroom with a baseball bat and hit me on my stomach."
"How many times has he hit you with the baseball bat?"
"Too many times to count, but I think it was somewhere over a 100 times. When he left me there, I felt some kind of liquid pouring on my legs and I looked down. That's when I knew that I miscarried. I just stayed there for what I thought was forever but only for a few hours. I actually fell asleep from physical exhaustion as well as mental and emotional energy. When I woke up, I got up and my body was so stiff that it actually took me a couple of hours to finish taking a shower and change my clothes. I started to pack my things and left. I never saw them again until the recent events."
"What did your mother do all of that time?"
"My mother was mostly passed out due to being drunk or from drugs. She never knew what happened."
"No further questions, your honor," he said as he sat down.
"Counselor, any questions?" the judge said.
"Yes, your honor," he said. He stood and walked halfway before stopping. "Miss Linhardt, you're surely not talking about my client?"
"Yes, I am because he is the only father I have. If my memory serves me right, he was determined to not allow any boys in the house alone with me. Therefore I know that he was the only one that raped me."
"Do you think you can prove it?"
"I can't, but it really makes me wonder who else would come into the house and rape me without him knowing," she explained as she looked at him with a deathly glare.
He saw the look on her face and backed off, "No further questions."
"Any more questions, Mr. Lexington?" the judge asked and he shook his head no. "The witness may step down. Kara stepped away from the witness stand and walked over to her seat. "Any other witnesses, Mr. Lexington?"
"Yes, your honor, the next witness is Mr. Vince McMahon," he said.
"Bring him in," the judge said. The lawyers did the same thing with Vince as well as some of the other WWE superstars. Finally, the judge said, "There will be a 30 minute recess for the jury to deliberate on this case. Court is adjourned," he said as he left his seat. The bailiff took Robert in cuffs and Lexington took Kara and the others to a private meeting room across the courtroom. Kara sat down and tears were still coming down.
Kevin saw her and softened up. He was truly angry for what Robert has done to her. He kneeled down next to her and took her in his arms. As soon as he took her in his arms, she immediately broke down. "Baby, everything's alright... don't worry." She mumbled something that he could hear. "Baby, what did you say?"
She lifted her face up, looked at him and whispered. "I'm sorry."
"Baby, you have nothing to be sorry about," he replied.
"Yes, I do."
"What are you talking about?"
"I didn't tell you what he did to me," Kara said and Kevin immediately knew what she was talking about.
"Kara," he started off, he always used her full name when a serious issue needed to be talked about. "What he did was not your fault. Don't blame yourself. You were innocent and he was drunk. You don't deserve any of his shit," he explained, cupping her face and kissing her forehead. Kara looked up at him and felt ashamed. He immediately knew what she was thinking. "Kara, you have nothing to be ashamed of. You're a beautiful woman, both inside and out. What he did was against your own will, therefore it's not your fault. He may have taken advantage of your physical body, but he did not take advantage of who you inside of you."
"Do you still..." Kara wanted to finish the sentence, but she couldn't bring herself to ask him.
"If you're wondering if I find you attractive, yes," Kevin said. Kara looked at him, wide-eyed, after a few moments, she smiled for the first time in a long while. What Kevin saw brought a smile to his own face. He hugged her and held her saying how much he loved her.
A knock on the door had interrupted but Lexington opened the door and nodded. "Miss Linhardt, gentlemen, it's time."
Everyone nodded and went back into the courtroom, sat down and waited. After the judge and jury had come in, the judge said, "Ladies and gentlemen of the jury, have you made your decision?"
"Yes, we have, your honor," the first foreman said, handing a folded paper to the bailiff. The judge read what was handed to him and gave it back to the bailiff.
"Will the defendant please rise and face the jury?" the judge asked and the defendant ant the lawyer stood up. The judge turned to the jury and said, "What say you?"
The first foreman opened the piece of paper and read, "We find the defendant, Robert Linhardt guilty of first degree murder."
"WHAT? YOU CAN'T DO THAT TO ME!!!! I DIDN'T DO ANYTHING!!!!" Robert screamed out as he jumped from his chair. The bailiffs and some others restrained him.
"Order in the court!!" the judge said.
Robert turned to Kara and yelled, "YOU BITCH! HOW COULD YOU DO THIS TO ME!!! YOU'RE A GOOD FOR NOTHING WHORE!!!"
"Order in the court!!!" the judge continued to call out. Kara sat in horror, totally shaken of Robert's outburst in court. She found herself being wrapped in Kevin's arms, afraid and shaking like a leaf.
The bailiffs restrained him as the judge continued to talk to Robert and said, "Mr. Linhardt, I am disgusted that you have killed your own wife, abused and raped your own daughter. You are a disgrace as an American citizen. Ladies and gentlemen of the jury, the court thanks you for your time and your service to the constitution. The sentence hearing will be scheduled in two weeks time at 9 in the morning. Court adjourned." The judge left his seat and went to his chambers. Kara sat there with a mixture of relief and shock. She couldn't believe that she was actually free of him. The bailiff put the handcuffs on him and led him out. Lexington led the group outside of the courthouse in silence as Kevin held onto her. Somehow, he knew that her mind was numb from the actions in the courtroom. He led her to sit down on the bench near the entrance and sat next to her. The others were standing around, watching.
"Kara, you're safe now. He won't bother you anymore," Lexington said.
"I know that," she replied softly.
"Then why are you still shaking?" Kevin asked.
"I just never expected it to happen," she explained.
"I don't think any of us expected that," Kevin replied after understanding what she meant. The other guys were puzzled and then understood when Kevin mouthed about Robert's outburst in court.
"Do I have to be at the sentence hearing?"
"Only if you want to," Lexington replied.
"I want to go," she said.
"Why?" Kevin asked, confused.
"I am hoping that it will make me feel better knowing what will happen to him if I'm here, hearing it," Kara said. Then she looked at him and asked. "You'll be there with me, right?"
"You don't even have to ask me. I'll always be with you," Kevin said as he hugged her. He knew that she needed comfort. She leaned into his arms and soaked in his comfort and strength. "Are you hungry?"
Kara thought for a minute and realized that she was indeed hungry. "Yeah, I am hungry."
"Let's go back to the hotel and change before going out to eat," Kevin said. Kara nodded as they all headed down to the car park and headed towards the hotel. Kara was looking forward to putting this trial behind her as well as her life with Robert. As soon as they got into their hotel room, Kara laid on the bed for a couple minutes. Kevin saw this and became concerned. "How are you doing, Kara?" It didn't hit him until now that she might be emotionally drained from what's been going on.
Kara shrugged. She really didn't know how to talk about this to Kevin. "I honestly don't know, Kev. I mean, in a way, I'm glad that he's in jail for what he's done because he killed my mom and abused me. But at the same time, I miss him because he's my father."
Kevin knew what she meant "That's understandable, but you have Ric and Vince who already think that they are your father."
"I know. It's just that I'm getting mixed feelings and I feel like he's drugging my mind somehow."
"Give it time, ok? I'm sure that once you know where he will be spending his time, you'll feel better."
"Okay," she said and then got up to change her clothes as Kevin did the same. They headed down to the lobby to meet Paul and Scott. They were in the sitting area of the lobby, chatting away.
"All right, we're here, so stop backstabbing us," Kevin threatened, but smiled.
"We would never backstab Kara, but you, Kev? We would never pass the chance to do that," Paul said. Kara laughed for the first time that day and it made everyone feel better to know that she was starting to relax.
"You're not going to defend me?" Kevin asked Kara.
"Why should I?"
"You're my woman, that's why."
"Nah, I think you can manage it on your own."
"Ya think so?"
"I know so."
"Really?"
"Yeah, really."
"How well do you really know?"
"Because if I had to defend you, then you'd be whipped by me," Kara explained as the other guys laughed.
"Kev, she's got a point," Scott said, laughing as Kevin just stood there, sulking. Kara was laughing as she has never seen a 7 foot giant sulk before.
"I never realized that a 7 foot giant sulked before," Kara said and then squealed as she ran towards Paul and hid behind him. Paul and Scott were laughing their heads off when they heard Kara say that. Kevin was trying to get her for that but she kept escaping him. He finally gave up as they finally decided to get something to eat. After a few minutes of collaborating of where to go, they took one car and headed towards a local Denny's restaurant. They continued to chat and relax. It was one of those rare days they had off and they were enjoying themselves. Vince knew that Kara needed some time off from work because of the trial and gave Kevin, Paul and Scott some time off as well, just to protect her from her own sake. They just basically enjoyed themselves and did some sightseeing around town before heading into the hotel. The guys continued to make Kara laugh, just to help her get her mind off the trial. They were walking into the lobby of the hotel after a relaxing day of fun. They walked towards the elevator after signing some autographs for some fans. Kevin and Kara were walking silently to their hotel room, hand in hand.
"Kara did you enjoy yourself tonight?" Kevin asked as they approached their hotel room.
"Yes, why do you ask?" she wondered.
"I just want to make sure that you have a good time despite what's been going on."
"Kevin, maybe we should talk about this inside." Kevin nodded and opened the door for both of them and locked it.
Kara sat on the bed and motioned for Kevin to sit down next to her. When she saw that he was comfortable and waiting for her to continue she started to speak. "Kevin, I realize that I may be acting stressed or distant, but just know that whenever I am with you, I always enjoy myself. You seem to know when to encourage me and when to back off. That's why I love you so much."
Kevin took Kara's hand and said, "I'm just glad that you're depending on me. I know that you are a tough woman. But what I don't get is why you pushed me away."
"I realize that my actions offended everyone, especially you. I just thought that I could handle it on my own."
"When I say that you're a tough woman, it's just that you refuse to take any bull. But this is close to the heart and I wanted you to depend on me."
"Kevin, I thought that I could handle this on my own and I guess I was wrong. Now I know that my father is guilty, I can let go. But I promise that I'll do whatever I can to make sure that I depend on you."
"I'm just glad that I'm here for you now."
"Me, too," with that said, they both got ready for bed.
"You scared me," Kara said, calming down. "Is there anything that you need?" I need to get back to work."
"Yeah, I need something..." he started off.
"Could you make it a little snappy, please? I don't have a lot of time," Kara said.
"What's going on with you?" he asked.
"I'm just working. What does it look like I'm doing?" she asked in confusion.
"I mean, you're not hanging out with us, you're not even willing to share a hotel room with me anymore. Hell, you're working hard everyday," Kevin explained.
"I'm sorry if work calls me, Kevin. I can't even take time off right now... Vince needs the paperwork done ASAP," Kara shot back angrily.
"Hey, don't take it out on me," Kevin said, anger rising up. "I just talked to Vince recently; he doesn't even need most of the paperwork until the next pay-per-view, which isn't for another couple of weeks."
Kara looked at him and softened up, but wouldn't allow Kevin near her. "Kevin, could you just leave me for now?"
"What for?"
"Godammit, Kev!" Kara shot back, angrily.
"Look, Kara, the only reason why I'm talking to you about this right now is because I love you and I care about you. I know that you're worried about the trial tomorrow, but you have me to rely on," Kevin explained.
"Kevin, just please leave me alone," Kara asked, looking down at her papers, trying not to cry in front of Kevin.
Kevin sighed heavily and reluctantly said, "I'll leave you alone for now, but as soon as the trial's over tomorrow... we're talking." With that he left the office. He stood near the door, trying to hear Kara.
As soon as Kara felt safe, she pushed the papers away and sobbed. "I wish I could tell you, Kev, but I can't..."
Kevin frowned at what he heard. "What are you hiding, Kara?" he said softly.
At the trial
The trial was going slowly and Kara wanted to leave. It was not the attorney pleading against Robert Linhardt. Kara was sitting directly behind the lawyer and knew that her time was to be questioned was next. "Your honor, the next witness I'm about to call has nothing to do with the murder, but we're hoping that it will build a stronger case. Mr. Johnson has an extra copy of the witnesses," My. Lexington said.
"Bring in your next witness," the judge said.
"The people call Kara Linhardt," he said. Kara stood up slowly and walked over to the witness seat. She stood as the bailiff took the oath. After sitting down, Mr. Lexington approached her. "Miss Linhardt, do you recognize that man sitting over there?" he asked as he pointed over to where Robert was sitting.
"Yes, I do," she replied.
"Please tell the jury who he is," he said.
"His name is Robert Linhardt, my father," she said nervously.
"Please tell me what your relationship with your father is like."
"Well, from what I can remember from when I was younger, he loved me. He protected me like any father would do for his children. As I got older, he changed."
"Changed as in how?"
"He started to get more abusive when I didn't do anything. I wasn't sure what I did exactly. I asked one day and he said that I was behaving badly from what my mother told him. I told him that I never behaved badly around mother. As time went on, the more abusive he got," she said, one by one, tears were rolling down her face.
"What happened after that?"
"When I became 18, he started to touch me and did a lot of sexual harassment. I told my mother, but she didn't believe me. On Christmas day that same year, he got my mother drunk and she was knocked out due to the amount of alcohol consumption. Then he came into my room while I was watching television," she said, trying to control her sobbing.
"Miss Linhardt, everything will be all right. You're safe here in court," Mr. Lexington said. "Please go on."
"He turned the volume up more louder and raped me. After he left, I curled up in a corner of my room away from my bed and cried. I fell asleep from crying too much. When I woke up in the morning, I took a shower and scrubbed myself until I was red all over. Then I took my clothes and the sheets and threw them away. The following month, I kept throwing up every morning and I realized that I missed my menstrual cycle. I went to the store and bought a pregnancy test. When I took it, it said that I was pregnant," Kara said. She looked at Kevin and she could tell that he was fuming but he was trying to keep it in control for her sake. "I never felt so ashamed before in my life. I didn't tell anyone about it, not until I knew for sure that I got it confirmed with the doctor. So I made an appointment at the health center at my college and they confirmed that I was pregnant. I came home later that day and my father asked me what was wrong. I didn't say anything and I couldn't tell him because I knew that he would beat me up and make me miscarry," Kara said, pausing so that she could breath. More tears were coming down her face and was grateful that Lexington gave her a handkerchief to wipe the tears away.
"Do you think you can go on?" he asked.
"I'll be fine. Thank you for asking," she said, took another pause and continued on. "I came home that day from the doctor's appointment and I went to my bedroom. He was there, sitting on my bed. He looked so angry and I wasn't sure what I did or what was wrong. I asked him if there was something wrong. He didn't reply, just showed me the pregnancy test that I took. I was already afraid of him, but I became more afraid and I knew that he knew that I was pregnant. He asked me if I was pregnant and I told him yes because I knew that lying would make him even more upset, but I was wrong."
"Wrong in what way?" he asked.
"He became more violent and outraged when he found out that I was pregnant and that it was his child. Somehow he knew it was because he was the only one who touched me sexually. He took his belt and whipped me. I couldn't stop crying. Then he stopped and left. I thought I would be alone for a few hours, but I was wrong again. He came back into my bedroom with a baseball bat and hit me on my stomach."
"How many times has he hit you with the baseball bat?"
"Too many times to count, but I think it was somewhere over a 100 times. When he left me there, I felt some kind of liquid pouring on my legs and I looked down. That's when I knew that I miscarried. I just stayed there for what I thought was forever but only for a few hours. I actually fell asleep from physical exhaustion as well as mental and emotional energy. When I woke up, I got up and my body was so stiff that it actually took me a couple of hours to finish taking a shower and change my clothes. I started to pack my things and left. I never saw them again until the recent events."
"What did your mother do all of that time?"
"My mother was mostly passed out due to being drunk or from drugs. She never knew what happened."
"No further questions, your honor," he said as he sat down.
"Counselor, any questions?" the judge said.
"Yes, your honor," he said. He stood and walked halfway before stopping. "Miss Linhardt, you're surely not talking about my client?"
"Yes, I am because he is the only father I have. If my memory serves me right, he was determined to not allow any boys in the house alone with me. Therefore I know that he was the only one that raped me."
"Do you think you can prove it?"
"I can't, but it really makes me wonder who else would come into the house and rape me without him knowing," she explained as she looked at him with a deathly glare.
He saw the look on her face and backed off, "No further questions."
"Any more questions, Mr. Lexington?" the judge asked and he shook his head no. "The witness may step down. Kara stepped away from the witness stand and walked over to her seat. "Any other witnesses, Mr. Lexington?"
"Yes, your honor, the next witness is Mr. Vince McMahon," he said.
"Bring him in," the judge said. The lawyers did the same thing with Vince as well as some of the other WWE superstars. Finally, the judge said, "There will be a 30 minute recess for the jury to deliberate on this case. Court is adjourned," he said as he left his seat. The bailiff took Robert in cuffs and Lexington took Kara and the others to a private meeting room across the courtroom. Kara sat down and tears were still coming down.
Kevin saw her and softened up. He was truly angry for what Robert has done to her. He kneeled down next to her and took her in his arms. As soon as he took her in his arms, she immediately broke down. "Baby, everything's alright... don't worry." She mumbled something that he could hear. "Baby, what did you say?"
She lifted her face up, looked at him and whispered. "I'm sorry."
"Baby, you have nothing to be sorry about," he replied.
"Yes, I do."
"What are you talking about?"
"I didn't tell you what he did to me," Kara said and Kevin immediately knew what she was talking about.
"Kara," he started off, he always used her full name when a serious issue needed to be talked about. "What he did was not your fault. Don't blame yourself. You were innocent and he was drunk. You don't deserve any of his shit," he explained, cupping her face and kissing her forehead. Kara looked up at him and felt ashamed. He immediately knew what she was thinking. "Kara, you have nothing to be ashamed of. You're a beautiful woman, both inside and out. What he did was against your own will, therefore it's not your fault. He may have taken advantage of your physical body, but he did not take advantage of who you inside of you."
"Do you still..." Kara wanted to finish the sentence, but she couldn't bring herself to ask him.
"If you're wondering if I find you attractive, yes," Kevin said. Kara looked at him, wide-eyed, after a few moments, she smiled for the first time in a long while. What Kevin saw brought a smile to his own face. He hugged her and held her saying how much he loved her.
A knock on the door had interrupted but Lexington opened the door and nodded. "Miss Linhardt, gentlemen, it's time."
Everyone nodded and went back into the courtroom, sat down and waited. After the judge and jury had come in, the judge said, "Ladies and gentlemen of the jury, have you made your decision?"
"Yes, we have, your honor," the first foreman said, handing a folded paper to the bailiff. The judge read what was handed to him and gave it back to the bailiff.
"Will the defendant please rise and face the jury?" the judge asked and the defendant ant the lawyer stood up. The judge turned to the jury and said, "What say you?"
The first foreman opened the piece of paper and read, "We find the defendant, Robert Linhardt guilty of first degree murder."
"WHAT? YOU CAN'T DO THAT TO ME!!!! I DIDN'T DO ANYTHING!!!!" Robert screamed out as he jumped from his chair. The bailiffs and some others restrained him.
"Order in the court!!" the judge said.
Robert turned to Kara and yelled, "YOU BITCH! HOW COULD YOU DO THIS TO ME!!! YOU'RE A GOOD FOR NOTHING WHORE!!!"
"Order in the court!!!" the judge continued to call out. Kara sat in horror, totally shaken of Robert's outburst in court. She found herself being wrapped in Kevin's arms, afraid and shaking like a leaf.
The bailiffs restrained him as the judge continued to talk to Robert and said, "Mr. Linhardt, I am disgusted that you have killed your own wife, abused and raped your own daughter. You are a disgrace as an American citizen. Ladies and gentlemen of the jury, the court thanks you for your time and your service to the constitution. The sentence hearing will be scheduled in two weeks time at 9 in the morning. Court adjourned." The judge left his seat and went to his chambers. Kara sat there with a mixture of relief and shock. She couldn't believe that she was actually free of him. The bailiff put the handcuffs on him and led him out. Lexington led the group outside of the courthouse in silence as Kevin held onto her. Somehow, he knew that her mind was numb from the actions in the courtroom. He led her to sit down on the bench near the entrance and sat next to her. The others were standing around, watching.
"Kara, you're safe now. He won't bother you anymore," Lexington said.
"I know that," she replied softly.
"Then why are you still shaking?" Kevin asked.
"I just never expected it to happen," she explained.
"I don't think any of us expected that," Kevin replied after understanding what she meant. The other guys were puzzled and then understood when Kevin mouthed about Robert's outburst in court.
"Do I have to be at the sentence hearing?"
"Only if you want to," Lexington replied.
"I want to go," she said.
"Why?" Kevin asked, confused.
"I am hoping that it will make me feel better knowing what will happen to him if I'm here, hearing it," Kara said. Then she looked at him and asked. "You'll be there with me, right?"
"You don't even have to ask me. I'll always be with you," Kevin said as he hugged her. He knew that she needed comfort. She leaned into his arms and soaked in his comfort and strength. "Are you hungry?"
Kara thought for a minute and realized that she was indeed hungry. "Yeah, I am hungry."
"Let's go back to the hotel and change before going out to eat," Kevin said. Kara nodded as they all headed down to the car park and headed towards the hotel. Kara was looking forward to putting this trial behind her as well as her life with Robert. As soon as they got into their hotel room, Kara laid on the bed for a couple minutes. Kevin saw this and became concerned. "How are you doing, Kara?" It didn't hit him until now that she might be emotionally drained from what's been going on.
Kara shrugged. She really didn't know how to talk about this to Kevin. "I honestly don't know, Kev. I mean, in a way, I'm glad that he's in jail for what he's done because he killed my mom and abused me. But at the same time, I miss him because he's my father."
Kevin knew what she meant "That's understandable, but you have Ric and Vince who already think that they are your father."
"I know. It's just that I'm getting mixed feelings and I feel like he's drugging my mind somehow."
"Give it time, ok? I'm sure that once you know where he will be spending his time, you'll feel better."
"Okay," she said and then got up to change her clothes as Kevin did the same. They headed down to the lobby to meet Paul and Scott. They were in the sitting area of the lobby, chatting away.
"All right, we're here, so stop backstabbing us," Kevin threatened, but smiled.
"We would never backstab Kara, but you, Kev? We would never pass the chance to do that," Paul said. Kara laughed for the first time that day and it made everyone feel better to know that she was starting to relax.
"You're not going to defend me?" Kevin asked Kara.
"Why should I?"
"You're my woman, that's why."
"Nah, I think you can manage it on your own."
"Ya think so?"
"I know so."
"Really?"
"Yeah, really."
"How well do you really know?"
"Because if I had to defend you, then you'd be whipped by me," Kara explained as the other guys laughed.
"Kev, she's got a point," Scott said, laughing as Kevin just stood there, sulking. Kara was laughing as she has never seen a 7 foot giant sulk before.
"I never realized that a 7 foot giant sulked before," Kara said and then squealed as she ran towards Paul and hid behind him. Paul and Scott were laughing their heads off when they heard Kara say that. Kevin was trying to get her for that but she kept escaping him. He finally gave up as they finally decided to get something to eat. After a few minutes of collaborating of where to go, they took one car and headed towards a local Denny's restaurant. They continued to chat and relax. It was one of those rare days they had off and they were enjoying themselves. Vince knew that Kara needed some time off from work because of the trial and gave Kevin, Paul and Scott some time off as well, just to protect her from her own sake. They just basically enjoyed themselves and did some sightseeing around town before heading into the hotel. The guys continued to make Kara laugh, just to help her get her mind off the trial. They were walking into the lobby of the hotel after a relaxing day of fun. They walked towards the elevator after signing some autographs for some fans. Kevin and Kara were walking silently to their hotel room, hand in hand.
"Kara did you enjoy yourself tonight?" Kevin asked as they approached their hotel room.
"Yes, why do you ask?" she wondered.
"I just want to make sure that you have a good time despite what's been going on."
"Kevin, maybe we should talk about this inside." Kevin nodded and opened the door for both of them and locked it.
Kara sat on the bed and motioned for Kevin to sit down next to her. When she saw that he was comfortable and waiting for her to continue she started to speak. "Kevin, I realize that I may be acting stressed or distant, but just know that whenever I am with you, I always enjoy myself. You seem to know when to encourage me and when to back off. That's why I love you so much."
Kevin took Kara's hand and said, "I'm just glad that you're depending on me. I know that you are a tough woman. But what I don't get is why you pushed me away."
"I realize that my actions offended everyone, especially you. I just thought that I could handle it on my own."
"When I say that you're a tough woman, it's just that you refuse to take any bull. But this is close to the heart and I wanted you to depend on me."
"Kevin, I thought that I could handle this on my own and I guess I was wrong. Now I know that my father is guilty, I can let go. But I promise that I'll do whatever I can to make sure that I depend on you."
"I'm just glad that I'm here for you now."
"Me, too," with that said, they both got ready for bed.