In and Out of Love-Chapter 15

By MyNameIsCAL

The days drew closer to the trial. Max and I watched Iggy grow anxious as the days grew closer to Ella's arrival.

"Maybe I should wait til she finishes college," Iggy said.

I frowned. "The worst thing you can do is wait, that's what you told me."

He let out a sigh. "Then I wish that day would come already."

It's early in the morning, and we're driving to Mom's house to drop Iggy off. Max kept going straight instead of turning to pass the new station.

"What are you doing?" I asked.

She frowned. "I can't drive that way anymore. Just the thought of the crash still scares me."

I thought back to the crash. All that blood. It made me light headed.

"See?" Max said, reading my mind.

I gave an uneasy laugh and just hoped we would reach Mom's house soon.

William Andrews won the jury over. You could tell by the way they watched him talk and tell how George had threatened him at gunpoint, crazily begging him to do his dirty work.

"I pushed me down, pointed the gun," Andrews made a gun with his hand and pointed to his chin. "Said he was gonna kill me and then my family if I didn't cooperate."

Carter opened his mouth to speak, but Andrews added, "And I have another kid on the way."

Blinking, Carter spoke. "No more questions."

The judge called recess after George's lawyer, John Willingham, questioned Andrews. Other witnesses had been questioned, including the camera man who filmed the footage of George pulling me out of Max's car. The only people left to question were George, Max, and me. Then we'd be done.

You could tell, from the look on Willingham's face, that he was losing hope. George had a stone cold face, though, like his emotions had just been drained from him. The only emotion I ever picked up on from him was the sadness in his eyes when he looked at Max, like seeing her hurt. But I guess I knew how he felt. Stupidity had gotten the best of him, only he had really screwed things up.

Even Carter got that sad look in his eyes.

"Sandwich?" Max handed a tray to me. "Or did you want soup?"

I took a sandwich and we moved to the line to pay. Andrews stood in front of us. He looked away, paying quickly and disappearing to the corner of the cafeteria. Poor guy. If only he knew that we had nothing against him.

"Were you romantically involved with Max during her engagement with George?" Willingham questioned.

"Objection!" Carter said.

"Overruled," the judge frowned.

I let out a deep breath. Max had never been engaged to George. "No, I wasn't."

"And George Dawson did pull you out of the car?"

"From what I've seen on the news clips, yes he did."

Willingham hesitated. "No more questions, Your Honor."

This case had been over before it even started. Carter had asked a series of questions to clear up that Max had not been engaged to George. Willingham barely question Max. It made me feel sorry for him. George should have cut a deal with the court. Andrews had screwed George over. Well actually George had screwed himself by not thinking things out, but he just wanted to delay his time in jail. And honestly, I wouldn't blame him for doing that.

"Were you or were you not engaged to Max before Andrews hit Max?" Willingham inquired.

George stared off into the back of the courtroom. "I was not."

There was a low murmur from the people around us. The judge banged the gavel and there was silence. Willingham was distressed now. It was obvious George was no longer sticking to the plan.

"What is your relation to William Andrews?"

"He was a neighbor."

"And did you or did you not pay him to hit Max and her companions?"

"I did pay him."

George's lawyer looked like he was gonna rip his own hair. "Did you threaten him?"

"Yes."

And that was the end. Carter nailed him with more questions. George answered all the questions with honesty. I didn't understand his change of heart.

"Does the jury find George Dawson innocent or guilty?"

One member of the jury stood. "We find George Dawson guilty, your honor."

It was no surprise. George was handcuffed and escorted out, sentenced to life in prison. He gave us one sad look before he disappeared out the door.

"Well, congrats," Carter said, pulling his papers together. "It was nice to see you two again."

We watched him pull something out of his pocket. It was a check, written out to him by Max. Carter ripped it in half and handed it back to Max. "For the trouble I've caused."

Max shook her head. "I forgive you, Carter. You don't need to do that."

But he insisted. "No, I needed to do that."

"Well, thank you for everything." Max stuffed the two halves in her pocket.

He nodded. "Good evening to both of you."

We watched him walk out, slow as if he might have forgotten something or was uncertain. And now that I thought about it, he wasn't such a bad guy after all. He was just lost.

"C'mon, let's go home now," I whispered to Max.

I knew she felt guilty, but she agreed. "Alright, let's get out of here."

Outside, William Andrews stood. He shifted his weight from one side to another. His words came out feebly. "I'm sorry."

"Mr. Andrews, Fang and I have been through a lot. And nothing is more important than family. Family is what kept us together. I understand what happened. We don't blame you." Max gave him a reassuring smile. "You made the right choice, to save your family. I can admire that."

Andrews looked relieved.

"If anything, we should be thanking you for telling the truth." I held out my hand and he shook it, a nice firm grip.

"Well, thank you," he smiled nervously.

We watched him leave too. The reporters waited for us outside. But we weren't quite ready to face them.

Ah, finally done with that legal bit. Sorry for taking so long to update. I think we'll work on Iggy's proposal to Ella next…And, of course, we'll get into Fang and Max's relationship. Can't end til we have all loose ends tied up. Thanks for reading!!