WARNING: THIS STORY IS NO LONGER BEING EDITED FOR CONTENT. FULL DESCRPTION WILL BE INCLUDED. YOU HAVE BEEN WARNED…
Disclaimer: I don't own any of the characters borrowed from the Twilight Series. This plot line and the original characters, however, are all from my abnormally vivid imagination!
Welcome to the trial. Hope you enjoy. Thanks to Sihaya9 for her always excellent beta work, and Sassenach Wench for Validating. Hope you enjoy! Also, this is our last full on lemon, so savor it while you can :)
On The Hot Seat
EPOV
We had a week between our return from California and the beginning of the trial. The hospital requested that Bella attend the entire trial in lieu of working the floor upon the suggestion of the Belikov legal team. They had suggested that it was important to keep a face to represent the loyal hospital staff in the room throughout the trial to keep the sympathies of the jury. They even went as far as sending her to a stylist to polish her 'look' for the trial.
I hated the whole fucking process. To suggest that my Bella was inadequate was ridiculous. The worst part was that she tended to take it all on personally, far more than she really should. She was an absolute nervous wreck.
The trial started on Monday, June 14th with Varner beginning by bringing the plaintiffs onto the stand to testify. Eighteen different plaintiffs had filed a single all encompassing lawsuit against the hospital sighting negligence on the part of the hospital to provide proper precautionary measures, which they claimed subsequently resulted in their own personal pain and suffering. Never mind that all but two of the plaintiffs managed to escape as soon as Trager entered and weren't even in the waiting room during the standoff.
When Dimitri showed Bella the list, she flipped out. I don't know if I had ever seen her as mad as she was that day. She paced in the conference room for half an hour ranting questions about how it was even possible that individuals not even in the room with them could possibly have any claim to compensation. Between Dimitri, Jasper, Emmett, and I, we finally calmed her down enough to get her home. That night she tossed and turned, mumbling in her sleep about crooked people wanting something for nothing.
Following the opening remarks of both lawyers, the first two days of the trial were back-to-back plaintiffs followed by 'expert witnesses' who testified on their behalf. I sat next to Bella in the second row, behind the lawyers. She squeezed my hand in hers so hard throughout the first two days that her knuckles were blanched white the majority of the time court was in session.
She sat straight in her seat, her body tense as she resisted the urge to react to the testimony of the people on the stand. Occasionally she would shake her head minutely in annoyance, or huff under her breath, as the people who weren't even in the room would wax poetic over the horrors they endured during their thirty seconds in the room with Trager before they were led out by the dedicated staff members. Never once did they give credit to the braved individuals who risked themselves to help get everyone that they could out.
She tried so hard to stay professional and be the compassionate face of the hospital that was supposed to endear the jury to their case, but it wasn't always an easy job. When her breathing would speed slightly in reaction to something someone on the stand said, or a slightly underhanded jab by Varner that would immediately be objected by Dimitri, I did the only thing I could to comfort her. I would rub my thumb across the back of her hand in small, soothing circles, while draping by other arm across the chair behind her, brushing my fingers across her shoulder comfortingly. It wasn't much, especially when what I really wanted to do was call the lying sacks of shit out for this whole mess and for putting my girl through this fucking circus when she suffered more than enough from the event itself. Hell, if anyone deserved compensation for pain and suffering, it was Bella for being put through this mother fucking trial.
In addition to everything going on with the trial, Rose's blood pressure was slowly beginning to creep up higher than her obstetrician really wanted. Playing a better safe than sorry card, she was placed on bed rest for the last week before her due date. Bella and Alice both went into hyperactive doctor mode, creating a schedule where they made sure her blood pressure was taken at least twice a day. They kept it all charted at home, just to make sure all was well.
The beginning of the third day of the trial, the plaintiffs brought forth a few more 'expert witnesses' before they officially rested their case. I felt Bella's hand tighten on mine as she took a slow stuttering breath.
The judge glanced at his watch before ruling that the court would dismiss for a two-hour lunch break before reconvening. As soon as he got up and left his seat, the bodies filling the room began to shift and get up as the low hum of over a hundred voices filled the room. Dimitri, Marcus, and Alec all pivoted in unison to face us, looking directly at Bella.
"We've discussed this, Bella, and decided that we aren't going to start with you today. We want your story to come tomorrow morning when the jury is fresh and haven't already sat through hours of boring prosecution testimony. Instead, we're starting with Alice and a few of the other staff members. Be ready first thing tomorrow morning though, okay?"
Bella whimpered so lowly next to me, I doubted anyone besides me could hear her. She swallowed hard, nodded, and spoke with far more confidence than she felt.
"Okay, Dimitri, I'll be ready tomorrow morning." I watched with pride when she reached forward to shake his hand, only the tiniest of tremors in her fingers gave away her true nerves.
Dimitri took her hand with that smile and look in his eye that always bothered me. I was no fool. I could tell he had a crush on Bella, but at the same time, I tried not to be nervous about it. I had total faith in my girl. She would never dream of cheating on me, and I don't feel this way because of me personally, but rather simply the type of person that she is.
Dimitri held her hand a bit longer than necessary and then finally released it. She leaned over and shook both Marcus' and Alec's hand before twining her fingers with mine again, resting her head on my arm and tucking her other hand into my elbow.
I looked down at her face. My heart clenched as I took in how utterly exhausted she was. I made up my mind then and there that I was going to get her away from everything for a while. Just like I did when she had finals, I was going to distract her.
When we left the building, we found Alice, Jasper, Andy, and Emmett all waiting for us. We told them Dimitri's game plan and they all looked furtively at Alice. She sighed, sending a small smile at us before stepping to the other side of Bella, linking her arm inside Bella's.
"So, where are we going for lunch?" Alice asked.
I smirked and mouthed to the guys my idea. They all laughed and nodded.
The girls protested as we pulled them both to the cars, not letting either of them in on the secret. Bella huffed a little as we drove to Clark Street. When we pulled up in front of Dave & Busters, she dropped her head back on the headrest and laughed a deep, welcomed, belly laugh.
It was pretty busy as we walked into what was essentially Chuck E Cheese for adults, except with way better food. Alice bounced around like a little Mexican jumping bean, looking around for a place to sit.
Evidently, it was a good call because the girls giggled their way through the next hour, playing ski ball together and racing each other in the indy car simulators while us guys waited for our food to arrive. We all dug eagerly into our thick juicy burgers and fries, then scurried off right away to go play again.
After we polished off the food, Alice disappeared to some game on the far side of the room with Jasper. I claimed Bella, dragging her to a first person shooter game with a smirk. Emmett followed with a deep chuckle. I popped the coins in and set us up on two-player mode.
Annie Oakley held her own in the World War II based game, but I of course creamed her, as I should certainly hope, since I am, after all, the trained professional. Emmett took me on next while Bella gravitated over the pin ball machine and happily played bonus after bonus round until finally it was time to go and she offered some guy passing by to finish her game.
None of us wanted to leave the fun land we had escaped to in order to go back to the trial and be reminded once more of reality. We all dragged our feet back into our cars and crossed town to the court house.
We arrived with fifteen minutes to spare, Alec immediately snatching Alice away as soon as she walked through the door to talk with him, Marcus, and Dimitri. She nodded slowly as he spoke, all signs of the happy little pixie just moments ago was gone in a heartbeat.
Alice came back to sit between Bella and Jasper, fidgeting nervously with the hem of her skirt, waiting for the judge to come back in.
The Bailiff beside the door to the judge's chambers called out "All Rise."
We stood as ordered and sat back down when given permission.
The judge turned toward Dimitri with a sigh.
"Mr. Belikov, is the defense ready to present its first witness?"
Dimitri stood. "Yes your honor, the defense would like to call Dr. Alice Brandon to the stand please."
The judge nodded. I watched both Bella and Jasper squeeze Alice's hand before she stepped forward through the small swinging half door and up to the stand. The bailiff swore her in. She settled into the seat, her tiny frame making her nearly disappear behind the brown wooden partition that ran along the front of the witness stand.
Dimitri began to question Alice; she answered in a much stronger voice than most people who didn't know the spitfire wrapped in such a tiny package would expect. She answered every question without the slightest hesitation. Dimitri smiled warmly at her when he ended his line of questioning.
Varner stood up and crossed to stand in front of Alice, beginning his questioning with a very polite and friendly tone. Alice, who had tensed when he was called up to question her, began to relax slightly in her seat.
Varner made her go through the timeline of the morning again bit by bit, stopping her when Trager entered the room.
"Dr. Brandon, please tell us what happened after the perpetrator entered the doors of the building. Did any of the security guards step forward to stop him? Did anyone do anything to try to head this disaster off before it began?"
Alice's eyes grew wide and her mouth fell open. "Well no, but..."
Varner cut her off. "Thank you, Dr. Brandon. Now what actions were taken to evacuate the patients in the waiting room in the moments following his entrance?"
Alice explained how she and the other staff herded people through all of the other exits to the room as quickly as possible with the chaos that ensued.
"Now surely at this point some type of security showed up to try to take care of the situation."
"Well, no, but with the crowd pushing through the hallways to get out, there was no way for anyone to go against the pushing flow to get in there."
"Did you see any security personnel at all?"
Alice frowned, "Well, yes, they were helping keep people from hurting one another while trying to get out, and they helped clear the hallways. We had to evacuate much of that portion of the hospital during that time."
"So none of the security personnel even attempted to get into that room?"
"Well, no, but..."
Varner smiled triumphantly. "Thank you, Dr. Brandon. I have no more questions."
Alice just sat there looking a bit shell shocked, her mouth hanging open slightly in the aftermath of the whole event.
I was beginning to loose the feeling in my right hand because Bella squeezed so hard she was cutting off the circulation slightly. If she hadn't been nervous about being on the stand before, she definitely was now.
Varner gave Alice no chance to qualify any of her answers, as any good lawyer would do. He got just enough to validate his claims, without weakening his position. Very few people knew that for many, many years I had aspirations of being a lawyer like my Dad, Edward Masen Sr. I had actually started off in Criminal Justice with an intention of going to law school after I graduated from undergrad, but when I met the guys, my plans changed. Even though I never went to law school, I still had a bit of a passion for the law and for skillful maneuvering in the courtroom. Varner was good, very good, but the Belikov brothers were better.
The judge looked to Dimitri to see if he wanted to redirect. Dimitri smiled and nodded as she slowly stood behind the table, smiling widely at Alice.
"Dr. Brandon, you were a first hand witness of the whole event from the time Trager entered the premises until you exited the building with the last of the patients in the waiting room who escaped, correct?"
Alice nodded with a small "yes."
"How long did this whole exchange take place?"
Alice shook her head as she mentally played out the events in her mind. "It's hard to tell, everything seemed to happen in slow motion, but I'm guessing less than a minute."
"In your opinion, Dr. Brandon, do you think it would have been possible for the security officers to reach the waiting room in the midst of the group of bodies moving together away from the area?"
Alice shook her head adamantly. "No way, nobody could have gotten past that mob. There were too many of us crammed together in the hallway."
He smiled brightly at her, "Thank you, Dr. Brandon. That was the last of my questions."
The judge turned to Alice telling her she could step down and she shuffled quickly away from the stand to settle back in her seat, resting her head on Jasper's shoulder as he cradled her in his arms. She reached her hand over to Bella's and held it tightly between them for a long time.
We watched while they continued this process through several other workers in the room that day that had all escaped with Alice and the bulk of the plaintiffs. It was a long day, Varner continued to try to skew the answers in his favor, but the longer I watched the weaker I knew his case was. He really was trying to push that the hospital security should have tried to take on Trager, which would have been the worst move and would only have resulted in more loss of life, and possibly even the detonation of the C4. No, as traumatic as things were for the people in that room, the end result of SWAT taking over the scene versus unprepared hospital security was definitely the lesser of possible odds.
One major negative of his case being so weak was the fact that he was definitely going to work hard to break down Bella's testimony. Seeing the way he manipulated the answers to fit his own idea of what he wanted the jury to see, I feared for how he was going to twist Bella's words and actions on that day to suit his agenda. I ran my hands anxiously through my hair as I envisioned my Bella on the stand the next day.
I sighed, chancing a glance over to see how pale and anxious she looked. Thankfully, before too terribly long, the judge dismissed the courtroom for the rest of the day with order to reconvene at nine the next morning.
The Belikovs spun in unison again to talk quietly with Bella over the railing that separated them, continuing to reassure her. Bella voiced her concerns over Varner's examination tactics but Dimitri just smiled, placing a hand on her shoulder, locking eyes with hers. I struggled to resist the urge to break off his fingers.
"Bella, I'll be right there the whole time. No matter what, I will sort it all out in the redirect. Don't worry. I won't let him do too much damage. You're a good person with a slate as clean as a whistle. Heck, you don't even have a parking ticket on your record. Trust me, what little he does try to dredge up to discredit you will be easily fixed on the redirect. You'll be fine. We'll get through it together."
Bella smiled with faked sincerity and promised to be ready to go first thing the next morning. She curled into my side as we left the building, grasping her arms tightly around her waist, holding on for dear life.
I took her home, leading her to the couch where she collapsed in exhaustion. It had been a long day and the impending stress tomorrow was not making matters any better. I helped her slide out of the black high heels that the stylist forced on her, before pulling the pins out of her hair that were holding it into a twist on top of her head, shaking her hair free.
She sighed when I ran the pads of my fingers over her scalp, massaging gently, before letting my hands drift to her shoulders. She moaned and rolled her head forward as I kneaded the taut muscles of her neck and shoulders with my thumbs.
After she was about as relaxed as she was going to get that evening, I got up to order us some carry out for supper before melting onto the couch next to her. We propped our feet up, curling them together on the coffee table, flipping through the channels trying to find something to watch.
I let her choose a movie, seeing that she had no control over anything in her life this week, I figured anything would help. I sighed and settled back, trying to keep my eyes propped open during some Nora Roberts movie from the marathon on Lifetime.
I got up a few times during the movie to make some popcorn and get drink refills, but otherwise just relaxed with my girl. While she had spent the better part of her later years surrounded by guys, she was definitely still a girl, getting all weepy over the ending of the movie.
I tried not to laugh, cuddling her close instead. I soothed her before suggesting we get ready for bed. While listening to the sounds of her getting cleaned up in the bathroom, a thought crossed my mind, a devious smirk sliding across my face. I was already starting to get a little hard thinking about it.
She stepped out of the bathroom wearing a pair of shorts and a tiny cotton tank top. She was focused on her bedtime ritual, not even seeing that I was naked and kneeling on her side of the bed with my hand clasped behind my neck. When she rounded her side of the bed, she jumped with wide eyes upon spotting me.
I looked up at her with dark eyes, my body now fully aroused and awaiting her command.
"Edward? What are you doing?" She asked, standing awkwardly at the end of the bed with her brows furrowed tightly in confusion.
"I am yours to command tonight, Mistress Bella. I will do whatever you ask, be whatever you ask. My body, my heart, my mind, and my soul are yours to control. Tell me what you want and I'll happily comply."
She swallowed hard, and then a slow smirk melted across her face. She pulled her lip over her bottom teeth as her tongue slipped out to drag over it slowly before she nibbled on it with her top teeth. Her lips pulled into a thin line as her eyes darkened perceptively.
"Stay there, just like that. I will be right back."
She disappeared into our closet, stepping out a few minutes later, holding a medium sized black satin box that I had never seen before. She carried it to the bed, sitting it on her hope chest at the foot of it and pulling the lid off slowly.
"This was actually a surprise I was saving for our honeymoon, but I think tonight would be a good time to reveal a few of its secrets. Rose got this for me a couple of weeks ago as an early bridal shower gift, knowing I would kill her if she gave it to me in front of everyone."
She reached into the box, slowly pulling out a black satin scarf. I heard a few other items shuffle in the box as she dug a little deeper, pulling something I couldn't see and sitting it on top of the items inside.
She smiled, stepping towards me, and reaching her hand down to caress my cheek and jaw lovingly. I stared up at her in awe. She never ceased to surprise me.
She hooked her finger under my chin to make me look up a little more as she leaned down claiming my lips tenderly before slowly increasing the passion. Slowly, her hands drifted onto my shoulders, grasping my arms and tugging them free from behind my head. I let her guide me as she lifted my hands around her to grasp her thighs.
She broke our kiss with a smile. "I love you, Edward," she whispered, lifting her hands to slide the scarf over my eyes and tying it behind my head.
"Touch me, Edward," she whispered, leaning back down to kiss my lips.
My hands roamed up and down her silky thighs, cupping her ass, sliding my thumbs under the fabric to brush across her bare skin. I shifted my hands slightly, allowing my fingers to slide along her inner thigh under her underwear, brushing lightly along her already damp folds.
She broke our kiss with a sigh. I could tell she had thrown her head back. I leaned forward, finding the hem of her tank top with my teeth and dragging it up to expose the flesh of her stomach. As I continued brushing my fingers, adding a bit more pressure with each pass between her legs, I trailed hot open-mouthed kisses across her stomach. She whimpered and moaned above me.
"Edward, take off my bottoms and touch me more, kiss me more, I want to feel your mouth where your fingers are."
I moaned, immediately shifting my hands to clutch at the crotch of her shorts and underwear, tugging down to yank them to her feet.
She giggled and shifted to step out of them as my face immediately leaned forward to kiss along her hips, searching for the Promised Land. When I found my destination, my lips claimed her clit while my arms once again snaked around her thighs to tease her opening from behind; she yelped.
She buried her fingers in my hair, pulling me closer as she praised me for following directions so well. I couldn't help but smirk against her hot sweet flesh between luscious licks. After a few moments, I grasped her leg, lifting it over my shoulder as I steadied her with my other hand, increasing the speed and pressure of my tongue while my fingers reached deeper inside of her, curling to tap at her g-spot. She exploded around me, shoving me harder into her as she shivered.
Her leg that had been holding her up began to buckle. I spun her so she was fell on the edge of the bed, as I continued to gently caress her with my tongue while she rode out her climax. When the shivers stopped, I leaned in to kiss her slightly salty top lip tenderly twice before she yanked my head back up, attacking my lips with her own as she hummed happily into my mouth.
I felt my eyes rolling in my head when her hand drifted down in front of me, grasping me firmly and stroking me a few times before she broke away.
"Edward, climb up on the bed. Sit up with your back against the headboard."
I immediately did as she asked, while she moved at the end of the bed. I rested against the headboard just as I felt the mattress dip to the right of me. Seconds later, I felt cold metal wrap my wrist with a click. It tugged me slightly to the side and I heard a second click nearby. Bella straddled me doing the same with my other hand.
I had to fight getting overly excited as I realized we were finally breaking out the handcuffs again. We had used them once right after Christmas, but we didn't really get them out again after that. We were both perfectly happy with each other without having to drag out all of the props. I had to admit, though, I was more than just a little excited to have them back out tonight.
Once the cuffs were secured, I felt Bella shifting on top of me. She leaned in, her body now naked as she rubbed up against me. She wrapped her hands tightly in my hair, pulling me forward, attacking my mouth in a frenzy. Her moist, hot core, slid across my painfully hard erection. I whimpered at the contact.
She slid slowly down my body, my blocked sight making each sound and sensation of her body touching and caressing mine that much more intense. I moaned gratefully when her journey brought her mouth to the painful steel rod between my legs.
She teased me with small licks and nibbles before she disappeared. I wanted to cry in disappointment, until I felt her hand behind my head. Seconds later my eyes were freed from their dark prison. I looked to see gloriously naked Bella kneeling beside me.
"I want you to see this, Edward. I want you to see me suck your cock until you explode in my mouth. Do not close your eyes. You do and I will stop."
I whimpered and forced my eyes to stay open as she shifted to kneel between my legs, slithering to lie on her stomach before me, her eyes trained on me with each movement. When she reached my waist, she tugged my hips out, giving me a better angle to watch, before sliding me into her mouth with a moan.
It was amazing to watch as she hollowed her cheeks, really getting into it. She moaned and groaned around me, her hands stroking my thigh and the base of my shaft. It didn't take long before I yelled out as she swallowed down the seemingly never ending hot streams that forced their way from my body.
She popped off with a smirk then slithered back up my body, looking at me through her lashes. She shifted me into a more comfortable sitting position again, massaging my shoulders that had been slightly strained in my former position. She buried her fingers in my hair as she rose to the full height of her knees to straddle me, pulling my face down to her chest, and ordering me to kiss her rosy peaks.
I focused on caressing her buds with my tongue and lips one at a time, my arousal quickly returned between the position and the aphrodisiac that her taking such confident control was for me. I was so focused on my newly appointed task, that I didn't even notice she was using a key to release my hands until the first one fell free. Without instruction, I immediately moved my newly freed hand to join the work of my mouth, grateful to be able to touch her again. She quickly freed my other hand, which immediately lifted the weight of the breast I was lavishing with my tongue to provide a better angle.
She tossed back her head while I continued to worship her breasts. Finally, she pulled me away by my hair, lifting my gaze to look her in the face.
"Mmmm, Edward, I want you inside me now. Position yourself for me."
I grasped my now fully erected manhood, grazing it along her folds until the tip slid into her entrance. One side of her mouth lifted into a sexy smirk as her eyes stayed locked with mine, she slowly, millimeter by heavenly millimeter, lowered herself until I was sheathed completely within her warmth.
Once I was seated fully within her, she didn't raise back up as I expected, but rather rolled her hips in a circular pattern, grasping my shoulders tightly with her hands for leverage. Never closing her eyes for longer than a fleeting blink, she writhed on top of me, holding my gaze as the tension quickly built within my abdomen and scrotum.
Her hands shifted from my shoulders to my face as she leaned forward, claiming my lips with her, her tongue darting in and out as we panted into one another's mouths.
Suddenly, without any warning, she grasped my shoulders again and tugged to the side, pulling me on top of her, we landed sideways across the bed, her head hanging off the end slightly.
"Edward, oh God, harder, Edward. Make me scream!"
I shifted to my knees, pulling her lower back up to get a better angle and began to speed my thrusts. I gripped her hips, pulling her up to me while I thrust into her, causing her back to arch beautifully with each thrust. All too soon, we were both screaming 'fuck' mixed with one another's names and we came hard.
We fell together on the bed panting and laughing.
"Good God woman, you surprise the hell out of me. I never expected you to get quite so into it, but I'm sure glad you did."
She rolled on top of me with a devious smile, the swat glistening on her collarbones and cheeks, she quirked a single eyebrow.
"Oh, Mr. Cullen, just wait until I get you on our honeymoon. Rose gave me a whole box full of goodies that I fully intend to try out."
My eyes grew wide as I started to get up and lunge for the box, but she grabbed my hand slammed the cuff back over my wrist, effectively keeping me from peeking.
"Un, un, uh…no spoiling the surprise, Mr. Cullen. If you peek, you might just end up getting a spanking."
I gasped in surprise. "Holy Fuck, I created a monster!"
She just laughed, shaking her head. "You wish. Don't even think about trying to spank me, Mister. No submissive punishments for me. I'm not into pain, receiving or inflicting! I just had to mess with you."
I laughed, using my free hand to pull her back on top of me, kissing her gently.
"You know I love you, Bella. Don't you?"
She nodded, kissing me again, before hopping up and putting everything, with the exception of the cuffs keeping me confined, back in the box. She returned it to the hiding place in the closet before coming to release me, making me snuggle in next to her. She sighed contentedly before we passed out, both of us grateful for the release that dissolved a bit of the tension about what we were to face the next day.
o~O~o
The next morning, Bella nervously emerged from the bathroom. I could feel my breath catch a little in my chest at how utterly beautiful she was. Her hair was once again swept up into a French twist and she had worn light make-up. She wore a maroon colored skirt that hit just above her knees, with a matching long sleeve zippered suit type jacket and a silky looking black tank top underneath. She had a single string of white pearls around her neck and a pair of black high heels, which made me worry for her safety. Bella in chunky heels was halfway safe, but today they had her dressed in thin heels that looked as though they would twist out from underneath her at any second. At least they weren't very tall.
She sighed, tugging at her skirt in an attempt to make it a bit longer before fiddling with her hair in the mirror.
I stepped up behind her, wrapping my arms around her waist and pulling her against my chest. I dipped in to kiss her long beautiful neck that was conveniently exposed to me, before resting my chin against her shoulder.
"You look wonderful, Bella…the perfect combination of beautiful and professional. You're going to be great!"
She sighed, lifting a pair of matching pearl earrings from the dresser, sliding them into her earlobes and securing the back carefully.
"I hope so. So much is riding on me. I hope I can do the hospital justice."
I chuckled, squeezing her a little tighter. "You'll do more than that, love. You're going to do them proud. You'll see."
She closed her eyes and took a deep, steadying breath, her limbs already beginning to tremble with nerves.
"I hope so. I want to get there early to talk to Dimitri one last time. Are you ready?" She asked locking eyes with me in the mirror.
I smiled with a nod before taking her hand and leading her down the hallway.
The way to the building was difficult. The media was out in full force. Evidently, the word had been leaked that Bella would be testifying that morning. My girl had grabbed the media's attention during the whole mess, when they touted her as the hometown hero. Hopefully, some of that appreciation for her throughout the community would help her now.
She left me at our seats when we arrived, approaching Dimitri at the lawyer's table. I watched with an uneasiness growing inside me when he smiled and talked to her. I could tell that she wasn't even noticing the softness in his eyes or the way he would lay his hand only slightly innocently on her arm.
As much as it pissed me off, I knew she trusted him, and he was only reassuring her about the trial. It might have been slightly more to him, but it wasn't to her. As hard as it was, I had to keep remembering that there was nothing to worry about. I trusted Bella.
After a few more minutes of watching her nervously fidget with her engagement ring while she spoke with him, she finally returned to my side, grabbing my hand tightly as she sat down next to me.
"What did he have to say, love?"
She sighed. "I was nervous about how he kept trying to manipulate Alice's words. I'm worried hes going to do that to me. Dimitri was assuring me that even if he did, he would straighten it all out in his redirect."
Her hand reached up to rub the bridge of her nose. I smiled a little knowing she had picked that up from me.
"I'm just so nervous that I'm going to say something bad up there." She threw her head back, her eyes closed tightly. "God, I hate this, Edward! I'll be so glad when all of this is over!"
I rubbed her back comfortingly as I leaned into her ear. "I know, my love. It will all be over soon. You're going to be fine. You have nothing to hide. Just tell the truth about what happened. That's all you can really do."
She nodded, her hands trembling even more so in mine.
I reached up to swipe away a single tear that escaped the corner of her eye with the pad of the thumb.
"If you get anxious, sweetheart, just look at me. I am sitting right here for you. I'm not going anywhere. If it gets to be too much, just focus on me. I'll be there to help you get through it."
She nodded and leaned to rest her head on my shoulder.
She looked up, looking around with a furrowed brow. "Where's Emmett? I thought he was going to be here today for this?"
I looked around with a frown. I pulled my phone out only to see that there was no reception in the building. I shook my head before putting it away and holding her to my side again.
"I don't know, but I'm sure he'll be here soon."
A few moments later, we all rose at the order of the Baliff to begin the rituals of the new day for the trial began. A couple of minutes later, the judge addressed Dimitri and he stood, smiling over his shoulder at Bella before responding.
"Thank you, your honor. The defense calls Doctor Isabella Swan to the stand."
Bella slowly stood, clasping her hands in front of her as she slowly walked toward her place at the stand. Her nerves were highly visible in the small shake in her hand as she held it up to take her oath of truth before sitting awkwardly in the leather chair behind the wooden partition of the witness stand.
Dimitri rose to walk toward her, leading her through the opening questions. She explained the events of the day in sequential order and the things she had done to keep her patients safe. Her voice cracked several times, and when she reached the points that were more traumatic for her, she would fidget with her engagement ring and look up at me taking deep breaths. Eventually, she would push her way through and continue on with amazing poise for what she was trying to relay.
It was surprising how many tiny details she held in her mind of that day, but I guess the mind processes situations of that sort in two ways. Either the mind blurs the events into a clouded mess of memory, or it burns itself so deeply into the mind that the details stay crystal clear. In Bella's case, the details were definitely sharply etched in her mind.
Dimitri walked her through the SWAT infiltration and the moments that led up to her shooting the gun that took out Trager. I noticed Varner shifting uncomfortably in his seat. I smiled. Dimitri was one smart son of a bitch. He saw what Varner was up to and was doing his best to cut off his argument at the knees.
Eventually, Dimitri ended his questioning and the judge turned the floor over to Varner. Bella tensed as Varner stepped up to stand in front of her with a disarming smile.
"Dr. Swan, can you please tell the court how long you've been employed by Northwestern Hospital?"
Bella shifted slightly, "Um, I'm a first year intern. I did my clinicals there during med school and started my internship in August."
"So, technically you're still a student."
"Yes, but it's not unusual to be treated by students in a teaching hospital such as Northwestern. We are always paired with one or more senior physicians who make sure we covered all of our bases and double-check our diagnosis. We have, however, already passed our boards, so we are considered doctors, but we do have a supervisory period of our internship and residency before we can practice on our own."
"Tell me, Dr. Swan, were you a good student? Are you considered a good intern?"
Bella shifted again, a slow blush creeping up her face. "Uh, yes, sir. I graduated near the top of my class and as to my knowledge I am considered a good intern."
Varner turned toward the jury with a sarcastic grin. "Oh don't be modest, Dr. Swan. You and, what do the hospital staff call you, the…Femme Docs? Yes, you and the Femme docs are considered the best of the best, the elite. I'm assuming that since within your profession, doctors are already known to be quite arrogant when they are worth their salt, that it must have been a great boost to your ego to be considered the best of the best."
Bella frowned at him as he paced in front of the jury, casting knowing looks at his audience as he walked.
"I'm guessing that such acclaim probably tends to make an intern such as yourself feel pretty good, maybe even a little cocky?"
Bella shook her head at him and her brow furrowed more deeply.
"No sir, I know my place. I would never assume…"
Varner cut her off, "But, Dr. Swan, we have several witnesses swear in affidavits that just hours before the gunman entered the room you had a disagreement with colleagues about your judgment calls as you were working triage in the waiting room. Several eyewitnesses share the same description of you declaring openly that your superiors had faith in your personal discretion and abilities and that was why you were chosen to work that job that morning. Is that correct, Dr. Swan?"
Bella looked flustered as her back straightened in her chair. "Yes, but…"
I felt my nails begin to dig painfully into my palms as I watched him try to make my beautiful brave Bella out to be cocky and reckless.
He cut her off again. "In addition to your over confidence in your medical knowledge, you also have a more than minimal knowledge of weaponry, and guns in particular. Isn't this correct?"
Bella stammered, "I…I have a little knowledge about guns. From a young age, my father taught me about proper gun handling and safety. I am pretty accurate with hand guns."
Varner's eyes twinkled as a triumphant grin spread across his face.
"Yes, your father taught you well. You're rather proud of your sharp shooting capabilities, are you not? You were well known among your father's colleagues as an 'Annie Oakley' wasn't it? You even have gone as far as to go range shooting with your fiancé and brother's SWAT team in Minnesota while you were on the run from our gunman nearly a month before the shooting, were you not?"
Bella's eyes grew wide, wondering how he knew all of this information and what it has to do with anything. "Y…yes, sir. My father was proud of my abilities when I hit my teen years. My brother, fiancé, and the rest of the team went to go support me when I wanted to brush up on my skills when I was worried about Trager."
Varner looked like a predator about to strike as his white teeth glinted toward Bella. "Yes, you did brush up your skills didn't you? When you saw the man of your nightmares step through that door, you arrogantly saw your chance to use your skills to take care of the man once and for all. You had the weaponry, know how, and knew if you had the chance, you could take the law into your own hands.
"OBJECTION!" Dimitri yelled from behind his chair, his face red and his hands balled up similarly to my own. He was just as angry as I was at the direction Varner's questioning had taken.
"Dr. Swan is not on trial. Mr. Varner's assertions are pure speculation, bordering on slander."
"Sustained," the judge calmly responded, glancing toward the jury. "You will disregard Mr. Varner's last comments."
Dimitri slumped back in his seat as Varner grinned back at the other lawyers at his table. He knew as well as we did, even though the judge sustained and told the jury to forget what was said, they were human and tended to hold onto such details even when told not to. It didn't matter that it was officially stricken from the testimony; the seed of doubt had been planted.
"Dr. Swan, you had interactions with the gunman before he entered the premises that day, did you not?"
"Yes, I did," Bella replied shakily, her hands fidgeting on her lap, spinning her engagement ring in an effort to find comfort.
"Actually, at one point you were granted a leave of absence because of the threat Trager posed to you personally, thanks to your connections. If he posed such a danger to you, then why were you practicing on the day in question?"
Bella cleared her throat. "According to official reports, Trager had been on the run. We had been told he had been captured down south and was in federal custody. As far as anybody here knew, the danger was past."
"But he wasn't in custody?"
Bella shifted slightly, "No, his twin brother had taken his place to allow him to get away. He was hiding out in Chicago the whole time."
"The day of the event in question, the farce had been revealed, it was even in the Tribune that morning." Varner said, holding a newspaper and walking slowly in front of the jury so they could read the headline.
"Knowing this information, shouldn't you have been removed from duty?"
Bella frowned, "We hadn't been informed of that. The first any of us knew of that situation was when my fiancé read it in the paper hours after I had left for my day. By the time he read the article, Trager had already taken over the ER."
"While you were there with the hostages, did you ever try to talk the gunman into letting people go?"
She sighed, nodding her head as she gazed at her lap. "Yes, I begged him several times to let everyone go, particularly the more critical cases. We didn't have many, but we did have a few that were on the higher priority list."
"A priority list you set, am I correct?"
She nodded. "Yes, sir, Alice and I were both on triage that morning, in charge of evaluating the patients and labeling them according to how critical their condition was."
"So, you, a first year intern, were basically placed in charge of selecting who was to be relegated to what area, and ultimately who was trapped in that room when the gunman arrived."
Bella's eyes began to swim with tears, and her lip quivered. She had never voiced this directly to me, but I knew she carried that guilt to some degree. I wanted to hop over the banister and sucker punch that asshole for trying to put any of this on Bella. She was the most innocent of us all in this.
"OBJECTION, Your Honor!" Dimitri cried out again. His hand gripped the edge of the table in front of him and it looked as though it could snap under his strength. "This line of questioning has nothing at all to do with the case. Mr. Varner is simply trying his best to diminish the witnesses' nearly perfect reputation in the eyes of the jury."
The judge sighed, his brow furrowing deeply. "I am overruling for now, but Mr. Varner, be forewarned that you are treading a very thin line here. If you cross it, I will not hesitate to end your line of questioning immediately."
Varner nodded as he crossed back to his table, pulling a file from the top and carrying it up to the stand.
"I only want to cover one more topic, Dr. Swan, and then I will be finished with my questions for you today. You mentioned before that your father taught you to wield a firearm from a pretty young age and you were well known for being a particularly skillful marksman."
Bella nodded in response as he continued.
"This," he said holding up the folder in his hand, "is the coroner's report from the autopsy of James Trager."
Rage turned my vision crimson as he opened the file, placing it in front of Bella on the stand. A sob rose from her chest as she looked at the images before her. I could only imagine what she was seeing and what memories it was bringing back to the surface. Her hand flew over her mouth, as her shoulders hunched, the other arm wrapping around her stomach as she bent at the waist.
"This is the damage you inflicted on Trager when you fired the shot at him with his second .50 caliber weapon. Now tell me, Dr. Swan, why such an accurate marksman who could have chosen any part of his body to incapacitate him, chose such a deadly shot to take down the gunman."
The courtroom began to rumble loudly as I jumped up and yelled out that the son of a bitch better shut the fuck up, the same moment Dimitri hopped up screaming, "OBJECTION, OBJECTION, OBJECTION!"
The judge pounded his gavel loudly against the round wooden pedestal it set upon to regain order in his courtroom as Bella sobbed, gasping for air.
"Varner, you are finished with Dr. Swan, and if I ever see you provoke a witness needlessly in this manner in my courtroom ever again, you will find yourself in immediate contempt. I will not allow a witness to be attacked so in my courtroom. Dr. Swan is not on trial for the death of Mr. Trager and her actions on that day are not in question here. The jury is to disregard any and all questioning directed in this manner at Dr. Swan."
He turned to Bella with a look of concern as she continued to sit crumpled in on herself in her chair.
"Dr. Swan, are you okay? Do you need a recess to collect yourself?"
She took another shuddering, gasping breath. She slowly peeked her eyes open, locking her gaze with mine. I mouthed the words 'I Love You' to her. She took another long slow breath, followed by another. With each breath, she seemed to slowly re-inflate her body, her crumpled frame growing taller and taller with each inhalation.
After a few long moments, she broke her gaze with me to look at the judge, wiping tears from her face with the back of her hand. Her voice was hoarse as she spoke.
"No, your honor," she took a slow shuddering breath, "I think I can finish this."
He smiled with a gentle nod. "So be it." He turned to Dimitri. "Mr. Belikov, you may redirect if you wish."
Dimitri stood up slowly, "Yes, your honor, we would."
Dimitri cast an angry glare at Varner as he passed. When he reached the witness stand, he held out a box of Kleenex to Bella. She took one cautiously and dabbed at her eyes.
"Dr. Swan, would you please tell me some of the things your father taught you in regards to the proper use of force in a situation where you are forced to utilize a firearm?"
"Objection!" Varner stated calmly from his seat. "This has no bearing on the case."
Dimitri looked at the judge. "Sir, Mr. Varner brought this up in his line of questioning as a way to diminish this witnesses' character. Since he brought it up, I think it's only fair to allow Dr. Swan to qualify his accusations in her own defense."
"I will allow it since it was brought up by the opposition, but, Mr. Belikov, you too must tow that line."
Dimitri nodded with a smile. "Understood, your honor."
The judge nodded at Bella and she took a slow breath before responding.
"My father taught us safety first. After that, we were taught that the best thing to do in a situation where there is minimal risk is to incapacitate the assailant. I was taught to focus on gun hand and knees first and foremost."
"But in the case of Mr. Trager, you did not utilize this technique. Would you like to tell the court why?"
She sighed, "There were several reasons why. First of all, I was not at an optimal angle to ensure I would in fact hit his arm in the proper manner, and a rogue .50 caliber that is capable of piercing armor could injure an innocent if it missed its mark. More than that, though, I was also taught that when in the face of imminent danger with a person who most certainly meant to kill others, it was best to insure that the assailant would not have a chance to injure yourself or others. Thus, you go for a more lethal shot."
Her voice broke and a fresh batch of sobs bubbled up from her chest as she continued bravely. "The whole thing took place over the course of just a few seconds, and yet I made that decision in that time. I will never forgive myself for taking a life, even if he was about to hurt others. I'm a healer, I'm not supposed to hurt people, but I had no choice. I will be haunted for the rest of my life by that day though."
Dimitri nodded solemnly at her as he continued gently.
"Dr. Swan, would you say to the court that the experience the day of November twenty seventh was a traumatizing event for you?"
She swallowed roughly, dabbing at her eyes again as she nodded. Her voice was slightly raspy when she answered verbally in the affirmative.
"What has it taken for you to get to the point where you could practice again or sit bravely before us as you have today to relive the events for us?"
She swallowed and looked over at me. "It took the constant support of my fiancé, my brother, and my friends, and multiple appointments every week with a psychologist. Even then, it took me a long time before I was able to work in the ER. I finally overcame it to help a patient, one that was in that room with us that day, in fact. He's a six-year-old Ostoegenesis Imperfecta patient with brittle bones who had suffered a major trauma. He was asking for me, so after nearly having a debilitating panic attack when I walked in, I finally pushed past it to help him. I've slowly been able to resume working in the ER again since then, but it has taken many, many months."
"Dr. Swan, don't you think that since you suffered so violently from the events of that day, that you should be part of the list of people receiving compensation from the hospital for this day?"
Her head shot up from where she focused on twisting the tissue paper in her hand with wide eyes, as Varner raised an objection to the line of questioning.
Dimitri turned to the judge. "Your honor, every single one of the plaintiffs in this case all sat up here and detailed why felt that they deserved compensation. All but two of those individuals weren't even in the room for the majority of the traumas that Dr. Swan detailed for us today. If they had the opportunity to state why they deserve compensation from the hospital, then Dr. Swan should be allowed to provide reasoning why she feels she does not."
He judge frowned for a moment before nodding. "I'll allow it."
Dimitri turned to Bella with a small smile. "Dr. Swan, please go ahead and answer the question."
"No, not at all," Bella replied without hesitation.
"Why not, Dr. Swan?"
"It wasn't the hospital's fault that this happened. It was Trager's fault and in a way, Trevor Sellers fault, but it was in no way the hospital's fault. It's a public place where people need to be able to come freely to receive care. How could a public facility even begin to ward against something like this event, which was so outside of the norm? Short of turning every public building into some kind of armed police state, I don't see how it's humanly possible. We live in a free society, and unfortunately, there are times that this allows people to make terrible choices that affect many others. This, however, doesn't mean we should try to manipulate restitution from people and places that have no way of controlling these events. I don't blame the hospital for this situation at all, and thus being so, even if I didn't work there, I would never be part of a lawsuit such as this."
Dimitri smiled widely at Bella with a nod before telling the judge he was done.
The judge smiled gently at Bella, gesturing toward the exit to the witness stand as he told her she was free to return to her seat.
Bella held her hands in front of her, twisting her engagement ring incessantly as she walked to her seat, keeping her eyes firmly on mine the entire journey. When she reached me, she smiled at me. I took her hand when she slowly lowered herself next to me, melting into my side. I wrapped my arm around her shoulder, squeezing her closer.
She had been on the stand for nearly forty-five minutes before she returned to my side, and she was thoroughly exhausted. The judge called for a short recess. Dimitri turned to us, telling Bella she did great and if she needed to, she could take the rest of the morning to recuperate. Tanya was slated to go up next, after which there was going to be a lunch break.
Bella and I stepped outside to make our way to the car, both of our phones going crazy the second we were out the doors.
Bella answered, responding to the frantic voice on the other line as she stared at me with large round eyes. She told the other party she'd be there in a moment before closing her phone.
"We have to get to the hospital right now. Rosalie is preeclampitc; she is being taken in for a C-section in forty minutes!"
I hugged her tightly, as she began to cry softly again. "It's going to be okay, sweetheart. They're taking the baby so they will both be safe. They will be fine."
Bella nodded mutely as Jasper appeared at our side. I explained, asking him to inform Dimitri that we might not be back today, before dragging Bella quickly to my Volvo in our rush to the hospital.
Author's Note: This was a lot harder than I thought it would be to write! Hopefully it turned out okay and somewhat realistic.I was originally going to have the whole trial in one chapter and the baby in the next, but they had other ideas. I can guarantee next chapter will see the end of the trial and the birth of Emmalie! Hope you enjoy!Now Please leave some delicious reviews!