It was day 3 of the court case. The most dreaded day of them all in Aaron's mind. Today was the day when the evidence was being given out to the jury, the pictures, the clothes, the witnesses. His mum and everyone else for that matter were going to be able to piece every single part of the attacks together after today. The bruises and marks that Darrel had left on his body had long since faded but the photographs would be yet another reminded of what the evil man done to him. He didn't think he could bare to look at them again. Sometimes, even now, in the shower he would find himself staring at a patch of his skin where there was once an ugly bruise or scratch and he could see it re appearing again. He'd often find himself trying to scrub it away until all was left was a horrible sore red patch.
Aaron stepped out of the shower and wrapped a towel around his waist. He didn't have much time to get ready. They were due in court in another couple of hours, not long at all. Jackson had stayed over again the previous night and he'd managed to rush into the bathroom before Aaron, taking the longest shower known to history, leaving Aaron to hurry his own shower.
"You look ridiculous." Jackson laughed as Aaron swung himself on his crutches into his bedroom, where Jackson was already getting dressed in his suit. Today was also the day Jackson was needed in court as well, to say he wasn't nervous would be a lie. He didn't want to mess it up for Aaron at all.
"You what?" Aaron shot at him, looking down at himself. He'd just gotten out of the shower. Towel? Check.
Jackson gestured towards the waterproof cast protector on Aaron's leg before picking up his tie from the end of the bed.
"Oh." Aaron mumbled, bowing his head in embarrassment. He sat down on the edge of the bed and began struggling to take the waterproof cast protector off of his leg. He was going to be glad when he was rid of the cast and the crutches.
"Here let me." Jackson said when he caught Aaron struggling. The young mechanic had managed to get it down to his knee and that was about far as he could reach sitting on the edge of the bed, unable to bed his leg. Aaron couldn't put a sock on his casted foot so how he could possible reach to get the waterproof protector off, Jackson wondered how he had been coping.
"No It's okay I can do it." Aaron huffed not putting up much of a fight when Jackson gave him a look and swatted his hands out the way so he could pull it off in one swift movement. "Thanks."
Jackson gave him a smile as he straightened up. "My mum ironed your suit last night for you. It's hanging in the wardrobe." He told him as he headed towards Aaron's drawers and pulled out a fresh pair of black boxers and socks before throwing them at the bed beside his boyfriend.
"Okay, thanks." Aaron said picking up the items and going to put them on. He unraveled the pair of socks and threw one back at Jackson, hitting him in the face. "Only need one." He grinned at Jackson's shocked face.
"Cheeky git." Jackson scoffed before heading towards the door to leave Aaron in peace to get dressed. "I'll go get us a coffee."
"Please." Aaron agreed still grinning.
"Nervous?" Aaron smirked as he caught Jackson beginning to pace the floor outside the court room.
"No- Yeah." Jackson admitted, stopping to look at Aaron. "I just don't want to screw this up for you."
"Trust me you won't." Aaron assured him. "It will be Paddy." He joked. "He'll end up stuttering his words and mumbling nonsense."
"Hey! I heard that." Paddy exclaimed from the other side of the corridor where he stood with Cain, Chas and Hazel. "I have you know I-I don't stutter."
"Course not Paddy." Aaron agreed sarcastically.
"Aaron behave." Chas scolded him. "But he's right Paddy, you do tend to . . . trip over your words."
"In other words, she means you're a bumbling fool!" Hazel chirped. "No one to sugar coat things." She added when she caught Paddy's hurt face.
"So you all think I'm going to screw this up for Aaron?" Paddy exclaimed.
"Course not!" Chas and Hazel assured him.
The vet looked towards Aaron then Cain, he knew he'd get an honest answer from both of them and the looks on their faces didn't leave him with much hope. "Great!" Paddy announced dramatically. "If I wasn't nervous before I definitely am now!"
"Don't be such a drama Queen Patrick!" Cain snorted, causing everyone to laugh.
"I'm glad you find this all so funny, everyone." Paddy huffed when he saw even Hazel laughing.
"Patrick Kirk and Jackson Walsh, please!" Called out a court room usher, halting their laughter.
"Good luck." Chas and Hazel wished Jackson and Paddy as they followed the usher leaving Aaron alone with them.
"Patrick Kirk can you state your relation to Mr. Livesy please." Miss Xanders asked after Harrison had finished prompting Paddy's statement of the horrible fiasco Aaron had been apart of.
"I'm his. . . well- I-it's complicated." Paddy answered.
"We have plenty of time." Miss Xanders smiled.
"Well his mum and I used to go out for a bit. Then we ended the relationship and Aaron stayed living with me." Paddy explained. "He's b-become sort of a-a-a son to me."
"A son who would attack you?" Miss Xanders shot at him out of the blue. How she had gotten her hands on that sort of information was beyond any of them.
"What? No." Paddy exclaimed. "He attacked me once, but that was nothing." Paddy stupidly admitted.
"So you admit that he did once violently attack you." Miss Xanders pressed.
"No-Yes." Paddy said. Aaron cringed from his seat. Poor Paddy was going to be tied in knots by this woman.
"Which is it Mr. Kirk?"
"Yes, he did attack me. But he would never ever do anything like that again. It was my fault."
"That's what he made you believe." Miss Xanders commented before continuing. "At what point did you find out that Aaron had been 'attacked'?"
"A few days after it happened I think." Paddy told her. "Aaron's not best known for telling us stuff."
"Isn't he." She said. "Did you believe that Aaron was 'attacked'?"
"Of course I did." Paddy exclaimed.
"Did he show any signs that he'd been 'attacked'?" Miss Xanders pushed. "Did you ever stop to think that he had been?"
"He'd been a little jumpy." Paddy admitted casting his mind back.
"A little jumpy?"
"Y-yes."
"But Mr. Aaron Livesy doesn't strike you as the type of person to be 'attacked' now does he?" She continued. "He's known for being a bit of a head case, violence, break ins, drug dealing, theft, vandlising. The list goes on of his convictions. Didn't he once steal a large amount of waste drugs from your surgery?"
Paddy was stunned. Yes, Aaron had once done that but how had she found that out.
"Mr. Kirk . . ."
"Y-yeah, but he was young lad back then." Paddy reasoned.
"Young lad or not, stealing drugs and then selling them on is an offence." Miss Xanders commented. "Not the most trust worthy of people is Aaron Livesy."
"I would trust him with my life." Paddy stated to the court.
Miss Xanders smiled. "You'd be a foolish man Mr. Kirk. The facts blatantly state that Mr. Livesy is an untrusting man." She counted before the court was brought to a break for the first time that morning.
Outside in the corridors Paddy was panicking. He'd screwed it up for Aaron and it was the last thing he had wanted to do. He wanted to do Aaron proud and make sure he told the court the clear truth. Instead he'd only made things worse for the teen, stumbling over his own words and letting the evil lawyer twist and manipulate his words.
"What the hell was that in there Patrick!" Cain fumed at him as he followed him out of the court room, Chas on his heels as Jackson lagged behind. The builder's nerves were getting worse now that he'd seen Paddy being torn into by Miss Xanders. He didn't stand a chance.
"W-w-what . . . I-I." Paddy started.
"Save it Paddy!" Cain spat at him, angry that the older man and may possibly of ruined Aaron's chances of sending that vile man down for good. "You could have cost Aaron his case in there! You were a mess!"
"Cain . . ." Chas tried to stop him from continuing .It wasn't the vets fault. She knew what the lawyers could be like, they all did. Nerves could get the better of you when the whole court was staring at you and listening to every word that you spoke.
"What sis? He might as well have let that rapist free himself!" Cain growled, making Aaron flinch at the 'r' word as he just left the court room himself.
"Aaron he didn't-." Jackson started, noticing how uncomfortable Aaron looked after hearing Cain call Darrel a Rapist. He wasn't a rapist as far as he knew, but he had come close to being one.
Aaron shook it off, he shivered at the mere thought of it. "It's okay. I know." Aaron quickly said stopping Jackson from repeating what Cain said.
Jackson just nodded his head in understanding and stroked his hand down Aaron's arm. The only act of affection or contact he could get away with in public.
"I-I'm so s-s-sorry. . . Aaron." Paddy said to the teen. He genuinely was sorry. He could have just ruined it all for Aaron in there.
"It's okay Padders." Aaron smiled at him. He wasn't angry with him at all. It couldn't be helped. Paddy was a bumbling man, so for him not to slip up in court would just have been unnatural. No harm done, although Cain was glaring holes into the side of Paddy's head whilst he mumbled incoherent threats under his breath.
"I honestly didn-." Paddy started.
"It's okay." Aaron told him again before he turned to Jackson. "I need a cig."
"I'm coming with you." Jackson told him, anything to escape from Cain or Chastity at that moment. They were both fretting about Aaron's case.
Aaron raised an eyebrow. He didn't need to be supervised.
"Just incase those nutters try it on again." Jackson joked as he followed Aaron to the exit.
"Whatever." Aaron laughed, trying to make light of the joke. "I could have handled them."
"Sure you could have."
A/N – Sorry for the late update guys, I can't remember when the last time was when I did post an update. But I hope it was worth the wait. I got stuck a little towards the end of this update, so I left it little before persevering with it. One of the reasons why it's been so long since an update. Anyways, hope you're enjoying it so far, thank you for being so loyal to this fanfiction and waiting paitently for me to get my backside in gear and update. You truly are all stars, and those who also review and give me feedback, thank you so much. Hope you're all looking forward to the many more future updates to adorn your computer screens ;)