CH 17
"Hey, did I hear the doorbell when I was in the shower?" Sabrina asked Patrick while drying her hair.
"Yeah it was Beth's mom. She brought Emma home." He replied
"Really? I thought she was going to spend the day with them since they have a school holiday."
"I thought that too. She said Emma was upset about something and wanted to come home. She didn't seem to want to talk about it though. At least not to me. She's downstairs on the couch flipping through cartoons. I think this might be a girl thing." He chuckled.
"Oh really? Well let me go talk to her. We have to be at the courthouse in an hour." She said walking past Patrick.
"Don't remind me." He said following behind her. They found Emma lying on the couch staring blankly at the Home Shopping Network.
"Um Emma sweetie, are you ok?" Sabrina asked sitting next to her on the couch. Emma simply nodded her head yes.
Patrick reached for the remote and turned off the TV. "Emma's what's going on?" He asked
Emma sat up straight and looked at Sabrina "I don't want to be a Brownie anymore." She said.
"Oh. Is that all? Well we're not going to make you do anything you don't want to do, but I thought you liked the Scouts."
"I do." She whispered
"So why don't you want to do it anymore?" Sabrina asked.
Emma pulled her legs into her arms and put her head down
"Mija, you know you can talk to me about anything right? I won't be upset or mad." Sabrina said running her fingers through Emma's hair.
"There's a mother daughter bake sale next week. Beth said that I can't do it because I don't have a mommy anymore." Emma said with tears in her eyes.
Sabrina exchanged a worried look with Patrick. "Oh Em's" She said pulling her into her arms. "I know how you feel."
"Because your mommy's in heaven too?"
"Well... yeah." Sabrina replied. They had told Emma about Sonny, but they didn't explain the entire story to her. There was no way Emma would be able to understand something that Sabrina was still unclear of herself. For all she knew, Lily could be dead also. "I know it's hard for you. When I was a little girl, I got sad at all the things other kids were able to do with their mothers that I couldn't. But ya know what, that's what family is for, to step in and help you through it. And you have so many people who love you so much. You have your daddy…"
"Daddy can't bake!" Emma said causing Sabrina to laugh.
"You're right about that one. He can't."
"Hey, I could learn" Patrick pouted.
"I don't think so. But you have your Grandma Anna…"
"What about you?" Emma said lifting her head from Sabrina's lap. "You will do it with me?"
Sabrina looked up to Patrick who nodded in approval "If that's what you want, sure. We can to it together. Just you and I. Would you like that?"
Emma threw her arms around Sabrina's neck "I knew it. We're going to be a family. Just the three of us." She said excitedly.
"Yeah we are." Patrick added. He loved how much Emma loves Sabrina. She was everything he could have ever wanted for his daughter.
"You promise?" Emma said looking up at her father.
"Yes. I promise. We're a family. In every way that matters" He winked
"So listen" Sabrina said after Emma finally loosened her grip "How about you think of some perfect treats for us to make. And when we get home, we'll decide on one together. How about that?"
"Ok" Emma smiled. "Where are you guys going?"
"We have to go to court for a couple hours. Remember, we talked about it." Patrick responded
"Is the mean lady finally going away?" Emma asked.
"Yep. The mean lady will never bother us again." Sabrina replied with a smile
Sabrina and Patrick made it to the court house just as people where filing into the chambers. It looked as though all of Port Charles was there. And every media outlet you could imagine on top of that. Britt's case garnered national attention due to the unique and bizarre nature of her crimes. There was delay after delay due to the fact that the DA had no idea exactly what to charge her with. Everything her and Brad did was enough to have medical license stripped without hesitation, but there was no real legal statute for impregnating yourself with another couples embryo and attempting to pass the baby off as your own. The DA's office finally settled on Grand Theft and Larceny, Conspiracy, Tampering with Evidence, Child Endangerment and Kidnapping. Conviction of any one of those would send her to Pentonville for at least 5 years. All of them would result in 25. Sabrina and Patrick weren't too picky about either, but Dante wanted her sent away for life if he could get it.
"Hey" Sabrina said as she and Patrick sat next to Dante and Lulu.
"Hey… sis" Dante replied.
"How are you guys holding up?"
"We're good. We have our son. That's all that matters. Right Dante?" Lulu replied clearly more forgiving than her husband.
"Yeah" Dante said trying to bite his tongue. He couldn't however hide the daggers he was staring into the back of Britt's head as she sat at the defense table. This was the first time Sabrina had seen Britt since she offered her halfhearted apology in her hospital room. As much as Sabrina wanted to hate Britt, the only thing she really felt for her at this point was pity. She had the man, the house, the daughter, the career. All Britt had waiting for her was commissary and yard time. Sabrina almost started to feel sorry for her. Almost.
Sabrina felt a hand on her shoulder and turned around to see Sonny standing behind her. "Did I miss anything?" He asked.
"No I think it's about to start in a few." She replied.
"Ethan, over here" Sonny called as Ethan walked into the courtroom. They took a seat directly behind Lulu and Dante.
"Hi. I didn't know you were going to be here" Sabrina said.
"Yeah well, Sonny here is a paranoid one." Ethan smiled.
"You call it paranoia, I call it being prepared." Sonny smirked
"Jeez, is the whole town here?" Ethan said looking about the packed room "It's a circus."
"Her actions hurt a lot of people." Patrick replied. He hadn't even turned around to acknowledge Sonny or Ethan's presence. He meant every world of his apology to Sabrina the night before, but now wasn't the moment for him to make nice just yet. Seeing Britt again reignited his anger for everything she put him through. She may not have directly had anything to do with Sabrina and Emma's kidnapping. But she was guilty of much more. Like making him fall in love with a baby that wasn't his.
"Hey are we late?" Anna asked walking behind them with Duke in tow.
"No it looks like you're just in time" Patrick replied.
"All rise. The Honorable Judge Matthews presiding." The Bailiff announced as everyone in the court room rose to their feet.
"Be seated. The State of New York versus Britt Westbourne. Wow… you have quite the laundry list of charges here. Should I ask how you plead to these individually or all together? Counsel?"
"Together, your honor" Diane Miller responded
Judge Matthews read the list of charges in front of her "How do you plead, Dr.?" she asked
"Not guilty, your honor" Britt replied.
"Figures. After all this, she still can't own up to what she did" Patrick said in disgust.
"Your honor, I move that all charges against my client be dropped" Diane stated in typical Diane fashion.
"On what grounds" The judge said already annoyed.
"On the grounds that this is simply a misunderstanding, you're honor. A momentary lapse in judgment if you will"
"That's definitely one way of putting it, Ms. Miller. Either way, your motion is denied. Now, would the prosecution like to call its first witness?"
"Yes your honor. The state calls Sabrina Santiago."
Sabrina stood, walked to the stand and placed her hand on the bible and pledged her honesty "I, Sabrina Santiago promise to tell the truth the whole truth and nothing but the truth. So help me God."
The prosecutor approached the bench ready to ask Sabrina the first question when there was what sounded like an explosion from the back of the room. Everyone in the chambers hit the floor in a panic at the sound of ceiling tiles crashing to the floor. In a commotion people began looking around to see if the person next to them was ok. If they were ok. Sabrina, however sat frozen in her seat fixated on the creature by the door. Paralyzed in fear and unable to catch her breath. She felt a panic attack coming and the walls beginning to cave in. She was back in the parking garage, then in the van, then in a makeshift coffin with a leaking generator. She was back in her own personal hell. No, it couldn't be. When the rest of room finally looked to the entrance of the courtroom, they saw Lisa Obrecht standing there with a smile on her face and a gun in her hand pointed to the ceiling.
"Mother, what the hell are you doing?!" Britt screamed jumping up from her seat.
"What does it look like Britta?" She smirked in her thick accent. "Mother's come to take you home."
"You really think it's going to be that easy" Anna said reaching for her gun.
"Now now commissioner. I wouldn't do that if I were you" She said pointing the gun at Anna "See, I've got something you want. And if you kill me, well, you'll never get it back."
"Patrick where is Emma!?" Anna asked frantically.
"We… we dropped her off at daycare." Patrick replied with fear in his voice.
"I swear to god if you hurt my granddaughter…"
"Wrong again. I don't have his daughter Commissioner Devane. I have yours."