AN: This chapter took me a while to write, but it's pretty long so hopefully that makes up for your long wait. Thanks for reading and reviewing.
My lawyer had everyone gathered in the living room the morning before court. "Emily that is the perfect outfit. The jury will see you as innocent, and trustworthy. Eli do not bring up any of your past convictions, but don't lie if the prosecutor brings them up. Logan when you get called up to speak about Tijuana I want you to speak like you're trying not to cry; it was a traumatic experience, and you are never going to be the same. Aaron I need you to stay calm and do not lose your temper. I have called your doctor to the stand as well. He will testify to the injuries you have sustained. I think if everything goes as planned your conviction will be overturned. " Eli was sitting next to me holding my hand I was so glad to have him, but there was a pit in my stomach, part of me thought that after he found out the details of what Mark did to me he would kill him. I had no idea what Felix had done to him, but he stayed away from me and my house since then. "Eli I need you to emphasize how hurt Emily is, and how you're helping her through this difficult time. It will make the jury overlook your record, hopefully." My father had gotten a really good lawyer, but Eli wasn't a fan of his matter of fact approach.
We took a town car to the court house, and there were hundreds of reporters shouting questions and clawing at us to get our attention. I clung to Eli and he pushed his way through the crowd with Logan pushing right behind me. Logan had his arms at my sides trying to keep them off of me. We walked through the metal detectors, and I was trying to steady myself because I was shaking with fear. As soon as I made it through I clung to Eli, and I planned to until my lawyer pried me away.
We walked into the court room and it was packed. Eli and Logan sat right behind us I waked to the defendant's table, and that's when I saw him. Mark was sitting behind the prosecutor. My stomach dropped. I knew that he would be here, but I wasn't prepared. The jury filed in, the judge came in, and court started.
The prosecutor told a story of a loving charismatic baseball player with a vindictive girlfriend that went off the rails when he had a disagreement with her boyfriend. He painted a picture of me being an emotionally unstable detriment to society, but now it was my lawyer's turn.
"I would like to call Emily Echolls to the stand." I stood up and walked to the witness stand. After being sworn in my lawyer continued. "Can you state your name for the record?"
"Emily Renee Echolls." I said calmly.
"When did you start your relationship with Mark?"
"My freshman year in high school."
"How would you describe the beginning of your relationship?"
"He started out really nice. We went to school events, and dinner. He was a gentleman."
"When did that change?"
"I missed a baseball game, and that was the first time he hit me."
"Why did you stay?"
"He promised it would never happen again, but it did and every time I tried to leave he beat me until I promised to stay."
"How would he do that? I know that it's difficult to talk about, and I'm sorry that I have to ask you to talk about it."
"It was different each time, it depended on his mood. He broke my arm a few times. He swung a hammer at it once, stomped on it once, and slammed it on the desk in his room."
"How did your arm heal after that?"
"I've had to have surgery on it to repair the damage."
"What else did he do?"
"He liked to whip me. He would tie me up and use his belt or a whip until I passed out."
"I would like to introduce defense exhibit a. This is a picture that was taken by Emily's doctor of the lesions created by these whipping sessions." The jury cringed. "Why didn't you report this to the police?"
"I was afraid. I begged Dr. Johnson not to report it. Mark had already shown that he wasn't afraid to hurt me. I knew that he would kill me if I jeopardized his chance at the majors."
"Was there any other major physical injuries?"
"He broke my 3rd and 4th ribs. He kicked me when I embarrassed him in front of his friends."
"How did you embarrass him?"
"He said that I didn't pleasure them good enough." I tried to sugar coat it. I didn't want Eli to know about this part.
"Can you please elaborate?"
"He made me have sex with his friends at partied, and if I didn't perform he got angry."
"I'm sorry. Did anyone else know about the abuse?"
"Logan guessed after he saw bruises. He made me tell him, and he told me he would help me break up with him for good."
"What did he have planned?"
"We were going to go to Tijuana for a surfing trip, and Logan was going to be there when I told Mark that we were done. Logan wanted to make sure that Mark didn't hurt me."
"What happened when you got there?"
"I started to talk to him, and then he got angry and grabbed my wrist. Logan stepped in and they fought. Mark knocked Logan out, and tied him to the chair. When Logan woke up Mark forced Logan to watch while he raped me. Then Mark grabbed me by my hair and drove back to school leaving Logan in Tijuana."
"What happened when you got back to school?"
"He started to apologize, and I lost it. It all happened in a blur. I remember grabbing the baseball bat in the corner of his room. The next thing I remember is his roommate pulling me away from him, and then the police being called."
"Then what happened?"
"I tried to call my father, but he was out of the country promoting a movie, so I had to use the lawyer provided by the school, and I lost the case."
"Did you testify?"
"No, I wanted to but my lawyer said they wouldn't believe me. None of the medical evidence was put into evidence."
"And is this why you hired me to be your lawyer for your appeal."
"Yes. I felt that I didn't get a fair trial." The prosecuting attorney asked me a few questions trying to make me look like a liar, and an idiot for staying with Mark. I was then allowed to sit down and Logan was called.
"Logan can you tell me when you suspected Emily was being abused." My lawyer said.
"She was visiting home, and she reached for something and I saw a cut on her back. I asked her about it, and she tried to make an excuse. I kept asking until she finally told me that Mark had whipped her."
"What did you do then?"
"I begged her to break up with him. We came up with a plan to go to Tijuana, and she would break up with him. I would be there just in case he got violent."
"What happened then?"
"She told him that she wasn't interested in him anymore. He grabbed her wrist and told her that he would tell her when she was done. I pulled him off of her and started punching him. He hit the side of my head and I was knocked unconscious."
"When you woke up what happened?"
"I was tied to a chair and Emily was tied to the bed. Mark told me that he was going to show me just how much he owned her." Logan actually started tearing up. Eli put his hand on my shoulder, and I grabbed it and squeezed. "He got on top of her and started raping her. She was crying and begging him to stop. I was trying so hard to get out of the chair, but I couldn't. Then when he was done he threw her clothes at her and told her to get dressed. He pulled her out of the hotel room by her hair and drove away."
"How did you get untied?"
"The maid found me, and called the police. I told them what happened, and they took my statement and drove me to the boarder. From there I called my friend and went home. I tried to get a hold of Emily, but I couldn't. Then she called me from jail and explained what happened." The prosecutor asked him about his indiscretions trying to discredit him. He had been in minor trouble with the police for finding a bong in his locker and bum fights. Then my doctor was called to the stand.
"Hello Dr. Johnson, could you tell us how long Emily was a patient of yours."
"Since she was at school. So, probably 4 or 5 years."
"When did she start to have injuries consistent with domestic violence?"
"When she was 14. She came in with odd broken bones, lesions on her back and thighs, and two broken ribs. Her pelvic exams showed signs of forced entry on many occasions, as well as sodomy, and vocal cord damage." There it was; I knew that Eli would want to leave me now. I was dirty, and he deserved better.
"Why didn't you report the injuries?"
"She had excuses for all of them, and begged me not to report it, and against my better judgment I listened." The prosecutor tried to discredit him for not reporting, but the doctor held his own. Then it was Eli's turn.
"Mr. Navarro, you have been dating my client for how long?"
"A few months." Eli was calm; he obviously was no stranger to the witness stand, but usually he was defending himself.
"On Christmas Eve where were you?"
"I was at the Echolls's house."
"What happened there?"
"The doorbell rang, and Logan answered the door. We heard shouting."
"Who's we?"
"Mr. and Mrs. Echolls, Emily, and me. So Mr. Echolls and I jumped up and ran to see what happened. Logan was fighting with Emily's ex, then Mr. Echolls stepped in and finished the fight."
"What did you do?"
"I stood there I was kinda shocked, then when it was done I ran into the living room to see if Emily was ok."
"You must care a lot about her."
"I do."
"No further questions." The prosecuting attorney now got to ask him some questions.
"How many times have you been in juvenile detention?"
"Five." He answered coldly.
"How can we trust what you have testified to is the truth?"
"More than one person has corroborated my story as true."
"Are you in charge of the PCH motorcycle gang?"
"You know that I don't have to answer that question."
"Did you order someone to 'take care of the problem'?"
"I don't have to answer that either. I suggest you start respecting my 5th amendment rights."
"I apologize. Moving on, would you call yourself a protective boyfriend?"
"Yes, if she needs it."
"What would you do of you perceived Mark as a continued threat?"
"I would kill him." Serious as ever. I was shocked, and so was everyone else. After that my father was called to explain his actions, and what knowledge he had of my relationship. Then the closing arguments, and the jury went into deliberation.
"I'm so glad that's over." I said to Eli, but I was still nervous about how he would react to the court proceedings.
"Why didn't you tell me how bad it was?" He asked me while he wrapped his arms around me.
"You still want to be with me after that?"
"I told you. Nothing could change how I feel about you."