61
She was going to be sick. That's all she could think as she ran out of the courtroom, down the hallway, and into the women's restroom, slamming the door against the wall as she rushed inside. Her knees gave out on her as she fell in front of the first stall she came to, crawling to the toilet, and tried to keep from ripping the seat off.
"Bella, honey, you okay?"
She looked back, finding Rosie standing in the doorway to the restroom, a frown on her face. "No, no, I am not okay. How could he just lie like that, Rosie? About Daddy!"
Rosie frowned before she walked to the sink, turning on the water before pulling a couple of paper towels from the dispenser and wetting them. She turned the water off and walked over to her, kneeling slowly before placing her hand on her shoulder and offering her the paper towel.
"Thanks," she whimpered, turning and sitting on the floor, leaning against the wall of the stall. "He was lying. Daddy never put his hands on me, not like he said."
"Of course he didn't," she said, softly. "Nobody believes that Daddy would have hurt you, Bella."
"They won't?"
Rosie smiled. "Of course they won't, sweetie. Sam . . ." She sighed, shaking her head. "He's desperate."
"Desperate?" she asked. "For what?"
"For someone to be dumb enough to believe him," Rosie said. "Honey, there is no way anyone on that jury is going to believe that you, at eight years old, could have had enough rage to kill Mom and Dad. And if they do, well, they're fucking crazy."
She gasped. "You said a bad word, Rosie!"
Rosie laughed. "I don't care, Bella." She reached for her hand, which she eagerly accepted. "We know the truth, don't we? We know that Daddy never hurt you, that he never put his hands on you the same way Sam did. We know the truth, and the fact that Sam Uley could sit on that stand and blatantly lie . . . Well, it says a lot about just how sick and deluded he really is."
"Why is he like that?"
"I don't know, honey." Rosie reached up and brushed her hair behind her ear. "You feel better?"
"Not really," she admitted. "I just . . . It makes me so mad that he would sit there and lie about me, about Daddy. And it makes me mad that I spent so long believing him when he said he owned me, when he said I was nobody, a nothing. It makes me mad that he raped me, that he took Hope from me, and that I believed him when he said I hurt her. He's the bad guy. Not me, not Daddy. Just him."
"That's right." She smiled. "You fought back, Bella, and won, and Sam Uley knows that. Don't give him anymore power by crying over him. You stood up inside that courtroom and told everyone that you are Bella Swan. He doesn't get to take that away from you ever again."
"He doesn't get to hurt me anymore," she murmured, mostly to herself.
"That's right. Now, let's get back out there, so we can watch Kate take him down a few notches, shall we?"
Though the last thing she wanted was to listen to more of his lies, she nodded and allowed Rosie to pull her to her feet. She washed her hands and face, drying them thoroughly before she followed her sister out of the women's restroom, once again finding Edward, Emmett, Carlisle, Jasper, Garrett, and Ben blocking the doorway for her. Alice, Esme, Kate, Marcus, and Angela were standing on the other side of the angry mob, laughing at the men who kept staring down the women waiting for them to let them in. Her protectors, her family, who once again were giving her the few minutes to just cry.
And again, she cleared her throat, drawing their attention back to her. "You can let them in. I'm okay."
"You're more than okay, sweetheart," Edward said, turning and taking hold of her hands as they moved from in front of the restroom.
"Bella, honey, tell me what you're feeling," Marcus said, slowly reaching out and placing his hand on her shoulder.
"I'm mad," she whispered, her eyes shifting around at the people milling around them. "He's a liar, and I don't like liars."
"I don't much care for liars, either," he said, smiling. "Are you ready to go back inside?"
She nodded.
"Don't worry, Bella. Once I'm done with him, there's no way the jury will have believed one word that son-of-a-bitch said. Especially when I point out that he flat out lied while under oath."
"What do you mean?" she asked.
Kate smirked. "He said the first time he raped you was the night he forced you to marry him, right?"
She nodded.
"Well, Vanessa is proof that he lied. You were married a year ago, and she was conceived almost three years ago, when you were only thirteen years old. That alone is proof that he's lying."
"But, he doesn't know Vanessa has been found, right?" she asked, frowning.
"Well, no, because we were hoping not to have to need the DNA tests to prove that he had raped you, but, Bella, he just sat there and told the jury that he hadn't raped you until after you were married. Hope proves otherwise."
"But he could take her away from me again," she said, frantically shaking her head. "No, no, you can't tell him that she's been found, Kate, you can't! Please don't tell him."
"Bella, honey, you realize what you're saying, don't you? She's proof that Sam Uley raped you, that he lied while under oath."
"No, she's not!" she cried, clenching her hands into tight fists. "Vanessa is innocent and pure and I will not let you use her like that, Kate. I won't let you!"
"Okay, everyone calm down." The tall, thin man with dark brown hair and eyes stepped through everyone, putting his hands up. He'd been sitting next to Kate from the start of the trial, the man she called Mr. Biers. He dropped his hands to his hips, his eyes flickering in her direction before he turned to Kate. "She has a point, though. Vanessa is half Native American, correct?"
Kate sighed, and nodded. "That means the tribe could move for custody of her, if Bella doesn't take custody since legally, she is a part of their tribe and non-Native American's are generally not allowed to adopt their children."
Ben and Angela shared a look, before turning to her. She saw the pain in their eyes, the fear of losing their daughter, and she refused to let that happen. Ben and Angela had done nothing but love Vanessa, let Bella be a part of Vanessa's life. She wasn't capable of being her mother, and the last thing she would do was hurt her daughter now.
"You can't let him know that she's been found, Kate. You can't!" she cried, reaching out and placing her hands on Kate's shoulder, a move that seemed to surprise her. "Please, don't take Vanessa from us, from any of us. Please."
"Okay, honey, calm down. If you're sure, I won't tell them about her," Kate said, though she could see the doubt in her eyes.
Nodding, she shifted her eyes to Angela and Ben. "I am. I won't use Vanessa like that. She deserves a chance to have a life where she isn't connected to him. He doesn't get to take that away from her."
"Just when I think you can't amaze me more," Kate said with a smile. "Okay, you win. I won't cross-examine him about Vanessa."
Taking a deep breath, she whispered, "Thank you. I just . . . Vanessa deserves a chance to live a good life, Kate, without the world knowing her father . . . without the world knowing her father raped me. And Angela and Ben don't deserve to have her taken away from them, either. They loved her when I couldn't, and I won't hurt them like that, either."
Wrapping her arms around herself, she turned and headed back down to the courtroom. Edward slipped his arm around her waist, and when she looked up at him, he winked and smiled, telling her in his own little subtle way that he was holding her together. Maybe Vanessa would be the nail in Sam's coffin, so to speak, but her mom and dad fought for her, and now, she would fight for her own daughter.
—SfH—
Esme was amazed by that sweet, little girl's strength. There had been so many times over the last couple months when she found herself up in the middle of the night with Beth, holding her, protecting her from all of the Sam Uley's in the world. The thought of someone hurting Beth the way Sam Uley put his hands on Bella Swan had her panicking more times than once. But Bella's strength, her grit to survive, to protect her daughter was inspiring. At sixteen, Bella was able to put her wants and desire aside and do what was best for her daughter. Not many mothers much older than her would be that selfless, she thought.
As they followed Bella and Edward into the courtroom, Esme brought her hand up to the diamond necklace around her throat. A gift from her mother and father on her wedding day, something so she would always remember how loved and cherished she was. Esme made a mental note to give them a call when she got home, just to remind them how much she loved them, appreciated them.
Bella and Edward settled in seats at the end of the front row with the rest of them falling into seats around her. Sam Uley was seated at the table next to Eleazar, who was leaning toward him, speaking headedly with his client. The man had 'fallen' down so many times over the last several days, and the way he winced when he sat made her wonder if he'd found himself a jailhouse boyfriend. Every morning Esme had hoped when they got to the courthouse they would find out that someone had put Sam Uley down for good. The man was a monster, and if convicted would hopefully spend the rest of his life in prison. Hopefully a short, painful life.
As Judge Dwyer hurried back into the courtroom, Eleazar sighed and leaned away from his client, a look of pure frustration etched in his features, and Esme wondered if he was regretting his decision to represent Samuel Jared Uley. The Judge settled behind his bench and looked around before saying, "Mr. Santiago, direct your client to take the stand again, please."
Eleazar sighed, glancing at his client, placed his hands on the table and pushed himself to his feet. "Your honor, my client has requested that I no longer represent him."
Esme and Carlisle shared a look before turning back to Judge Dwyer, who seemed as surprised as all of them. What the Hell was Sam Uley playing at? Firing his attorney in the middle of his trial?
"And why exactly does has your client decided to terminate your representation?"
Eleazar pressed his lips into a thin line before saying, "He disagrees with my advice, hence his decision to terminate me."
Judge Dwyer tilted his head to the side, his eyes flickering from Eleazar to Sam Uley, who looked cocky, confident. "Mr. Uley, would you like to explain?"
"Sure," Sam said, wincing as he pushed himself up to his feet, cradling his right arm around him. "He's an idiot, and I refuse to be represented by an idiot. I'd rather represent myself."
Eleazar muttered something inaudible under his breath.
"Is that so?" Judge Dwyer asked.
"Yes, sir," Sam replied.
"Well, seeing as you don't have a legitimate reason, let's just move on. Your motion is denied, Mr. Uley. Please take retake the stand."
The arrogance that radiated off Sam Uley as he glared at his lawyer before he turned and walked around the table and settle back into the witness stand nauseated Esme. She was curious why what advice Eleazar had given him that he didn't like?
"Do remember that you are still under oath, Mr. Uley," Judge Dwyer reminded him.
"Yes, sir," he replied, his lips curving into a smirk.
Judge Dwyer gave him a stern look before turning to Kate. "Ms. Denali, you may begin your cross-examination."
"Thank you, your honor." Kate stood and moved so that she was standing between Sam Uley and Bella, who was wrapped in as many arms as could be around her. "Mr. Uley, you claim that on the night Charlie and Renee Swan were murdered, Miss Swan called you, claiming that her father had raped her, had beaten her, and she had killed them in an effort to protect herself. Is that correct?"
"Yes."
"Bella was eight years old, Mr. Uley, wasn't she?"
"Yes."
"How tall would you say she was at eight years old?"
"I don't know. Four foot, two inches?"
"Close," Kate said. "She was four foot one inch, she weighed fifty-five pounds, so how could she have found the strength to stab her mother fifteen times to her abdomen, chest, and arms? To stab her father almost two dozen stab wound, to maneuver herself behind him and slice his throat from ear to ear?"
"I guess she was really angry," he said, shrugging his shoulder, and then wincing.
"Angry or not, Mr. Uley," Kate replied, "Mr. Swan was well over six feet tall, outweighed his daughter by two hundred pounds. How could she have taken them both by surprise and stabbed them multiple times, at the same time?"
Sam just sat there, staring at her.
"Answer the question, Mr. Uley," Judge Dwyer told him.
"I don't know," Sam replied. "I guess she was very, very angry."
"So angry that she, at four feet one inch tall, managed to slit her father's throat so deep, his vocal chords had been severed. A man who weighed four times as much as she did? Isn't it true, Mr. Uley, that Charlie and Renee Swan told you to leave their daughter alone?"
"Yes, but —"
"They knew you were dangerous, they told you to leave their eight year old daughter alone, because they knew you were dangerous, isn't that true?"
"No, he didn't want to let her go. He was the one hurting her!" Sam exclaimed.
"Then why didn't you tell the police?" Kate demanded. "If Charlie Swan was a horrible as you claim he was, why didn't you go to the police? Tell someone, anyone that he was hurting his daughter?"
"I told you I wasn't sure who I could trust."
"Did you tell your uncle?" she asked. "Did you tell anyone on the reservation?"
"No."
"Because you wanted her for yourself, didn't you, Mr. Uley?" Kate asked, taking a step to the side. "You killed her mother and her father because they tried to stop you from taking their little girl, but you didn't care, did you? You wanted her for yourself, and nobody was going to stop you from getting her, were they?"
"No, no, that's not what happened," he said, shaking his head. "I was helping her. I kept her safe. I loved her. I loved her so much."
"She was eight years old, Mr. Uley, and you were an adult."
"I loved her," he said, shaking his head. "I took care of her, I kept her safe from everyone."
"You locked her in a box for a year," Kate quipped, tilting her head to the side. "Was that to protect her, Mr. Uley?"
Sam pressed his lips together.
"She was a little girl, who was scared because you killed her parents, and took her away from everyone who loved her, Mr. Uley," Kate said. "And then you locked her in a box, only to take her out when you wanted to rape her. Isn't that about right?"
"No, no, it wasn't like that. I loved her," Sam muttered, his eyes flickering to where Bella sat. "I love you, Bella. I love you!"
Esme slipped out of her seat and moved so that she was kneeling in front of Bella, who was trembling with tears falling down her face. "Look at me, honey."
Bella tore her eyes away from Sam, looking down at her.
"Just look at me," she whispered, reaching over and taking hold of her hands. "He can't hurt you anymore."
"The jury will disregard the witness's last statement," Judge Dwyer ordered. "Mr. Uley, keep your comments directed to Ms. Denali, sir."
"Yes, your honor."
"Continue, Ms. Denali."
Kate folded her arms in front of her, lobbing her head in the other direction. "Did you love Gianna Romans, too?"
Sam snapped his eyes to Kate, his lips curling into a snarl.
"You lured her out of her home, too, didn't you?"
"Gianna was my family, she should have been with me all along," Sam spat out hatefully. "She begged me to take her away from them, said she wanted to be with me. She didn't belong to them."
"Is that why you raped her? Because she was your family?"
"I loved her," Sam said. "I loved her. She was my family, and I loved her."
"Did you love her when you beat her to death?"
Sam's eyes lifted and he stared at Kate. "I didn't touch her. Bella became angry, jealous of Gianna. She killed her, just like she did her parents."
"So you're the innocent bystander, huh? An eight year old little girl killed two grown adults, spent a year locked in a box, but somehow managed to beat another child to death, but you . . . you're innocent? Is that what you really think?"
Sam shifted his eyes to Bella before looking back at Kate. "I've only ever loved them. I loved all my girls."
"Loved children, Mr. Uley. You loved little girls, who were not capable of stopping you from putting their hands on them. You destroyed those little girls, kept them locked away like dolls for your enjoyment, but you couldn't break Bella, could you? She fought you when you took her daughter from her? You claim the first time you had sex with her was the night you were married? Then how do you explain her having a baby when she fourteen years old?"
Sam shrugged his shoulders. "There wasn't a baby. She because attached to a doll. Treated the damn thing like it was a real baby."
"A doll?"
"Yes."
Kate looked back at Bella before saying, "If there was no baby, just a doll as you testified, then why did you take it away from her?"
"Because she was obsessed with it," Sam replied. "It wasn't healthy."
"Healthy? What wasn't healthy, Mr. Uley, was an eight year old little girl being raped and locked in a box for a year, yet you did rape her and lock her in a box for a year, didn't you?"
"No," he gritted out through clenched teeth. "I never hurt her. I only loved her."
"Loved her so much you forced her to marry you?" Kate asked. "Loved her so much you let other men have sex with her after you forced her to marry her?"
Sam shifted uncomfortably in his seat. "She wanted to be a part of my tribe, and tribal law was clear on the proceedings of a traditional Quileute marriage ceremony."
"A ceremony that your own tribe had outlawed a century ago." Kate placed her hand on her chest. "If you loved her, how could you stand by and watch as those men climbed on top of her and raped her?" And when he didn't respond, she asked, "Did she cry?"
Sam looked down. "Yes."
"Then why didn't you stop them?" Kate asked, shifting her weight from one leg to the other. "Did you enjoy watching them have sex with her? Did you get off on it? Did it excite you to share that little girl with those men?"
"No!" he exclaimed. "Of course not, but tradition said she had to."
"But, Bella, isn't Native American, is she?"
"Not technically," he admitted.
"On the night you were arrested, Mr. Uley, you claim Mr. Swan picked you up at a club and you went home with him because you thought she might be staying with him, correct?"
"Yes."
"If you weren't holding Bella against her will, if she really wanted to be with you, why didn't you go to the police? Report her missing?"
"Because she was scared of the police."
"Were you afraid of the police?" she asked.
"No," Sam scoffed.
"Then why wouldn't you go to the police, Mr. Uley, if you were so worried about her? You said you thought they were hurting her, right? That James Swan was going to put his hands on her, isn't that what you said?"
"Yes, but —"
"Yet, you didn't go to the police to help her, did you? You went to his house and you attacked him. You broke his nose, cracked two ribs, beat him, stabbed him, all while demanding he tell you where she was, yet you never went to the police for help. If you were so scared that she was in danger, why wouldn't you go to the police for help, Mr. Uley?"
And when Sam just sat there, his eyes harsh and cold, full of fury, Kate turned to Judge Dwyer and said, "I have no further questions for this witness, your honor."
"You may step down, Mr. Uley," Judge Dwyer ordered, and Sam Uley hurried off the witness stand, limping as he walked back over to his table. He leaned toward Eleazar, who shook his head and put a hand up, clearly not wanting to hear a word that monster said. "Call your next witness, Mr. Santiago."
Eleazar stood up once more. "The defense rests, your honor."
"All right," Judge Dwyer said, tilting his head to the side. "Then we will adjure for the day. We will reconvene in the morning, nine a.m. sharp for closing statements."
Judge Dwyer banged his gavel before he left the courtroom. Once the jury had been escorted out, and Sam Uley had been cuffed and taken away by guards, Eleazar picked up his brief case, shifted his eyes between each and every one of them, pausing on Bella last, before he, too, walked out.
"What the hell just happened?" Jasper asked the question all of them had to have been wondering.
"It would seem Eleazar Santiago may be realizing he made a big mistake when he agreed with take Sam Uley on as a client." Kate picked up her brief case and looked back at them. "If I had to guess, I would say he realizes that he's lost."
"Has he?" Bella asked, causing everyone to look at her. "Has Sam lost?"
"I don't see how anyone on the jury, Bella, can listen to a grown man admit that he had feelings for a little girl, but all it will take is one person, one hold out. Do I think they will find him guilty? Yes, I do, but I won't promise you anything, Bella."
"If even one of them thinks he's not guilty, they'll have to let him out, right?"
"That's not going to happen, honey," Garrett said, reaching for Bella, who put her hands up and took a step backward. "I'm sorry."
"Will they let him out if they find him not guilty?" she asked again.
"If they find Sam Uley not guilty on all of charges against him, then yes, they would have to let him to, but, honey, that's not going to happen."
"But you can't promise me anything, can you?"
Kate frowned. "No, I can't."
"I want to go home," she whimpered, looking up at Edward. "Will you take me home?"
"Of course, sweetheart."
While Edward wrapped Bella in his arm and lead her out of the courtroom, Esme found herself worried what would happen if Bella was right and just one person believed his lies. He would come after her, that much she knew, but what about the rest of them? Something told her Sam Uley was not the type to not hold a grudge. Sam Uley would kill each and every one of them for protecting that sweet little girl, and that was a fact.
Thank you for all the AMAZING reviews! Big thanks to Alice's White Rabbit for being my sounding board for this chapter.
