Battered

Chapter 19

When I arrive home from the office, a quick search of the kitchen and living room tells me that Cheryl is upstairs. I find her in her room sitting cross-legged on the bed writing in her diary; something she does quite a lot these days.

Silently lingering in the doorway, I stand and watch her for a few minutes, noticing the cute look of concentration on her face as she writes.

Eyes moving down to the diary resting in her lap, I find myself wondering what she is writing about. I mean, it doesn't take a genius to figure out that most of that book is probably filled with recollections of her abusive marriage to Ashley but I can't help but wonder what else is in there.

I wonder what else she writes about.

I wonder if she ever writes about me.

She looks up then and notices me leaning against the doorframe, "Hi" she smiles, "I didn't hear you come back"

"Quiet as a mouse, me" I smile back at her and go over to the foot of the bed, "Mind if I sit down?" I ask.

"Not at all" she closes the diary and puts it away in the bedside cupboard, motioning for me to take a seat.

I flop down onto the bed and for a long moment all I can do is stare at the carpet. I hate that I'm the one who has to bring up Ashley's trial. I'd much rather not be the one who has to ask her to decide whether or not she is strong enough to stand up and face him in a courtroom full of people.

To be honest, I don't think she is; especially after what he did to her the last time.

But I have to ask. It's my job.

I feel her gaze on me and turn sideways to face her. She tilts her head to one side and looks at me carefully before speaking, "Something's wrong isn't it?" she asks, as if reading my mind.

She listens quietly while I relay the contents of the letter and my subsequent phone call to the barrister who will be presenting the prosecution's case in court.

He told me that because of when the trial starts Cheryl has just three days to make her decision about whether or not to testify against her husband. He mentioned that it was something to do with the defence lawyer preparing his cross examination but to be honest, I'd stopped listening by that point, all I could think of was how to tell Cheryl.

When I finish, she exhales loudly before reaching for my hand and squeezing it, "You promise you'll be there?"

"I promise"

She looks up into my eyes, "Then tell them I'll do it"

"Are you sure?" I ask, wanting to make sure she's thought this through properly and isn't rushing into anything

"I'm sure" she says determinedly, squeezing my hand just that little bit harder.

Maybe she's stronger than I thought.

********************************

I open the door of the empty court room and Cheryl steps in behind me, her eyes darting around the large, cold room. The door slams loudly behind us and makes her jump. She takes a deep breath to calm herself and follows me over to the witness box.

I'd brought her here to help prepare her for the trial; to get her used to the layout of the room, so that it isn't such a big shock when it comes to the real thing. The whole experience is daunting enough and I'm willing to do whatever it takes to make Cheryl feel more comfortable. I've found in the past that a pre-trial visit to the court room puts witnesses at ease a little because they are somewhat familiar with the surroundings and know what to expect on the day.

"This is where you'll be sitting" I tell her, gesturing to the small, wooden cubicle, "And the barrister will be standing over there while he asks you some questions. All you have to do is answer them as best you can and you'll be fine."

Her eyes dart around the room and finally land on the dock, where Ashley will be seated during the trial, "Is that where he'll be?" she asks anxiously

"Yes, it is. But you don't need to worry about him. Or anyone else for that matter." I move across the room and take a seat in the front row of the public gallery, as close to the witness box as I can get, "All you need to do is keep your eyes on me and I promise it'll be ok; I'll be right here."

Cheryl steps into the witness box and sits down, her eyes fixed to the floor.

"Hey" I call gently, "Where are you supposed to be looking?"

She looks up hesitantly and meets my gaze, "At you"

"That's right" I smile, "At me"

She holds eye contact for a few seconds and then smiles back at me, "Can you take me home now Kimba?" she asks, getting out from the witness box and coming over to where I'm sitting.

Taking her gently by the arm, I lead her out of the building and towards the car park. It's understandable that she wants to get out of here as soon as possible; tomorrow she has to do it all again, but for real this time.