My Cure - Mallory Pugh/USWNT (Sequel to Attached)

Chapter 4

A/N: I wish I knew how to write a really cool story from in the court house, but I really can't because I've never been to one and haven't watched enough TV for that. So I'm going to do the best I can to get to the point of this because I promise it's important

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June 13th, 2022 

Mal's POV

Today was long, hard and emotional for Morgana and her family. 

The second we stepped into that court room she lost the spark in her eyes, one of the most perfect things about her being is that it never fades, never leaves. 

Only one other time had it faded around me, and that was when she was saying goodbye to me at the airport. 

So many important people walked in, like lawyers and attornies and police officers and such. I just sat down next to Morgana, and Ashley sat next to me. 

"We're not gonna do that." Sophia said, shoving Ashley away from me, making just enough room for her to squeeze in. 

"Good idea." Hatch leaned to give Soph a high five. 

If I'm being honest, the rest of it was just a blur. Morgana talked, her sister talked, Hatch talked, Kelley talked, just a lot of people talked. I just sat there pressed against morgana, holding her right hand. 

Before she went up to talk again, I tapped the gold heart on her wrist, and she smiled at me. 

Then it was intense, and honestly I blocked everything out that happened because it was too much for me. I just remember wiping my tears away at Morgana's speech, Sophia touching my arm, and hearing her say:

"Seeing Morgana cry is like seeing your parents cry. It breaks you into a million pieces and it just feels like something you were never meant to see and never want to see. It hurts, seeing the strongest person you know all torn over something she acted like never hurt her." 

That hit like a bullet to the heart, because she's so insanely spot on with that description. And how could she just not talk about this for almost a month? It's clearly been eating her up inside. And I almost feel guilty, because she spends every day with me, and hasn't seen these girls or her parents since, like, 3 days after this happened. 

I feel like a bad person for not making her feel comfortable to tell me this stuff. 

When I whispered that to Sophia, she sighed. 

"It's not your fault. You know she's heavily guarded. I think you've done a great job at breaking those walls, because it seems like not a lot of people can get by. You're special to her. Hold her tight and don't let go." Sophia said, then directed her attention back to everything that was happening up front. 

By the end, we didn't need any more days in court to settle it. To be honest, we all knew the case was going to go in favor of Morgana for a number of reasons. 

The judge sentenced her sister to 3 years in prison, and said a bunch of other things I didn't understand, but Morg did because she took a law class when she was in college. 

Her eyes were red, and all the other girls were standing around awkwardly, not knowing what to do. Morgana just walked over to us, and kind of broke down in my arms. Nobody really knew what to do, because no one has seen her like this. Was she going to bite our heads off? Would she start crying more? Was that even possible? 

Her tears soaked the sleeve of my shirt, and I just had my arms around her tightly. 

Her parents had left because they had other things to take care of regarding the case to take care of, and it was just us 6 left. 

The officers came over to us and she wanted a word with Morgana, so she pulled herself together best she could and went with him. I started following, but Kelley grabbed my arm to stop me. 

"The kid's strong." She said. 

"She'll be okay." Said Hatch. 

I put my hands on my head, feeling as if I had just got hit by a soccer ball right in my stomach, knocking the wind out of me. 

"What do you want us to do, Mal?" Sophia asked. 

"No idea." I sighed. "I have no idea what to do." 

"About what?" Sanchez asked. "You can't just make today go away like it never happened. You also can't just fix everything like you want to." 

"I think you just have to sit back and be her shoulder to cry on. Which you're already doing a good job of." Hatch said. 

"You're right. I have to be her rock like she is for me every day." I said, wiping my tears away. 

"That's it." Sophia came over and gave me a hug. 

"Nothing you can do except be there. This is a personal battle." Kelley said. 

"Can't fight it for her." Said Sanchez as she joined me and Soph's hug. 

"But I don't want her to be alone." I sighed. 

"Like we said, just be her shoulder." Sanchez said, and we disbanded the hug because the door opened and Morgana and the officer came walking in. 

Her eyes were red, as were her tear streaked cheeks. The officer said something to her, and she nodded and said something back to him. I could read her lips to say 'thank you' as she walked towards us. 

"You ready to go?" I asked. 

"Never been more ready in my life." She took a deep breath and headed for the door, us all following behind.