Every Memory Repeats

Chapter 10

Roman sat in a meeting with the DA and Abe, alternating his angry stare, between the two, over the mahogany conference table, furious that they refused to see his side of things. "You're kidding me, right?" he nearly shouted. "John almost beats someone to death, in front of three witnesses, and you're not going to press charges?"

"Roman!" Abe said. "He saved Marlena's life! Frank Delany was trying to kill her."

"Besides that, Roman," the DA interjected, snapping her notebook shut, as if the issue was closed, "I can tell you that there isn't a jury around who would convict him. He saved the life of a well known psychiatrist, who was being attacked by a patient who had admitted to her that he'd previously killed someone else. No way. No. We're not pressing charges." She gathered her things, and stood up, saying, "I have another meeting."

As soon as the door closed behind her, Roman practically exploded from his seat, and said loudly, "Fucking hell!"

"I don't understand this, Roman," Abe said, as calmly as he could. "If it weren't for John, your wife might be dead. Why are you pushing this?"

"He committed a crime, Abe," Roman said lamely.

"No, he didn't. Not really. He saved a life, and you know what, buddy? You need to take a long hard look at why you're really pushing this...because I think it has more to do with you, and less to do with the so-called crime you think John committed," Abe told him, gathering his things. "I'm going downstairs, and I'm letting John go home. He's been locked up since last night because you wanted to push this."

"Frank Delany is in the ICU!" Roman roared. "John Black beat him so badly that he might not even survive this!"

Abe looked at Roman, and said in low tones, "Frank Delany killed a woman two weeks ago. Frank Delany was trying to kill your wife...John saved her. I'm going downstairs, and I'm releasing him."

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Marlena opened the front door to find John standing there with a smile, and she nearly threw herself into his arms, crying, "Oh! Thank G-d you're out!"

"Come on, Doc," John said with a huge smile. "You know they had no cause to keep me."

"I'm so glad! I'm so glad," she said, reaching for his hand, and pulling him into the house. "I was afraid that they might press charges."

"Abe said the DA thought they had no case," John told her, settling into the couch. Marlena's neck was a mottled mess of blue, and purple bruising, and John was immediately inundated with images of her prone and lifeless form pushed face first into the couch in her office. He reached for her, "Doc, come here."

She knew he was upset, but her neck looked worse than it actually was. "John, I'm fine. It's fine," she said. "I know it looks bad, but it's really not. I have a slight sore throat, and my muscles are stiff...that's all." Sitting so she faced him on the couch, she said again, "John, I'm fine."

His fingers traced lightly over the bruising along her neck, and he whispered, "I was so fucking scared."

Marlena chuckled softly, watching the emotion play over his face, "So was I."

"Smart ass," John said. Standing up, he said, "You got any coffee?"

Marlena followed him, rising to her feet, "I do, but I'll let you make it." She took his hand in hers and led him towards the kitchen.

"You know, Doc, all night I sat in that damn cell wondering how you were doing," he told her as he pulled out coffee filters, and opened the can of coffee grounds. "I couldn't get the picture out of my head...him choking you..."