Hope Is What We Crave (#Wattys2016)

Chapter Sixteen- Trial

A/N- Ahh! 500 reads!! Thank you all so much! Alright, enjoy!!

Joel's POV
Two weeks. It had been two long, painful weeks, waiting to find out what was going to happen. Originally, Luke and I were going to come, but he got sick last night. So now, it was me and Rachel. She had been brave enough to agree to this at the last minute. We headed inside, her hand on mine. I had gotten the cast off my side, but it still hurt, along with my head. The cast was still on my arm, and my good arm held a crutch. I still looked like I'd been in a fistfight against Andre the Giant, but I was on my own two legs. Rachel's arm was in a cast, because apparently she had a sprained shoulder. We went in, and took our seats with our lawyer, who nodded and greeted us.

"Hello. I thought you said your brother would be testifying with you. She doesn't look like your brother." I chuckled.
"No. Luke came down with some kind of bug last night, so my daughter Rachel is with me." He nodded, shaking my hand.
"Nice to meet you, Rachel. I'm Samuel Davis. You can call me Samuel, Sam, or Mr. Davis. I'm also okay with 'Hey, you there!" She giggled.
"Nice to meet you as well. Thanks for doing this." He grimaced.
"Well, I'm quite alright with doing this. My whole family enjoys your music, and we were devastated when we heard what happened. It's just so wrong, what these men did." We continued to talk, figuring out who was going to speak when, and what information they would present. Half an hour later, six police officers arrived, with Jonathan and Isaac. Jonathan glared at me and Rachel, and she just stared back at him, her gaze not breaking. The judge, Alicia Parker, arrived, and we went through all of those formalities. Rachel was the first to go up, and I said a silent prayer for her as she went up.

"Rachel Smallbone, am I correct?" She nodded.
"Yes, your honor." Judge Parker nodded, shuffling through a small stack of papers.
"Alright. This says here that you and your cousin Lucy were the first two that were abducted. Would you tell us, in your own words, what happened?" She took a deep breath, and began.
"It was the day after my sixteenth birthday, and my cousin and I had spent the night together. My parents had gone to get some groceries, and I went to take the trash out. As I did, one of the kidnappers knocked me out with some kind of cloth, and apparently also took my cousin. It was discovered a few days ago that one of the kidnappers, Jonathan Lewis, is the same man that physically took advantage of my cousin three years ago. He also shot me while we were escaping." The room exploded in shouts and yelling, and I saw the fear on Rachel's face as Jonathan shook his fist at her. He was shoved back down, and the judge calmed everyone down.

"Order! Order in the court!" It grew deathly silent, and she looked at a terror-stricken Rachel.
"I was not aware of that fact. Did your cousin tell you that, and were you the only one to hear it?" She shook her head.
"Lucy did tell me that. And no, I was not the only one. My parents, her parents, and another of our aunts was there." She nodded, writing that down.
"Alright. Thank you. You may step down." She came back, and I gripped her hand. She was shaking.
"Alright. Jonathan Lewis. Come forward." He was escorted up, and he sat there. If looks could kill, everyone on the room would be dead.

"Mr. Lewis, is what Miss Smallbone said that you did to her cousin true?" He gave her a death glare, and I squeezed her shaking hand.
"No. She's lying." The room exploded in mutters and shocked whispers, and Isaac glared at him.
"You told me it was true!" He roared angrily. This time, shouts broke out.
"Order in the court!" She shouted, banging her gavel. Everyone slowly quieted down, and she looked at Jonathan.

"Mr. Lewis, your friend here contradicts what you said. I will give you one last chance. How do you plead?" He sighed, clenching his fist.
"Guilty." She nodded.
"Thank you, Mr. Lewis. Isaac Olds. Please take the stand." They were switched, and I was asked to stand up and make my case against him.
"Joel Smallbone, correct?" I nodded, standing.
"Okay. I have information here that one of these men brutally attacked you, and attempted to kill you, while abducting your wife, Moriah. Please tell us what happened." I took a deep breath, and related for the first time what happened that night. Wrestling him for the gun. Being told to not move or she'd die. Chasing them. Seeing Jonathan, and then Isaac shooting me, shoving me over, and slamming my head against the wall. I could hear Rachel trying not to break down, and Sam was getting angrier by the minute. Judge Parker looked shocked, and she turned to Isaac.

"Mr. Olds, how do you plead in this? I will advise you to be honest. It will probably save you a lot of trouble." He took a deep breath.
"I plead guilty. I did everything he said. And I....I sincerely regret my actions." She nodded.
"Thank you. You may both take a seat. Does the jury require more time to contemplate?" One member stood.
"No, your honor. We have come to a consensus." He handed her a piece of paper, and she scanned it.
"Jonathan Lewis. On the charges of kidnapping, attempted killing, and taking advantage of a 12 year old, you are sentenced twenty years jail time and community service. Isaac Olds. On the charges of attempted killing, and kidnapping, you are sentenced to twenty years jail time and community service. Court is dismissed." She stood, exiting the room. The police escorted them out, and Mr. Davis said goodbye, and we left. Moriah was waiting in the car, as neither of us could drive.

"Well?" She asked as we climbed in. I kissed her, and I saw Rachel roll her eyes.
"They both got twenty years. They won't be bothering us again." She said. Moriah breathed a sigh of relief, and smiled.
"Alright then. Call Courtney and Libby and tell them, and we can go for lunch. Where to?"
"How does Applebee's sound? I know we don't normally do that, but I think it's a good time to. What do you say, Rachel?" She nodded, and put her hand over the phone.
"Could Aunt Libby and Ethan come too?" Moriah nodded.
"Sure. We can celebrate being home again with Luke and Courtney when they aren't sick." She smiled, and started talking into the phone.
"Hey, Aunt Libby? It's Rachel. Wanna come to lunch with us? Applebee's. Yeah. They got twenty years. Do you and Ethan wanna come?" I smiled at my beautiful wife as she started the car. Before she could start driving, I put my hand on her cheek, and pulled her into a longer kiss. As we pulled back, I heard Rachel behind us.

"Da-ad! That's so gross! No, sorry. They're kissing again." We laughed, and Moriah started driving. We were safe, and we were home. Hope was in front of us, and we were accepting it.

Author's note- Hello! Has anyone figured put what I'm doing with the next chapter? If you think you have, tell me in the comments! Thanks for reading! Do you guys forgive me for the beginning of the book yet? Love you guys! - Craver_Priceless