Deep Breaths

Court

Justin's POV
As we were diving home from the shop I watched a set of two vehicles with flashing blue and red lights zoom past us. "I wonder where they're going?" Alice asked but I just shrugged just realising they were going towards our house which made me worry about Miya and Mark. My worries were confirmed when we parked in the driveway surrounded by two police cars and an ambulance. I watched Alice run out of the car to the police officer as I followed her. "What's going on?" She asked one of the officers. But they didn't say anything. "Is my husband ok?" She added trying to get the information police officers attention. "Excuse me madam I'll need you to step aside."
"But this is my house! My husbands in there!" She shouted obviously worrying. "Sorry madam you will have to wait until we have more information." He moved us too the side as a paramedic was helping Mark walk out, his face all beaten up. Alice. Moved from my side trying to get to him "Mark oh my god what happened?" She shouted over the sirens to him. "I'm ok." Mark said flinching from pain as he was sat down in an ambulance

Mark's POV
When I started to come around I saw a paramedic talking to me. "Sir can you tell me your name?" I sat up resting against the arm of the sofa touching my face, which was wet with blood. "It's Mark, what happened?" I looked around to try and spot Alice. "Where's my wife? Does she... why is... where is Miya?" My brain was filled with thoughts whirring around my brain trying to figure out what was going on, where is everyone? "Come on, I'll take you to the  ambulance so we can check you out before the police talk to you." The man said helping me up. "Why are the police here, what happened?" He didn't respond instead walked me outside where I heard Alice shout "Mark, oh my god, what happened?" I couldn't think of what to say so I just shouted "I'm ok." To stop her worrying before being sat down in the ambulance.

I was surrounded by paramedics touching my face, applying plaster and dressings. "Mark does anything else hurt?" A woman asked me. "My sides, they sting it's like a burning pain!" She lifted up my shirt having to undo a few buttons revealing my sides a bright red colour, slowly bruising. She placed something cold on them making me flinch then passed me some tablets and a cup of water. "Take  these, they'll stop the pain and help the swelling go down." In my hand were two pink tablets and four white ones in different shapes. I swallowed them down as a torch was shone in my eye. Follow the light." I did as I was told to trying to keep my watering eyes open. Before seeing two policemen walk over to me. "Good evening Mark we need to talk to you about a few things." A police officer said after the paramedics checked me over. "Ok what about?"
"How long has Miya been living with you?" I put my hand to my head remembering what happened earlier today. "I don't know about a month or two I guess." Trying to settle my brain to the current situation when I zoned back in I heard a phrase I never thought I would hear. "You are under arrest for the suspicion of kidnapping anything you say now will be held against you in court." The police officer said to me as handcuffs were being locked around my wrists digging in slightly. I saw Alice crying she ran up to me and kissed me. "I'll see you soon."
"Goodbye Alice." She kissed me again before being lightly pushed away by a police officer. "Don't say goodbye because goodbye means you're not coming back and you will." Tears were streaming down her face as I was being taken to the police car, I felt a hand gently push down as I got into the car.

As I was sat in the back trying to gather my thoughts the police officer spoke up. "I don't think you did it." I was confused by his statement. "Huh?" I said not knowing what else to say. "Well normally when I drive people to the station they are kicking and screaming in the back saying 'it wasn't me, I was falsely accused' but I see them in a cell a few days later."
"Oh." I wasn't really adding to the conversation. "There was one guy who the first time he was in this car was trying to defend himself saying 'it was only discipline, he was over reacting' but still had a sentence in jail but only a few days though. I don't think that was enough which was true when a few weeks ago he was in this car still saying that he didn't do anything but he ended up getting a life sentence." I knew who he was talking about and shivered thinking about the fact he would've been sitting right where I am now. "Yeah that's definitely what he deserved." He said as his thoughts muttered off.

When the car had stopped outside of the station I was grabbed, by the handcuffs, by another police officer this one strong with power and a harsh look in the eyes. "Come on, this way." His words were spiking in a voice as harsh as his eyes. He led me into the station before throwing me into a cell. "Don't get too comfortable you've got a court car tomorrow." He unlocked my handcuffs before shutting the cell door and locking it leaving me to gather my thoughts, I laid down on the hard metal bed looking up at the cold grey celling. How did things turn out like this, with me in a cell? I just hope Alice is ok, I want her to know I'm fine, that she doesn't have to worry. She just needs to keep her and Justin safe, I'm assuming Miya's parents have taken her. I guess that's right for her, to be with her family but I need to take life like it comes. Whatever happens tomorrow happens!

"The court is now in session!" The voice of the judge rang around inside my ears as I looked around the court room from the judge to the jury before landing my eyes on Alice sitting next to Justin and Miya's family a row behind them. "Mark Chapman to the stand!" I was led over to the stands hands in front of me. He strode over to me, looked into my eyes and smiled. Looking at me with his stern eyes. I back up until I felt a wall behind me and swore under my breath as I realised I couldn't escape him. He suddenly grabbed my wrists tight so I couldn't feel them and dug his nails into my skin. "Mark is it true that you didn't try to find the parents?" The judge questioned before the court room fell silent. "Yes, I believed that they didn't know who she was." I heard muttering around me. "Why would you choose to believe that?" I took a breath before explaining myself. "It was part of John's plan to wipe everyone's memory."
"How long did you know about his plan before informing the police?"
"I knew from the start." I looked over to see Miya's mum shaking her head but locked my eyes onto Alice to give me some strength. "Why did you take so long to inform the police?" I took another breath before answering finding it hard to say it. "He said that he would kill her and my wife." A tear appeared in Alice's eye. "Did you tell you're wife anything about what you were doing before you too Miya to your house?" I looked down at my hands "I didn't want to worry her."
"What if something happened to you and she didn't know where you were?"

He sat down next to me, knife still in hand the blade shining in the light. "Why did you send the note?" He asked twirling the knife in his hand. "She deserves to know!" I shouted at him. "She didn't need to know, she would have been happy if you hadn't done this. Now she wants answers and is weary around me." He said to me getting closer slowly, I tried to back away but was only greeted with the wall behind me. "What were you even planning to do when she realised I wasn't her dad?" He asked, the knife uncomfortably close to my neck. I didn't answer. He started getting mad. "ANSWER THE QUESTION!" I stayed strong and shook my head, he started pressing the knife into my neck.

"Mark are you ok." My lawyer whispered to me. "Let me ask you something." I addressed the judge. "If you were potentially risking your life to save a child would you tell your wife or maybe even children about it?" The judge was startled by my question. "Ok, but is it true you helped John at first?"
"I did, at first before I knew fully what his plan was but when I did I tried to back out, he threatened me the same way he did when I was going to tell the police."
"Have you or Miya had any therapy for the PTSD this must have caused?"
"Miya's had some... my wife's a psychologist so she's been trained to deal with this kind of thing." Alice gave me a sympathetic smile. "What about you?" I was confused by his question. "Excuse me?"
"How are you dealing with this, do you have therapy as well." I looked the judge in the eyes before answering. "I don't believe I need it." He didn't seem convinced. "May I ask your wife a few questions." I watched Alice stand up. "Do you believe he needs therapy?" I looked over to her my eyes pleading with hers. "Remember you are in a house of law and must tell the truth." The judge interrupted. "He gets flashbacks that cause him to break down and nightmares that stop him from sleeping. But he never stops working, never admits defeat. So I tried to get him to go but he wouldn't." The judge stopped her there. "You said you couldn't get him to go, why didn't you give him sessions?"
"I'm a paediatric psychologist." She explained "Im only trained to work with people under the age of 18 so I couldn't help him myself." The judge nodded. "Thank you, you may sit." He turned back to me. "Mark one last question. Have you ever questioned existence or considered suicide?" I put my head down, almost ashamed as I answered. "Yes, a few times I almost did something but Alice stopped me."
"I have decided to sentence you two months in prison with added therapy sessions daily." And with that the mallet was lowered and my fate was decided.

A/N: What just happened. 😱
Question of the chapter:
How will Alice deal with this?
What will happen to Justin and Miya?