Take A Walk (A Hunter Hayes Fanfiction, Book 5 of The Hardships Saga)

Chapter Thirty-Four

❝time (pronounced tʌɪm or tahym), noun 
the indefinite continued progress of existence and events in the past, present, and future regarded as a whole.❞

Three years passed, and Elle was sitting in the courtroom again.

Drew was sitting behind her in the crowd, and the hundreds upon hundreds of people were staring at her as she sat at the witness stand, Frank leering at her from below. The strange woman, the one with skin so pale that she would make snow look dark and blue eyes that would put any sapphire to shame, smirked at her.

"You claim that Frank raped you multiple times?" asked the woman.

"Yes."

"You claim that he ruined your mental wellbeing?"

"Yes."

"And how does he plead?"

"N-Not guilty."

"And you can prove that he is?"

"I- I mean, if you just look at the evidence-"

"You really think that some evidence from four years ago is going to make any difference?" The lawyer looked at the judge with a smile. "I think it's clear what the ruling of this case should be, your Honour."

The judge slammed his gavel, and said, "Mr Frank Dunne, you have been found not guilty. Elle Hayes-Lockhart, you have been found guilty of lying under oath in court, and you are hereby sentenced to death."

"W-What?!"

A guard grabbed Elle's arm, and she screamed, fighting against him. Drew was fighting to get through the crowd, to save Elle, and she was wrestled to the ground as he yelled her name repeatedly. "Ellie! Ellie, no!"

"Drew!"

She felt cold metal on the back of her head, and heard a gunshot, and she shook awake, crying out.

Drew stirred beside her. "Mmm. Ellie?"

"F*ck. Nightmare," she breathed, sitting up in their bed. He switched on the lamp on their bedside table and blinked tiredly, looking at her.

"What happened, baby?"

"Just- just the court case. Bad dream. That's all."

He sighed, taking her hand gently and reaching over, passing her a glass of water. She took a sip, trying to ease her racing heart. "Are you ready to leave tomorrow? I packed everything and checked it all before we went to bed, but-"

"Yeah. Yeah, it's all fine."

He chuckled slightly, glancing at her. "I feel like your nightmare really shook you up. Why don't we go somewhere?"

"We need to be at the airport in a bit, though."

"And so we can sleep on the plane," he said, sitting up and swinging his legs off the bed. "C'mon. We'll drive somewhere."

"Are you sure? It's cold outside, you might get sick."

He rolled his eyes, shaking his head. "You're my soulmate, not my mother," he reminded her, and made her blush slightly. "Here, I know how much you like my hoodies."

Two years ago, Elle was told that her cancer was 'holding steady'. Last year, Drew had asked if she wanted to move into an aparment with him, and so they now rented a tiny little apartment, with just enough space for the two of them, and room for a guest if needed. Every day, without fail, Drew would ask her to marry him again. And she'd say no again. "Not yet," she'd always reply. He would nod, and kiss her once to show that it didn't affect him the way it once did, and they'd fall back into their familiar routine.