Until the Very End

Chapter 53

The rest of the morning was filled with witnesses that Larry called; which Mike said also proved their stance that Raymore had NO case against Don. Larry was able to call witness after witness who testified that Don was acting in self-defense and it truly was an accident. Larry called the police officers who first showed up at the scene that day, Dr. Abbott and the guards that Raymore managed to escape from at the hospital. All of them testified to the fact that Don was acting in self-defense and that while in the hospital, Raymore had verbally and physically threatened the Gummers over and over. Thankfully, there was also security footage in the hotel showing that Raymore had lured Meryl and the babies there and that he beat Meryl; it also showed the struggle between Don and Meryl and that Don was acting in self-defense while he tried to protect his wife and children. Once the morning of testimonies was over, Don and Meryl wanted to spend some time with the babies and family. Larry called in for sandwiches so Mike, Maggie, Larry, Liz, Henry, Suzie, Don, and Meryl all ate in Larry's office with the babies while Suzie's brother Sammy and his wife Kelly watched Lily. Once they ate lunch, everyone left so Meryl could nurse the twins then she and Don could put the babies down for their afternoon nap. Then it would be time for what Don dreaded most...his and Meryl's testimonies.

***

Don and Meryl were putting the babies in their pack'n'plays in Larry's office once they got them to sleep for their afternoon naps. As they were laying them down, Meryl looked at Don and got tears in her eyes as the events from the courtroom that morning came back to her, and she had time to sort of sit with and process everything that had gone down. "I'm sorry."

"What?" Don looked at his wife after he had laid Brady down, and Meryl had laid Mags down. He was quick to note the tears in his wife's eyes and quickly grabbed her hand as he led her over to the sofa in Larry's office, making her sit down and he sat right next to her as he wiped away her tears. "Baby, what is it? What do you have to be sorry about?"

Meryl took a deep breath. "For the way I went after him in the courtroom. It was stupid. I could have really hurt your case. I wasn't thinking. But Don, he has threatened you for years and is now pressing these fucking bogus charges against you. I just lost it. All this shit isn't fair to you, and for him to go after you..."

"My protective wife who is also hot as hell." Don flirted making her laugh, which he was glad about, that was what he was going for. "I think it's hot how you protect me and the kids."

Meryl couldn't help but roll her eyes at her husband. "You are always so damn predictable."

"The last thing in the world I want is for you to be hurt, for him to try to go after you again and that could have happened if the judge would have thrown you in contempt of court. I stopped you because I didn't want that to happen to YOU. I didn't want that to happen to us, or our kids. That is why I stopped you, Darl, not because I was mad." Don said gently as he wiped away her tears and tucked her hair behind her ear. "However, I know what it is like. You want to defend the person you love until you take your last breath, and you want to go after the son of a bitch for trying to hurt the person you love so damn much. I just want you to know, that if ANYTHING EVER happened to you then it would..."

Meryl quickly pressed her lips to his. "I feel the same way, baby; so I am sorry for losing it as I did."

"Like I said..." Don winked at her. "HOT."

Meryl took a deep breath as she stroked her fingers with his. "How do you think this afternoon will go when we are both questioned?"

"I don't know, baby." Don said honestly. "But, I do NOT want him to work you up. I want you to know that whatever angle he works, that I KNOW the damn truth and Larry is going to make sure the whole courtroom knows, too. He wants to work us up. He wants to try to create doubt. However, there is no doubt in my mind about who you are and what's important to you."