“No, you don’t have to be. You can be, however, if you’d like. But I can either call you after the verdict, or I can call you when I arrive in the courtroom and put the phone on speaker so you can hear it for yourself.”
I really didn’t want to see her again. I wanted this to be over with.
“Can you call and tell me the outcome?”
“Of course, Andrew. I’ll call you as soon as court is dismissed.”
“Thank you, Michael.”
I hung up with Michael and set the phone on the table before I looked up at everyone. I took a deep breath and told them everything Michael had said. I was happy this would be over within the hour and I wouldn’t have to go to bed tonight with more anxiety over this entire mess. It had dragged on for months, and I needed it to be over with.
My hands were sweaty, and my stomach dropped when the cell phone rang again. Without making a move to pick the phone up, I looked at the screen. Michael. This was it. My pulse raced as I pressed the answer button.
“Hi, Michael.”
“Andrew! Great news! Fifty-three years …” Michael began.
But after he’d said fifty-three years, I stopped comprehending anything. I heard Michael talking, but that was the extent of what I picked up.
“Andrew? Are you there?” he asked, snapping me out of the clouds.
I looked down at my lap so I could focus on Michael and wouldn’t get distracted. I noticed Tabitha’s hand resting gently on top of mine. It felt so natural that I hadn’t even noticed when she’d placed it there. I turned my hand over, palm up, and laced my fingers with hers. This felt good. Really good. It was comforting and not awkward.
“I am, yes. I’m sorry, Michael. Can you repeat all of that? I didn’t grab everything.”
“No problem. This is a lot to take in. I’ll send over a completed breakdown via email this evening, but the basic details are that she was sentenced to fifty-three years in a state-operated mental health facility. She received seven years for each life-threatening stab wound, which was defined as a stab wound to the torso. You had seven of those, so that’s what accounts for forty-nine years. Then she received another four years for assault with a deadly weapon. Those were for the heavy steins she threw at you while you were bound and defenseless.”
I understood now and got off the phone to relay the info to everyone.Fifty-three years.
“Well, it’s finally over.” I paused and took a deep breath. “She ended up with fifty-three years. Seven years for each stab wound, which made up forty-nine years. Then she got another four years for assault with a deadly weapon.”
My dad leaned toward me and hugged me.
“I’m so sorry, Andrew,” Dad murmured.
“It’s okay, Dad.”
“No, it’s not. I’m so sorry I didn’t press you for more information over the past few months. I knew you were stressed and tired. I should have pushed more, but I was afraid to. I didn’t want to make anything worse.”
“I wasn’t very open to telling you too much. I didn’t want you to worry or think less of me,” I admitted as he pulled away from me.
“I’m your father, and worrying about you is something I will always do until my last breath. Why would I think any less of you?”
I really hadn’t planned on having this conversation, let alone in front of Tabitha, James, and Brandon. My mouth was dry, and I wasn’t sure what to say exactly. In the back of my mind was the worry that I might say something that would give Brandon the wrong impression. I didn’t want him to misunderstand and think that men couldn’t be victims of domestic abuse. The last thing I wanted him to think was that a man was weak or any less masculine for having been abused..
“I turned the other cheek several times when I should have been smart enough to leave.”
That was the gist of it. I was going to leave it at that, but then Tabitha squeezed my hand and encouraged me to say what had been on the tip of my tongue.
“I didn’t want you to think I was weak or pathetic for ending up in the domestic abuse situation I was in with Elise. I know it’s ridiculous now, but it’s what I was worried about and trying to hide from you.”
“Andrew.” I looked into his eyes, and his searched mine. He shook his head and hugged me again. “You’re the strongest man I know.”
Wrapped in my dad’s embrace, I swallowed hard. Tabitha’s hand still held mine tightly as I looked over Dad’s shoulder at James. He winked at me and smiled. James had been right, and he knew it. I squeezed Tabitha’s hand and loved how it felt when she squeezed my hand back.
13
Elise
