"You don't have to face him alone ever again." He drew her into his arms again, fitting her against him. "We'll need to talk to a lawyer," he waited for the words to sink in, "and get a restraining order against him. The further away from you he is, the better it will be. Maybe some forced distance will be good for him, too."
She stood taller, her arms wrapped around his neck, her cheek touching his. "I considered getting one before."
"Considered it?"
She shook her head and he felt the soft caress of her cheek against his. "He promised not to cause any problems and I guess..." Seaton tensed against him and he lowered his hand from her neck to her back to soothe her. “I guess it was stupid wishful thinking on my part.”
They stood there together and Sam wondered if he should be pushing this.
It had to be Seaton’s decision when push came to shove.
She nodded, a slow ponderous movement. “I think I should get a restraining order.”
“Good.” He felt an unnamed emotion swell in his chest. "Okay. We'll get the report that Deputy Hatcher is going to write up and find a lawyer to represent you. They’ll help you get a restraining order."
He hoped that Daryl would get the point.
But either way, he wasn't going to walk away from Seaton unless that was something she wanted him to do.
Until then, he would be there by her side to help her.
Seaton needed people by her side, and he knew of a few more people who would love to be there for her, too.
CHAPTER 7
SEATON
Just about a week later, Sam drove her to the courthouse for the TRO hearing.
She'd come close to this before, but it was different back then. Back then, she was afraid of her own shadow.
She could barely remember what had happened before, but now...
Now she was walking in with Sam beside her.
TRO hearings were only held on certain days, so it meant a lot to her that Sam had traded shifts with another firefighter at Station Four nearby. It meant that he'd have to work two back-to-back shifts to make up for it.
As much as she tried to tell him that she could go on her own, he'd insisted that he would go with her.
He wanted to be there, quite literally, at her back.
When they arrived at the courthouse, her attorney had agreed to meet her at a bench to the left of the main courthouse doors. When she saw her attorney waiting for her, Seaton let out a relieved sigh and felt Sam rub her back. "Make sure you breathe," he suggested quietly.
She nodded and walked up to greet her attorney with as much courage as she could gather together.
Calleigh met her a few steps away from the bench, a bright smile on her lips and a hand held out to greet her.
"Morning, Seaton. How are you doing?"
Seaton held out her hand and felt Calleigh's reassuring grip. "I'm feeling better now that I’m here. The wait has been the worst thing."
Calleigh nodded. "I understand, but the good thing is that we're prepared for this hearing and I have a really good feeling that the judge is going to grant this. That's the first step to making sure that your ex leaves you alone moving forward."
Seaton looked at Sam and saw his reassuring smile and felt the strong grip of his hand around hers.
"Okay," Calleigh picked up her briefcase from the bench. "It's time to go in. We'll be there right on time and believe me, it makes a difference."
Seaton nodded and followed Calleigh into the court house.
