From Weakness to Strength

Darla's Day in Court

Time flew by for Darla so fast, she didn't realize it was now the second Sunday of the second week in the girl's home. In fact, she was fast asleep in church at the moment. When the pastor dismissed everyone, Peggy tapped Darla awake. 
"Amen!" Darla exclaimed. The girls giggled. 
"Praying's over silly. It's playtime now," Peggy said. 
"Oh, thank god," said Darla. 

Darla wheeled out of the church and headed outside. She couldn't believe who was waiting for her. Darry, Ponyboy, Soda, Two-Bit and Steve. Darla froze. 
"Hello, doll," said Darry. Darla then got so excited, she forgot she was in a wheelchair. She got up and ran towards the gang, hobbling on her right foot, since her ankle was still healing. 
Darry caught her as she fell into his arms. 
"You alright, doll?" Darry asked.
"I am now," Darla replied with a smile. She then engulfed Darry in the biggest hug she's ever given him. Bigger than the ones she gave him at the hospital. The girls awed. She then gave everyone a big hug.
"You look so different. What did them monsters do to you?" Steve asked. 
"They washed the grease out and gave me a bath in a dirty tub. And threatened to electrocute me. Well, one of them did..." 
"Who?" Darry asked. 
"--Hello, Mr. Curtis," came Ms. Pan's voice. "You're early."
"We're actually right on time. It's 11:30 and the meeting starts at 12 and the drive from here to the court is twenty five minutes. I say we're right on time," Darry replied. 
"Hmm. Maybe. But, this child still belongs to me, which means she will ride in the van with me."
"Ride in the van with you? You're not even going,"
"Uh, yes I am, Mr. Curtis. I do not believe you are a well suited guardian for Ms. Jackson. She's an ill-mannered child and someone like her must be taught by someone like me," Ms. Pan said. 
"Like hell you're gonna take her from us again," Two-Bit spoke up. 
"Easy, Two-Bit. We aren't letting her take our Darla away from us," Darry said, holding Two-Bit back. 
"We'll see about that, Mr. Curtis. Until then, she rides with me," said Ms. Pan. 
"Fine," Darry growled. Darry turned back to Darla. "We brought you clothes you can change in to."
"Uh, I don't think so, Mr. Curtis. Until you are granted custody (which is highly unlikely) she will stay in her uniform," Ms. Pan said. 
The whole gang glared daggers at Ms. Pan. 
"Shall we go then?" she asked. "Wouldn't want to be late." 
Madison came up to Darla with her wheelchair. Darla sat back down and thanked Madison before following the boys out to the front of the building. 

Darla was placed in the back of the white van that had brought her to this hell in the first place. Ms. Kraut also came along, which left Ms. Frank to look after the kids.  
She drove the twenty five minutes to the courthouse and rolled Darla out of the van and she wheeled herself over to the courthouse. Luckily, the gang was just behind them during the drive so not long after, they quickly joined Darla in front of the courthouse. Darry wheeled her inside to the courtroom. 
Some very familiar faces were also there. Elaine Chase, who now looked much older and different than she used to. The curls were longer and she no longer wore pink nor pink ribbons in her hair. Instead she wore a white blouse and skirt and her hair was in a headband. 
Then there was Daniel Chase. He wore a jersey jacket. And then there was Smith Chase. The murderer of Darla's parents. Darla glared daggers and tried her hardest not to burst from her wheelchair and punch his face in. 
"All rise in respect of the judge," the bailiff in the room said.
"Haha, very funny," Darla muttered as everyone, but her stood up and the judge that handled the murder case walked into the room and went to the podium.
"This court is now in session," he said. 
"Everyone please be seated," the judge said. 
"Bring forward the defendant," the judge said. The bailiff went over to Bella. He was an elderly man. He approached Darla with a bible. "Raise your right hand and place your left on the bible."
Darla did so.
"Do you swear to tell the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth?"
"I solemnly and sincerely declare and affirm that the evidence I shall give will be the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth," Darla replied. 
Darla wheeled herself over to the front table of the room. 
"In this courtroom, you will be addressed with your birth name, do you understand?" the judge asked.
"Yes, your honor," Darla replied. 
"Now, tell me Ms. Jackson. What happened on the day your parents were murdered?" 
"I was walking home from school, until I heard Elaine Chase and her friends calling me names. They called me Cowbell to make fun of the name Bella. The pushed me to the ground and shoved grass in my mouth. 
Elaine kept her head down while Bella spoke.
"And then three boys called her out and told them to leave me alone. Once they did, the boys introduced themselves as Ponyboy Curtis, Johnny Cade, and Dallas Winston. They walked me home and told me I was welcome to see them anytime. When I came in my dad was sitting in his chair reading the newspaper and my mom was cooking. I sat in his lap and told him about my day and how for first time, I made some friends. And just then, there was a knock on the door. I got off of his knee and my dad answered the door. It was Smith Chase, with a gun in his hand."
"--Objection, your honor! The defendant is lying," Smith Chase stood up. 
"Silence Mr. Chase. Only a witness with an attorney may call an objection in this courtroom," the judge said. Smith Chase growled and sat back down. 
"Continue your story, Ms. Jackson," the judge told Darla. 
"As I said before. Smith Chase was at the door with a gun in his hand. I saw the gun and the look in his eyes and ran to my room to hide. I heard several gunshots and screams. Then the footsteps came to my room and called out to me. I stayed where I was until I heard the footsteps disappear. I waited a couple of moments before coming out to make sure he was gone. And when I came out to my living room, I was horrified. My dad was shot dead. Blood was everywhere. Same thing for my mom in the kitchen. She was shot dead and blood was everywhere. Not wanting to be put in a girl's home, I ran away. I ran to the Curtis house and told them what happened. They let me stay the night and the next morning, Dallas, Steve and Two-Bit came in with the newspaper that accused me of being the murderer of my own parents and that Smith Chase testified that he was a witness. The boys kept me hidden for years. I was safe, my name was changed and I had a family again. Mr and Mrs. Curtis kept me safe as well. They were like second parents to me until they passed a year ago. Until now it was me and the boys."
"Thank you, Ms. Jackson. I am so sorry about your parents. Let's call out first witness, Smith Chase to the stand." 
Darla first placed something on the judge's table before she wheeled herself back to her seat and Smith Chase walked up to the front.
"Do you swear to tell the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth?"
"I solemnly and sincerely declare and affirm that the evidence I shall give will be the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth," Mr. Chase responded, smirking at Darla as he did so. Darla stared daggers at him.
"Tell us your side of the story, Ms. Chase," the judge said. 
"Well, your honor. I was just came home from work when my daughter came home in tears. She told me that Bella Jackson and a few hoods beat her up. I was comforting her when I heard several gunshots and I went outside towards where I heard them and saw Bella Jackson running out of her house. I went to the house to see what happened to see the dead bodies of Mr and Mrs. Jackson. The child is a hood rat who killed her parents so that she can hang out and sleep with other hoods just like her."
"And where would a ten year old child get a gun to kill her own parents, Mr. Chase?" the judge asked.
"She got a gun from that Winston boy who was with her right before she killed her parents. I believe it was a Star Model PD," Mr. Chase said. Darla's eyes widened. How the hell did he know Dallas had a Star Model PD? That was his decoy gun. He never had it loaded
Darla's blood boiled. He just lied to the entire court after making an oath not to. 
"Thank you for the statement, Mr. Chase. Let's call Darrel Curtis to the stand as a second witness," the judge said.
"Do you swear to tell the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth?"
"I solemnly and sincerely declare and affirm that the evidence I shall give will be the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth," Darry responded before taking a seat at the podium. 
"Mr. Curtis, when Ms. Jackson came to you the day her parents were killed, can you describe her behavior?" the judge asked. 
"She came to us in tears. Dallas brought her in after bumping into her. She was hysterical. She told us that the Case man killed her parents," he said. 
"And, uh. Dallas Winston. Did he own a Star Chase PD?" the judge asked. 
"Yes, your honor. But, not until he was fifteen. He was thirteen when her parents were killed," Darry responded. Darla sighed in relief. 
"Thank you, Mr. Curtis. That will be all. Let's call Ms. Pan to the stand," the judge said. Ms. Pan walked up.
"Do you swear to tell the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth?"
"I solemnly and sincerely declare and affirm that the evidence I shall give will be the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth," Ms. Pan replied.
"Ms. Pan, you've spent two weeks with Darla in your home for girls. What do you have to say about her?" the judge asked.
"She's an animal, your honor. Very bad manners and attitude. She's spreading her ill manners and attitude to some of the other girls. She must be contained in an environment where she can learn to be a real lady," Ms. Pan said.
"Ms. Pan, have you ever thought that Bella's actions and emotions may have been triggered by the new environment?"
"Yes, but she was also at first struggling to eat and drink and we've had to pull her aside and force feed her," she said.
"Force feed? Or electrocute?" the judge asked before grabbing a photograph of the basement of the girl's home. 
"That's not my basement," Ms. Pan said briskly. 
"Ms. Jackson exchanged these with me after saying her piece and these pictures are quite new and could've only been taken in the last two weeks and Ms. Jackson has been staying with you the last two weeks. You are in illegal possession of an electric chair and that bathtub is filthy."
"You can't prove I used any of those things on her," Ms. Pan said. 
"So you don't deny having these monstrosities in your basement?" the judge asked. Ms. Pan fell silent. 
"On the back of these pictures are notes. The one of the electric chair says: This chair is used for girls with mental problems or who refuse to eat, drink, or sleep. It has not been used on me, however it was used on Moira Banks, who was killed after being electrocuted. Ms. Pan simply covered it up and claimed she was adopted and never said goodbye. And on the other note it says "On my first day, I was dragged to basement and bathes in this moldy and disgusting smelling tub. The water pressure hurt my back and the soap smelled awful. I was continued to be bathed down here until Ms. Kraut insisted otherwise."
Ms. Pan fell silent. 
"Ms. Pan, this evidence I have here does not seem fake or staged. I will send police to your home for girls for an investigation. Please be seated," the judge told her. Ms. Pan scoffed and took a seat.  "We will now have a ten minute recess to discuss the defendant's case," the judge said before hitting her gavel. 
The gang pat Darla's shoulders. Darla just wanted to be held by her boys. She had no idea what was going to happen next, but all she knew was that she wanted to go home." 
"Everything's gonna be okay, Darla," Ponyboy told Darla as he rubbed circles on her back as she cuddles up against Darry. 
"We'll just see about that, Greasers," came the voice of Daniel Chase. The gang looked up at the boy. 
"She belongs in jail just like the rest of you jailbirds do. Don't drop the soap in the showers," Daniel said with a smirk. Two-Bit went to charge at Daniel, but Sodapop held him back. 
"We're in a courthouse, Two-Bit. We can't beat his ass right now," said Soda. 
"Next time you talk to my Minnie Mouse, you'll get your teeth knocked in," Two-Bit threatened. 
"We'll see about that," said Daniel. 
"Daniel, knock it off," came Elaine's voice. Daniel glared at Darla and the others before backing off. Darla made eye contact with Elaine for first time in years and was surprised to see an apologetic look from her. Darla looked away, for she was not ready to forgive her she looked back and burried herself back in Darry's chest. 

Once the ten minutes were up, the judge came back with a file in her hands. Everyone was silent as they sat back down. 
"Defendant...not guilty."
Darla and the boys sighed. 
"At this time, Darrel Curtis will be given custody to Ms. Jackson as she may also have her name legally changed for protection as Smith Chase and Gertrude Pan are removed from this courtroom and given to authorities." 
Darla and the boys cheered as Ms. Pan and Mr. Chase exclaimed in protest. Authorities came through the doors and put the two of them in cuffs. Darla attacked her boys with hugs and hugged them tight. 
Once they were taken by authorities, they all stormed out of the courtroom to watch them be taken away in cop cars. The boys all one at a time hugged Darla tight, picked her up and spun her. 
"Great, now that that's taken care of, let's get me out of these damn clothes," Darla said. 
"Oh! Pony get the clothes from the truck," Darry told Ponyboy. 
Ponyboy ran to the truck and came back with a red flannel, jeans, and a white shoe and sock. 
Darla took the clothes and got changed in the restroom, throwing her uniform in the trash as she got back in her wheelchair. Darla was able to walk, in fact Two-Bit brought the crutches Darla left at his place and Darla had enough strength to use them. 
"Shall we go home?" Darry asked once Darla got back into her crutches.. 
"YES!" Darla exclaimed in relief and happiness. Once they were about to load up in Darry's van, the judge walked out with a certificate in her hand. 
"Mr. Curtis!" she called. Darry ran over to greet her. 
"Your honor, thank you so much for giving me custody for Darla. I'll take good care of her," he said. 
"Of course, Mr. Curtis. Here is the name changing certificate. Remember to turn it in this time," she said. Darry chuckled. 
"Yes, your honor," he took the certificate from her, thanked her one last time and got in the truck with the other boys. 
"Wanna stop by the Dingo for a coke to celebrate?" Darry asked. Everyone agreed and Darry drove off. 

*time skip*

After coming back from the Dingo, Darry led Darla into the house, followed by the others. Her eyes were covered by Sodapop as he led her into the house. 
"Guys, what's the big idea?" Darla asked as they led her through the house, into one of the bedrooms.
"Okay, Soda. She can look," Darry gave the confirmation. Sodapop uncovered Darla's eyes and what Darla saw, shocked her. 
Darry's old room was recreated, except it had more of a feminine touch. 
"Darry..." Darla trailed, for she was at a loss for words. 
"It's all yours doll. No more sleeping on the couch," Darry said with a smile. 
"What about your room?" Darla asked. 
"I'm crashing with Pony and Soda now. Ain't no biggie. We don't fight no more," Darry said.
"That's a lie," Pony said. 
"Okay, maybe we had a couple of disagreements," Darry said. 
"Understatement!" Pony yelled. 
"Guys," Darla said.
"Okay, maybe just a little fight,"
"No, we was all yelling and screaming," Pony pushed. 
"Guys!" Darla yelled. Darry and Ponyboy cocked their heads over at Darla.
"Will y'all stop fighting. What did you even fight about when I was gone?" Darla asked. 
"We was all yelling at each other cuz you were taken away. I blamed Darry, Darry blamed me, Soda stayed out of it, and Two-Bit and Steve were blaming each other for no damn reason," Ponyboy explained. 
"Well, no more of that. I'm home permanently, so no more fighting. From any of you. And I mean it. The minute there is a disagreement or even a little nag, y'all are gonna catch these hands," Darla threatened. 
"Yes ma'am, the boys said in unison. 
"Why don't you take a look around?" Darry suggested. Darla walked in and did so. The bed was a twin sized with white sheets and a black comforter. The closet was filled with her clothes. Usually she stored her clothes in the storage closet. There was also a bookshelf full of books she hasn't seen before. 
"Wow," Darla awed. 
"The bed was my idea, the closet was soda's and the bookshelf was Ponyboy's idea," Darry explained. 
"Thank you guys," Darla said as she gave her family a group hug. 
Darla was relieved and happy that she was finally home. The home where she belonged.