We Know What You Did

15: Road Trip

Chelsea sat in Olivia's office with Sonny, Rafael, and Olivia. Rafael had just informed her that Tyler pled not guilty.
"He's lying." Chelsea looked at them. "He had to know what he was doing. Right?"
"We think so" Rafael told her. "That's why I'm going to work with everything we have to convince a jury he's guilty."
"Is there anything else we can do?" Sonny asked. He was nervous that their case wasn't strong enough and that Tyler and his lawyer were going to be able to win over the jury.
"Can we establish a pattern of behavior?" Rafael asked. "Other than Chelsea's testimony?" Olivia shook her head.
"We have to!" Chelsea blurted out. "He did this to mom!" Chelsea anxiously bit her lip and looked at the adults in the room who were now staring at her.
"Chels, we don't have proof of-" Sonny began.
"What do you need? I mean he abused her for years. There has to be something that proves that, right?" Chelsea asked desperately.
"She does have a point" Olivia said. "Carisi, go with Chelsea back to Syracuse and see if there is anything in that house we can use to establish a pattern of behavior. Take Rollins." Sonny nodded and left the office, followed by Chelsea.
———
Chelsea was quiet for much of the car ride despite Sonny's and Amanda's best efforts to engage her in conversation.
A little over half way into the ride, Sonny suggested they stop and get food. It was just after 2:00 and none of them had eaten since breakfast. "What are you in the mood for, Chels?" Sonny glanced in the rear view mirror to look at her.
Chelsea shrugged. "Nothing. I'm not hungry." Sonny sighed. Since the rape, Chelsea had barely eaten more than a few bites of food each day.
"Kiddo, you've gotta eat. You haven't had a full meal in days." Sonny told her.
Chelsea shook her head. "I'm really not hungry, Uncle Sonny."
Sonny was trying to be understanding and patient but he was also concerned for her well-being. "I don't care how hungry you are. You have to eat." Sonny snapped. He took a deep breath before continuing. "So where would you like to stop?" Chelsea didn't respond. "Chelsea?" Sonny asked after a few seconds. Chelsea folded her arms and didn't speak.
Sonny rolled his eyes. "Amanda, where should we stop?"
"Uh, I think I saw a sign for a diner coming up, is that good?" Amanda turned around to look at Chelsea, waiting for the girl to react. Chelsea glared at her for a moment before giving a slight nod.
"Diner it is" Sonny agreed.

After a staring contest between the two, Chelsea finally gave into Sonny's request that she eat something. She nibbled at the grilled cheese before putting it down on the plate.
Before Sonny had the chance to comment, Amanda spoke up. She didn't want Sonny to scold her, knowing that it would only make Chelsea less likely to eat. "Are you excited to go home?" Amanda asked. Chelsea shrugged. "I bet it'll be nice to be in your own bed again, even if it's just for a night."
"I guess" Chelsea sighed. "But the point of going there is to go through my mom's things and it's just gonna make me sad." She picked up her sandwich and took another bite, much to Sonny's relief.
"You don't have to go through anything you don't want to" Amanda told her.
Chelsea nodded. "I know. I do want to help you guys. I just really miss my mom." Chelsea closed her eyes and took a deep breath to compose herself. "I'm going to go to the bathroom." She got up from the table.
"Geez," Sonny began. "I know this is hard for her but she's never shut me out. After Renee died, I was the only person she would talk to. Now she's barely said anything."
"Look, Sonny, this is different. I don't need to tell you that. What Chelsea went through..." Amanda trailed off. "Losing Renee was something you both were struggling with. Chelsea probably feels alone."
Sonny sighed. "I wish she'd see she's not." Chelsea returned shortly and soon thereafter, the trio was back on the road.
———
They arrived at Chelsea's house a little before 5:00 in the evening. Sonny unlocked the door and he and Amanda went inside. Chelsea stood frozen in the doorway. "You coming?" Sonny asked. Chelsea slowly nodded before taking a step into the house. She took a deep breath and looked around. Between the memories of her mom and recent abuse by her dad, she was overwhelmed with emotions.
"Can I go to my room?" Chelsea's voice shook.
"Of course, babe" Sonny answered. "Whatever you want to do. Your mom's boxes in the attic?" Chelsea nodded before heading upstairs. She ran into her room and shut the door behind her. She looked around her room. There was a picture by her bed of her, Renee, and Tyler. They looked so happy. It made Chelsea sick. She picked up the picture and threw it against the wall. A few seconds later, Amanda and Sonny came rushing into the room as they had heard the crash.
"What happened?" Sonny asked. Chelsea stood, staring at the broken picture with her hands clenched by her side. "Chels, you okay?"
"I hate him so much" She said through clenched teeth. "They pretended everything was fine. But it wasn't." Chelsea took short, deep breaths. "It wasn't fine!" She growled, on the verge of tears.
"It's okay now, Seabug. I won't let him hurt you. It'll be okay" Sonny tried to calm her down.
Chelsea shook her head. "No it won't. It will never be okay. I'll always be the girl who lost her mom and was raped by her dad. That's just... not okay." Chelsea sounded defeated and began to cry. "I just want to be alone" she turned to look at Sonny and Amanda. Sonny nodded although he really didn't want to leave her. He and Amanda left the room and closed the door behind them.
"You okay?" Amanda asked her friend.
"I will be once we put away this son of a bitch." Sonny stormed off to try and find evidence.