Come Back With Me

Do You Concur?

"The persecution calls Elizabeth Grace Rogers to the stand," her lawyer says.

She walks over to the stand and the bailiff has her place her hand on the Bible.

"Do you swear to tell the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth; so help you God?" The bailiff asks.

"I do," Lizzie says.

She sits down and nervously runs her sweaty palms on her dress.

"Miss. Rogers, can you explain the incident that occurred to you on November 15th?" The lawyer asks.

"My brother Steve was sick so I left early to walk to school," Lizzie says.

"And why did you leave so early?" The lawyer asks.

Elizabeth sighs deeply with her eyes closed. She really doesn't want to tell this story. Steve and Bucky don't even know the full story and she really doesn't want to tell them in front of a judge and jury.

"Throughout the years I was picked on by the defendant. When we were younger, it was just name calling with the occasional hair pulling. It was hurtful but manageable. It wasn't until later that he began to become more physical. He started to push me to the ground a lot and kick me. Then it turned into punches, never on the face but on areas that were usually covered. He only ever bothered me on days when Steve would be at home sick," Lizzie says.

She is trying to hold back tears so she can continue.

"James walks past my house to walk to school so he must have seen me leave home. I decided to walk the long way to school past all the factories just to be extra sure I wouldn't run into the defendant. I wasn't paying a lot of attention and before I knew it, I was being pulled between two buildings. James Royce was the one who grabbed me. He began to punch me in the stomach. I tried to fight back and managed to punch him and scratch his neck. He slapped me and grabbed me by my throat. He slammed me against the wall and I hit my head hard and passed out. The next thing I remember is Mr. Barnes putting his jacket around me and hearing sirens in the distance," Elizabeth concludes.

The lawyer gives her a sad nod.

"Thank you Elizabeth. No further questions your honor," Lizzie's lawyer says.

Lizzie looks at the gallery and makes eye contact with Bucky and he gives her a sad smile. She then looks at Steve and he mouths "I'm here". She loves them so much in that moment.

"Would the defense like to cross examine the witness?" The judge asks.

"We would," the lawyer says.

Her lawyer warned her that the defense would try to question her memory of the events.

"Miss Rogers, would you explain the extent of your injuries?" The lawyer asks.

She gives a rundown of her injuries.

"We have the report from your doctor that claims that is truly extraordinary that you survived your head wound. Would it be fair to assume that a head injury of that caliber could lead you to... misinterpret the events," the lawyer states.

The lawyer is looking at her like a she's a confused little girl. She hates that look so much that anger rapidly replaces her nervousness. She's going to make him regret treating her like a little girl.

"Fantastic, so you have read the doctor's report. As you must be aware, the doctors checked my memory the moment I woke up. I was able to not only retain all of my memories but also all of my cognitive abilities. I have an incredible memory councilor. The first thing I recalled when I awoke was a direct quote from The Great Gatsby. I was also able to immediately continue my class work with no need for relearning as I'm sure my teachers can confirm. I believe that if I can complete advanced algebra without missing a beat and have no lapse in memory recall, it seems logical to conclude that I am incredibly likely to remember the events that led to my debilitation. Do you concur with my analysis councilor?" Lizzie asks condescendingly.