Healing

Chapter 18

A week had gone by and Audrey was in a mid-knee dark green dress getting ready for court. She curled her hair and put on stud earrings. Spencer knocked on the door before he entered the room. Audrey was now looking at her belly in the mirror, holding her stomach with both her hands.

"Nobody will be able to tell, Aud." He told her, "you're only a few weeks."

"I just don't want him to know because he might come after me." She spoke.

"He won't." Spencer replied, "he'll too busy trying to escape the death penalty conviction."

They got in the car and made their way to the courthouse. When they got there, Audrey was immediately protected by the team from the news people.

"Audrey what are your plans for testifying against Austin Waters?"
"Audrey how long were you held in Austin's power?"
"Do you have any hopes that he will get the death penalty?"

"Ms Reid will not be answering any questions!" Morgan yelled as he was the leader of the team protecting Audrey.

They entered the courtroom and sat down in the front behind Audrey's lawyer. Audrey held pressure to her sore wrists. Spencer held her right hand and Morgan held her left hand for support. The doors opened and Austin was being escorted in by officers while in cuffs. He was smirking at Audrey.

She kept her head down and squeezed Spencer and Morgan's hands. The team glared back at him, giving the impression that she wasn't alone. The judge sat at the front.

"Order in the court!" He spoke, "The Reid vs Waters trial has began. Ms Reid, what is your lawyer's opening statement?"

Her lawyer, Ms MayFlower, stood up, "your honor, ladies and gentlemen of the jury, my client was abducted by Mr Waters and held captive for 12 hours. And within those 12 hours, he beat her, strangled her, cut her, overdosed her on pills, restrained her, and raped her. He restrained her with bob-wire on her wrists and ankles so she couldn't escape. She has painful lacerations on her wrists and ankles. He beat her with a baseball bat in the head multiple times, luckily only giving her a concussion. She did escape from the restraints a few times, but Mr Waters threw her down the stairs, causing many bruises and cuts on her skin. He forced her to overdose on sleep meds, so he could whatever he wanted while she was unresponsive. But he made sure she was awake when he raped her at gunpoint, pressing the gun against her head and slightly pulling the trigger if she even made a peep. Before fleeing the scene, he knocked her out by hitting her in the head with the baseball bat again. As you see, my client is terrified and Mr Waters. Mr Waters deserves to never see the light of day again."

Hearing her lawyer, it took all of Spencer's strength not to jump up and beat the shit out of Austin.

"Mr Waters, what does your lawyer have to say?" The judge asked.

His lawyer stood up, "your honor, my client admits to these.....accusations. But he did it out of self defense from Ms Reid's threat."

"Objection, your honor!" Md MayFlower spoke.

You've got to be fucking kidding me! Spencer screamed in his head.

"Let's get Mr Waters on the stand." The judge spoke.

Austin, still in handcuffs, stepped onto the stand, "Ms Reid had threaten that she would send the FBI after me for no reason, so I gave her a reason to do so."

"Objection!" Ms MayFlower yelled, "I call Ms Reid to the stand!"

Audrey silently gulped, but Spencer rubbed her back before she went to the stand.

"Ms Reid, why caused Mr Waters to do this?" Her lawyer asked.

"I was at a bowling alley with my brother. Mr Waters complimented on my top and tried to lure me to his place for Netflix and hot chocolate. But I politely declined, he still pressured me into coming with him. My brother stepped in and got me away from him. He was so hurt by rejection, that he abducted me from inside my home! On the way to school! He kept telling me.....

"You're going to regret everything you did to me." He growled.

"I told you." He smirked, "I told that I would break you, scar you, and ruin you. And I did."

All I did was reject him!" Audrey spoke, "and it ended me with this!"

She showed her lacerations and bad bruising and cuts, causing the jury to gasp.

The judge shuffled some papers, "let's call Dr Reid to the stand."

Spencer got on the stand and Austin's lawyer stood in front of him, "Dr Reid, you are Audrey's older brother, correct?"

"Yes." He answered.

"And you work for the FBI as a profiler, correct?" He asked.

"Yes." He responded.

"So by remembering the last person she was in contact with besides you, your clues lead you straight to Mr Waters, why?" He asked.

"Audrey doesn't really go out much. The one night that we did, was her idea for us to have fun. He was the only one that approached her that night and if I didn't interfere for what could've been a serial killer, she could've been taken and killed. But I was lucky to find her BARLY ALIVE when we found her. His DNA was on that rape kit results. He did this out of revenge; revenge on me for not letting him go through with his original plan and revenge on my little sister for rejecting him that night. Audrey is 17 years old. A CHILD who was almost about to graduate high school and start her own path of life. But now she has PTSD and is TERRIFIED of going anywhere because of people like YOU." Spencer pointed his finger at Austin, "you had this planned out all along so you felt power over anyone who rejected you. You even beat your ex girlfriend to the point where she was wheelchair bond for the rest of her life. Your voice is stuck in my little sister's head. Because of all the pain you caused. She will NEVER be the same. She was on the phone with me just getting in her car. You were ALREADY IN THE HOUSE. You kidnapped her as soon as our phone call ended so nothing was suspicious to me. I cannot even IMAGINE what you did to her. You put her through HELL. And as long as you are walking on the streets free, she will NEVER feel safe!"

"Order!" The judge spoke, "thank you Dr Reid. I am truly sorry for the pain that was caused for your family and your team. I have made my decision. Austin Waters, you are guilty of kidnap, rape, domestic violence, procession of dangerous weapons, and invasion of entering a home. I hereby sentence you to solitary confinement for the rest of your life."

"Is there no plea deal, your hon-"

"No, Waters is guilty of everything and I can see the pain in Ms Reid's eyes. Case dismissed!" The judge spoke.

The guards stood up with Austin between them. Austin only smirked at Audrey. The team glared at him as he was taken away. Everyone exited the court and everyone went to Spencer's house.

"How the hell did he not get the death penalty!" Spencer screamed.

"They made it illegal in our state a few weeks ago." Garcia spoke.

"That's so stupid!" He yelled.

"Solitary confinement is almost as bad as the death penalty. He has little to no sunlight and absolutely no contact with anyone." Rossi spoke.

JJ hugged Audrey for comfort. JJ, Garcia, and Emily took Audrey to her room to escape Spencer's rage. Audrey sat down.

"How do you feel after the trial?" Emily asked.

"If solitary confinement is as bad as death as Rossi says it is, then I'm happy. If that's all he can get if the death penalty is illegal, then so be it. I was just me and the baby to be safe." She answered.

"When is your first ultrasound?" JJ asked.

"Next week." Audrey answered.

"Oh how exciting." Garcia smiled.

"Are you going alone or do you want Spence to go with you?" Emily asked.

"I figured I'd go alone since he might get adored out by that kind of stuff. He's a guy after all." She answered.

"Oh hunny, your brother's delivered a baby before nothing could gross him out." Garcia spoke.

"He has?"

"On one of our cases the mistress was going into labor and he had taken some classes in case I went into labor on the field." JJ answered, "he's a smart man. I'm sure he wants to be apart of all of this."

Audrey sighed as she held her tummy, "okay."