Jamie and Eddie: Best Friends Until the End

Chapter Ten: The Trial

Chapter Rated R/M for mature content. Mentions of r*pe, abuse, miscarriages, drug abuse etc during the court trial!
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Eddie had been home for about four and a half now. She started some counseling and went in once a week, and two weeks before the court date... she finally told Jamie what happened to her. Not everything but she tried to re-live the big things. Court was in two weeks so she wanted him to know before then. She couldn't bring to tell her Mom. Her Mom knew she was beaten, raped and starved but that was it. Eddie couldn't bare to give any details. It was too humiliating and painful.

        It was the morning of the court hearing when Jamie woke up first and took his shower. He let her sleep in until nine but they had to be there by eleven.
"Eddie" he said gently
"Eddie sweetheart" he said trying to waking her
"what time is it?" She asked rubbing her eyes
"it's nine. We need to leave in an hour and a half" Jamie said
"I'm gonna get started on breakfast. You gonna be okay?" he asked her
"I'll be down in a few minutes" she said
"okay" Jamie said
Eddie was nervous about facing her captor. The thought of seeing his face again ran a chill to her spine. She took a shower and as she wrapped her towel around her body she saw all the scars he had left on her. Most of the open wounds had healed by now and the bruises were gone. She dried her hair and picked out a navy blue button up blouse and black pants. She went downstairs to the smell of Jamie making pancakes and bacon
"you look nice" he said and she smiled
"you doing okay today?" he asked her
"I'm okay" she said
"I'm nervous but... okay" she said
"I'll be right there holding your hand" he said
They ate breakfast and said goodbye to Lena. They got there just in time and found their seats
"breath Eddie. Just try to breath" Jamie said as the courtroom started to fill
"Now I probably won't be able to go up with you but just keep your eyes on me" he said
She had been doing okay until they brought John in. He was in an orange suit and his arms and legs were handcuffed. He looked over at Eddie and a chill ran down her spine
"Jamie" she said
"you're okay. He can't hurt you" Jamie said squeezing her hand
"Jamie I can't. I can't do this" she said
"Eddie breath. Breath" Jamie said calmly

Once the judge arrived and everyone was seated it was time to start.
"court is ordered to begin at eleven AM sharp. All rise" the judge said
"now today we are here because John Ledger is accused of kidnapping young Edit Marie Janko and Mr. John Ledger who also has several drug charges on hand" the judge said
"Miss. Edit Janko, could you please rise and make your way to the front?" the judge said
"you've got this. Just keep looking at me" Jamie said as he squeezed her hand
"could you please say your full name for the court?" the judge asked
"Edit Marie Janko" Eddie said
"Now Miss. Janko, I know this may not be easy to talk about but could you take me back to that first Mr. Ledger supposedly kidnapped you?" she asked
"I know it's hard so take your time" she said
"it was a typical day. It was a week a way from my High School graduation. I was hanging out with my best friend Jamie... we had just finished an evening out and he was dropping me off back at home. He usually walked me upstairs to my apartment but it was later that night and I figured my Mom was gonna be asleep anyway so he just walked me into the lobby and asked me to text him when I made it up. I went to the elevator and almost opened it when a man grabbed me. At first I thought it was my friend playing a joke on me but the man grabbed my waist and he covered my mouth and told me to be quiet. He said he knew I was Armin Janko's daughter. My Dad had just been arrested so he had a lot of enemies. He told me to be quiet and walk through the lobby without screaming or he'd kill me. I just nodded my head yes and my heart was beating a million miles a minute. He shoved me into his car, I began kicking, screaming" Eddie stopped- and took a deep breath
"I tried to open the window and was gonna jump out of a moving car, but he smashed my hand in the window and locked it. I tried to text my friend Jamie but he slammed on the breaks, smacked me pretty hard and then took my phone and threw it out the window. We stopped once along side the road to go to the restroom... he held a gun to my head so I wouldn't run off" she said
"can you explain when the first night was he assaulted you?" the Judge asked
"the first night" she said taking a deep breath
"he threw me into this tiny garden shed. He yelled at me to take my clothes off. I was crying and screaming and begging to go home" Eddie said
"when I did't listen he picked me up off the floor and threw me onto this little bed which was a mattress and shallow bed frame. I'm pretty sure he gave me a concussion from how hard I hit my head on the wall. He got on top of me and, he used a knife to cut away my clothes. I tried to cover my exposed body but he tied my arms behind my back with his belt" she said
Eddie took a drink of water and took another deep breath and Jamie felt sick as he listened to her talk
"I tried to kick him but he tied my legs to the bed frame with two metal chains, so I was completely bound... I couldn't move. He forced my legs apart to touch me. He touched me many times" she said
"he took his pants and underwear off, and he... he did it" she said
"I was screaming because it hurt, I begged him to stop but he laughed and smacked me and told me to stop crying" she said
"how long did the first assault last?" The Judge asked
"I don't know. It felt like hours. It might've been shorter though... My body was on fire, and I was bleeding everywhere. He was so rough. He... he touched my breasts too and pinched my nipples, and it hurt" she said sort of embarrassed
"when he was done, he took his belt back and unchained one of my legs... he left the other one chained to the bed. He left the chain on me for maybe six months. I still have the scar from where it dug into my leg" she said
"later that night I was still covered in blood. I asked him if I could take a shower and he made me clean myself with his garden hose. The water was freezing. I asked for some clothes and a blanket and he said I hadn't earned those things yet" she said
"how often did he assault you, Miss. Janko?" the judge asked
"He checked on me a couple times a day... sometimes two or three, the most was five to six. Every time he saw me, he... he... raped me. Some times were worse then others. If the times were close together, sometimes the next time would hurt even more. If I ever screamed or cried, or begged him to stop- he would hit me and laugh and tell me to stop crying. Eventually I stopped crying. Maybe after the first month or two" Eddie said
"it still hurt. I was screaming inside. I tried to close my eyes and think of my old life, take my mind somewhere else. I tried to block out the pain" she said
         Jamie was silently crying as he listened to Eddie talk. His heart shattered for her.
"now in your statement it says you miss carried? Do you know how many times?" The Judge asked
"no. I tried to track how many times I thought I was pregnant though in my journal. It was more then twenty times for sure" Eddie said
"the worst one was when I tried to hide the pregnancy. I was maybe four or five months. He came in one day and was taking my clothes off when he noticed it. I tried to lie. He screamed at me and hit me and kept asking me until I finally said yes. He beat me so bad... he threw me across the room, he kicked me. I'm sure he broke every rib in my body" she said
"I passed out from the pain. I woke up the next day, I was naked... my shirt was somewhere thrown across the room. I guess he had raped me after he beat me. I was bleeding, and I.... I delivered the baby alone" she said
"I was so scared, I had no idea what I was doing. I knew I had miscarried. He was still born. He was so tiny, I wrapped him in a towel. I held him and cried" Eddie said
"that night the man came back and I asked him to bury him, I guess he did... I don't know" Eddie said
"Did you ever know why Mr. Ledger held you captive for so long?" The Judge asked
"I didn't know at the time. I just knew it had to do with my Dad. After I was rescued, my friend Jamie was the one who saved me. He was a police officer. He told me" Eddie said
"he said the man wanted me to suffer the way his family did after my Dad scammed him out of all his families savings and how the man's wife left him. He wanted me and my family to suffer too" Eddie said
"was your father aware of this?" The Judge asked
"no. I recently visited him and he had no idea" Eddie said
"my family hasn't had any contact with him since the arrest" Eddie said
"my Dad will have to live with what he's done. He tore my family apart. He ruined and stole almost three years of my life. Time I'll never get back, wounds that'll never truly heal" Eddie said
"every day while my Dad's rotting in his cell... he can picture me being tortured, starved and raped. I guess if Mr. Ledger wanted my family to suffer... he succeeded" Eddie said
"I know I'll never be the same again, but I'm trying to be stronger every day. I want to live my life again. I want to be happy, and get married and have my own family" Eddie said
"thank you Miss Janko. You are very brave to share your story. You may take a seat now" the judge said
        Eddie went back to sit next to Jamie, and Jamie smiled and squeezed her hand
"I'm proud of you" he said and she sort of smiled
"we're going to take a short break, and when we get back we will review Mr. Ledger's charges and have the verdict of this case" the judge said

They stepped outside for some fresh air. Jamie went to the vending machine and he got them each a candy bar and bag of chips to eat while they were outside. Jamie texted Lena because he promised to keep her updated
Jamie: Eddie did good!! She spoke already during the trial. We are on a short break. The Judge announces the sentencing when we go back into the room.
Lena: good. Tell her I'm proud of her!! See you guys soon
"how are you doing?" Jamie asked her
"okay" Eddie said
"it wasn't as scary as I thought it'd be" she said
"seeing Mr. Ledger in chains, it was a weird feeling but sort of good. If that makes sense" she
said
"I told you, he can't hurt you anymore. Ever" Jamie said

       They sat on the bench outside for about half an hour until it was  time to go back inside. Eddie was quiet but Jamie didn't push her to talk since he knew today was hard enough. They all went back into the courtroom and Eddie squeezed his hand tighter when she saw John enter the room
"all rise in the court" the Judge said
"now today we are here discussing the trial Edit Janko VS John Ledger. Mr. Ledger I am now sentencing you to fifty years in prison. No possibility of parole until you serve your fifty years. I am charging you with drug laundering, drug possession, kidnapping and assault" she said
Eddie took a sigh of relief. It wasn't life in prison like she had hoped, but he would at least likely die in prison. Jamie felt her relax some after he was sentenced. Finally after a long morning, court was over. On the way home they grabbed some lunch
"I'm so proud of you" Jamie said
"thank you, for everything" she said
"I don't know where I'd be without you" she said as she hugged Jamie
"I love you... you know that" Jamie said
"I just wish that I could take away all your pain. I hate that you had to go through what you did" Jamie said
"I'm gonna be okay Jamie. I know some days it doesn't seem like it but I have you and my Mom. Maybe this next week, you could actually come with me to counseling? Not just sit in the car?" she asked
"yea whatever you want me to do" Jamie said

Another week after the trial, Jamie had gone to counseling with Eddie. It was a hard but good session. There were lots of emotions. That Sunday she had agreed to go back to Reagan family dinner. It would be her first dinner back in two and a half years. She used to go every other Sunday before she had been kidnapped. Jamie was late because at first she had changed her mind about three times. Finally, she decided to go
"hey guys sorry I'm late" Jamie said
"finally. You know you could send a text or something" Danny said
"sorry" Jamie said
Before Jamie sat down, he moved his placemat over and grabbed another chair
"whose joining you?" Danny asked
Jamie went around the corner into the living room and took Eddie's hand as they walked into the dinning room
"oh my god! Eddie!" Erin said
"hey guys" she said trying to smile
"Why hello Eddie" Frank said
"I... I hope it's okay if I join. Jamie said he wanted me to come back, like before" she said
"of course it's okay. We've missed your beautiful smile so much" Henry said
"welcome back Eddie, we all missed you!" Sean said
They finally sat down. Eddie felt nervous but she was okay. All of the food looked amazing. They all held hands and began to pray
"Dear Lord, thank you for this beautiful meal. Thank you for bringing our beautiful friend Eddie, back to us. Thank you for blessing us every Sunday with these family dinner gatherings. Amen" Frank said
"Amen" they all said
"well Eddie since you're the guest we'll let you get the first serving!" Frank said
Eddie grabbed some food, and Jamie helped her. She was finally getting her appetite back and gaining some weight. Once everyone was served they began eating. Eddie felt good to be back at the table. It felt like home.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

hey guys-- sorry this update took a little while! Hope everyone had a good Christmas/holiday
🎄🎅🏻❄️ (if you celebrate it)

Please remember to like/vote and comment. No silent readers please. Any reviews are welcome and appreciated 💜💜

*Also, I am aware courts/trials may not go exactly like this. I tried watching to some real ones so I based them off those (Larry Nassar case, where all the woman spoke. Plus the Cleveland kidnapping case etc).