In The Closet

Chapter 15

The judge had his mother up on the witness stand to answer questions from her own lawyer. "So tell us about your relationship with Daniel" Dean asked.

"We'll it definitely hasn't been easy of course, being a parent and having a teenager and having to do it on your own, but we got by, we survived."

"So what happened that night where Danny says you hit him" dean asked.

"I never hit him, I would have never laid a hand on my child."

"Why do you think Danny lied?" Dean asked.

"He's always been what I would call a rebel, I think he always acted out for attention, he always hung out with a bad crowd and that peer pressure of acting like that can be strong, I of course never liked his behavior and would try to get him to stop but he never did, so he ran away."

Danny looked at her as she was pulling lies out of thin air, she never even stuttered, she must have practiced her lines a lot. He looked over at the jury as they listened. We're they believing her? He hoped not.

"Did you try to get him to come home?" Dean asked.

"Of course! All I wanted was my baby to come home, he's my only child, but I didn't know where he was staying and even if I got him to come home he would probably run away again, he never listened and I wish he did." Danny had tears in his eyes hearing those words come out of her mouth. It hurt him so much, she was lying and the fact that she was calling him her baby and that she wanted him with her, he wished more than anything that it was true, but it wasn't.

"Thank you Ruth." Dean went back to his table and sat down. Peter stood up from the table and stood in front of her.

"So you say that it wasn't easy your relationship with Daniel?" Peter asked.

"Yes that's correct."

"Why do you say that?".

"Like I said he was always acting out, hanging out with the wrong crowd, back talking, you know how teenagers are."

"And that made you angry? That he didn't fit into your standards?".

"Well I feel like standards is the wrong term, but yes it was frustrating his behavior".

"So you were frustrated with him so you thought hitting him would knock some sense into him?" Peter asked.

"Objection! Your honor the defense has already told us she never hit him" Dean interjected.

"Your honor its important I ask these questions so we can put into account everything that has happened."

"The defense will answer." The judge decided.

"I would never lay a hand on him."

"Never pushed him? Grabbed his wrist? Slapped him?" Peter asked.

"Never".

"I'd like to show picture number 3 as evidence your honor." Peter then shows the picture in front of the jury and everyone who has seated in court. Its a picture of Danny a few days after the incident took place. It showed his cheek cut and bruised and a bruise by his eye. "So please explain to the court how Daniel got these bruises after he 'ran away' like you said".

Ruth fixed her position in her seat, it was clear to Danny and his lawyer that she was getting nervous being shown the picture. "I don't know how that happened."

"So you didn't hit him? When he 'ran away' as you said did he have this bruise?".

"Um.. No.. Not that I recall."

"A loving mother cant remember if her son had a bruise on his face?".

"Objection!" Dean interjected.

"Withdrawn." Peter responded.

"So if you didn't hit him or he possibly didn't have the bruise what do you think happened?" Peter asked.

"I'm not sure, maybe during his football game, or got into a fight at school?" She shrugged.

"A fight? Did he get into those a lot?" Peter asked.

"Yes he did."

"Your honor I'd like to show picture number 4". Peter changed the picture for the court. "I dont think he got into fights." Peter placed the picture in front of her. "Describe what you see please."

Ruth held the picture in her hands and cleared her throat. "Its Daniels school records."

"Yes and please read the highlighted portion."

"It shows that Daniel got into one fight."

"One fight which happened not that long ago, so you say Daniel got into a lot of fights you made that up correct? To make him into a bad kid but the truth is he isn't correct?"

Ruth started to get very nervous. "I.. well.."

"You know he didn't run away, you kicked your own son out and hit him more than once! Isn't that correct!" Peter spoke sternly to make her more scared.

"No.. no I didn't.. I.." She continued to get nervous. Danny watched her getting nervous, he never saw her like that which honestly made him feel calm. In this moment he wasn't scared of her, she was feeling how she made him feel, scared.

"No more questions for the defense your honor." Peter sat down at his seat.

"Defense may be seated, plaintiff may now approach the witness stand." Danny looks over at Taylor and he nods letting him know that he's got this without saying it, he didn't need to. Danny then looked on the other side of him to Taylors parents, Rose hugged him and Danny gave them a small smile and stood up from his seat and walked towards the witness stand, passing his mother which made his whole body tense up, he then took his seat.