Through Pain We Survive

Chapter 94

***TRIGGER WARNING- Violence mentions***

"We will take a short 10 minute recess," Judge Johnston stated. Cat, Gwen, Dove, and Mira Lynne all went down the hallway into a private room.

"Cat? Are you okay?" Mira Lynne asked, seeing Cat shaking.

"She... She knew..." Cat put her hand over her mouth, choking back tears.

"I know, hun. But you knew Damien would play dirty," Mira Lynne tried comforting Cat.

"I'd expect this out of Damien! But his attorney?!"

"His attorney is an extension of him. Some attorneys play dirty and try to take the witness by surprise. You handled it very well up there from what I've seen before," Dove commended Cat.

"I'm glad I played it off. I was so shocked I couldn't breathe." She was shaking her hands, trying to get the nerves out.

"Cat, can we get you anything? A water or something?" Gwen wanted to try to be helpful.

"A water would be great, actually. Thank you so much." Cat turned to Dove. "I'm not being called back to the stand any time soon, am I?"

"No, you're fine for now," Dove reassured her. Gwen handed Cat the water bottle.

"Okay, so who is next on the stand?"

"Well, they will call Damien to the stand." Dove looked squarely to Cat. "Will you be okay in there? He will most likely try to twist everything around to blame you."

"I... I know. But I need to be in there. I need to show him and his attorney that I'm going to be strong no matter how much they twist it." Cat went up to Dove and held her hands. "I trust you will reveal the truth. I wouldn't have this case taken by anyone else."

"Thank you for the confidence. He won't be able to twist everything. He did shoot Sara, she'll testify to that, and you weren't there to have him manipulate that. Gwen had attested that he shot AJ, so it's basically their word against his- but with him bragging the way he did, he's going down." Dove smiled to Cat.

"I just... I need to prepare myself for whatever tale Damien will spin."

"Well, what else could he spin? He's already tried putting this all on you," Gwen pointed out.

"I don't know. He's unpredictable. He could spin something that I entirely forgot about, or something I did in his class one day," Cat sighed.

"Is there anything else you can think of that you could use against him if needed?" Dove asked.

"Not that I can think of." Cat shook her head.

"That's probably for the best. We don't need to stoop to his level," Gwen said.

"That's where he and I are different. Similar upbringings, very different lives now."

"Cat, you are very different. So different, in fact that he is on trial for attempted murder, and you are innocent and free." Mira Lynne tried cheering Cat up.

Cat smiled, moved over, and took her hand. "Thanks, hun..." She murmured. "I haven't called you "hun" in a while, huh?"

Mira Lynne smiled back. "It has been a while. I'm glad to hear you saying it again."

"Now, we still have a little bit of time," Dove said, looking at her watch. "Is there anything else we need to cover?"

Cat looked at Mira Lynne, then back at Dove. "I think we're good. Dove? Gwen?"

"I'm good," Gwen said.

"As am I," Dove agreed. "Let's head back to the courtroom and win this thing!"