Captive

Chapter Thirty Seven

A chill had entered the air, making it nip round her face and her hands which were bare as she emerged from the courthouse, pulling the black jacket around herself a little tighter though it gave little protection against the evening breeze. It had been warm and sunny when she arrived earlier but by nightfall with the sun gone it was distinctly cooler. At her side, her head held high and dressed in her camel coat looking like she's stepped out onto a catwalk rather than a grey pavement was her mother, her hair blowing fetchingly about her face as she raised a hand to brush it back, somehow managing to make the action look glamorous. Juliet saw the journalists and photographers approaching and felt her mother slip an arm through hers protectively. The case had garnered a lot of interest given Edward's minor celebrity status on television and the fact that both women involved were best selling authors, particularly Rachel. Glancing at her mother Juliet saw a look of steely determination on her face. They had no intention of speaking to the press; their lawyer had prepared a statement which she would give and as she appeared behind them Juliet and Rachel moved to stand to the side of her as she spoke in a confident and clear voice. Her words washed over Juliet like a balm; guilty on all counts, other witnesses had been called in, prison sentences handed down, relief, a chance to move on, a victory for all women...

It didn't feel like a victory. She had expected to feel the relief that her lawyer described, to feel a sense of that victory so poignantly described but instead she felt numb, her heart an aching chasm inside of her chest. It seemed to ache all the time right now, throbbing against the walls of her chest like a dead weight sometimes and at other times making her feel as if it was gone, leaving her with an empty hole. Even now her hand strayed there and an odd sensation went up and down her arm like pins and needles. She shifted uncomfortably, wanting to be away from the small crowd gathered, to be sat in the privacy of their car where she could take her medication and relieve the pain a little that was gathering. Black dots kept clouding her vision and Juliet blinked hard. Her legs felt very heavy suddenly and she shifted again.

"Darling are you alright?" Her mother's voice close to her ear sounded echoey and she wanted to turn her head to face her but it was like she had lost all control of her body. The legs that had felt heavy suddenly felt too light to hold her weight, started to shake beneath her and then the ground seemed to tip towards her. She heard her mother give a sharp cry, felt her try to catch her but then she pitched forwards, agony gripping her heart in a fist like clench that made her gasp. The last thing she heard was voices asking if she was ok and the thought entered her head that she was not ok, she was most definitely not ok and this might be the last thing she ever heard. At least she had lived long enough to see justice served, her scattered thoughts reflected, but she wished she'd been able to see Bret just one last time. Her lips parted and unconsciously she said his name out loud just before she lost consciousness completely.

***

"Bret! Bret!" Davey rushed into the locker room where Bret was changing out of his wrestling gear and back into his jeans and T-shirt. Hearing the urgency in his friend's voice Bret looked up alarmed.

"Is it Dad?" he asked and Davey shook his head, but Bret could see the expression of grief on his face. With a jolt his thoughts went to Juliet. He knew today had been the final day of the trial, the day of the verdict. "Did they get off? Did those fuckers get away with it again?"

"No Bret it's nothing like that. They've been sent down both of them. It's Juliet..." Davey broke off and swallowed hard. "Owen took the call, it came through to the office because they couldn't get hold of you on your phone, must have had it switched off...."

"Battery was dead. I left it plugged in at home," Bret said and Davey rushed on.

"Owen is making the arrangements to get you to the UK on the first available flight. You need to get home, pack your bags and Owen will be in touch with your flight details. I'm going to come with you."