The Unexpected

Chapter 34

I hold Tyler's hand as we walk into the building. Matt and Marcia follow close behind holding Tyler's hand. When we get to the front desk I tell them my name. "I'm supposed to have an appointment with Janice Sullivan." I say. "I'm a little early."

The woman nods with a smile on her face. "It's no problem. Take a seat and help yourselves to refreshments. I'll let Janice know youre here."

"Thank you."

All of us take our seats and Alex walks over to me eyeing the cookies beside the coffee. "Can I have a cookie?" He whispers in my ear.

I smile. "Yes."

He grabs a cookie then sits on Matt's lap. When a woman who looks to be in her mid-thirties comes out, we all stand. "You must be Mia." She smiles, holding out her hand. "I am Janice."

I shake her hand. "It's nice to finally talk to you in person."

She sighs. "I know. I hate emailing and speaking over the phone. It's just not the same."

She looks at everyone around me expectantly. "Oh. This is my boyfriend Tyler, my friend Matt, his mother Marcia, and my son Alex."

She shakes everyone's hand then crouches to look at Alex. "You are one handsome little boy."

Alex grins. "Thank you."

"Did you get a cookie?" She asks. He nods. "Well you can have as many as you want."

He grins before running to the box and grabbing another one. She stands up and turns to me. "Are they coming or waiting out here?"

I glance at Marcia. "I'd like Marcia and Matt to go with me."

She nods. "Follow me."

I turn to Tyler. "I'm sorry but they were there."

He shakes his head. "Don't apologize. I completely understand. I'll watch Alex."

"Thanks babe."

I lean in and kiss him before following Janice into a conference room. Once everyone is in, she closes door. We all sit around one of the smaller tables and Janice opens a notebook and grabs her pen. "I am going to take notes for when you're up to testify but they're only for my eyes. You're going to be the one to tell the story."

I nod, swallowing audibly. Am I strong enough to stand in front of a room full of people - in front of Christian - and tell them what happened to me? Just the sight of Christian will break me.

"So start at the beginning and tell me everything that happened. It's important that you don't leave out any details. I need to know everything before I can put you before the judge." She says.

I look out the window as I remember the day that still haunts me. "It was a Saturday and he picked me up from my dorm room. He was driving his Corvette that day. We went to the cafe on campus called Nexus Cafe and talked over drinks." I say softly. "We went back to his place which wasn't unusual or anything. We'd usually lay on the couch together and watch movies. But he never even turned the TV on. We were making out and I told him that was as far as I wanted to go."

My voice cracks and Marcia squeezes my hand slightly. "It's okay, honey. You can do it."

I give her a sad smile before nodding. My eyes return to the window. "He was wearing a pair of faded jeans and a plain white t-shirt. I wore a navy blue halterneck dress." I explain, remembering it like it was yesterday. "I screamed for help and cried as I tried to get away but he held me there and he raped me." A tear escapes my eye and I quickly dash it away. "That's when Matt came in."

"A witness?" She says, leaning forward.

I nod towards Matt. "They were roommates at the time."

"This is great. Can you tell me what happened, Matt?"

Matt clears his throat. "When I got home, I opened the door and saw Christian on top of her. She was crying and he just laid on top of her. I yelled his name and he jumped up and pulled up his pants. I helped her get up and grabbed her purse. She told me not to take her to the hospital or police station. So instead, I took her to my mother. She is a therapist. I know she has dealt with others who have gone through this." He says. "Mia and I didn't really know each other so I didn't want to scare her. I thought it would be better for a woman to help her at the time. So my mother did."

Janice nods, writing something down. "What did you do for Mia, Marcia?"

"I ran her a bath and stayed with her the whole time. I washed her hair and helped her get dressed. She never stopped crying. So I put her in my bed and sang her a song as I rubbed her back. Eventually she fell asleep so I moved to the chair." Marcia says. "The next morning I made her breakfast and took it upstairs with some Tylenol and orange juice. I explained to her that I could help her and she could tell me anything. She wouldn't at first but I took her to my office and explained to her that I was here to listen and help, not to tell."

"Did you encourage her to go to the police?" Janice asks.

"Yes. Matt and I both did but we didn't want to scare her away." She continues. "We helped her get back on her feet and she eventually moved in with Matt."

"But weren't you afraid of being with a man? Especially one you hardly knew?" Janice asks me.

I shake my head. "Not Matt. He's different."

She eyes Matt carefully. "I'm gay." Matt clarifies.

She writes something and I sigh, looking down at my lap. "After a while, I found out I was pregnant. I was so scared at the time that I never thought about the possibility of being pregnant."

Janice's eyes widen. "Christian's? You had Christian's baby?"

Frowning, I nod. "Yeah. Alex. That's why I brought him. I figured you'd want a paternity test done."

Janice tosses the pen and paper on the table. "Honey, you're the reason why we're gonna win this case. I'll pay for all medical testing to be done but first I need to get the judge to allow Christian to get swabbed. I'll let you know as soon as possible. Until then, sit back and relax. Because in a few days, you're gonna have to testify."

"I don't want Alex to see Christian at all and I'd rather him not be in the court room. Does he have to be there?" I ask.

She shakes her head. "No. Just take a current picture of him for court. The paternity test will cover the rest."

She gives me all of her contact information before we leave. This is gonna be a stressful week.

*******************************

VOTE ★ COMMENT ★ FOLLOW

(Question: What is your favorite song?)