Wildflowers and Redneck Boyz (ON HOLD)

Chapter 23: Reaching the Verdict

DAVIDSON COUNTY COURTHOUSE

NASHVILLE, TENNESSEE

RYLAN'S POV

Today was the day. We were all heading to court to see what would happen to Bradley for what he's done to all of us for the past three years, but mainly to myself and Wyatt. My parents, all of WARB and our siblings, Hunter's band, Dann, Betsy, and Hunter were all sitting on the defendents side with our lawyers, while Wyatt's parents and a bunch of other country musicians were sitting in the section behind us. There were a few of Bradley's friends and family members that showed up, but we had to move to a bigger court room just to fit everyone that came to support what happened to us... and a couple paparazzi trying to film the action.

They were eventually kicked out by our security guards before the session even started, though.

A few minutes later, Judge Cheryl Blackburn walked in with the members of today's jury and a couple police officers both up near her desk and back at the enterance doors so none of the paparazzi could get in. When everyone was seated Ms. Blackburn called the session to order and seated herself. WARB's and Hunter's attornies gave good statements, along with Bradley's attorney. Eventually, our attorney had called each of us individually up to the stand to give our testimonies on the situation. As planned, Destini, Andy, Em, Tristen, my parents, and Hunter went before Wyatt and I. I was called up after Hunter was done giving his testimony, gave my oath to tell the truth, and seated myself. Then, the questioning began.

"So, Rylan," my attorney asked, "when did this all start, between you and Bradley?"

"We started dating four years ago today, but I caught him cheating on me one day and that's when the relationship ended, which sparked all of the incidents."

"Would you mind telling us your point of view about what happened three years ago?"

"Well, Wyatt and I were supposed to be studying for a World Geography test, but my brother, Hunter, had given me a guitar that I was in love with, so I was playing with it before we started studying. When we were officially going to start studying, I remember glass from the window breaking and the room going black."

"Were there any weapons thrown through the window?"

"There was a brick, but that was about it."

"Where did you find yourself when you woke up?"

"The room looked as if it was all made of metal. To this day, I don't know the exact location because I woke up when we were already there."

"Where either of you restricted in any way?"

"Yes. I was tied against a metal pole with rope around my hands and feet and a cloth around my mouth while Wyatt was constricted to what I thought was just an ordinary chair."

"What happened when the prosecuted revealed himself?"

"He accused me of cheating on him with Wyatt and planned on getting back at him. He beat him up while he was constricted to the chair, and then again when he was released from the chair, but he was too taken aback to defend himself. Then when he was strapped back into the chair, I was revealed of the horrifying truth that the chair that Wyatt was constricted to was an electric chair. He was shocked for a few minutes over and over. When that was over, Bradley had a knife on him and used it to cut every inch of his body."

"What happened to him?"

"He suffered a lot of blood loss by the time he was admitted to the hospital. And for a few weeks, he kept coming in and out of death, but the doctors were able to revive him. And when they would revive him, he mostly went back into a coma. He was covered in bandages and stitches and was hooked up to two drips and IV's, a heart monitor, and was hooked up to an oxygen container having oxygen tubes up his nose. The last time I saw him during that time, I thought he was dead because the doctors and nurses made me leave while they tried to revive him, but at the time was to no avail. After that, I didn't know anything about him, including that he was still alive."