Addison is a school teacher living in New York when she becomes a victim of rape. The Special Victims Unit tries to connect the dots of the crime, leading back to a prominent family of the city. Sonny Carisi is the lead detective on her case, and th...
The next Monday, the jury is picked and I'm up early getting ready for court. Sonny reminds me to dress moderately, to try and make myself look like someone who would never commit a crime, "but I wouldn't" I remind him, as I look at my clothes.
"I know that, but the jury doesn't." He has a sad lipped grin on his face, pulling his shirt off the ironing board to slip on.
I sigh heavily but pull out my white and blue floral skirt, having had it for years and almost forgetting all about it. After dressing, I come out of the bathroom and ask, "how's this?"
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"I think you look lovely, but can I make two suggestions?" He asks as if I'll be offended.
I stammer, "yes, please. Anything."
"Get rid of the watch, no one needs to know you can afford a smartwatch." He tells me first and I start to take it off as soon as he tells me, nodding as I do. As I place it down on the nightstand he says, "and do you still have that cross necklace I got you?"
I nod and say, "of course"
"Wear that. It's simple but some of the jurors will notice and associate you as a good Catholic women." He moves to help me take off the necklace I have on.
I grab the cross necklace from my purse, having it in there at all times and ask him to help me, "will you?"
After he clasps the necklace, he comes around in front of me, "I love you. You're going to be strong up there, you're the strongest women I've ever known."
"I'm so scared" is all I manage to whisper back to him.
He grabs my shoulders, "Addison. You didn't do anything. The truth will come out and the system will work for you, it just has to." He pulls me into a hug and mutters, "it's going to be okay." He rubs his hand up and down my back and we stay there, consoling one another for 5 minutes.
As we walk into the courthouse everything moves in slow motion. I see Olivia and the rest of Sonny's team huddled together and talking in whispered voices. My lawyer stands outside the door, waiting for me to arrive by leisurely scrolling on his phone. I spot Geo being ushered into another room by an officer and court official once they spot me. Sonny must feel my heart race and squeezes my hand, "I'll be there the entire time."
"Promise?" I make sure to ask as we reach my lawyer.
He assures me, pushing his lips to mine for just a moment before saying, "with everything I have."
I nod as I watch him walk to his colleagues, all stopping their conversation to look at him and glance at me as he gets closer. I turn to Gary who simply and calmly says, "you're ready. Let's go in." I nod to assure him I'm ready and he moves to open the door for me. Just before he pulls the door open he turns and says, "keep your head up. You're not guilty so you're not ashamed."
I nod again and replay those words in my head as I walk into court behind him. Just as we passed the pews for spectators, I trip over my own short healed shoes and curse myself for not wearing flats. The introductions seem to blur by me as I try to listen to everything Barba, Crowder or the judge say about the trial. It's like every sound in the courtroom is magnified. Every sneeze, nose sniffle or knuckle crack is like a piercing that makes my brain itch with fear. Before I know it, opening arguments begin and I am doing everything I can to listen to my lawyer defend me, knowing the next few hours or maybe days will determine my fate, "over the next few hours you're going to hear a few testimonies about my client. How she provided alcohol to a minor. A place for them to party. How a child was sick with alcohol positioning due to the bad judgment of this women." He points and looks back at me then continues, eyeing each juror, "however, what you won't hear is definitive proof of my client's guilt. Everything is circumstantial, clouded with hidden agendas and desire for payback."
Although I want to duck down into my chair and disappear, I keep my head up as he informed to do the night before. Surprisingly my lawyer said that would be the easy part and that listening to the state's attorney would make me feel like hell, like the scum of the earth. He says it may even be harder since the ADA is a colleague of my fiance's. As my lawyer sits down, I turn to glare quickly at Sonny, proudly sitting behind me. Barba stands up leisurely and heads over to the jury, "the defense is going to claim there is evidence to prove the defendant's innocence, yet here we are." He paces a few steps to the right as he turns to look at me then back to the jury, "the state is here to show that we have enough evidence to prove wrongdoing by the defendant."
And with that, Barba nods firmly and takes a seat behind his desk. My lawyer doesn't flinch but I can see from behind me a few people move. I turn to glare and see Sonny, and a few others glare at one another, curious about something. I tell myself to turn back to face the judge, the jury, knowing they need to not see me looking behind so often. The judge then calls for the first witness in the case and Barba calls for Griffin's foster mother to take the stand. I sit there for the next 48 minutes as Barba and Gary question Griffin's foster mother, both trying to make their case of my innocence or guilt. Although my stomach is knotted and tears want to fall the entire time, I hold strong, keeping my eyes on the front of the stand as my lawyer told me to do. The first two witnesses are minor in the state's case and my lawyer told me not to worry about anything they say. They are character witnesses for Griffin to try and booster the jury's emotions for when he takes the stand later in the day.
