Broken Dreams

Chapter 19

The incessant knocks at the door woke them up.
"Who's there?" Mr Porter asked groggily
"James, sir" came the response.
"Come in" he instructed as he moved to the sitting area of their bedroom.
"Good morning, sir, I'm afraid I have bad news" he said.
"What has happened now? Is it Mike?" Mrs Porter asked as she took a seat next to her husband.
"Good morning, ma'am. You could say that. He's being accused of murder and attempted murder" James stated.
"WHAT?!" they exclaimed
"How could you do this to me?" Mrs Porter asked accusingly
"I did no such thing, Betty", Mr Porter said defensively
"Oh, come on, William, who else had the information?" she asked
"Maybe I can supply the answer" James chipped in
"Then what are you waiting for?" they asked
He proceeded to show them the audio recording that got leaked out to the press from their meeting down at the police station.
"Oh my gosh, what are we going to do, William?", Betty asked
"I don't know, Betty. Do you think the Wesingtons know already?"
"Is that what you are worried about? The press will eat this up. Elections are coming up soon. Our careers are over, Will."
"I don't care about all that. What will happen to our daughter? Don't you care?" he responded angrily
"I do care about our daughter but she will be fine. She is a woman in her own right. She has made great contributions to the Wesington name. Plus she's pregnant and George Wesington adores her." she stated calmly
"Well, you have a point but-"
"But nothing, William. Let's find a way to get out of this mess,okay?" she interrupted
"Alright" he agreed
Turning to James, "What can we do?"
"Honestly, we can't do much because names were mentioned in the audio and investigations have already began. Getting out unscathed is impossible but we can minimize the damage." James answered
"Come on, James, is that the best you can say right now?" Betty snapped
"Ma'am, Mr Porter could've gotten away with his statement if he didn't mention any names. We could've played it off as a threat from an angry father" James explained
"Why did you even bring that up after being quiet for so long?!" Betty asked William angrily
"Because I was upset! That bastard child of yours has always been nothing but a troublemaker!" he shouted
"My son is not a bastard! He wouldn't have acted out if you had paid him any attention. The only time he had your attention was when he got in trouble so he kept doing it! This is all your fault!" she responded loudly
"Don't pin this on me, Betty! I'm not the one who had an affair with her driver!"
"Sir, ma'am please we can just hold off on this argument?" James asked
"You haven't been of any help at all. Just get out!" Betty commanded
James looked to William who nodded his agreement and then he left them to their bickering.
The weeks that ensued were really stressful for the Porters. They were called in for questioning and the media fueled by their opponents were having a field day.
When the news hit, Sally and her gang couldn't believe it. Jane, on the other hand was besides herself with grief and guilt. She could barely keep it together. The media hounding her at home and work for a statement didn't make any of it any easier. But one day, an old friend showed up and made the ordeal a bit bearable. They've been hiding out at his house since he showed up. The media was chaotic considering she hadn't been seen in a while. The heat was mounting on the Porters. The Wesington name couldn't do much for them. The case was yet to be heard in the court but the court of public opinion had passed its ruling. Mr and Mrs Porter had both resigned from their positions.
The first day of court was here. The prosecution was ready. The courtroom was teeming with media personnel and students from Brockmin College. The courtroom was filled with conversation. It was indeed a sight to behold but a hush fell upon the place as a group of people walked into the room. Many thought the judge had been ushered in through a different door but as the group broke away, it revealed Josh and Jane with Jace in tow. The conversations started right back up with whispers of "So, he's really alive?" to "Where has she been?". Some of the media personnel were about to move to interview them when the judge walked in. The session started right up with the opening statements from both sides. Anytime the prosecutors spoke, Michael was worse off. Off the bat, you could tell the jury was not falling for any of the crap the defense team was dishing. Being in the courtroom was proving a hard task for Jane. She could clearly see Michael from her seat. It took every ounce of strength she had not to lash out at him considering all that he had done to her. The session had been going on for a while so the judge called for a recess. The prosecutors whisked the trio back in to the secured room fear of any harm befalling them before they can take the witness stand.
They were put in a room with Sally and the others.
"Hey, guys" they greeted
After the news broke out about her brother's murder, she developed a stronger relationship with the people who helped her break out of the bondage and give her brother justice. They became a close knit squad because they basically couldn't be with anyone else but themselves. With all the time they spent together, Sally was beginning to see Ben in a new light marking a new phase in their relationship. Jane and Josh picked up where they left off before he disappeared. It seemed that everything was finally falling into place for them despite their current situation.
Meanwhile, a fight had broken out among the Porters where Michael revealed where he developed his habit of beating women.