Safe and Sound (Book 4 of "The Story of Us" series) [Completed]

Chapter 13 - When All Is Said And Done

[Three Months Later]

[Harley]

Ella survived Europe. In fact, Ella has survived the past three months, attending therapy, going to doctor visits, being the child of Nick and Harley Carter. She's had a few freak out sessions, but nothing major like that first time when Noah spilled his juice on Nick.

The only thing is, she's still a little skittish around Nick. She has her moments I think when she forgets what she's been through and what happened to her and takes Nick for what he is, someone that's never going to hurt her like that. But then there's times when she refuses to get in the car when it's just him and her and he's taking her to see her therapist or to one of her music lessons.

She still fully doesn't trust my father, even though he's shaved his mustache off, something I've never seen him without.

And today, we're in Richmond, me, Nick and Ella, because Ella has to testify in the trial against the asshole who did this to her. The 'mother' has already pleaded out and sentenced to time in prison. But the 'father' is still saying he's innocent.

Just being around Ella you can tell he isn't innocent.

And I can't be in there with her when she testifies. Neither Nick or I can. And it's killing us, sitting in this special room, away from the media because they have already figured out just who the little girl in this case is. Typically they can't show the face of a minor in cases like this, but since she's our kid and people already know what she looks like now, it doesn't really matter.

She's always going to be branded the child of Nick and I that was kidnapped and raped and molested and abused. Everybody knew about it. People who didn't know about it, would know about it. I was constantly asked about it overseas and it killed me but I made my management ask people to stop asking about it.

"As long as you're both in the entertainment business, people are going to ask," my manager said.

And that comment really got me to thinking.

What was more important, making music or my family?

Before it was just to take time off, get used to having children, being married, work on my marriage and now Nick and I are the strongest we've ever been. All I could think about is what I told my Dad, that I would give everything up if it meant Ella could have a normal life.

"What do you think they're asking?" Nick asked, staring down at his phone and not looking at me. "You think..."

"Probably," I whispered, leaning back in the chair. I kept picking at my nails I was so nervous. "Can I ask you a question?"

"Yeah..." he asked, looking up at me.

"Are you ever going to sing again?" I asked as he stared at me.

"I don't know..."

"All of this attention this case has been getting and Ella has been getting since we found her, it's got me to thinking," I said as he looked back down. "I just want to pack up and leave and never be heard from again," I said. Nick looked back up at me, not saying anything. "Just, take the kids and I mean, sure, our friends and family would know where we are, but just go buy a house on the beach in Florida and just be normal."

"Seriously?"

"I don't want her to grow up always being called our kid that was raped and all of that," I said as Nick leaned back in his chair, still staring at me.

I WANNA GO HOME! LEAVE ME ALONE!!

Nick and I both jumped up, running out of the room to see Ella running out of the court room with tears streaming down her face. "I wanna go home!" she yelled, running up to Nick who picked her up. "I saw him! I don't wanna go back in there!"

"We need her to retake the stand," the district attorney said as he walked out of the court room, looking at us. I just glared at him.

"You have her testimony on video tape, too," I said. "Use that. There's no way she's going back in there with him in there." Then I looked over and saw photographers through the glass doors taking pictures. I was about to break down as Nick took Ella way from the doors so people couldn't see her. "Go use that, don't you think she's been through enough? You don't want me to go in there and see the son of a bitch."

"We're done," Nick yelled back at the district attorney as he mentioned for me to come over to him. "She's not going back in there."

"I don't want to go back, he kept looking at me," Ella whispered as I looked at Nick.

"You're not, let's go home," I said as I looked over at one of the security guards. "Can you escort us to our car? We're leaving." I watched him as he walked over towards us, leading us towards a back exist.

With the look on Nick's face, I had a feeling he was contemplating on what I had just told him.

[/Harley]