by Lane Hart
"Really? Congrats little brother," she said getting up to give him a hug.
"Yeah, and Tyler said that if it’s okay with you, I can drive his SUV back and forth to school since he'll be driving his police cruiser."
"Really?" she asked me. "You're going to let a sixteen year old with a new license drive your RAV4?"
"Yeah."
"But what if he wrecks it?"
"It's tough with a great safety rating, and that's why we have insurance," I told her with a shrug. It was just a car and I could always buy another one.
"I love you," she said, leaning down to kiss my cheek and I pulled her onto my lap.
"I love you too, baby," I told her, but when I leaned in to kiss her lips she pulled away.
"Don't. I was just sick."
"I don't care."
Groans sounded from our table.
"Hey guys, you ready to order?" my dad asked.
"Hell yeah. My wife and kids need to eat."
…
Other than lunch Sunday with our friends and family, Jess and I stayed in our room until check out Monday. I did order us food every few hours though. It was the best few days of my life. No phones, TVs, computers. No one else. Just the two of us. Or four of us.
As soon as we stepped foot off the plane, the world came crashing back down, and it only went from bad to worse over the next few weeks.
...
"Alright Officer Evans, tell us what you were doing during the day prior to the shooting," Joe Montgomery, my wife's boss, asked as his first question on cross-examination.
I looked at the prosecutor's table to see if the Assistant District Attorney was going to object, but nope…I was going to have to answer the question.
"I was home most of the day until I left to start my shift."
"Is it true that you showed up to work that night with a swollen face and bruises?"
"Yes," I answered. Oh fuck, here we go.
"And how did you receive those injuries?"
"My roommate."
"You got into a fight with your roommate the day of the shooting?"
"Yes."
"And what was the fight about?"
"Objection," Assistant District Attorney Abe Ryans finally stood up and said, making me sigh in relief.
"Your honor may we approach?" Joe asked and the judge agreed.
I could hear the conversations since I was on the witness stand, although no one else could but the court reporter.
"Your honor, the scuffle between Evans and his roommate is relevant. It shows that he'd lost his temper before the shooting, which could have played a part in his decision to overreact that night."
"Alright. Mr. Ryans, you're overruled. Officer Evans answer the question," the judge ordered as the attorneys returned to their tables.
Fuck.
"My roommate came home from ten weeks of basic training for the Army Reserves that morning, and found me and the girl he had been dating together."
"In bed together?" he asked, and after a collective gasp the courtroom went dead silent waiting for my answer.
"Yes," I forced myself not to look over at where Jess, Lauren and Caleb were seated in the courtroom. Or at my parents.
"And what happened after your roommate found you in bed with his girlfriend?"
"He was pissed of course. We told him we were sorry and then he hit me in my jaw."
"Did you hit him back?"
"Not at first. I told him I'd give him the first punch because I deserved it, but that if he hit me again I'd defend myself."
"Did he hit you again?"
"Yes."
"So you hit him?"
"Yes."
"Did you injure him?"
"Nothing other than superficial bruises."
"And that was the morning prior to the shooting?"
"Yes."
"Were you still angry at your roommate when you were on duty that night?"
"No. We'd talked and were okay by then."
"What about your girlfriend? Were you and her okay?" he asked and I wondered how the fuck he’d found all this out.
"She left while my roommate and I were fighting and wouldn't return my calls."
"Had you talked to her before you went on duty?"
"No."
"So you were angry during your shift?"
"I was fine during my shift."
"Tell us what you were doing immediately before you saw the defendant's car."
"I'd been sitting in a speed trap with my radar gun. The defendant flew by going fifty-eight in a thirty-five mile per hour zone. I flipped on my headlights and blue lights and pulled out after him. I didn't think he was going to pull over but he finally did, barely moving off the main road."
"Then you called in the tag and approached the defendant's vehicle?"
"Yes. I approached the passenger side since he was still partially in the road. He rolled the window down. I said, 'You know you were speeding, so hand over your license and registration,' as I shined the flashlight on him. He said, "I don't think so." About the same time I saw his gun and hit the ground."
"Were you angry when you approached his car?"
"No."
"You weren't still angry at your roommate for hitting you or your girlfriend for not speaking to you?"
"I wasn't even thinking about that. I was just doing my job, pulling a speeder."
"Did you have your gun out and pointed at the defendant when you approached his vehicle?"
"No. All I had was a flashlight in my hand."
"A long black flashlight?"
"Yes, it was just a regular department issued flashlight."
"Could it be possible for someone to mistake a long black flashlight for a gun?"
"I don't know."
"Your Honor, may I approach the witness?" Montgomery asked the judge as was required.
"Yes, you may."
"Officer Evans, I want you to identify what has been marked as Defense Exhibit B and Defense Exhibit F. Could you tell the jury what those items are?"
"Exhibit B is the flashlight I was carrying that night and Exhibit F is the department issued Glock .40 handgun that I carried."
"What colors are both exhibits?"
"Black."
"And how many inches long would you say Exhibit B, the flashlight is?"
"Guessing, I'd say about eight or nine inches."
"What would be your guess to the length of your firearm, Exhibit F?"
"Maybe ten inches."
"So the two exhibits are similar in color and size?"
"Yes."
"Officer Evans, did you shoot the defendant when you approached his car?"
"No, I didn't even have my gun out."
"When did you shoot the defendant?"
"After he shot me, I got back into my police cruiser and called it in, then followed him with my blue lights on until he came upon our police barricade near the Wendover Bridge. He jumped out of his car and ran. I followed. I called out and told him to surrender himself. He kept running and then I didn’t hear him anymore so I stopped and that's when he shot me in my upper leg. I fired at the direction of his shooting, which is when one of my bullets hit him. The other officers arrived at the scene and took over the chase while I was loaded onto an ambulance and taken to the hospital."
"So you were persistent in chasing down the defendant?"
"Yes, I knew he was armed and dangerous since he'd shot me."
"Did you get angry at him?"
"Getting shot did piss me off. Especially since it was only for a minor traffic stop. But I guess he didn't want to get arrested on the warrant for armed-"
"Objection. The witness is giving an opinion," Joe hollered out to stop me mid-sentence. He didn't want the jury to know his man was wanted.
"Sustained. Officer Evans, keep your answers to what you know unless you're asked your opinion."
An hour later there were thankfully no more questions. I was fucking pissed when court recessed for a fiftee
n minute break.
"Can you give us a minute?" I asked my parents, then ushered Jess, Lauren and Caleb into a court conference room and shut the door before turning to them.
"How the fuck did he find out about our fight?" I asked the three of them. "Did you tell him all that shit?" I asked Jess, and she paled.
"Tyler, calm down," Lauren said.
"That little story that happened hours before the shooting makes me look like a trigger happy, hothead, looking for someone to shoot."
"This little outburst isn't helping," Caleb said.
"Jess?" I asked again since she hadn't answered.
"You're an asshole for even asking me that," she said before storming out.
"Tyler, you don't really think she'd tell her boss anything about you or us, do you?" Lauren asked before following Jess.
"Damn it, someone told them about what happened between us."
"It wasn't exactly a secret with my black eye and all our scrapes and bruises. Everyone noticed that night at the hospital. One of your fellow officers asked me about it in front of everyone in the waiting room," Caleb told me. I couldn't believe this was the first I'd heard about it.
"And what the fuck did you tell him?" I asked.
"Calm the hell down, Ty. I didn’t know what to say when he commented that it was a coincidence that you’d come to work looking fucked up too. So I told him we were training for MMA. It was the best I could come up with on such short notice."
There was a knock on the conference room door. When I jerked it open Joe-motherfucking-Montgomery was standing on the other side.
"What do you want?" I barked.
"Tyler, you know it's nothing personal. I have to do my job and that’s defending my client."
"Right, because he's so fucking innocent."
"As his attorney I have to believe what he tells me, do my job in court, and let the jury decide the truth."
I sat down in one of the chairs at the conference room table, head in my hands to take deep breaths to try and cool down.
"I saw Jess leave upset," Joe said.
"Are you going to use that against me too?" I asked, not bothering to even look at him.
"No. But just so you know, she's never told me anything about you. This is why I didn't want her working on the case, not just for my client's sake, but for yours as well."
"Then how the fuck did you find out all that shit?"
"You know I can't tell you my sources. But I can tell you that my client was in surgery at the same time you were. His people were in the same waiting room with your people."
"Fuck," Caleb said rubbing a hand through his hair.
"There are eyes and ears everywhere, as you should know from being in the media's spotlight for weeks."
"Right."
"Don't let this case come between you and Jess. It's not worth it," Joe said.
"I could lose my job, my badge because of this case."
"None of that has anything to do with her."
"I have her and three kids to support now, so yeah it does have to do with her."
"You'll be fine. But if you hurt my assistant and don’t make it right, I'll kick your ass."
"I've got to try and find her."
"There's no time right now. The judge will be back any minute," he said before pulling the door open and leaving the room.
"Shit. I can't wait for this damn trial to be over," I told Caleb as we headed back to the courtroom. Lauren was standing with my parents but Jess was nowhere in sight.
"She went home," Lauren answered, before I could ask. I pulled out my phone and sent her a quick text apologizing, then turned it back off before the judge came in.
My parents looked disappointed. I hated seeing that look on their faces, and being the cause of it.
"Ty, what were you thinking? Lashing out at your wife because of your own stupid decisions?" my dad asked, apparently figuring out what'd happened.
"I know. I fucked up, but I'm stuck here for at least three more hours."
"That should be plenty of time for you to figure out how to make it up to her," my mom said with a frown. "And don't even get me started on how disappointed we are about what you did to poor Caleb. He's been like your brother for twelve years Tyler, and you let a girl you just met come between you? No offense, Lauren."
"Thanks, Mrs. Evans, but I forgave the bastard," Caleb responded with a playful punch to my shoulder.
"I feel like this is gang up on Tyler day. Shit, everyone is going to know how I fucked up once the media releases this tonight."
"Good thing you got all that positive PR with Jess," Lauren said, reminding me of how happy we'd been then, and how I'd managed to hurt Jess with just a few words.
"As a man who has twenty-four years of fuck-ups under his belt, I'd suggest flowers and a lot of begging on your knees for her forgiveness," my dad offered. I only remembered him doing any of that once. The year I was about nine and he had forgotten my mom's birthday.
"We haven't been married but two weeks and I've already screwed up with her."
"But the good thing about having arguments with your spouse is that they love you and will eventually forgive you. If you're lucky," my mom said.
"Jewelry always works too," Lauren added, and I noticed she had a new charm bracelet and earrings I'd never seen on her before. I smiled, glad to know Caleb fucked up sometimes too.
"What did you do?" I asked him.
"Nothing," he said, and instead of a blow off to the question it sounded like that was actually the problem. He'd done nothing when he should have done … something? I had a feeling Lauren was getting impatient waiting on a ring from him.
Chapter Twenty-Eight
Tyler
Three and a half hours later I finally pulled into our apartment complex. I headed up the steps with roses and strawberry short cake. Unlocking the door I tried to push it open but it caught. I pushed again and realized she'd chained the damn door
"Fuck," I mumbled as I leaned my forehead against the wood. It was worse than I'd thought. "Jess, baby, please let me in. I'm so sorry."
Nothing but silence.
"I was a jackass because I'd just been humiliated and ruined, but instead of blaming myself like I should have, I took it out on you."
Nothing.
"Baby, what can I do to make this up to you? I've got flowers for you and strawberry short cake. You've been craving it for days, right?"
I heard a sniffle through the crack in the door, which made me feel even worse. I sat down with my back against the wall since it looked like I was going to be out here a while.
"God, Jess. This has been the shittiest day ever. Everyone knows I fucked my best friend's girlfriend, while he was off serving our country. Then we beat the shit out of each other, which makes me look like a hotheaded, asshole cop. The shooting wasn't my fault and I can't lose my job over this bullshit. I've got you and our family to take care of. But worst of all I hurt you. I'm sorry baby. I know you didn’t say anything, and wouldn't ever say anything. Damn it, I just snapped. I couldn't believe he knew about all of my personal shit. Joe said the defendant's family or friends overheard about it all in the waiting room that night and told him. The trial should finish up tomorrow afternoon, and then go to the jury. Twelve people are going to decide if that bastard is guilty or if I fucked up. God, I need you baby, even though I don't deserve you after what I said. I need you so much right now."
I heard footsteps coming up the wooden steps but didn't move to stand up. I didn't care who saw me sitting outside my own damn apartment.
"Hey, Ty. What the hell are you doing out here?" Jon asked when he came up on the landing, wearing his bookbag.
"Hey, Jon. How was school?"
"Same old. Are you locked out?"
"I screwed up. Said shit without thinking."
"Bad day in court?"
"Oh yeah. Don't turn on the news."
"Oh-kay. So am I allowed inside?"
"I'm sure you are."
>
"Hey sis, you going to let me in and take pity on your sad looking husband, or do we have to sleep out here tonight?"
The door shut and we heard the chain being undone.
"Yes, we are in!" Jon exclaimed.
"You're in. I don't think I'm welcome. Will you take the flowers and cake to her for me?"
"Sure," he said, scooping them up and heading inside. I knew I could've just gone in with him, but if she didn't want to see me I wasn't going to push her.
"Come on Ty, she said you could come in too," Jon came back and told me.
"Are you sure?"
"Yes. So come on before she changes her mind." He held the door open for me, and I jumped up to go inside.
Jess wasn't in the living room or kitchen where the flowers and cake sat on top the bar, so I headed to the closed bedroom door. I tried the knob and it turned so I pushed it open and stepped inside, closing it behind me. Jess was curled up on her side of the bed closest to the door, her back to me.
I took my shoes off then climbed up on the bed, wrapping my arms around her, burying my face in her hair. I exhaled the breath I'd been holding when she didn't try to pull away.
"I love you baby, and I'm so sorry I hurt you," I told her. We laid there in silence until we both fell asleep.
…
Jessica Evans
I woke up and it was still dark outside. Tyler's arms were wrapped tightly around me like they'd been all night long.
I knew yesterday had been a terrible day for him. When Joe brought up the fight with Caleb my heart had stopped. I'd known then that Tyler would think I'd been the one to tell Joe. I'd hoped he trusted me more than that, but I'd ended up being wrong.
There was a lot on the line with this stupid trial, and I couldn't imagine how bad he felt having all his dirty laundry aired in front of everyone. By my boss. Of course he was pissed at me for working for Joe, knowing he'd tried to make him look bad in front of everyone. I knew how he felt.
After our honeymoon, the media found our marriage license with our full names, put that out in the world, and dug up the fact that'd I'd been a stripper when Tyler and I met. I'd gone from a sweet, pretty pregnant woman to the slutty stripper that'd been knocked up by a police officer. The dust was just settling on that whole ordeal and now there was this to deal with.
