A man stood and said "Yes." He handed a piece of the paper to an officer and he took it to the judge to read. When the judge was finished reading it silently, he read it out loud. Time stood still; there wasn't a sound in the court room.
"In the matter of the State of Texas vs. Officer Corey Davis, the jury has found you not guilty in the matter of attempted rape in the first degree, not guilty in the matter of attempted murder, and not guilty in the charge of assault with a deadly weapon. Officer Davis, you are hereby free to go."
The court room erupted in joyous applauds and laughter. Sara watched in devastation. His fellow officers hugging and shaking his hand. He stood to leave the court room but before he did, he stopped next to Sara and let an evil grin brush his lips. "I'm terribly sorry that happened to you Ms. Stevens." It was as he was mocking her. He had told her this would happen. He told her he would never be found guilty of this. He was right.
Sara wanted to curl up and die. She wished that bullet would have just been a little to the left and it would of hit her heart instead of her lung and it would of been over with. Marie grabbed Sara's elbow and held it tight while walking out of the court room. The prosecutor had their car pulled around to the back of the court house so that they would be able to leave without further trauma from the press occurring and they left. Neither Sara nor Marie spoke on the way home. It was the longest drive home they had ever made.
Chapter Two
Months had gone by and Sara still had not left her bedroom. She stayed buried away trying to just hide from the world. A world that was no longer full of promises and beauty. Only pain and suffering for her. A world that failed her. A world she could no longer look at as a great and wonderful place to be.
Marie couldn't take it anymore. Rick was home and he was beginning to become angrier than ever. He couldn't handle his little girl being like this. This was supposed to be over. Marie was supposed to have her little girl back. Things were supposed to be just like before or at least returning to the way they were.
"It’s not over, I will get him."
"Rick! Don't you go making things worse than what they are. You hear me! It is bad enough that I fear we have lost our daughter to depression and sadness. I can't lose you to." Marie couldn't hide the tears that were pouring down her cheeks as she begged him. Rick knew she was right. He could only comfort his wife the best way he knew how, with a gentle embrace.
They heard a knock on the door and as bad as he hated it, he turned loose of his wife to answer it. "Marie come here, you’re not gonna believe this. I don't and I'm seeing it with my own eyes." When Marie turned the corner and looked out, there of all people, she didn't believe it.
"Emmy Jean!" Marie yelled out and ran to her hugging her. Rick and George shook hands and spoke of how good it was to see each other.
Rick and George carried in their bags while the wives went off to the kitchen. "Do you want some coffee? I just put on a fresh pot."
"I would love some. I forgot how much I hated riding with George in the city. I don’t know what's worse, watching everyone else flip him off, or watching him flip them off and hearing what he has to say about it. Road rage, it doesn't get any better with time." They belted into laughter.
"How is she Marie?"
"She's not good; she hasn't left her room since,,,, well since court." Marie dropped her head and sighed in disappointment.
"My God Marie! It’s been almost four months. You can't let that poor child stay up there."
"Don't you think I have tried to get her out of there? Don't you think that I have begged and
pleaded with her to come out?"
"Of course you have. I know that. I didn't mean it that way. I am sorry Marie."
They sat there drinking their coffee and catching up on old times. Marie hadn't laughed that hard in a long time and she needed it. Ricks face had softened back into the man she had fallen in love with 24years ago.
The ladies began supper and the men went into the study to leave the ladies to cook a wonderful feast. A feast is what it would be. Both of them could cook better food than anyone around. Put their cooking talents together and wa-la, you have a feast.
Emmy Jean set the table for five people. Marie simply set the food on the table and picked up one of the plates and began fixing it. Emmy Jean didn't know what she was doing. The last time they had shared a meal they all sat down together. And then it dawned on her, how she could be so stupid to forget that Sara wouldn't leave her room? Marie finished setting up a tray and went to carry it upstairs. "Marie, please let me." Marie didn't know if it was a good idea or not but allowed Emmy Jean to take it.
Emmy Jean stood outside the door hoping she had the strength to hold it together. Marie had told her about the scar on Sara's face but she hadn't seen her. When she opened the door, Sara was sleeping. She walked in sat the tray down and brushed the hair that fallen onto Sara's face away. She gasped in horror and had to pull herself together quickly when Sara opened her eyes.
Tears flooded her eyes immediately at the site of Emmy Jean. She sprung up and wrapped her arms around her and began crying hysterically. "Now, now, it’s ok, it’s over now, nobody is going to hurt you." Emmy Jean just held her.
Meanwhile, Rick, George and Marie sat at the table waiting for Emmy Jean to come back. They were beginning to wonder when to their astonishment both Emmy Jean and Sara came to sat at the table. Marie had to fight the urge to cry. Instead she simply started passing about food and making plates.
They sat there laughing and enjoying themselves. Who would have thought just a visit from their closest friend would allow laughter to echo in the house again? Afterwards, Sara excused herself to her room, the men retired to the study for Brandy, and the women cleaned up the kitchen.
Night came quickly and they could all feel themselves fighting off the exhaustion not trying to be rude but it simply couldn't wait. All of them desperately needed some rest.
The next morning Emmy Jean and Marie came down together and froze dead in their steps. Sara was up, she had showered, dressed, done her hair and make-up and even made breakfast. Sara caught them staring at her and knew Marie needed an explanation of why now, what had changed.
"Good morning Momma, I just want to forget it happened. I know it’s gonna take time. I have made an appointment with a counselor this morning after breakfast and I want to take myself."
"What changed your mind?"
"Well let's just say your friend had some convincing words of wisdom." Marie looked at Emmy Jean. Emmy Jean shrugged her shoulders and just smiled. After breakfast Sara took herself and left for the appointment. When she returned she checked the mail and went inside. She went through the house looking for everyone and found a letter.
Sara,
It’s been a long time since Emmy Jean and George have been here. We took them out on the town, trying to show them there is more out there than just ranch life. You know how they are. Be home later.
Momma
Sara smiled knowing how they all are. There was no doubt in her mind what was really happening was the men walking behind the women carrying multiple bags. She picked up the mail and began shuffling through it. There was an envelope that on had her name on it. No postage mark, no return address, just simply Sara. She opened it and read it dropping to her knees, she began crying and panicking. She heard the door open, she backed into the corner, knees drawn up to her chest, pale as a ghost, and she placed her hand over her mouth to keep quiet as she heard footsteps near.
"Sara, what is it?" Marie was down on the floor next to her. "RICK, RICK, RICK!” Marie was panicking. Rick, George and Emmy Jean came rushing in the door. Rick seen the piece of paper and picked it up.
YOU STUPID LITTLE BITCH DID YOU REALLY THINK I WAS GOING TO LET YOU GO. YOU WILL BE MINE. I WILL HAVE YOU. YOUR SWEET LITTLE VIRGINITY WILL BE MINE and MINE ALONE. I WANT TO TASTE YOU AGAIN. I WANT TO FEEL THE INSIDE OF YOU. I WANT TO HEAR YOU SCREAM FOR HELP WHILE I SQUEEZE MY HARD DICK INTO THAT TIGHT LITTLE PUSSY OF YOURS AND YOU
SCREAM IN AGONY. OH IT WON'T BE EASY, OH NO, I WILL MAKE IT ROUGH, YOU LIKE IT ROUGH YOU LITTLE BITCH. I CAN SEE WHERE YOU GOT YOUR GOOD LOOKS FROM. YOUR MOTHER IS HOT. THE THOUGHT OF TASTING YOU BOTH AT THE SAME TIME IS OVER WHELMING. I THINK I MIGHT HAVE TO TRY OUT THAT TIGHT ASS OF YOURS. I'M COMING FOR YOU. TELL YOUR MOTHER AND YOUR GUEST THEY ARE NEXT.
George immediately picked up the phone and called the police. Emmy Jean and Marie took Sara upstairs and both held her until she was fast asleep. "Poor thing, just as it appeared to be getting better." They gently and quietly left the room.
"What did the police say Rick?" Marie walked up beside him and took his hand giving him the support that she had seen he needed. That she needed. They everyone involved needed.
"They said that he was probably watching her, and that most times as crazy as it sounds, the person doing this will accomplish his threats. They are going to post a police car outside the house but they can't do it permanently. They said they can probably only leave one there for a few days or so."
"No, I won’t let him get close to her." Marie yelled out jerking her hand from Rick’s.
"None of us will. Calm down Marie." Emmy Jean rested her hands on Marie’s shoulders.
"George, I have a favor and I know it puts you in your family at risk but I just don't know what to do." Rick stuttered out the words. He knew in his heart what needed to be done and there was only one person he trusted.
"Name it friend. What is it?"
"I want you to take Sara back with you. I wish I could say it was only for a little while. Until they can get Davis for this like I know they will. Because if they don’t I will!"
"Done, we can leave at the end of the week with Sara."
"Thank You, but I need you to leave now. Take her with you. I can't have her here to stay in her
room again after coming so far just to be slapped down again. She will need to stay there for a long time I’m afraid. I don’t want to take any chances of him getting a hold of her again. I can’t take the chance of it again. I won’t take that chance again."
"Ok, it's done. She is always welcome there. For as long as she wants or you need. You guys know that."
"Thank you, oh thank you." Marie had rushed to George hugging him. George just held her as she trembled in his arms and looked at Rick. This was a big chance to take but it didn't faze him nor would he ever let anything happen to Sara. Between him, JT, and their pit bull Juggar, they would make sure she was safe if it took every last bit of them to do it. Even if that meant calling in the other boys to get it done.
Sara was so exhausted she couldn't even argue the point. She wanted to leave. She just didn't want to leave her parents behind. But they were right. If she stayed, it would give Davis more of an opportunity to get to her again. And besides, by the time they woke her, her bags had been packed and loaded up. Sara started crying hard and uncontrollably, Marie ran to her purse and took out a bottle of pills. She grabbed some water and made Sara take one.
"Emmy, take these, the doctor gave them to her after,,,,, it helps. It will knock her completely out. There is a refill on it if you need it. Please take care of her. I will call you as soon as they have him. I love you guys so much. Keep my baby safe please."
"We will. I love you to. Don’t worry about her. You know we won’t let anything happen to her." They hugged briefly.
Chapter Three
It wasn't long and neither George nor Marie could hear Sara sobbing in the back of the truck. They had brought a pillow and blanket and she had nestled herself into the seat and was passed smooth out. They didn't stop at all on the way home. George kept looking in his rearview mirror. Emmy knew he was watching to see if they were being followed. The old green beret in him on high alert as if he were carrying some top secret object.
Home never looked so good. When they arrived, JT met them outside. He had been outside closing up everything for the night. "I thought you guys weren’t coming home until next week." They had been in such a hurry no one had called JT to let him know they were coming home. Truth be told no one thought about notifying anyone. Information and details could be given out later. Getting her to a safe place was priorty.
"Oh JT, it's awful. Something happened and I should have told you but it’s not the time right now. Can you carry Sara into one of the guest rooms? She is going to staying with us for a while. When we get her settled in I’ll tell you everything."
“WOW! Slow your roll there. Mom what are you talking about? What happened to her?”
“I can’t JT. I just can’t. Not now. Let’s get her inside first.”
JT went to the door and opened it. Sara was all grown up. She was only a kid the last time he had seen her. He picked her carefully up into his arms cradling her against his chest and did as he was told but took note of her small very light weight frame. When he laid her down on the bed her hair had fallen covering her face.
He smoothed the hair back and at that moment he seen it. What the hell happened to her? A large scar from the outer corner of her right eye that wrapped around and up to the far corner of her brow. He stood there looking at her and it was almost as the scar had disappeared. All he could see was how beautiful of a woman she had grown into.
George stood at the door and cleared his throat quietly. JT went back downstairs with George and Marie filled him in. JT was angered and couldn't believe it. They sat there and didn't speak a word after the truth was out. Juggar laid curled up in JT's lap just like a lap dog wanna be.
"The last time I seen her I was chasing her around the pond. I had a frog in my hand. Oh she
didn't like frogs at all. She was so mad at me when I caught her and put that damn frog on her, she pushed me in the pond. I nearly swallowed the entire pond before I managed to drag myself out of it. That son of a bitch. The things I would like to do to him, bastard." JT smiled remembering that day.
"JT we all feel the same way but you can’t let it get to you. She had just started coming out of her room again. We have to be there for her. We have to show her she is safe here. Son,,,, she's not the same Sara anymore. She's changed. What happened to her,,,, did more than leave physical scars and now mentally she is a wreck. I’m afraid it is only going to worse before it gets better."
Night came and gone several times and nobody but Emmy had seen Sara. George didn't really seem to care. He knew that as long as she was up there in that room nobody could hurt her. And if that meant she stayed up there for her entire stay here, he was fine with it.
"Don't you think keeping her or allowing her to stay locked up there in that room is only doing more harm than good? She needs to get out. She needs to live and she needs sun Mom. Look, we can’t just allow her to stay locked up there and forget the world. We have to teach her to live again. Teach her it’s ok. And damn it all to hell show her she is safe here with us! I don’t mean to raise my voice my Mom it’s just I don’t want her to die any more than what she already had on the inside."
"Your right she does but how do you suggest that? How do you show someone they are safe now, when they weren’t even safe in the place they were supposed to be? Her home JT. How do we do it? Tell me!" Emmy Jean was crying. She felt as though she was failing her friends and Sara.
JT couldn't take it. He had to do something. He couldn't see his Mom cry like this any longer. "I got it." And just as quickly and before anyone could question him he was on his feet and up the stairs.
JT didn’t waste time by knocking on the door. He simply opened it and walked in. When he seen her curled up and so fragile in appearance his heart sunk. "Sara are you awake."
"Go away please." Her voice was more of a whisper
"Sara look at me." He was calm. Kept his tone low. He didn’t want to scare her.
Sara rolled over and faced him. "Jade is that you?" The man standing in front of her was not the little skinny short kid with buck teeth. This man was well built, muscular, tanned complexion. Straight white teeth.
"Yeah. You gotta come out of here.
You gotta get up."
"No I don't. I don't have to do anything I don't want to do. I don’t want to get up. I want to stay right here in this bed!"
"It's not what you want at this point. You have had plenty of time to lie around. Now your
getting out of this bed, out of this room and coming down stairs."
"No, I am not! You can't make me! I’m not some little girl anymore and you can’t bully me into doing what you want with frogs, Jade.”
"Oh yes I can."
Jade swooped her up into his arms, noticing again her tiny frame. She was nothing but skin and bones. He carried her kicking and screaming all the way down the stairs and out the front door. Marie and George raced behind him questioning him. "She wouldn't come down. She needed a bath to cool off that temper of hers. By golly that is exactly what she is going to get."
He wanted to laugh at her fighting him. She didn’t stand a chance. The best she could get out of him was a smile. She couldn’t of gotten out of his arms if her life depended on it.
“You put me down Jade! You put me down right now! I don't want to have to hurt you but I
Will!"
"The only thing your gonna do is cool off." Just as soon as the words were out of his mouth he tossed her into the horse trough. Emmy and George stood there remembering how George had done that very thing to her. Emmy Jean had a temper like no other woman George had ever seen. And well it worked. A cool dip in a horse trough was just what she needed.
Maybe Jade was what Sara needed. Emmy knew it was only a matter of time before they started arguing and bickering just like when they were kids. And as bad as Emmy hated to admit it, she had just seen JT get more life out of Sara than she had been able to. Emmy and George silently excused themselves to the house smiling the entire way trying to hold back chuckling.
"You pig! You’re still a kid! Don't you know that I am a grown woman, you can't do that. You arrogant ass!"
"Oh yes I can, and I just did. Now you gonna start acting like your alive or do we need to stay
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