Chapter Seven
Myra
I am dressed in black slacks and a pastel pink shirt.
I have my hair loosely pulled up to show all of my bruises.
They are still a deep purple and black, and the handprints on my throat are still well-defined, too.
Andrew Lincoln is coming as my lawyer. He has all of the pictures that were taken when I first arrived.
Natalie made sure to take pictures of everything at its worst for shock value, mostly.
Andrew is having us come into court last so that I don’t run into Leon away from the courtroom.
My showing up with Dominic will just support Leon’s theory that I cheated on him, but I didn’t.
Although I totally would have. If Dominic had pursued me, I would have jumped at the chance to be with him, just like I am now.
Matt is here as my psychiatrist, and Natalie as my doctor.
“Ready?” Andrew asks me.
“Uhm… No,” I admit. “I’m scared he will get to me again.”
“He won’t,” Dominic says. “You’re safe.”
“Let’s just do this,” I sigh.
Dominic wraps his arm around my waist as Matt opens the door for us. When we walk into the courtroom, everyone turns to look at me. I freeze for a second, and it’s Matt who encourages me. “You’ve got this,” he says gently. “Head up, Myra. You have us.”
I nod, and we walk to the front. Matt has me sit between him and Dominic.
Natalie is next to Matt, and Andrew goes up to the judge.
I glance over, and Leon is sitting with Dad.
They’re both dressed well to present as though they’re not demons with whiskey in their blood.
I know Dad bailed Leon out almost immediately when he was arrested for aggravated assault.
Today is for a plea deal and to handle the protection order.
Leon and Dad are glaring at me, but Dominic makes a point of turning my face to him and kissing me while they’re watching us. “I’ve got you, Blossom,” he says with a smile. “You’re mine, remember?”
“Yeah,” I smile.
“Alright,” Judge Alvin Chambers says as Andrew steps up. “Myra Carrington. Can you join your lawyer, please? Leon Heatherly. You are being represented by Charles Jason. Can you two come up as well, please?”
Dominic nods, and I stand to join Andrew. “Good?” Andrew asks me. I nod my head, and he smiles softly.
“Mr. Heatherly, it is my understanding that you are requesting a dismissal of charges?” the judge asks.
“Yes, Sir. The charges were filed by someone connected to Ms. Carrington’s lawyer. We have no problem presenting evidence, but this was filed based on bias,” Leon says.
“Okay, are you prepared to present the evidence here today?” Judge Chambers asks. “I’d like to hear it first, and then I will either dismiss the charges or sign off on them.”
“We are,” Charles Jason says.
“Mr. Lincoln, is Ms. Carrington prepared to speak today on behalf of her statement?”
“Yes,” Andrew answers.
“Okay. Mr. Heatherly, I have read her statement. I’d like to hear your side of things,” Judge Chambers says.
“I returned home from work with her father, Walter. Myra had been struggling all day and had self-harmed in the bathroom of my office, where she works with me. She has a history of self-harm and suicidal attempts, so I brought her father to assist. She immediately became distraught and seemed to be in a manic state. We attempted to calm her down, but we didn’t want to hold her down.
She was able to get a hold of my pistol on my waist and fired a round, trying to shoot me, but we were able to get it from her.
She was harming herself, so we had to restrain her at one point.
When she got away from us, she locked herself in the bathroom.
That’s when she slit her wrists. She had destroyed our phones in the process of her manic episode, so we had to go and try to get help somewhere.
We made the mistake of leaving her to get help.
When we returned a few minutes later, she was gone.
We called the police right away and found out that she was at a local hospital being treated by her psychiatrist's wife,” Leon says.
“That’s a lie,” I say to Andrew. “He lied. He can’t do that.”
“Shhh. Hold on,” Andrew says.
“She is going to have people say that it wasn’t self-inflicted, but she has a long history of suicide attempts and self-harm,” Leon adds. “I’m concerned that she is not receiving the care she needs away from her father and me.”
“And you witnessed this, Mr. Carrington?” Judge Chambers asks.
“Yes. I filed the paperwork this morning for her to be placed under a conservatorship,” Dad says. “I strongly feel like she is a danger to herself.”
“Ms. Carrington, Dominic Mercer was your old psychiatrist, but is it now Matthew Sharpe, yes?” the judge asks.
“Yeah, but…”
“Mr. Mercer. Your statement indicated that you did not see who harmed her, and no one was there when you arrived. Based on your professional opinion, is Ms. Carrington capable of having done this?” the judge asks.
“She does have a history of…”
“Yes or no, Mr. Mercer.”
“I… suppose. But…”
“Based on the statement Mr. Carrington and Mr. Heatherly made,” the judge says. “Could these injuries be self-inflicted?”
“That is not my specialty,” he seethes.
“Okay. I see we have her physician in court as well. Mrs. Sharpe. You treated Ms. Carrington, yes?”
“Yes,” she sighs.
“Could these injuries have been self-inflicted?” the judge asks.
“I mean, yes, but…”
“Mr. Carrington, I have your request for a conservatorship here. Are you prepared to take on all other needs, including mental health treatment?” Judge Chambers asks.
“Yes, sir,” Dad says.
“No. No. They can’t do that,” I say, panicking. “No, please. Please, don’t.”
“I am dismissing charges pending any new evidence and granting a temporary conservatorship,” Judge Chamber says, smacking his gavel.
“Judge Chambers,” Andrew says quickly. “I would like to request that her psychiatrist, Matthew Sharpe, be appointed as a caretaker as well. She has been in therapy for a long time, and it is imperative that she keep consistent with her care. She has made serious allegations against her father for rape, and I do not think it is in her best interest to be in his care.”
“Have there ever been reports filed?” Judge Chambers asks.
“No,” Andrew sighs.
“I will appoint Mr. Sharpe as well as Mr. Carrington, but I am going to grant him twenty-four hours to keep her in his care until documentation can be provided for these allegations,” Judge Chambers says. “I am also dismissing the protection order for lack of evidence.”
“No,” I yell, tears falling. “No, you can’t do that. Please don’t do this.” Dad walks toward me, and I immediately turn and run to Dominic. He puts his back to Dad and Leon. The bailiff comes towards us, but I throw my arms around Dominic.
“I’ll fix it. I swear to God, I’ll fix it,” Dominic promises. “You keep your phone hidden. You call me, okay? Call the police if he touches you. Either of them.”
“Stop,” Matt says, pulling me away from him. “Look at me. I need you to trust me, okay?”
“Okay,” I whimper.
“I need you to request a voluntary commitment,” he says softly. “Right now, Myra.”
“But…”
“Now. Right now,” he says again.
“Judge,” I say loud enough that he can hear me. “I am requesting to be voluntarily committed for a psychiatric evaluation.”
He looks angry that I’m asking, but he can’t deny it. “Okay,” he says through gritted teeth. “I will allow you to transport yourself under Mr. Sharpe’s care. You have one hour.”
Dominic immediately leads me out of the room, and we don’t stop. When we get to the truck, he pulls me into his lap, and Matt gets in before shutting the door. I am shaking and sobbing as he holds me. I feel like the world is coming down around me.
“I’m so sorry,” he whispers through tears. “I’ll fix this. I promise.”
“He’s going to hurt me again,” I cry.
“I’ll stay with you,” Matt says. “I’ll be doing the evaluation. I’ll keep you in a treatment room with me. The door will be locked, and we can hang out there until Dom and Andrew get things worked out.”
“You promise?” I ask.
“Yes, sweetie. I promise,” he says. “The room will be constantly recorded, but no one will have access besides me. We will have to go through the motions, but I think that will be good.”
“I don’t want to live with him,” I say.
“You won’t,” Andrew says from the front seat. “I’m going to at least get it so that either your father or Matt can sign off on things. Once I get that, I want you and Dominic to get married.”
“What?” I ask.
“If you are married, you can live with him, and he gains control. He can then end the conservatorship,” Andrew says. “Do the evaluation, and we will get someone to advocate that you were not suicidal. Also, I need to prove that Leon is paying the judge.”
“Okay,” I sigh.
“Let’s go,” Dominic says. “We can stay in the truck until you have to go in with Matt.”