Chapter 6 #2
“I can’t afford this on my own. So I found an attorney to work with me, and he said that he’d make him pay the bills.
I’ve lost my job because I’ve not been able to go to work.
” She said she was sorry. “Not as sorry as the family will be when my attorney gets through with them. He said that when it’s all done and over, I shouldn’t have to worry about anything.
Toby is going to need extra surgeries to put his little face back together.
As it is right now, he has over a hundred stitches in just his scalp.
” When she cried, Lisa told her how sorry she was.
She also worried that Davy coming to see her son might not be such a good idea.
“He looks so bad. And he cries a great deal from the pain that he’s in.
I would worry that Davy would have nightmares about how badly he looks. ”
“I’ll tell him that we have to wait for another time to go and see him.
Do you need anything? I can come by and sit with you if you’d like that.
I’m not working as hard right now and would love to come by and sit down with you.
” She said that was nice, but she didn’t want her to have nightmares either.
It worried her that she’d said that several times now, and she worried about what the little boy looked like.
And whether or not she was having her own nightmares. Lisa thought that she would.
Talking to Davy, he seemed to understand.
He promised her that he’d not have any nightmares about the other little boy, then asked her what that meant.
After explaining why he might not want to see him, he seemed to be upset that he was hurting so badly, but knew that he would abide by his mom’s rules.
While Davy was reading his book that night, he told her that he was going to be a doctor when he grew up.
She thought that was the perfect thing to be, but he had a long time to decide.
He told her that he wanted to be a doctor so that other little boys didn’t have to suffer like his friend was.
And having him as a doctor would solve all that.
She hugged him tightly that night before putting him to bed, and it seemed as if they both needed it.
She found Brenin in his office with his computer gone blank.
He had his head back and was napping, so she didn’t bother him.
Instead, she went up to bed to read more in her book and try to get an early start on the morning.
She knew that she had to work the breakfast crowd in the morning and was both looking forward to it and not.
It would be busy, but the tips would be terrible.
It was her last day anyway, so she was hoping for a good day.
When her alarm went off, she didn’t know where she was for a few minutes, so she laid in the bed looking around.
When she figured out she was at Brenin’s house and that Davy needed to be getting up for school, she hopped out of bed and got her shower.
Getting Davy up was difficult; he wasn’t a morning person, and getting him going was difficult.
Since she had to be to work by six-thirty, she let Brenin deal with him and take him to the bus stop.
It was nice to have someone help out when things were like this, and she was glad that Brenin seemed to enjoy it so much.
~*~
Brenin was going to be in the courtroom this morning for the hearing about Janice and Shanda.
Shanda was already bitching about having to miss work and losing her job.
Janice seemed to be in a good mood, but he knew that could just be a facade that she was carrying to fool the judge.
He was careful around her table but sat up close enough that he could hear what was being said by all parties.
When her name was called, he just knew she was going to be trouble.
“I want out of jail. I’ve been saying this since I was arrested, that there was no need for me to be put in jail.
I only slapped the stupid woman the one time, and apparently that’s against the law.
All she had to do was move in with me, and that would have been the end of her troubles with her rent being due.
” The judge asked if she knew that she’d gotten stitches.
“Three. Like that’s anything to be bragging about.
I’ve had worse cuts on my legs and didn’t do anything about them. She’s just milking the system.”
“Be that as it may, you did hit her without provocation from her. Also, and this is something that I tell all my bullies, she’s not going to be hit again, or you’ll be right back here under worse circumstances.
Do I make myself clear?” Janice said that she’d heard him.
“What was the reason that you hit her in the first place? I heard you say something about her moving in with you. Perhaps she’s smart in not wanting to live with you if you’re going to go around hitting her for no reason. ”
“I owned the house that she was renting from me. I raised the rent so much that she’d have no choice but to move in with me so that I could help her raise my grandson.
But she moved in with some man and is living there in sin with him, so that I can’t see him.
She won’t even tell me where she’s living.
What kind of person does that to their mother-in-law?
I wanted her to be beholden to me, and she’s moved on without me.
Ungrateful is what she is. I should be raising my grandson on my own for what she’s been up to with that other person. ”
“I’m to understand that they’re married.
” Brenin was never so glad to have something filed for himself as he was the marriage license that the faeries had put away for him.
“So her living in sin isn’t going to cut it.
Also, there is an application for Mr. Savage to adopt the young lad as his own.
I don’t see anywhere on the paperwork where she had to have permission to do anything like moving in with you.
She sounds to me like she’s getting her life in order. ”
“She’s moved on without so much as a thought to my feelings.
” The judge asked her why her feelings should come into play at all.
“I’m her…haven’t you been listening to me?
I said she can’t move on because my son was her husband.
She had her chance at happiness, and now that’s over.
She should be living with me so that I can help her raise her son to be a good man.
I don’t believe for a moment that she has any idea what she’s doing. ”
“Apparently, she has her own ideas when it comes to living with you. And she sounds to me like—you there? Are you a Savage?” He stood up and introduced himself to the room.
“Brenin. You married this young woman. Does she seem like she needs help raising her son? I do believe that I married someone with that name recently. Anyway, does your wife seem like she needs to have Mrs. Manchester around her all the time to help with the raising of the child? I also have your application to adopt the boy, too. I’ll go over it when we have a break. ”
“Lisa is doing an excellent job raising her son. She makes sure that he eats well and is in bed on time. His homework is always finished before dinner. She’s a good mother to him and a better wife to me.
” The judge asked Janice why she thought she could do better.
“I believe that Mrs. Manchester will stop at nothing to get her grandson to live with her. He doesn’t even much care for her either. ”
“You shut your trap. I’ll deal with you when I’m finished here.
I’ll not have you saying a bad word about me.
I pay my taxes and should have things done my way.
” She turned to the judge before speaking again.
“He’ll be better off dead than living with the slut.
I don’t believe for a moment that she’s married.
It would be just like her to say something like that to have people believe that it’s true.
I want her and that grandson of mine living with me and not out and about like she’s working the streets.
You make that happen, and I’ll be beholden to you for the rest of your term.
If not…well, we’ll just have to see how things turn out, won’t we? ”
“Are you threatening me, Mrs. Manchester? I’ll have you know that’s a stiff penalty for you to be messing with.
” She said that her taxes pay his salary and that he should be nicer to the people who pay the most. “I’ve known the Savages since they moved to our town a while back.
If you think you pay a great deal in taxes, you should see their bill.
And they pay on time, too. None of this dicking around with late fees either. ”
“I don’t believe you. I pay the most, and I’ll have you know that I’m never late either.
” She looked ready to say more, but he cut her off.
Talking to his bailiff, she waited like the rest of them to see what was going on.
When he turned back to her, he didn’t look happy.
“I can’t see any reason for you to be out and about when you’re obviously a threat to this child and his mother.
Not that I don’t think Mr. Savage can handle a woman like you, but I do want to make sure that they’re safe.
Ninety days in jail with no time served.
You’ll behave yourself, too, while in jail, or I’ll have to come back here and sentence you to a bit longer. I might well enjoy that too.”
When the smack of his gavel hit the desk, everyone jumped just a little.
The bailiff came back with a sheet of paper, and he’d bet anything that it was a copy of their marriage certificate.
As soon as it was handed to Janice, she made a sound like a dog, growling deep in her throat like she’d been told her dinner wasn’t coming to her.