Off Sides (Off #1)(35)

"Ma'am. You need to calm down. We will press charges against Mr. Malone but he is asking that we press charges against Mr. Burnham."

"It's not fair," I whisper, and the tears start flowing again. Ryan gathers me in his arms and kisses my forehead. He asks the cop, "Can you wait until at least she sees the doctor so I can stay with her?"

The cop looks back and forth between us and then sighs. "Sure. I'll be outside waiting for you."

Before he steps outside he turns to look at us. "For what it's worth, if that had been my wife or my daughter, I would have done exactly what you did, Mr. Burnham."

Ryan nods at the cop who leaves and softly shuts the door behind him. Then he picks me up and sits back down, cradling me in his lap. "It's going to okay, Danny. Please don't worry."

I'm clutching his shirt while I lay my head in the crook of his neck. "How can I not worry? You're getting arrested."

"Sssshhh," he says. "Just close your eyes until the doctor gets here."

I do as he asks and then I melt when Ryan starts humming a song to me. I don't recognize it at first but then I realize its John Lennon's Imagine, one of my all-time favorite songs. I utterly sink into Ryan and let him sing to me to wash away my fears.

Eventually, Sarge arrives. I had called Paula at work and she was trying to find someone to cover her shift so she could come to me. Sarge was my next call after Paula. He hugs me and then puts Ryan in a big, bear hug, thanking him for saving me.

Finally the doctor comes and clears me. He says my CT scan is negative and that I should be just fine.

After he leaves, I turn to Ryan. Any words I want to say are stuck in the dryness of my throat. He asks for my phone and I hand it to him. He enters something in my contacts and hands it back to me.

“Please call my uncle tonight,” he says. “I programmed it under Jim Thorne. He knows who you are. Tell him what happened and ask if he can arrange for an attorney for me. Ask him not to call my parents. I don't feel like dealing with them."

I nod then hug him hard. "I love you. More than anything."

"I love you too.” He pulls back and kisses me on the temple. “Don’t worry. I promise it’ll be okay."

I start to walk out the door with him but he shakes his head no. "I don't want you to see me get arrested."

I nod as tears stream down my face, and the door closes behind him. Sarge takes me in his arms and hugs me again.





CHAPTER 15


Ryan



I'm at my arraignment hearing the day after my arrest. Uncle Jim brought me one of my suits to wear and he's sitting with Danny behind me. I glance back at her and give her a reassuring smile. She returns it and mouths I love you.

Uncle Jim hired me a really good lawyer and he has prepared me that the judge will probably not throw the charges out at this point, but that I should be able to make bail with no problems. This satisfies me.

I know I should be afraid at the prospect of getting convicted but I'm not. And I have no regrets for beating that shit the way I did. I'd do it again if he even looks at Danny the wrong way. The only solace I have right now is that he is in jail for attempted rape and will most likely not make bail.

The hearing is short. I stand as the judge reads the charges against me and asks how I plead. I want to say, "I'd do it all over again, Your Honor" but instead I say, "Not Guilty" as my attorney instructed me to do. Bail is set at $10,000 which is easy money and then the hearing is over.

My attorney tells Uncle Jim and Danny that he'll walk me through the process of paying the bail and getting me released, and that we will meet them on the front steps of the courthouse.

***

I walk out of the courthouse and immediately loosen the tie around my throat. I've always felt too confined in them. I glance around looking for Danny and Uncle Jim and when I find her my blood starts to boil. My mother is standing there and she and Uncle Jim are arguing. Danny is pale looking.

I jog over to them and as I come up behind my mother, I hear her say, "Well, he wouldn't be in this mess if it wasn't for her. Girls like her bring this stuff upon themselves."

"Celia!" My uncle says with warning. "That's enough."

I brush past my mother and gather Danny in my arms. I give her a hug and kiss her on her forehead. I pull back and look at her. She gives me a shaky smile.

Turning to my mother, I say the words that need to be said. "Mother, you've said the last hurtful thing about Danny that I will tolerate. I'm done with you. Do not contact me or reach out to me again. In fact, how about you just pretend I never existed."

Danny and my mother both gasp out loud.

"Ryan," my mother pleads. "You don't mean that. You can't choose her over your family."

I feel Danny flinch in my arms over those words. I look at my mom levelly. "Listen carefully, Mother, because I mean this with every fiber of my being. I am choosing love. I am choosing someone who loves me unconditionally, no matter what. It's as simple as that."

I turn and walk away, pulling Danny along with me. I can hear my mother crying and I even hear Uncle Jim say, "You brought it upon yourself, Celia."

We walk to my Range Rover that Danny had driven today. She hands me the keys and I open the door to let her in. Before she steps in, I stop her and she looks at me. She has purple bruising over her right cheekbone. I reach my fingers out and skim over it gently. She closes her eyes at the touch.