EMBRACE YOU Lone(liness Book Two)(20)

Marcus is looking pale and scared. Gesturing for my pen and pad, he writes down his thoughts.

Those are serious conditions! She must not be allowed out of jail because she will continue to come after us. I want to confer with the barrister and tell him this.

I begin writing.

Don't you think it would be better if we testified to our feelings and thoughts about her mental health diagnoses? At least then, it's in the record and she might actually get prison time.

Marcus resumed writing.

That's true. Let's ask if we can testify again.

My turn.

Okay.

We continued listening as Cara's defense attorney tried his damndest to get the magistrate to consider not sentencing Cara to prison. Then, the magistrate calls Marcus to the stand.

"Mr. Hadley, you heard the diagnoses. They are quite serious. Are you aware that two of them cannot be treated with medication? And the third can, but the patient must be willing to continue taking her medication every day?"

"No, I wasn't, but I do know that what she has is pretty significant."

"If the defendant were to be released and not required to serve a prison sentence, Mr. Hadley, what do you believe would happen?"

"In truth? She would come after us again. I have security around our house and the band has security around the studio. It wouldn't be very difficult for a determined, mentally ill woman to get past any defenses I have set up to protect my family. Sir, I am begging you - sentence the defendant to prison!" Here, Marcus had turned to the magistrate as he pleads.

Finally, the case is given to the jury to decide upon. We learn that it could be days, not hours, before the jury returns with their verdict - then the magistrate has to come back with his ruling. The only things that keeps me from losing my sanity as we wait are Marcus, Lizzie, our upcoming European tour and Melanie's trial, which starts right after Cara's trial.

Much of what we learned in Melanie's trial has already been covered in Cara's trial, so, except for the days when I must testify in Melanie's trial, I stay away. When the defense puts on its case, I am there every day. I decide that I need to know just as much about her as I now know about Cara. After all, Marcus and I will be expected to testify about the effects of Melanie's actions on our family.

Melanie's lawyer focuses strongly on her mental health diagnosis, but, now that I know just a little more about borderline personality disorder, I realize that it isn't a mental illness, per se. I also know that Melanie can't take medication and control her condition. She has to want to do so. She has to want to participate in therapy to understand what she has and how to control it on her own. Given that she's got so used to drama and creating havoc in the lives of others, it's unlikely she's going to want to control her disorder. Therefore, we need to know as much as we can about her so we can ask for the stiffest possible sentence. We have a little girl to protect. Melanie and Cara would care nothing for any harm they do to her as long as they can achieve their scummy ends.

Therefore, Marcus puts a lot of work in, writing and sending articles to his clients in the days before Melanie's defense begins laying out their case. Tim, Linny, Laslow and I put in extra hours of practice so we can be in the courtroom. We are a united presence. As we walk into the courtroom, minus the baby, our entrance causes quite the stir. We sit in one row, with Marcus and I sitting next to each other. Heads crane, looking at us. Finally, the magistrate has to call the entire court room to attention.

"The court calls Melanie Stabb to the stand!"

Melanie looks the same as she did in the concert auditorium - tall, emaciated and with her hair styled in a poorly cut Mohawk haircut.

"Miss Stabb, will you please describe your childhood for the magistrate and jury?"

"I am one of seven children. My mum and dad separated when I was three, so mum expected that I would take care of my youngest brother, who was, at that time, about a year old. She began dating almost immediately after my dad left. She had no time for any of us, so we basically raised ourselves. We lived on the streets when mum had no money for gas, lights or food. By the time I was twelve, I was responsible for my brother, my siblings and me. I'm one of two girls, so we were expected to make a home and go to school. I dropped out shortly after I started secondary school so I could find a job.

"I found work as a child minder in a neighborhood nursery and worked part-time up until I was about twenty-four years old. Got a boyfriend and we lived together until he left me for someone else a few years later. I got depressed and lost my child minder job. I knocked around for a while and sort of got involved in minor crime...I called people and told them they had won the lottery, that I needed their bank account numbers so my boss could put their winnings into their accounts."

"So, you were one of several neglected children. Did your mum abuse you?"

"Oh, no! Oh, well, when she left the house and made us take care of each other, well..."

"No, Miss Stabb. I'm talking about being hit. Being abused sexually. Did that ever happen to you?"

I see where Melanie's attorney is going and so do the rest of us. I pull my writing pad and pen out and start doodling musical notes again as I listen.

"Uh, abuse? Hitting? Sexual stuff? Uh..." She's unable to answer that question. Whether that is due to her intellectual capability or what, I am not able to figure out. Seems pretty straightforward to me. If she was a victim of abuse, answer in the affirmative; if not, then deny it.