47. *Mistakes*

POV change, story extension. ~Explicit wording~

*****

Pat spent the afternoon on that floating dock with Annette and loved every second of it. The shaded tent of black lace paired with her black sweatpants and his olive green t-shirt made her light skin tone and hair look even more sickly. He hated the fact that those big glasses hid her eyes but she was content. She giggled, joked, snuggled into him, and kissed him. Pat couldn't be happier. When they finished their lunch, Annette laid her head on his lap. He tenderly stroked her hair and played with the strand of hair Jess didn't tuck into her braid. "Pat," Annette whispered in his lap as she leaned into him more, pressing her quivering lips together. Pat adjusted her head so it rested in a more comfortable position next to his hip.

"Yeah, doll?" He asked softly as he removed her glasses and set them down beside him. He sighed inaudibly. Once again tears were brimming her eyes, and he felt helpless; he hated to see her in pain.

"I'm sorry I keep flinching from your touch. I know you aren't going to hurt me. I'm so sorry I can't stop myself from giving you that involuntary shudder," she whispered and tried to blink back her tears. "I'm sorry that I can't even control my emotions. I can't face another monster. I know you aren't one nor ever could be. I'm not afraid of you, but I am afraid to be without you. I'm afraid I'm going to scare you away."

"Oh, doll. I promise, I'm not leaving you. There's no other place I'd rather be and I'm not going to let you do this alone. I'm right here, darling," Pat whispered as he wiped her tears away. "You're here now. That's enough for me. I know that you're fighting some horrible internal battles, but you have nothing to apologize for. I don't like the fact that you flinch away from me, but I understand why you do. I also understand how many times you have to convince your brain that you're safe in my arms. Sweet, sweet 'Nettie, I will always do what I can to protect you and cherish you. Even if that means stepping back and letting you find the way through the fog on your own. It will be hard being sidelined, but doll, I'm always cheering for you and waiting for you to come back to me. I'll be your guide, your compass, and map. I'll show you where you need to go. I would love to just throw you on my back and trek the terrain myself, but this is one thing you have to work through. I got your six. So strap up your boots and take off. There is no time limit for this." She smiled which caused his heart to try to flutter off. He bit his tongue as he realized he was talking to her with military terms, but she didn't seem to mind which made him love her all the more. He traced the bruise above her left eyebrow gently and whispered, "I will tell you a hundred times daily until you believe it without a doubt that I love you and will never hurt you. Sarah, I will whisper in it your sleep. I will murmur it in your ear while I hold you. I'll leave you notes to find. I will call you while you're at school just to let you know that I'm thinking about you. A hundred times a day, doll. Or until you believe without a doubt that you are safe and the truth drowns out the lies; whatever comes first. The times I can tell you that are countless. I'll always protect you to the best of my ability and I will never stop loving you."

"Only a hundred times," she teased as another tear fell down her cheek. Pat grinned.

"I'll make it a thousand," he promised as he wiped her eyes again. He looked tenderly into them and noted that the ring of red around her iris was dissipating and was almost gone. The little bit left towards her nose drew him in. He rubbed under her eye before tracing her eyebrow again. "Let me start right now," he whispered as he grabbed her hand, pulled it to his lips, and kissed it tenderly. He rested her hand on his cheek then traced her arm affectionately with his. "I love you. You're safe in my arms, baby doll." He smiled as she giggled softly and another tear fell from her eyes. He let her pull her hand down and wrapped his fingers around hers as their hands rested on her stomach. Then he traced the features of her face with the back of his left hand. "I love you," he repeated softly as he rubbed her lips. "Don't ever be afraid to tell me anything."

"I know you care about me. I appreciate your affection and devotion. I'm never going to see how I'm good enough for you. I'm happy that I'm your girl," she admitted. She sat up and sighed, pulling her hand from his grasp. Pat hated not having her within arm's reach, but she need some space. He looked upon her tenderly, hoping and trusting she would continue to open up to him; he was not disappointed. "Truth be told, somewhere down deep I always dreamed about a guy like you would want me. However I always assumed I'd end up with someone like my dad, Lionel, Ryan, or the creeps from yesterday. No respect for boundaries, no problems forcing their hand to get what they want, and no disregard for those they hurt." Pat couldn't help himself and scooted closer to her. She leaned into his chest and Pat grinned, rubbing her side softly.

"Are those part of the lies that are running through your head?" He asked kindly as he traced down her right arm so he could grab her hand again. She pulled both their hands around her waist, trying to close the distance between them and nodded. "Well doll, we're just going to have to record a new cassette to play in your head then, aren't we?" She giggled and turned her head up to him. 

"Cassette tapes are all but dead," she teased. He held onto her hand with his left hand and moved his right hand to stroke her jaw as she breathed on his jaw. 

"I know. My mind went blank; somebody is taking away all my words all because she leaned into me," he teased back. She grinned and tried to pull away. Pat quickly pulled her back and kissed her neck. She giggled and turned her body so she was perpendicular to him. Pat grinned and bent his knee around her as he propped up her back with his arm. He kept his left hand on her jaw as he gazed tenderly upon her. "I don't mind being braindead around you, doll. Like I was saying, I will help you record over those lies until you know the truth and can live it. Because truth be told, you are worth being loved, respected, and to be treated with dignity." Her eyes closed as she pressed her head against his hand, and he continued. "You are beautiful and smart. You are generous and selfless. You have a heart of gold. You are priceless and yet so valuable. Doll," he breathed. She opened her eyes. "Your only flaw is that you don't believe in yourself."

"Why should I believe in myself when everyone else buys the fact that I'm doing just fine?" She whispered. Pat stroked her cheek.

"Because I don't buy it, doll," he told her softly and truthfully. "I still think you're remarkable and amazing, but I know your thread on reality and life is thin and starting to fray. I'm doing what I can to turn that thread into a rope so eventually you can turn that into a bridge." She kissed his cheek.

"Thank you, dear. I'm working on it," she promised. Pat continued to stroke her cheek. "I want to kiss you, but not like this. We seem to do more kissing when I'm in pain," she cried. Pat dried her cheeks and smiled; the words stung but he didn't want to kiss her only when she was in pain either. She returned the smile, however, it didn't reach her eyes. He could tell she was getting uncomfortable and assumed she would change the subject soon. He lowered his hand and covered the back of her right hand, refusing to let go with his left. 

"Queen of misdirection. Doll, why won't you ever just ride an emotion out? I'm right here. I'll always be here for you," he thought painfully but didn't press the matter. Annette took a deep breath and looked back over the lake. "Doll, speak your mind," he whispered.

"Didn't you tell me you wanted to massage my muscles?" She teased. She looked back over her shoulder with a smirk. "Or are you going to catch dinner?" Pat grinned.

"Would you eat it if I caught it?" He asked. She shook her head.

"I hate fish," she admitted and looked at the water again. Pat kissed above her ear and felt her stiffen in his arms again.

"Then I guess it's time to help those stiff muscles. I'm going to take your sling off, doll. Then you can lay down," he retorted as he pulled away from her. She nodded but didn't move. Pat took off her sling and supported her arm. "Front or back?"

"Hmm? Oh. Guess I'll lay on my stomach," she confirmed and moved to roll over. Pat helped her and gingerly set her arm down. Annette scooped the pillow under her head and held onto it tightly without moving her left arm at all. "Could you help me with my leg? I can't just lay flat. I need to curl up a little," she asked softly, her voice muffled by the pillow. Pat grinned and remembered when she crashed on his bed. He grabbed her knee and lifted her right leg up so her knee was even with her hip. She nodded and Pat lowered it down. "It doesn't need to be propped up. Thanks, dear," she mumbled. Pat grinned and he began gently rubbing her back, using only his fingertips and keeping it light. One day, he would give her a massage that really helped her, not one that barely tickled his palms.

"You're welcome, doll. Do you feel better, out here? It's not a dark abyss, but you are floating. After all, it was your ultimate goal last night, right?" Annette shifted so her face wasn't completely in the pillow and nodded. She kept her face down, but Pat could hear her speak better.

"It's perfect, dear. Thank you. Peaceful. Quiet. Pretty. Relaxing. Not to mention, I seriously have the best company," she replied. Then she yawned. Pat sighed. Once again, she was tired. 

"Oh, doll. Stop fighting your body. I would rather you stay awake and talk with me, but you need to sleep. I need to help you relax completely, but you are so fragile. Just trust me and let me help you, baby," he thought. "I'm going to just do your back, alright?" He asked. She nodded again, turned her head, and shifted her pillow. Pat grinned again when he could see part of her face now. Her eyes were closed and she was breathing through her parted lips. When he applied a little pressure to her lower back, her brow furrowed and she bit her lip. Pat looked at his hands hoping for a neon sign. He released the pressure slightly but continued to rub. "You need to tell me if I'm hurting you," he instructed as he looked back at her face. She nodded but didn't say anything. Pat moved his left hand to her shoulders and kept his right one on her lower back. The nerve endings in his fingers made it so he couldn't feel how hard he was pressing down on her, feel small knots in her back, or even be able to pick up on her body's natural flinching unless he could pick it up with his eyes; since she wasn't taking off the shirt -not that he wanted her to- seeing the muscles flinch wouldn't be an option. He grazed his left hand over her shoulder, but focused his attention on his right hand. He gently pressed across her lower back. Once again she winced but didn't say anything. Pat felt around that area but didn't feel any knots, nor did he pick up on subtle muscle tightening. It was close to her right hip and he pursed his lips fearing the worst. "Can I look, doll?" he asked. 

"I'm sure it's just a bruise. The fracture is on the side of the hip. If you're concerned about hurting me, move to the next spot," she instructed in a soft and gentle tone. Pat nodded and moved up to her ribs. He kept his fingers feather light so as to not hurt her more. Her eye opened and tried to meet his. "It's not that I don't trust you. He wasn't kind with me. You saw the bruise in the front; I'm sure the back is worse. It would just upset you again," she whispered. Pat stopped rubbing her back and tucked that stray hair behind her ear again. 

"Oh, doll, you could never upset me. At least not to the point where I'm mad at you all the time. I'd get over it quickly. If I got upset over this, it wouldn't be at you," he replied. He watched her scrunch her eye shut and took a deep breath, letting it out slowly. Pat grabbed one of the frozen water bottles from the basket and placed it on her hip. She gasped and opened her eye. Pat traced her ear again. "Just ice, doll. No matter how insignificant, you need to tell me about your pain so I can take care of you. I want to. I need to. Taking care of you has become my only priority in life. You are the best thing in my life. Like I told you, I was drawn to you from the first time I met you. I have to take care of you. Nothing is too small. You can have every second of my time because there's no one else worthy of it. You're my world. I'm completely captivated by you and don't want to be anywhere else than right here beside you," he insisted. 

"Yes, dear. That's exactly where I want you too," she replied around a sob. "If you want to look, you can look. I know it'll ease your mind if you knew for sure." Pat continued to stroke her face. She grinned at him. "That massage felt good, thank you." Pat leaned over and kissed her temple. 

"Of course, doll. You're right; I need to see for my own sanity. I will respect you if you don't want me to," he replied softly. She nodded, closed her eyes again, and bunched her pillow under hand. "So is that a respect-me-and-don't-look-nod?" She shook her head. 

"Look," she ordered softly. Pat sat up again and lifted her shirt. He bit his hand as he inspected the damage. Tears fell down his cheek and he was unable to stop them. When he found his voice, he lashed out.

"Annette, this is worse than the front! Only black. No blue, purple or green," he spat in anger. Annette sobbed again and tried to curl up away from him. Once again, he felt like he was witnessing a flower wilt. He lowered the shirt and put the ice back on her hip. Pat took a deep breath and spoke to her in a calm voice that cracked as his tears continued to fall more frequently. "Doll, I'm sorry. You were right, I got angry. I'm not mad at you, please understand that. You have movement but I'm not surprised you are stiff. If it locks up, even a little, you have to tell me immediately so I can take you to the hospital. You might have internal bleeding with how dark this is. I can't lose you." He rubbed the back of her head tenderly as she trembled and let just wept. Pat's heart broke. "You were right. I shouldn't have begged to look. Forgive me, Annette," Pat pleaded softly as he looked back at the area of bruise and rolled the ice around on her hip. Even though it was covered, he could still clearly see the bruise. "I'm so sorry. You don't ever deserve to be riddled in color like this," he cried softly.

"Hold me," she begged as her body convulsed with another sob. Pat lay down beside her and wrapped his arm around her waist, his head rested on the middle of her back, and his left hand played with her hair. Together they wept. "I'm sorry," she cried after several minutes. Pat sat up, dried his eyes, helped her roll to her back, and dried her eyes. The iced water rolled into the water; neither cared enough to go retrieve it. 

"You have nothing to apologize for," he whispered, not trusting his voice. He grabbed her hand and rubbed it tenderly. "I can't fathom losing you, doll. This is a very serious situation." He adjusted his body so he was laying on his left side next to her and cupped her jaw tenderly. "Please don't let me lose you. Always tell me the pain you're experiencing. Together, we'll figure it out. We need to go to shore though so I can call Jess, doll. Please," he begged. She shook her head, leaned into him more, and looked around the dock. Her gaze fell upon his tackle box.

"Together, right? I have the best thing right here. I can walk you through checking for internal bleeding if you have a needle present," she murmured. Pat looked at her in surprise. Gently he tugged on her jaw so he could look at him again.

"Please tell me you're joking," he begged, looking for any hint of humor in her face or eyes; he found none. She shook her head and pushed him back until he sat up; she continued to lay down. She lifted her shirt and pointed to a spot right above her hipbone. Pat inspected the eggplant purple and forest green bruise covering the majority of her right abdomen. She was correct. That monster had not been gentle and it made his blood boil. He looked up, closed his eyes, and took two calming breaths, before he leaned in and looked at the spot she was pointing to. Three light colored spots stood out, no bigger than the end of a pencil. Calmly, he spoke, "based on the way this bruise looks, it's not internal bleeding; it would show up on both sides. Now what am I looking at, doll?" 

"It's not the first time I had to drain my stomach cavity. I know that you're supposed to let it run it's course, take coagulants, and get the bleeding to stop. Going to the doctor is the best bet. Unfortunately, I couldn't go to the doctor too often; in fact, I never went once for that. Much to my misfortune as well, coagulants aren't easy to come by. I collapsed in the kitchen after heating up dinner one night. My shirt rolled up and Dad noticed my black stomach. When his slapping didn't wake me, he carried me to the bathroom and dumped me in the tub. He turned on the water and sprayed it over my face. When I came around, he shut off the water and pulled out the steak knife I had in the kitchen with his dinner. 'Not allowed to die, Annette. Next time cover it better' he had sneered as he stuck the knife in my side," she explained as she lifted the shirt over her left hip and pointed to two inch scar. "I don't know if he was telling me to protect my body better or if he was telling me to hide my injuries better. I lay on that side in the tub and just let everything drain, too tired and sore to move at all. I eventually fell asleep. When I woke up and looked in the mirror, my once black stomach was blotched purple and pink and my body was drenched in blood. After a quick shower and a change into some shorts and a sports bra, I did my best to bandage up my still bleeding stomach. I kept losing consciousness though; I had lost too much blood. Noah found me on the bathroom floor before school started. He finished bandaging me up, put me back in the tub, and held me while I rinsed me off. I was so unsteady on my feet, but with Noah's help, I wasn't going to let it show. I put on tight black clothes that day. Noah said I stood out like a sore thumb because I didn't have a single pop of color and looked even more washed out. People would notice; so he gave me his maroon sweater to put on too and gave me some colored duct tape to give my pants a splash of color. I didn't use the duct tape but made sure I wore a bright bow and shoes to give my outfit some contrast. I changed that bandage at least three times in school, making sure I wasn't bleeding through his sweater so the whole world could see. I kept smiling and I pressed on. I rested against the wall if I needed a break, but nobody caught on. Math class might have been the only time people could have caught on since I slept; my brother had the same class and covered for me. Noah often asked if it would have been easier for me to give up and let sleep win that day. He kept asking me why I fought if it was just a prelude to what was yet to come. We both knew Dad was getting more violent and things wouldn't end up the best for us. That was three years ago. However, that knife in my side showed me I could keep fighting to live, but it would be a painful journey. Pat, I've learned a lot about survival. I can make a tourniquet for almost every part of my body. I know exactly what muscles I have to use if one of them becomes unusable. I know how to dress so my bruises don't show and if they have to show, I know what colors make them look older and less menacing than they really are. Draining internal bleeding is the worst because I can't always get the place I'm bleeding from to stop," she explained as she pointed to other scars now more visible to his searching eyes; he never would have noticed them unless she said something.

Pat grabbed her hand, choked on another sob, and cried, "you shouldn't know how to do these things."

"I shouldn't but I do. I didn't learn because I wanted to. I learned how to do those things so I can live. Life sucks, but it's worth living. Everyone should know that," she replied harshly as she released his hand and pulled down her shirt. "My whole life has been a fight for survival. I'm not giving up. I don't want to go back to the hospital. You wanted to know about my injuries last night. All of them! I'm giving you the brief version. I'm sorry this hurts you but I'm not stopping. Blood and guts don't bother me like they should. Admitting I'm in pain is a whole new thing for me. Letting you see me cry constantly is breaking my number one rule." She raised her right leg -painfully Pat noticed- pulled up the leg of the pants until it draped around her thigh, and pointed to a jagged scar on the outside of her knee. "I even learned how to do a stitch in a pinch. The hospital stuff isn't for me. I can't do it full time but I can put together a mean first aid kit out of moss and sticks if I have to. Would you like me to keep going?" She asked angrily. Pat shook his head, helped her lower her leg, pull the pant leg down again, and dried her tears again, blinking back his own.

"I'm sorry I asked, doll. Thank you for sharing. I know this isn't easy for you," he whispered. He sat back and found he had a whole new level of admiration for the small girl in front of him. "Press it, Miller," he ordered mentally and shook his head. "If you were in her shoes, would you have done things different? Of course not! You hated it when doctors and nurses helped piece you back together. You hated people seeing your scars and looking at you like you were weak. Why should she be any different? Now, calm her down or you'll lose her to her anger again and this time, it'll be at you," he thought as he grabbed her hand and rubbed it tenderly. "I'm proud of you, doll. I told you once that you have good instincts and you did what you had to do to survive. I know that statement to be even more true now. You never have to bring up another past injury. As for your hip, we'll play this by ear. When Jess comes back, if you want to check for internal bleeding you can. Right now, I'm on a date with my girl and she assures me she's fine. Dating is not supposed to be negative and bitter; it's supposed to be fun and carefree," Pat explained. Annette grinned and sat up. She dried Pat's eyes and kissed his cheek.

"We kinda suck at this dating thing," she giggled. "Two dates both with tears. I don't think this is how it works, but I don't want to be anywhere else." Pat chuckled and dried her eyes too before pulling her in for a hug.

"Agreed, doll. We do suck at dating right now, but that means it can only get better, assuming you will want to date me still," he whispered.

"I do. Do you still want to date me?" She countered.

"Definitely. I don't know how you change moods so instantaneously, but I love this view. That smile makes my whole day," he retorted as he kissed her forehead and stroked her jaw. Annette sat back, bit her lip and pleaded with eyes. He rubbed her lips and she released them. "May I?" Pat breathed as he inched closer and closer. She closed her eyes and leaned in. Her hand fell to his chest as their lips met. Pat kept one hand on her cheek as he wrapped the other behind her neck. She was gasping for air but kept coming back for more. Pat eventually broke the kiss as he too was gasping. "Breathing is important, doll," he teased. She grinned.

"You should fish. I think I'm going to nap. Can I lay on your lap or would you prefer me to use the pillow?" She replied around a yawn. Pat held up some peanut butter cups. Her eyes danced as she noticed them. "Well maybe just one," she giggled. He chuckled and opened them up. He placed one by her mouth and moved in closer. Her blue eyes twinkled as their noses touched. "You make it difficult to choose: your lips or that delicious chocolate," she breathed.

"Don't choose. You can have both," he offered as he put the chocolate halfway in her mouth, rested his hand on her neck, then broke the chocolate with his mouth, making their lips brush. She licked his lips as she pulled the chocolate in and pressed her lips softly against his. Pat pulled back and swallowed the chocolate in his mouth. "You still have some, right here," he whispered as he leaned in. She grinned and pulled him in. He kissed the corner of her mouth, licking it as he deepened the kiss. She leaned her head back and sighed as he kissed up her cheek. "I'll fish. Go ahead and use the pillow. Until I have everything ready, I'll be needing to move around a bunch." She nodded and lay back down, cradling her left arm with her right. Pat moved a pillow to her side and rested her left arm on it.

"I love you, Benji," she murmured as she closed her eyes. Pat grinned. 

"I love you too, Sarah," he whispered as he stroked her cheek until she drifted off to sleep. "I could watch you all day, doll. That really does sounds stalkerish. What was the phrase you used? Creepy-pasta-watcher? It fits, but that's only because you are my whole world. I'll humor you and look away so I can fish," he promised as she shifted in her sleep, pulled her right hand to her chin, and looked away. Pat grinned, rolled over, did a push up over her, and kissed her cheek as he murmured, "my beautiful rose." He positioned himself by her head as he cast out into the lake after he picked up the water bottle that got away and stuck it back in the picnic basket. He looked down at her and stroked her cheek. The lace was creating shadows over her eyes, but her mouth was illuminated by the sun. Pat bit his knuckles on his left hand, his pole resting on the dock beside him. That sun was exactly where he wanted to be. He sighed, gently brushed his fingers over her lips, and looked at her eyes. She looked like she was going to a masquerade dance. Pat grinned. She pulled off that look well. He would have to take her to one once she was all healed up. "Doll, the dates I want to take you on are countless," he whispered. He looked up at the lake and the surrounding area. The position of the sun told him it was about 19:00. This shocked him. They must have had a really late lunch, since they had barely been on the water an hour and a half - or at least that was his assumption. "We missed dinner? Huh. Well I guess time flies when you're with the one you love," he mused. Annette sighed into his hand as she let out a soft moan. Pat turned his attention back to her; she was still sleeping, but she had moved and was applying pressure on her left shoulder. Immediately, she moved again, and her face relaxed as the added hinderance was gone. He grinned, pulled the pillow under her arm up to her shoulder, and rested his hand on his pole as he focused on her. Shortly, a tug on his line forced him to focus on the water again. He reeled in a decent sized rainbow trout. "That'll feed me," he noted as he threaded it onto his stringer and tied the line off the end of the dock. He cast his line back in and looked down at his girlfriend. Her brow was furrowed and her bottom lip was stuck in her teeth. Pat chuckled and rubbed her forehead soothingly. He pulled her chin so her teeth released her lips. Once she relaxed again, Pat crooned in her ear, "what am I going to do with you?" Unable to help it, he moved her head onto his lap. She didn't shift again. Pat filled his stringer while she slept. When the sun started to go down, he woke her. "Hey, doll," he whispered as he caressed her jaw. Her eyes fluttered open and Pat grinned. "I could never tire of watching that," he thought happily.

"Morning," she mumbled then looked at the sky. "No. That's not morning. Sunset." She groggily sat up and leaned back into Pat's shoulder. He kissed the top of her head. "I hate being so tired. I'm horrible company. You didn't have to stay out here. The couch is more comfortable, then you could have found something to do."

"You needed your sleep. I was fine, doll. I still enjoyed your company. I didn't get bored," he replied and held up his fishing stringer. She grinned then looked up at him in shock. He held up his left hand and wiggled his fingers. "Silly girl, I didn't touch you with my fishy hand." She giggled and looked back over the lake. Pat took the tent down and pointed beyond it. "The sun will set over there," he murmured then pointed past her feet. "The cabin's that way. What do you want to do, doll?" She grabbed her sling and snuggled closer to him. "I'm good with this too, doll. This is always an option," he thought.

"This for eternity," she replied sleepily. 

"What's that, doll? Me holding you? I can do that for eternity," Pat murmured as he took the sling out of her hand and hooked her up again then held her right hand. She looked back up at him. 

"Yep. I'd like that," she replied sleepily. Pat grinned and kissed her temple. "Just you and me in the middle of a lake for the rest of our lives. Surrounded by peace, quiet, and love. No responsibilities. Not a care in the world besides each other. I don't ever have to see another person." Pat wrapped her in a warm embrace, making sure he placed his left hand on his right arm. He kissed her neck.

"Sounds good to me. Might get you to like fishing after all," he teased. Annette blushed and looked to her right. Pat turned their bodies so they could get a better view of the setting sun. The amber, tangerine, and rose colored sunbeams danced on the top of the water giving it a crimson afterglow. Annette leaned her head back so she was looking straight up. Pat followed her gaze. The sky above them was magenta mixed with cobalt blue. "Tell me something, doll," Pat begged as he kissed her cheek.

"I love the cooler color palette better than the warmer one," she replied without missing a beat. "The blues, purples, and greens are very soothing. However, if I were to wear them, I look very sick. So that's why my wardrobe is mostly the warmer colors, although they do act like double agent. The reds hide the bruises the best. The oranges make my blue eyes sparkle and pop. All yellows and light pink compliment my skin tone." She looked back at him. "If I could paint, my room would be nothing but crashing waves in navy blue, periwinkle, turquoise, hunter green, and lilac. Topped with white accents. Of course the green would have to be minimal. Sorry, dear, I know you like it, but I don't care for it too much. Paired with all those other cool colors though, it's perfect." He grinned. she was truly full of surprises. "Now just because I said that, don't you dare change my bedroom. I love the yellow in there. It's like I'm on the sun. It's so warm and comforting. The hardwood floors are the only thing cold in that room." Pat kissed her forehead.

"You always surprise me. If you like your room the way it is, then we'll leave it. If you get the crazy notion to redecorate, I'll gladly help. The crashing waves scene you described sounds chaotic and stressful. Even if they were in those calming colors," he replied. Annette looked into his eyes and grinned.

"That's because I left out the part of a small boat floating on top, where the water is calm and a ray of sunshine surrounds it. The water can't knock it over. That's the point of safety in the storm. No matter how bad life gets, there's always a silver lining. You are my lifeboat, Mr. Miller," she retorted and kissed his cheek. 

"Am I the boat or the anchor?" He teased but inside he was rejoicing. To know that he was her safe refuge and that he grounded her made his heart soar. "I'll do anything to help you feel like that always," he thought as she kissed his cheek again.

"Does it matter?" She inquired. Pat shook his head. "Good. Because as long as I have you, I don't care if we drift off into the storm. You're my reality. You said I'm the best thing that ever happened to you but you're wrong; you're the best thing that has ever happened to me. You saved me, Benji." She sighed again and looked at the sunset. "It's almost gone. Another day has passed. You're still here. Today was a good day," she admitted. Pat bent her back and kissed her.

"Every second with you is a good day, doll. I'll always be here for you," he breathed. She grinned and sat up. "Do you want to stay out here or can we go in?"

"We can go in. This dock is a little hard and some cushion would be nice right about now. I'm sure you would like to eat. Probably need to use the bathroom too," she guessed. She looked back at the sky. A small sliver of red was all that was left of the sun. She shivered as a breeze blew across the lake. "And I don't like to be cold." Pat chuckled and took off his button up top and draped it over her.

"Won't do much good, but it's something. Excuse me, doll, I'll pull us into shore," he told her as he scooted to the far side of the dock and reached under it so he could grab the rope. He sat up when he had the rope in his hands and looked to his right in surprise. Annette had also scooted over towards the edge of the dock. She snuggled into him once he was sitting up, making sure not to lean too much into him so he would topple over, but her eyes were glued on the sky. Pat looked up and grinned as he tugged on the rope a little. He held onto the rope with one hand and tucked her into his side with the other. "Which one's your favorite?" He asked as they watched the stars come out one at a time. Annette reached across his body and pressed on his arm.

"This one," she replied softly. She lifted her leg and said, "this is a close second. But up there in the sky, I have no favorites. I can identify the big dipper, little dipper, and Orion's belt. Also the north star. Otherwise they all look the same. They just give me hope." Pat grinned and brought his right arm up to her neck so he could stroke her jaw.

"My favorite is right here," he whispered as he looked into her eyes. "Your eyes twinkle and sparkle. I'd swear there's a star or two in there." She blushed and looked down. Pat leaned her back and kissed her deeply. She arched her back and broke away, gasping for a breath, but then tried to keep it going. The rope in his hand was pulled taut and he sighed, but he kissed the tip of her nose before pulling away from her completely. "Sorry, doll. Looks like our friends are getting concerned. Shall we head back or do you want to continue stargazing?" She looked up at him and grinned. Her teeth were chattering all though she tried to hide it. Pat kissed her lips softly again. "Shore it is. We need to warm you up." He released her and pulled with both hands. Just around the bend, they noticed a light was moving back and forth on the beach.

"What do you think is going on?" She whispered.

"I don't know. Probably looking for us. Shall we pause for a minute?" Pat asked, leaning into her and kissing the top of her head. She nodded. Pat stopped tugging and just watched the commotion, wrapping his girl back in his arms to try and provide her with a little warmth. He couldn't understand how she was cold; he thought it was just right out, but he wasn't going to judge her. Annette giggled softly as the light was pointed in their direction, but obviously they couldn't be seen.

"PAT!" A voice yelled, his voice echoed off the lake. "Tyler I think we're going to have to find a boat. I think they died."

"Still nothing? What about pulling on that rope?" Tyler replied. Another light was shone across the water.

"It's just something to anchor the dock to. You can only move the dock from the dock. If I pull on this rope, it will become un-anchored on the other side of the lake and they'll truly drift off," Josh replied irritably.

"Maybe we should stop teasing them," Annette whispered. Her tiny frame began to convulse as she tried to stop shivering. Pat nodded, released her, and tugged on the guideline again with all his might and alternating hands to get her to shore quicker. "Sorry I spoiled your fun," she mumbled as she hugged her knees to her chest and buried her head on her leg trying to warm up. "I have horrible circulation. It doesn't take much for me to get cold." 

"Finally!" Josh remarked as the dock came into view of the lights. "Whoa! You alright, Net?"

"She's just cold. The breeze picked up. It's cooler on the water," Pat explained as he beached the dock and looked over at the men on shore; both shot a confused look to the other, but Tyler snapped out of it first. "Right!" Pat thought as he looked back at Annette. "They froze her at the complex! Crying out loud, are we ever going to find something for her to enjoy without it inadvertently coming back to her dreadful past?" He sighed and rubbed her arm gently. "Can one of you take her inside and help her warm up please?"

"Got it," Tyler remarked as he picked Annette up and carried her to the house. Josh came over, helped Pat stand up, then pushed him on his back into the water.

"Hey!" Pat remarked as he came out of the water. Josh laughed. "Sorry for making you worry, Dad. Didn't think it was worth a dunk though," Pat jeered as he swam to the dock and pulled himself up. "Will you help me now or do you still feel like you owe me another dunk?"

"Maybe later. Lost track of time? It's like past ten," Josh teased. Pat grinned and nodded. 

"She napped, I fished. I woke her up when the sun began to set. Did you guys eat?" Pat asked as he tried to wring out his shirt. Giving up, he bent over and untied the stringer instead. Josh shook his head as he brought over the wheelchair. Pat looked at their picnic. Annette had been good about keeping it all together. He grabbed the basket and her sunglasses then placed his other hand on Josh's shoulder.

"We snacked lots, but we can eat with you two too. I took him for a hike around the lake. He was grateful for us extending the invitation to him to stay up here. He's never done anything like this," Josh explained as he helped Pat hop to the chair. "Jess called on Net's phone. Tyler talked to her. Doesn't sound like they're coming back until tomorrow. They promised to find you crutches. Then you're on your own because let's face it man, you're heavy! Oof-ta!" Josh heaved as he pushed the last little bit up the small incline. "I'll take care of the fish. Go dry off," Josh ordered as he opened the door. Annette was snuggled up on the couch wrapped in a blanket and a cup of hot chocolate. She looked at Pat in concern when she noticed he was all wet. 

"I'm fine, doll. I owe Josh for more than a messed up milkshake now," Pat chuckled. Annette nodded and breathed back into her cup. "I'll be back in a few, doll," he promised. She nodded again and took a sip. Pat chuckled as some whipped cream ended up on her nose. She handed her cup over to Tyler and wiped it away with a tissue. She leaned against her brother and yawned again. Pat pursed his lips as he made his way to their bedroom. He quickly picked out some clothes and headed to the shower. The master suite was the only bathroom that was truly handicapped accessible. After a quick shower, he got dressed, hung up his wet clothes over the tub, and made his way back to the kitchen. He grinned when he saw Annette was resting at the table bossing Josh around in the kitchen as he prepared the fish. She still looked weary and cold, but she wasn't in the blanket anymore. Her right leg was propped in another chair and she leaned onto her hand as her elbow rested on the table. Pat opened the fridge and brought her some grapes and strawberries. "What will you eat, doll?" 

"I'm not hungry. I feel exhausted, like I was out in the sun too long," she replied sleepily as she stuffed a grape in her mouth and grinned. Pat returned the grin. "I'm good with just eating the fruit. Can we sit beside the campfire later? It's my favorite thing about the whole camping experience, you know? Actually it makes the camping trip. Without it, were just sleeping elsewhere." Pat chuckled again and smirked at her. She was truly full of surprises.

"Sweet! Pat can't say no to you, Net. So that means we're doing s'mores tonight? Awesome possum!" Josh exclaimed as Pat nodded; if that's what made the camping experience for her, they would do s'mores every night. "I'll get the fire going after dinner," Josh promised. Annette nodded and tossed a grape at Pat. He chuckled as he caught it in his mouth. He lifted her left leg and gasped as her icy toes touched his arm. He began rubbing her foot trying to get the circulation flowing again. Annette looked down sheepishly.

"Sorry. I'm sure they're freezing. I can't feel them right now," she said apologetically. Tyler heard that from the living room and brought the blanket to her. "Thank you." Pat took it and wrapped both legs in it. He continued to rub her left foot then worked on her calf. "Josh are you cooking with or without the skin on?" She asked. 

"I got this, Net. I've cooked fish a time or two. Just get warm. Although, lemon juice, lime juice, and salt sauteed in onions before adding the fish is a first. I'm sure it'll be delicious. Tyler, will you get the rice out. I'll pair the fish with that tonight. Potatoes will take too long. Fish cooks really quick." Tyler nodded and moved to the kitchen to help out. 

"Just don't forget the fresh squirt of juice when it's all done. Otherwise all you'll taste is onion," she reminded him then looked at Pat. "Should I go clean up my broken glass while they cook?" Annette asked. "I hate sitting on the sidelines." Pat chuckled.

"Don't worry about it, doll. All that glass is contained in the tub no one is using this week. We'll clean it up before we leave unless Jess decides she wants a bath. You don't need to replace it. Believe it or not, Linda never liked that mirror. So you did her a favor," he explained kindly. Annette nodded and lowered her head into her hand again. Josh brought all the food over to the table. Tyler brought plates, cups, and silverware. Annette shook her head like she was trying to clear the fog and sat up. Pat grinned and stopped rubbing her foot. "May I, doll?" he asked gesturing to the seat her leg occupied. Annette nodded and moved her foot down, Pat caught it and let it rest on his leg. Then he pulled the chair out of the way and wheeled up to the table.

"What do you want to drink, 'Nettie?" Tyler asked from the fridge. "Milk, lemonade, water, root beer, Dr. Pepper, coke, sprite, orange juice, or apple juice. Hell, I'd even serve you a beer tonight if you wanted it."

"Water's fine," Annette mumbled. "No beer. Don't care for the smell. If I can't get past the smell, I won't ingest it." Pat grinned.

"Will you bring me a coke?" He asked. Tyler nodded.

"Same," Josh added as he sat down. Tyler brought over the filtered water picture, a two liter bottle of coke, and a tray of ice. They passed the food around taking as much as they wanted. Pat frowned when Annette barely took half a scoop of rice but didn't say anything. Josh exchanged a look with Pat. "Net?" Annette looked over at Josh. "Are you getting sick?"

"I guess it's possible. We'll see what tomorrow brings. I don't feel ill. I just feel worn out. Before you suggest that it's a pregnancy symptom, I'm going to stop you right there. One, it's too early to tell and two, he didn't finish. Renae reminded me that I need to sleep lots to let my body heal," Annette replied and looked over at Pat, her eyes wide with shock. "I haven't had another pain pill since breakfast." Tyler stood up and moved to the counter where they put her pills earlier. He brought her back a full one. Annette pursed her lips but only took half the pill before she took another bite of the rice. The other half she set above her plate. "I'm not passing out until I have a s'more or two," she insisted. The table chuckled softly.

"So stubborn, 'Nettie," Tyler grinned as he dug into his fish. His eyes closed as he savored the flavor before he looked back at Annette and grinned. "For a toddler, you know how to cook." She grinned and looked at Josh.

"You can thank your chef. He wouldn't let me do anything but boss him around," she countered and took another bite of rice. 

"Hell! I barely let you do that, Net! You're right though, I'm a damn good cook!" Josh boasted. She sighed and grabbed the strawberries instead of eating the rice on her fork. 

"How is it possible I'm not hungry?" She asked as she put the stem down then took a drink of water. She looked over at Pat. "We didn't eat that much earlier."

"No, we didn't. It's summer and we've been on an emotional roller coaster. Sometimes emotions make us forget about food. Most people snack instead of eat actual meals. I'm almost done, doll. When I finish, we'll go to the porch and get the campfire going. You can make your s'more then I'm taking you to bed. Apparently, you still need lots of rest," he replied softly. She nodded and scooped up another bite of rice. Pat reached over and covered her hand with his. "I'm glad you're trying but you really don't need to force yourself to eat, doll. I don't want you to get sick either because you're forcing yourself to eat when you're not hungry." She nodded and pushed her plate back.

"Slide it down!" Tyler demanded. Pat took Annette's plate and handed it over. Tyler scooped it all on his plate and dug in. Pat took another bite of his food and grinned.

"It really is good," he praised. Annette blushed.

"I know! Ugh! Fu- uh. Ahem. I mean eff you, Net. I would love to take credit for this masterpiece, but the little bit of bossiness I listened to made this the best fish I've ever had. D****t! Trust me. I wish I could say it's the fish from this lake is why they're so delicious because it's not," Josh added.

"Josh, that's not the first time you corrected yourself. So did Pat ask you to watch your language around me?" Annette asked softly. Josh nodded.

"Pansy," he teased looking at Pat. "I think if she can handle a few blows, she can handle a few words," Josh remarked, causing the people around the table to chuckle softly.

"It's just not proper to curse in front of a lady. I'm just glad to see him making an effort though. Maybe he'll finally be able to land a lifelong partner because you're reforming him," Pat retorted as he finished his food and stacked his plate on Annette's. Then he moved her legs down so he could back the wheelchair away from the table and opened his arms. "Care to join me outside, doll?" She grinned and gave him her hand, de-tangling herself from the blanket as she stood up so she could sit in his lap. Pat wheeled them both outside. He set her on one of the wooden benches and moved over to the fire pit. Tyler and Josh joined them outside shortly after. Tyler draped the blanket over her shoulders and Josh helped Pat build up the fire. Tyler opened up the marshmallows, graham crackers, and chocolate bars. Annette grinned in anticipation. Pat wheeled back to her side as the fire roared and gave her a roasting stick. "Care to make your own?" She nodded. Pat switched her seats so she could be mobile. She bit her lip as she tried to figure out how to position herself so that her leg didn't catch on fire. Finally she gave up, stood, and rested her broken foot in the wheelchair behind her. Pat leaned forward but Tyler was soon beside her.

"Maybe you should just let someone else cook one for you," he offered as he took the stick out of her hand. Annette pouted but agreed as she let Tyler push her back into the wheelchair. She moved over to where Pat was sitting. Tyler pushed the wheelchair away as Pat grabbed her hand, helped her stand, and guided her to his chest as she snuggled in. Then he draped the blanket over her legs and covered her arms with his.

"Don't you dare burn my dessert. Also, could you warm up a cracker with a little chocolate first? I like my s'more completely roasted," she demanded as Tyler loaded up the marshmallows. He nodded, handed her the pole with two marshmallows, grabbed a full cracker and placed two chocolate squares on it before carefully balancing the cracker on it's own roasting stick. Then he moved over to the fire again and let the flames lick the cracker. "Just make it so the chocolate has melted enough to stay in place but still remain solid. It's a messy but delicious treat; I just don't want to be covered up to my elbows in chocolate," Annette instructed. Pat grinned. Tyler moved back to the preparation station, slid the cracker onto a plate and brought it over to Annette with another cracker. Then he took the marshmallows pole and moved back over the fire. "NO!" Annette shouted as she leaned forward. Tyler looked back at her. "For the perfect roasted marshmallow it can't be over the flame. You need to stick it by the hot coals. Watch it. When it starts to smoke that's when you turn it," she ordered. Pat chuckled and pulled her back to his chest. Josh was hiding a smile behind his hand.

"Like this, princess?" Tyler asked with a smirk. Annette nodded her approval. "And done. Here you go, 'Nettie," Tyler beamed as he brought the gooey, hot treat over. Pat reached around her and used the plain cracker to slide the marshmallows off and sandwich them on the chocolate crackers. Tyler moved to make his own s'more. Josh joined him. Pat split the s'mores in half and held the plate. Annette happily picked one up.

"You get that one. I don't want to overwhelm you with too much sugar in my system," she insisted as she looked over her shoulder. Pat grinned and picked it up. "Hang on! I'm not having marshmallow in my hair. It takes forever to wash out," she giggled softly as she moved away from Pat and took a bite of her sweet treat. When she finished she looked mischievously at Pat then looked at the two men having a contest of who could shove the most raw ingredients into their mouths. "Josh, will you make me another one please?" She asked sweetly. Josh nodded as he popped a marshmallow into his mouth before sticking another over the coals on a roasting stick. Pat gave her a confused glance and offered her his half that he hadn't finished yet. She shook her head and grinned as Josh brought the warmed up sugar to her.

"I win," Tyler mumbled around a mouthful. Josh shook his head and swallowed the food in his mouth. 

"No way! Technical timeout. We're taking care of Annette. Crap! Sorry, Net. I forgot the cracker. Here hold this," he instructed.

"Just the marshmallow is fine. Don't point the stick directly at me. Will you crouch down so I can grab the marshmallow without getting poked?" Annette begged. Josh gave her a confused glance but complied to her wishes. She grinned as she grabbed it and smeared it in his hair. "Thanks. That was for getting my boyfriend all wet." Pat and Tyler were in stitches they were laughing so hard. Josh frowned as he worked on the marshmallow out of his hair. He stepped back and was getting frustrated. Annette grinned again and asked innocently, "oh poor, Joshy! Will you tell me about him? Was he big and scary? We can swap stories. I don't know why else would you be on your knees covered in white sticky stuff." Josh pointed at her and ended up laughing as hard as the other two, rolling on the floor. 

When he was able to breathe, he sat up, and spoke rapidly around his laughter, "oh my God! Say it ain't so! See, Pat! She can handle her words too. Sweet little, Net, I had no idea you had such a filthy mind!" 

"I don't usually. I'm actually surprised myself. You're a bad influence, Josh," Annette chuckled. Josh looked at Pat and grinned. 

"I really, reeeallly like your girlfriend; maybe even more than I like you. Are we even or are you going to sick her on me again?"

"You didn't overhear that conversation?" Josh shook his head. "Then I think we're good," Pat chuckled as he looked back at Annette. "That was awesome, doll. I've been saying he's overdue for a haircut. Those marshmallows might finally make it happen."

"Yeah, but just remember, Net. I don't play to get even; I play to get ahead," Josh retorted.

"Who says I don't? I haven't brought out my full arsenal yet," she stated with a smirk. Josh grinned. 

"Well in that case, come on! We're taking a swim," he exclaimed as he picked her up and ran to the water. 

Annette squealed in protest, "you can't take me in the water! Stop! I'm sorry!"

Josh stopped at the water's edge, kissed her cheek, and sat her down. "Not really swimming. Maybe if you weren't in that cast I'd throw you in, but now you can at least wash the stickiness off your hands. You're truly awesome, Net. Thanks for breaking Pat out of his comfort zone." 

"My pleasure," she replied as she dunked her hand in the water and rubbed it back and forth. Josh sat on his knees several feet away from Annette so as to not accidentally splash her cast and dunked his whole head in the water and began to scrub furiously. "I am sorry, Josh," Annette said remorsefully.

"Rule number one of pranking: never apologize for pulling off a successful prank. The only time you need to apologize is if the prank fails or someone gets hurt. Teach you well I must, my young padawan," Josh mimicked Yoda. Annette giggled. "You good? I can get the rest out in the shower." Annette nodded as Josh picked her up again. "Betcha Pat's worried."

"Betcha you're right," she retorted then yawned. "Fudge! Just once I would like to enjoy time with you guys without it being interrupted by sleep. The night was just getting good."

"Next lesson, Net. It's f**k. Not fudge. Live on the wild side! Pat's right. If you wanted to, you really could out curse us all. You just need to loosen up some first. Stop being so prim, proper, and sweet; even if it is in your nature," Josh chuckled in reply. Annette shook her head. "Guys like it when girls cuss. Ask Pat," Josh ordered in her ear. "Right now. See. He's waiting! Ask him." Sure enough, Pat had positioned himself by the stairs, but Annette shook her head again.

"Hey, dear. Ready for bed?" Annette asked. 

"I am. Just as soon as Josh gives you back. I'm very pleased to see you aren't looking like a drowned rat," Pat replied.

"He had me wash my hand and kissed my cheek. Then he said a few other things, but I'm not going to repeat," Annette explained. Josh pinched her leg gently. "Ow!" Pat nodded and then scowled at Josh.

"Dude, come on! Give me some credit. Do you actually think I would ruin that masterpiece on her leg? Or let her hurt herself? It's like you don't know me at all. Her hand's not sticky anymore though."

"You know that's not why I'm giving you a dirty look," Pat warned. Josh nodded.

"I had to pinch her because I told her to cuss at you and she didn't," Josh snorted. Pat took Annette out of his arms and snuggled her to his chest. "Night, love birds. I'm gonna chill out here with the bro. Thanks for keeping it interesting, Net."

"Night," Pat and Annette chorused together as Pat wheeled them into the house and off to bed. 

When Noah and Jess returned the following day for dinner, they brought Pat some crutches and all of Annette's school books. If she wasn't sleeping, her head was bent over those books. Pat convinced her to take a few breaks by cooking or snuggling with him. Much to Jess's delight and Pat's dismay, Annette even began wearing her own clothes again. Pat chuckled if she felt too pretty in something and tossed aside and found something less cutesy and more comfortable. Noah spent as much time as he could with his sister over the weekend. Sunday afternoon before they left, Noah started a thousand piece puzzle with her in the corner of the room. "You really know how to keep life interesting, kid," he teased as Pat, Tyler, and Josh took some canoes out on the water. Annette laughed. "I'm glad you're okay. We all are." Jess grinned and joined them.

"Your brother is right. You really have the tendency of scaring us," she teased. 

"Pa-leaz!" Annette giggled. "You guys should stop worrying so much about me. I don't need bubble wrap. I love you, both of you, and the rest of the crazy overprotective entourage that surrounds me. Noah grinned and squeezed her hand.

"It's about time you were surrounded in bubble wrap. I should have put you in it a long time ago," he teased, causing both women to giggle. When the men came back in from playing on the lake, Josh mentioned a hike around the lake and Noah perked up. He looked back at his sister and bit his lip. Annette loved hanging out with her sister and happily kicked all of the men out of the house. Jess took advantage of the air and walked Annette through an in home spa, to which both women thoroughly enjoyed. Once dinner was cleaned up and the sun was beginning to set, Noah embraced his sister again. "I'm proud of you, kid. I'll see you next week. Oh. And I'll have Jess fill out your graduation paperwork. Love you. We gotta get on the road soon though; I still have to report to work tomorrow," he mumbled as he kissed her temple. She grinned and gave his neck a tender squeeze before turning towards Jess to give her a warm embrace too. 

Pat, Josh, Tyler, and Annette enjoyed each other's company for about a week before Annette asked to go home, Wednesday night, September 6th. Pat agreed that they could be on the road before 11 the next day. So they began to pack up their stuff and clean. Everyone made sure Annette stayed off her feet and didn't do much. If she was in a chair, she could pack up the food in the kitchen that wasn't on the list of supplied groceries. "I'll save that until very last," she retorted. "You never know what we may be in the mood for later."

As he was mopping the kitchen at 10 Thursday morning, Pat received a phone call. He looked over at Annette who was buried in her books again. He nodded at Tyler to watch her and made his way outside to the back porch. "Sorry about that. Go ahead, sir," Pat instructed.

"Thank you for taking my call, Mr. Miller. This is Officer George Davies," the voice on the other line said.

"Yes, sir. What can I do for you, officer?" Pat asked. He looked back inside and lowered his voice. He didn't want Annette to hear on the off chance something might happen.

"I was just calling to inform you that your girlfriend's test results came back negative on everything. Then we ran Mr. Henshaw's just to be sure something won't show up later. Surprisingly, he was clean too. Not a single STD, his record though. She must have been the eighteenth girl in the past two months - that reported it. I don't know how he managed to remain STD free with all that, but for your sake, I'm glad. You guys caught a lucky break," Officer Davies explained.

"It sounds like we did. That's a relief. Annette needs the good news. Thank you," Pat sighed. "Was there more, sir?"

"Yes. He's going to court tomorrow. Without an eyewitness, he may be able to walk away scotfree. None of the previous rape victims want to testify against him and since you guys were there when we arrested him, well," Officer Davies trailed off. Pat hit the railing in anger. There was no way could he ask Annette to face him again and testify; she was just getting back to her normal self. No more monsters, it was his job to ensure that.

"S**t! NO! Annette's not testifying. Will mine work?" 

"Yes. Your testimony will work. He's got a big shot lawyer saying your recorded testimonies are fabricated. Especially seeing how he was never picked out of a lineup. We explained that we caught him in the act, but he's still getting a slap on the wrist. It also sounds like he's trying to play off that he never did the crime because he can't remember it," Officer Davies informed.

"What time and where?" Pat demanded as he pounded his fist on the railing again. Tyler joined him outside. Pat acknowledged him as Officer Davies told him the information he needed to know. "I'll be there. Whatever you need to take him down, I'll help. Annette's not coming; she doesn't need to face him again. Thanks, officer," Pat growled as he hung up the phone and let out a string of profanity. Tyler looked over his shoulder back inside and stood in front of the door with raised eyebrows. 

"Care to explain?"

"Major f*****g complication. Any chance you guys can house 'Nettie for a few days? I know she'd be okay with being home alone, but I'd rather her not be. It won't be a problem, will it? I mean she won't be invading your space?" Pat asked as he paced the porch with his crutches.

"Chill. We can house her, no problem. She has to report into school tomorrow. I believe Jess was going to take her to the baby appointment afterwards. We'll keep her occupied," Tyler promised. "Now calm down and explain."

"She can't know," Pat begged. 

"Well she can't hear so she doesn't. Keep your voice low and spill," Tyler instructed.

"I'm going to face her latest monster. He needs to go to jail and not get out on a technicality. I'm going to tell her that I'm reporting on base for a new leg and won't be allowed to use my phone. I'll get a new leg before I head home. Please help me protect her."

"You know we will. Between the four of us, we can keep her out of trouble," Tyler promised. Pat nodded.

"Thanks, Tyler," Pat came over to him and shook his hand. "I'll be in contact with Josh. He'll have to be in contact with you guys. I hate keeping this from her but I can't let her worry. If she knows I'm in contact with you and not her, it'll cause some problems."

"Sounds good. Get in there. 'Nettie was concerned when she saw you pound the railing repeatedly. Don't worry. She hasn't heard anything. I can still see her, and we've kept our voices down, minus your string of profanity. If you tell her the leg story it should buy you a good chunk of time. No one gets away with hurting my sister. Nail that b*****d," Tyler ordered with a grin and turned around and opened the door. Annette sat in the closest couch to the back door, her eyes were wide with concern. "Change of plans, 'Nettie. You're coming home with us," Tyler told her warmly as Pat came into the room.

"What's going on, dear?" She asked.

"That was the VA. They can fit me in for an appointment this afternoon. Doll, I was hoping to give you a little more head's up; you can't come with me. If I don't go now, it can take up to six months before they can squeeze me in again. I don't know how long this will take," Pat explained morosely as he made his way over to Annette. "I have to turn in my phone when I get there. I might have a run in confidential material. Heaven forbid if I snap an accidental picture or overhear some information that I might be able to record," Pat teased as he sat behind her on the couch. 

"You better make this one hell of a good-bye then. I don't know if I can go very long without hearing your voice," she replied as she kissed his cheek. 

"Yes, dear," he replied as he kissed her cheek. 

"You're staying with us at our place, 'Nettie. Now that you've proved several times that you can go up, and kinda down, the stairs you'd be a little more comfortable coming over. Although, there is a bedroom on the main level you can have too," Tyler explained. Annette turned and looked at him while he spoke.

"I'm not going home?" She asked as she turned and looked at Pat. "My home's with you. I feel safe there," she whispered.

"I know, doll. It's your home. Tyler was just thinking that since they've all settled closer to school, it'll be easier for you to visit your friends, get to class when the roads are nasty, and so on and so forth. I'm not leaving you alone. They love coming over, but like you, they feel like they're imposing on my hospitality," Pat explained. "If you feel overwhelmed or tired while at school, they're right there and you can go crash until you feel up to par, instead of waiting half an hour or more to crash. When I come back, I promise I'll take you home," he swore. 

"Seal it," Annette begged. Pat leaned in and pressed his lips to hers, sensually deep while remaining soft and sweet. Annette pulled back first. "I'm going to miss that," she giggled.

"Me too, doll. Me too," Pat admitted. He wrapped her up in a warm embrace and held onto her, resting his head on her's. Her eyes closed as she sighed contently. "Promise me," he mouthed to Tyler. Tyler held up three fingers and nodded. Josh came back into the room, observed the scene and began to ask a question.

"Hey, Josh, when are we leaving? Pat and 'Nettie hogged the dock the whole time, I never got a chance to try it out. Is it as great as they made it out to be?" Tyler asked as he beckoned Josh outside. Josh took the memo and followed him silently.

"Can you give me a time frame?" Annette begged as she looked up at Pat. He shook his head slowly.

"I wish I could, doll," he whispered. "Soon. I'll be home soon. That's the best I can do," he promised. Annette nodded and rested her head on his shoulder. She picked up her phone from beside her, dialed a number, and grinned at Pat. His phone began ringing again. He looked at it then her. "I'm right here, doll. Why are you calling me?" She held up a finger as she placed the phone to her ear.

"Don't you dare answer that," she ordered. Pat grinned and let it go to voicemail. "Hey, dear! I was just calling to let you know I'm thinking of you and that I miss you. Hope all is well. I can't wait to see you. Come home soon. Love you, Benji," she said sweetly and hung up her phone. "I know it's not the same thing, but I will be thinking of you. I also know that with any landline you can check that message. Just keep in mind, these lips are on the other side of that phone. Don't you dare find another pair," she explained. Pat leaned in and kissed her passionately. 

"You're a genius, 'Nettie! Thank you! Never, doll. I only want to kiss you. My turn," he replied and dialed her number. Annette grinned and looked down as her phone vibrated in her hand. She looked up at him and kissed his chin. "Hey, beautiful. Look in the mirror. See that? That's my ray of sunshine. Thank you for giving me your heart. Stay safe. Rest. Charge your panels. Keep hope alive. I'm dreaming of you. I love you, Sarah. I'll see you soon, doll," he spoke into the phone. He kissed her deeply again. "I'll have one of those ready for you when I see you again," he promised, hung up the phone, and kissed up and down her jaw.

"Good. Because I can't wait," she replied with a grin. Pat leaned in for one more. Annette backed away slowly, gasping for air. Her eyes remained closed. "Is there a kissing intoxication limit? Because I might be drunk," she murmured. Pat grinned and stroked her cheek. Her eyes fluttered open and she grinned. "Please don't take too long," she begged. Pat nodded.

"I'll be home as soon as I can," he promised and kissed her temple. "I can't get enough of this," he confessed. "Promise me you'll stay safe?" 

"You know that's a hard thing to promise. I am clumsy. I'm hurt that I have to keep reminding you of that," Annette pouted. Pat rubbed her lips. "Okay, I'll try. That's the best I can do. I've become quite dependent on you."

"You have also been insisting that I give you a little more freedom, 'Nettie. You are quite independent. Spread your wings, doll. I have great faith that you'll be just fine," Pat murmured as he stroked her hair. She leaned into his hands.

"You have too much faith in me," she whispered. Pat kissed the tip of her nose.

"You're a survivor. Even though you don't believe it right now, you are remarkably strong. Put on your mask again, Annette. I'll take it off when I come back, sweet Sarah. I know you can do this," Pat whispered. "Please. I need you to be strong right now. I need to know you'll keep fighting," he begged mentally. 

"Yes, dear. I will fight; I'm a survivor," she mumbled and looked down. She looked up again and giggled slightly, "I got on before you, right?" Pat grinned and tucked her hair behind ear. "It should be easier this time. No Dad. Two, no three men that are more like brothers. A crazy pregnant sister. I won't be alone. Plus I think I can come up with a fun project or two to occupy my time. Can I go back to your house? I don't want to spend any of their money. I think I'm finally ready to look at that stack of money again. Will you tell me where you hid it?" Pat grinned and pulled his wallet out of his back pocket.

"Actually, I'm glad you asked," he replied. Annette gave him a confused glance. "I took the initiative and put it in the bank, doll. I was planning on leaving this with you before I left." He pulled out a bank card and handed it to her. Annette studied it and gasped. Pat grinned. "Not quite as intimidating as a big stack of money. It's all your's, doll. To do with as you please. There's only a $300 limit daily, but you're kinda frugal."

"You're coming back! You aren't just leaving me, are you? This isn't good-bye! You can't," Annette began to panic. Pat pulled her into his arms and held her tightly. "You just can't give me my rainy day fund and take off," she cried into his neck.

"Shh. I won't just take off. I'm coming back," he promised. "This isn't good-bye. You're my girl. My girl. Remember, I said I would always come back to this. To you," he emphasized. "I want you. I could never stay away. I'm always going to come home to your arms." Annette looked up at him. He gently stroked her cheek and dried her eyes again. "Do you believe me, doll?" Pat whispered. She nodded, placed her phone and bank card into her sling, and placed her hand on his side. He grinned as she rubbed her thumb over her anchor, tickling his side slightly.

"What happens if I lose my grasp on reality again?" She whispered. Pat kissed her cheek.

"Listen to that voicemail. Look at your cast. Find your hope. Find me. I'll always be with you," he replied. He lifted his hand and looked at her chest. He pointed but didn't touch. "You have me locked in your vault right there. I'm not leaving." Annette wrapped her hand around his finger and lowered it to her chest. "I love you, Sarah."

"I love you, Pat," she whispered, lifted his hand to her mouth and pressed her lips into his palm. "Call me when you can, please." Pat lowered his lips onto hers.

"When I can, doll. There are strict rules about making long distance calls on a base landline," he replied and kissed her lips again. "Now, I need Annette to emerge again, not my 'Nettie and definitely not my Sarah."

"What's the difference between 'Nettie and Sarah?" She asked cheekily. Pat grinned.

"Well, Sarah is the girl that trembles, cries, and begs me to hold her because she needs me for her strength. She's vulnerable and true. Her heart belongs to me; she's the most protective over it and doesn't hand it out to just anyone, nor does she let 'Nettie or Annette handle her heart at all because of the layers of protection she's set up. 'Nettie is carefree, crazy, fun, and ambitious. At the same time, guarded, loyal, protective, and hidden. Very few know about this side; after all, you have to be given the honor to call her out. Annette, on the other hand, she's best at the public face. She's who everyone sees and loves. She locks everything away in a steel trap and never lets people see her pain, frustration, fear, sorrow, or disappointment. She presses forward and takes care of others so they don't look at her. She makes people smile. She stands tall. She is the strongest out of the three of them; nobody can look at her and say 'perhaps she's as fragile as she looks.' Net, well from what I can tell, she's the happy middle ground between Annette and 'Nettie. You have to be her friend, not just an acquaintance. 'Nettie, Net, and Annette are technically all interchangeable in the public eye," Pat explained, stroking her cheek. "All are you; all are mine. I love how interchangeable they all are. I love how you can display all three personalities in less than a minute. All three of them though, make you uniquely mine. Their hearts and desires are the same. They all love me. They all have a compassion for others. But Sarah is my girl; my porcelain doll and greatest treasure. Sarah is the one I want to spend the rest of my life with. Sarah is the one who I first kissed - just ask Annette. I can call her right now," he teased as he held out his fist, leaving his pinkie and thumb out. She giggled and wrapped her hand around his. He brought her hand to his lips and grinned. As he dropped their hands back to her lap, he continued softly, "Sarah is the name that needs the love and reassurances I give and lets me take care of her. Like I said, that's my beautifully, perfect, fragile girl. I'm not saying that just because I want you to feel dependent on me, but I love that you are. Sarah is the one who is the most vulnerable and open; that's the side I love the most. That's my darling, my love, my dear. The rest are just doll. I love that you choose to be exposed and open with me. I will come back to you, beautiful. Will you wait for me?"

"Of course. Who else could I trust with my heart? Who else would be so understanding and compassionate to me than my Benji?" She retorted. Pat grinned and leaned in for another kiss. Annette let him kiss her before she broke out into a smile and pulled back. Pat raised an eyebrow and gave her a small smile. "You know, Annette would never let you kiss her; she'd be much too busy keeping you at arm's length so you never got too close. Letting anyone see her pain was-is unacceptable," she teased.

"That's okay, because I'm not kissing Annette right now. In fact, I don't think I've ever kissed Annette. Right now, my teasing little minx has just showed up. Hello, 'Nettie," Pat chuckled, leaning in for another kiss. The front door opened and shut, causing Annette to jump and them to bonk heads a little. "Ow!" Pat laughed as he kissed her nose. "You okay, doll?" She giggled and nodded as she kissed his jaw.

"Sorry to interrupt. Tyler told me we have to take you home, Net. I left him on the dock so he can experience it, plus, I don't like using the rope to maneuver around the lake. Linda just called. I have to work tonight. That means we have to get going on the road in like the next ten minutes," Josh said apologetically. Annette nodded and moved to her wheelchair.

"In that case, I better go use the restroom. It'll take me about that long to maneuver this thing up and down the hallway. Hopping and crawling would be quicker, but someone might freak out if I hurt myself," she replied with a wink at Pat. Both men chuckled but allowed her to leave by herself. 

"New leg. That's exciting," Josh praised. Pat laughed and nodded.

"Can't wait to get rid of these blasted crutches; I've never been a fan of them," Pat confirmed. Josh moved around the living room and looked down the hallway. He made his way back to the sofa and looked at Pat. He put a single finger to his ear and pointed back in the direction Annette had disappeared down. Pat nodded in understanding: his job was to let Josh know if he heard Annette coming back.

"Tyler gave me the rundown. You know we'll keep her safe," Josh promised in a low voice. Pat nodded again. "I'll keep them informed. We promise to not let her experience another rage attack."

"I appreciate it, man," Pat replied sincerely in the same tone. "I promise not to delay her too much. Did Linda really call?" Josh shook his head.

"I just know prying her out of your arms won't be easy. The sooner we leave, the better," he replied. Pat heard Annette making her way back down the hallway so he put his finger to his ear and tapped it twice. "And I swear, there will be no pranking, tomfoolery, or other crazy shenanigans. We will be the perfect gentlemen," Josh insisted in a louder, yet normal, voice. Pat grinned. He knew Josh was joking around but for Annette's sake, he was promising to be on his best behavior and it meant the world to Pat.

"I'm sure you will," Pat teased appreciatively. Annette was breathless when she finally made it back to the sofa. "Come here, doll," Pat coaxed as he stood up, leaning against one crutch. She grinned at him and took his hand. He pulled her up and held her tightly. "Just think, I'll be able to use both hands again soon." She giggled and looked up at him. "Take your pain meds. Don't overdo it. Rest. Breathe. Shine," he ordered in a whisper. Annette blushed and looked down. He lifted her chin and kissed her lips softly. "Please behave."

"Yes, dear. I'll be good. I won't forget to take my meds. I'll take it slow. I promise," she replied, stood up on her toes, and kissed his chin. "Sealed. Also, Annette's back. See no tears," she whispered softly. He grinned.

"That may be, but I'm still kissing you anyways, Annette. After all, I haven't kissed her yet," he replied cheekily and and kissed her passionately. Josh cleared his throat uncomfortably. "Only you, doll," Pat whispered, causing her to blush and grin.

"Isn't it healthy for couples to be apart? You guys make me nauseous," he teased as he stuck a finger down his throat and gagged. Annette leaned into Pat's shoulder and grinned at Josh. "Take a pain pill, Net. You should sleep in the car. Can you handle packing the house? Upstairs is cleaned and packed up. There's not much left to do down here. I can tell Linda I'll be late. She'll understand. Want us to stick around and help?" Josh asked Pat.

"I can handle it. I'll back the truck up to the porch; it'll be easier to load it from there. Where's the tarp?"

"I'll put it in your truck; it's in the storage shed. You can probably leave most of the food. I told Linda we were leaving early. She says she already has someone lined up for next week and that's less the housekeeper has to stock up on. Linda won't mind either if we paid for and left the food. Especially since the people coming up are regulars," Josh replied. He grabbed Annette by her hips and tugged on her gently. "Come on, Net. I'm going to be late for work." He winked at Pat. 

"Go, doll. I'll get your medicine," he pushed her into Josh's arms. He picked up his crutches and made his way to the counter. Holding the pill bottle in his hand, he came up with an idea as he counted the remaining pills: nine full and a half, 19 mini doses for her to take. He poured all but three halves into a ziplock bag, knowing that Annette wouldn't abuse them. His first stop would be to get a refill and he'd mail them to her, but he would keep one full pill He grabbed his phone and texted Tyler quickly. "Need address. Taking pill bottle. Going to help nail him." He took the equivalent of one full pill and tucked it into his pocket as he brought the baggie over to Annette. Once again, she was sitting in her wheelchair. Pat sat down on the couch in front of her. "You're almost out. I'll get you a refill and mail it to the sibs. Unless you want to do this yourself, doll?" Pat asked as he shook the empty bottle. She bit her lip. "Let me do this! I need it. Come on, doll," he begged internally.

"You can take of it. Thank you," she replied after a moment of thought. Pat offered her half a pill and grabbed the water on the side table. She obediently took a sip and swallowed her pill. "Thanks, hun. You're too good for me," she murmured softly as she grabbed the baggie and tucked it into her backpack she was now wearing. Pat noticed her phone had been moved there as well; he assumed she zipped her card up in one of the pockets. She looked back at Josh. "Guess we better head out then. I'm sure your time frame is nearly out." She leaned over and gave Pat one more kiss on his cheek. "Love you."

"Love you more, 'Nettie," he replied as he kissed her forehead. He took off his heather gray button up top and draped it over her shoulders. "It's not a rose, but it lets you know that I'm thinking of you. Will you take it?" he asked. She nodded and grinned as she raised it to her nose.

"It's better than a rose because it smells like you," she replied softly, her eyes lighting up. 

"I'll see you soon. You can take her, Josh. Take care, guys," Pat replied. Josh nodded and pushed Annette's chair to the door. Pat sighed. He wished he was going with them. He wished he didn't have part from her side. He knew she was strong. He had to protect her. He dug the pill out of his pocket again and put it back in the bottle. "No more monsters, 'Nettie. He won't get out. Hopefully this will be done in a day," he whispered as he looked at the bottle. Pat sighed again and pocketed it. He began moving around the house. Annette insisted that Jess and Noah take most of her clothes back with them, as well as the container of broken glass she helped clean up. Tyler and Josh had loaded up suitcases of clothing into Josh's car. Pat moved outside and chuckled when he realized they put those suitcases in his truck. He backed it up to the porch and went through every room. Annette left the camera behind. Pat turned it on and flipped through the pictures quickly. "You're a vision, doll," he murmured and went back to work. He noticed that Annette also left behind her flash drive of the news report, her flip flop, and several dresses. Pat grinned. She flat out refused to wear dresses anymore, even if they were easier to put on. He couldn't blame her. He stacked all the items, including her pill bottle, in a small box by the couch. He would move them out to his truck tomorrow; tonight, he was sleeping alone in this big cabin. He didn't mind that, but anything that reminded him of her was staying closeby. "I'll take care of you, my beautiful rose," he swore as he looked at the picture of the two of them in front of the sunrise, both looking at the camera. Then he moved to the one that she sent from the hospital, the one where she was charging her panels. It was his all time favorite picture of her. "I swear, doll. No more monsters. Tomorrow at 10, that b*****d is going down." 

Pat spent the rest of the day cleaning the cabin and packing up the truck. He made his way down to the dock. It was time for a swim. He dropped his crutches, put the pillows on the ground beside them, and hopped to the dock. The dock belonged on the other side of the lake. Quickly he pulled the dock across the lake and secured it to the other shore. "I'm overdue for a workout," he mused as he dived into the water and swam around the lake. When he reached the cabin, he found a tree and began doing pull ups. "Oh my sweet 'Nettie, I don't know how you did this with only hand. I'm so proud of you, doll," he praised into the quiet air. When he felt like he had gotten a thorough workout, he picked up his crutches and the pillows and went back up to the cabin. He loaded the pillows in the backseat of his truck. He then grabbed the suitcases and piled them in the backseat too So that there was less of a chance if them getting stolen or wet if it rained. All that was left to load up was Annette's small box and his clothes. He looked over at his truck then back at the empty cabin. "I can't do this. Not without Mom, Linda, or Annette here," he thought. Pat went back inside and showered. He got dressed and decided not to put on another button up top. He'd save those for Annette; he liked dressing up for her. Then he draped his wet clothes over the back of his truck. He placed his duffel bag in the front seat; Annette's box sat in the middle seat. Inside again he flipped all the cushions in the chairs, just double checking everything. He let out a breath of relief as he noticed nothing else was left. All the lights were turned off inside. The heat was never turned on, nor was the stove today. "Hotel, here I come." After he put his wet clothes inside his empty tool box, he looked at the clock on his dashboard, 17:08. He called the strange number in his inbox. "Officer Davies?" Pat asked when the line was picked up.

"This is he," the voice replied.

"It's Pat Miller, sir. I was hoping I could meet with you and the prosecutor tonight. I have some further evidence that might help nail that guy," Pat explained. 

"Sounds good. When would you like to meet?"

"I'll be in town in 45 minutes. If this is a good line to reach you on, I'll call you when I get in."

"I'll find a place for us to meet. Let me call the attorney. Where will you be staying, son?"

"I haven't made a reservation yet, sir, but I'll be in a hotel. Whichever one is closest to the courthouse," Pat replied as he started his truck. 

"The Hilton is a few blocks away. We'll plan on meeting you there in two hours," Officer Davies replied.

"Thank you, sir. See you soon," Pat replied as he hung up and drove away. He ordered some food before he pulled into the hotel. He passed a computer store and he decided to swing in and pick up a computer really quick to save the pictures and video in case he didn't get the flash drive and SD card back. Annette could also use this computer for her homework if Jess didn't get her one. He made his reservation for a week, hoping he wouldn't need it that long, took Annette's box and his duffel bag upstairs, and then finished his dinner. His nerves were on edge. He opened his phone again and looked at Annette's pictures. Then he noticed he had three messages, one from Noah, Josh, and Annette. He opened Annette's first.

"Miss you! I hope everything goes according to plan. I'll see you standing on your own two feet again soon. I love you, Benji. Call me when you can." Pat grinned and refrained from replying as he looked at the other two messages.

"Ty filled us in. We'll keep her out of the loop. Mail it to Box 592. Do you need the zip? Good luck."

"I don't need the zip code thanks. Do you have a picture of her in the hospital?" Pat sent to Noah. Within minutes, he got one.

"Almost erased this. Hate seeing her so broken. Hope it'll help," Noah replied. Pat sighed and opened up Josh's message before opening up the attachment.

"Net slept d whol way om bros got her setLD n. Kick azz. I won't evN git bak @ her 4 d marshmallows." 

Pat chuckled but didn't reply, "you're still an idiot, Josh. Thanks for not getting back at her." Reluctantly, he opened the picture that Noah sent. He instantly teared up and placed his phone on the table, that picture was one Pat hoped to never see. He opened the computer and downloaded all the pictures, making sure he didn't erase them off the card. At exactly 19:15, his phone rang. Pat answered it. "This is he... I'm in 316, officer. Would you guys like to come up or have me come down? Perfect. See you in a few." Once the two men were upstairs, Pat sat down with them and showed them what he had: the pictures, the video, and his written out testimony. He asked to be recorded as he told them exactly what happened that afternoon in detail. The lawyer looked over the written testimony as Pat spoke and jotted notes down. "Did you guys do a drug test?" Officer Davies nodded. Pat pulled out the pill bottle. "It'll match these: Annette's oxycodone for her injuries," he explained and pulled up the picture Noah just sent him. Both men gasped. Pat quickly explained the extent of her injuries. "A full pill is too potent for her so we cut them in half. They each took two halves. She's got two refills to use before October 15th. 70 days, roughly a little more than 130 pills to help her function. She's been taking about one and a half pill a day to manage her pain levels. They took two days away from her," Pat explained. 

Officer Davies grinned, nodded, and asked, "Sam, will this help?" 

"Definitely, George. I have no doubt this is the concrete evidence we need to really nail him. Pat, I'm going to call you up to the stand. Now the scumbag Josiah spilled that your names are Matt and Ann. We're going to keep it that way. I'm going to have you walk through that testimony again, down to the smallest detail. However, I'm going to question Mr. Henshaw first. Ask him about how he got the broken rib and the cut on his head. See if he'll spill an unknown detail. I'll purposely mess up the color of her hair, eyes, outfit to see if he'll correct me," the lawyer explained. Pat nodded.

"She hates being called Ann or Annie. That'll help," he confirmed. He looked at the pill bottle and picked it up. "It has her name on it," he whispered.

"No worries. Ann. Annette. Same spelling, just shortened. Have you refilled it yet?" Sam asked. Pat shook his head. Officer Davies got on his phone as he took the pill bottle from Pat's hand. "George will call the local pharmacy. We'll get them to get another prescription made up for her. We'll get two bottles, one with the new pills, one for court. That bottle will have the label Ann G. No full names, no contradictions in court. These half pills will be entered into evidence in that bottle. We're all about protecting you guys." Pat nodded.

"Thank you," he replied sincerely. "Will me being in the room while he's testifying affect anything?"

"Stay in the back. Keep your head down. Don't draw attention to yourself. It sounds like we'll have a full house," Sam replied as George hung up the phone. He wrote down the address and phone number of the pharmacy.

"Pills are ordered. You can pick them up before you come in tomorrow. I'll swing by and pick up our dupe bottle when we're done here. Lots of cops have been chasing this guy for months. They'll all be there. Myself and Julie Ortiz included. Mario and Jeff will be testifying to what they found medically related," George added. Pat nodded and sighed.

"One more thing," Pat added and pointed down to his missing leg. "I have my prosthetic leg in my truck. Trying to get to Annette, they ended up destroying the top so it didn't support my weight properly. Mr. Henshaw had nothing to do with it, that I'm aware of. He or Josiah knocked me unconscious; Annette couldn't tell which one. Does my leg need to be entered into evidence?" Sam and George exchanged looks.

"Josiah confessed to that. Both Josiah and Zach are admitting that it was just the two of them. I don't know what Brad convinced them of, but somehow it was just a happy accident he was there is the angle the defence attorney is taking," George admitted.

"The f*****g a*****e's name is Brad?" Pat fumed and began pacing the room, silently cursing under his breath. George and Sam looked at him in shock. The handles buckled under Pat's closed fists, so he released his grasp slightly. "Annette will definitely hate him. That's the name of her dad as well. She just got out of one abusive Brad's hands and fell into another's," Pat explained angrily. "What do I need to do to take him down?" He asked earnestly as he sat down again.

"Tell the truth. Give no doubt to the jury," Sam replied. "I'll help you out best I can."

"We have the pictures to prove all three were there. One of the pictures Julie got of Annette had all three in the background, but I believe there's more than just that one. Their faces are hard to see, but we also got close ups of them laying face down," George explained. He inhaled sharply. "The only thing we're unclear about is how Annette got from them to you, 20 yards away if she can't stand on her own."

"She's stubborn and refuses help. I've seen her crawl across the room. She keeps her right leg even with her back as she moves. She uses her right hand, elbow, and shoulder and her left foot, knee, and hip. Her right arm is her starting point. She pulls herself forward, bracing with her left knee, extending out as far as she can until her hip rests on the ground. When she can't move any further forward, she rests on her forearm and pulls her leg up to her chest. Her toes are planted as she extends forward again, hopping on her hand. If she didn't do that, she rolled to me. However, I don't think she did roll. She would have been dirtier if she rolled. Her dress had minimum dirt stains; not much where it draped over her right leg and her sling was still fairly clean from the dirt too," Pat explained. 

"Can you show us? The way she crawls," Sam inquired curiously. Pat nodded and pulled his belt off, wrapped it around his wrist, bent his arm behind his back, threw the end over his shoulder, and bit the belt, thus securing his right hand behind his back and making it unusable.

"This is exactly opposite of Annette," he explained as he held onto the belt.  He pointed to his left hip. "Keep in mind, this is fractured on her and can't be used." The men nodded as Pat sat on the floor and bit the belt again. As he watched Annette do several times, he crossed his arm over his body and lowered himself to the ground. Once he was able to roll over, he did a push up. He lowered down to his forearm and right hip. Once there, he pulled his leg up and walked his body forward. He did this two more times, sat up, released the belt, and took several deep breaths. "It is exceptionally difficult, but she makes it work for her."

"Devil's advocate, she looks to be about 110 pounds top. How can such a small girl do such an amazing feat? Surely you guys fabricated this," Sam replied as Pat undid the belt around his wrist and crawled back to the chair he was sitting in.

"She faced abuse from her father. As far as I'm aware, he never broke any of her bones, but she was incapacitated several times. She never told anyone. She was always able to hide her injuries. She found way to stretch and stay mobile no matter the situation," Pat replied as he hoisted himself into the chair. "She's a survivor. She hates any attention. So in order to avoid scrutiny, she made she people weren't looking too closely. The easiest way to do that is to make sure she can move."

"Thank you for your time, Mr. Miller," Officer Davies replied. "You are helping us have a very strong case. One final thing. Do you have anything that has her DNA? We can get that going against the vomit we swabbed." Pat thought for a moment, trying to remember if he had anything she cried on. He grinned.

"Three pillows in my truck. Only her and I cried on them or touched them," he responded. He knew exactly which one would have more Annette on it, she kinda twisted it and crumpled it with their many visits out to the middle of the lake.

"We'll have to get your sample too. Process of elimination and what not," Sam instructed. Pat nodded as George handed over a cotton swab. Pat immediately stuck it in his mouth and rubbed his cheek with it then gave it back to the officer.

"Perfect. Let's go get that pillow. Show up early tomorrow," Officer Davies commanded. Pat nodded and made sure he had his hotel key in his pocket. Officer Davies took out several small evidence bags and placed the SD card in one, the flash drive in another, and the pill bottle in a third with the pills for testing. "Send that hospital picture to me," he instructed as he placed all the evidence in his briefcase. The three men stood up and Pat led them to his truck. He opened up the back and pulled out the pillow Annette twisted up.

"You might get some of my DNA on this too, but she mainly used this one. Just above the center here," Pat explained. Officer Davies nodded and pulled out a big bag and they worked together to stuff the pillow in there. Pat shook Sam's hand. "Thank you for agreeing to meet me. Nail him. Please," Pat begged.

"That's the goal. She's 17, right?" Sam asked. Pat nodded. "We'll make sure that's in there too."

"Thank you. Officer," Pat replied and turned to the officer. George shook his hand. 

"See you tomorrow, son," he replied. 

Pat held onto the teal dress that she wore the first full day she stayed with him and listened to Annette's voicemail three times before he finally fell asleep. He tossed and turned the whole night. When he woke up, the sun was just starting to rise and he felt like he had a thousand pounds on his shoulders. The rising sun offered him some comfort and imagined that Annette was watching it too. Pat watched it from the window. "Good morning, doll. We're going to win," he stated as he grit his teeth. When the sun was all golden and no longer had hues of soft pinks and oranges, he moved back to his bed, lay down, and set an alarm on his phone. "Come on, Pat. You need to sleep for an hour," he chided himself as he closed his eyes. His alarm rang before he would preferred but he sat up and got ready for the day. He picked up her pills and locked them away in his glove box before heading out to find some breakfast. When he finished his breakfast of dry toast and orange juice, he made his way to the courthouse. It was only 9am but he wanted to get this done and over with. At 09:30, he moved inside and found the correct room. As instructed he sat at the back of the room and kept his head down. The military background in him made him stay alert of everyone that entered the room. He inhaled sharply when he noticed someone very similar to the offender enter the room. The guy seemed to have softer eyes and knew how to shower though. They made eye contact but the guy didn't register a connection. Pat nodded politely at him and texted Officer Davies. "Does Brad have a twin? I think they're going to play reasonable doubt."

"Good call. I see him too. I'll let Sam know," came the reply.

When Sam called Brad up to the witness stand, Pat slunk down in his seat and hid behind the two people in front of him. Fake Brad was on the left side of the room. Rotten Brad made eye contact with him often. Being on the right side of the room, Pat observed this and studied the perp closer. Reasonable doubt was definitely their ploy. Before he answered any question, he would look down at his hands or over at his brother, thinking over his answer carefully; they had done this before. If this case was dismissed, Brad would never be called to the stand again for rape. Pat balled his hand up into a fist and bit his inner cheek, trying not to yell at the piece of scum lying out of his a*s. "Thank you your honor. One question before you step down, Mr. Henshaw. How'd you get that nasty cut on your temple?"

"I was clocked in the woods. Didn't see by who. If I ever find the damn b***h, I'm gonna kill her," he spat angrily.

"I'm sorry. B***h? Her?" Sam asked. Mr. Henshaw squirmed nervously in his seat. 

"Seems like a cowardly thing to do. Most cowards are b*****s. B*****s are female," he replied with a shrug of his shoulders. The twin in the crowd was grinning. Apparently this was a sufficient answer. The jury shifted. None of them looked please. Pat found he was cutting off circulation to his fingers, he was clenching his fist too hard.

"Do you have a mental picture of what she might look like?" Sam asked. Brad smirked on the stand then shook his head. "Brown eyes? Maybe she's got red hair?"

"Unlikely," Brad mumbled under his breath as he glared at Sam, but it was loud enough the whole courtroom heard.

"Objection. Inflammatory and leading," the defense interjected. 

"Sustained," the judge counted. Brad grinned and Sam pursed his lips. 

"No further questions, your honor," Sam replied.

"Court is dismissed until Monday. Defense, you have until then to look at the newly submitted evidence. Take Mr. Henshaw back to confinement," the judge ordered as he slammed his gavel down and the bailiff escorted Mr. Henshaw out. Pat was disappointed that the broken ribs weren't even brought up, but hoped he would have the opportunity on Monday to call out Brad for lying. The twin stood up with a grin after the judge left. Pat subtly pulled out his phone and snapped pictures of the twin as he left. He moved up to where Officer Davies was sitting, talking quietly to Julie. Pat shared the pictures with them. Officer Davies nodded his consent as Pat sent them to him. 

Pat listened in as the defense attorney walked over to Sam's desk and sneered, "who's your witness, Walker?" 

"Does it matter, Jones?" Sam replied.

"Yeah. There's no name here," Jones retorted.

"Guess you'll just have to wait until Monday," Sam replied coldly as he packed up his desk. Pat made his way back outside. He was fuming but still overheard Sam lash out one more jab, "it's not like you share everything either. Good day, Jones." 

Outside, Pat called Josh. "Hey, man. How'd it go?" Josh asked eagerly. Pat's phone beeped and he looked at it.

"Not good. He's got a twin. He's denying he was there and court is delayed until Monday. How is she? She's trying to call me right now," Pat replied.

"Don't you dare answer. Keep me on the line. Pat, if I can pick up on the distress in your voice she will too. Don't leave me hanging," Josh ordered.

"I'm not hanging up on you, no matter how badly I want to talk to her. How is she?" Pat repeated.

"That's a question up for debate. Last night, she couldn't sleep, so she cooked. She made donuts, cinnamon rolls, and apple fritters all from scratch. She hasn't cried once. I swung by after Jess took her to school. Tyler and I are pigging out on this baked goodness now. He says hi, by the way. Jess and Annette are on their way to Missoula right now," Josh explained.

"Hey back. So she's stressing. Me too. Glad to hear she's keeping it together. Kinda," Pat replied.

"Seriously, dude, I love your girlfriend's food. Man can she cook! You should leave more often so I can gorge myself and get fat. I'd happily get fat off her food. How about if I just come over and eat her food? I mean, then you'll never get rid of me. Joanna would be so proud," Josh chuckled. Pat joined in.

"You're always welcome to come over and Mom loved you. You just have to ask Annette if she'd be okay with you over all the time. Just keep me posted," Pat begged as he sighed. 

"Will do. I work this afternoon, so I'll check in about 10:30 tonight. Take care, man," Josh replied. 

"Of course. Thanks," Pat replied and hung up his phone. He leaned against the wall and sighed, getting ready to listen to the voicemail Annette left him. Sam ran into him there. "Hey. So that went well," Pat replied sarcastically.

"I know. Sorry to drag this out for you. I have more questions for Mr. Henshaw but I'm not revealing my hand yet until I know what they plan on doing with the twin. Do you think you can enrage him when you take the stand?" Pat nodded.

"I'll try and push his buttons. I'm not happy about the delay. You mentioned the head wound. I took pictures of the twin. I have a feeling they're going to try and match that. I'm not sure if they'll do the ribs too but maybe we can him to reveal," Pat ventured. "I'm not telling you how to do your job. I'm just trying to protect my girl."

"You're fine, Mr. Miller. Head on out before Henry Jones finds you," Sam instructed. Pat nodded.

 

"He seems friendly," Pat chuckled and took off towards his truck. Once in there he listened to his voicemail. 

"Hey, darling! I love you. I hope everything is going well. My school work has been turned in. I'm not in pain. My only complaint is that you aren't here to greet me afterwards with a kiss. Who knew that not having a life-sized teddy bear to snuggle into would make sleeping impossible? I still woke up to your comforting smell; it's seriously the best. Thank you. I love you, dear. Come home soon," her beautiful voice trilled. He smiled and saved it.

"Thanks, 'Nettie," he whispered. "Not in pain," he mused as he played with her pill bottle and looked at his prosthetic leg. Monday would be cutting it close on the pills she had left; she needed these more than he need his leg fixed. "Post office, Miller," he instructed himself and started his truck. He made a pit stop and bought her a small teddy bear and a thinking of you card. He wanted to get her more but knew chocolate and flowers wouldn't last in this heat. He laughed at her analogy of calling him a teddy bear as he looked at the bear no bigger than his hand. He wanted something Annette could hold onto as she thought of him. He picked up a small gift bag, paid for his items, and headed back out to his truck. He wrote a short little note in the card and initialed it. Thinking that would be better than walking into the post office with an unwrapped pill bottle, he placed the pills in the bag too. He put them all in a small box and sent it on it's way. Then he took off to the air force base to see if he could talk to their hospital staff about his leg since they were technically the closest military base to him. After showing his credentials as the gate, they let him on base and pointed him to the medical center. He carried his leg inside and greeted the front desk clerk. "I'm sorry for being unconventional but I was hoping you guys might have someone here that could help me with fitting my prosthetic again?"

"You're in luck, sir," the front desk clerk beamed. "We have a specialist in today. Are you also an airmen?"

"Honorable discharge soldier," he replied as he dug out his dog tags. She nodded and pointed him in the direction he needed to go. "Thank you, ma'am," Pat said kindly as he made his way through the hallways.

"Excuse me," an orderly apologized as he ran into Pat. He closed his notebook he was looking at and studied Pat. "Soldier?" Pat nodded. "Corporal?" Again Pat nodded in surprise. "Were you injured in Kuwait in 2003?"

"I was. Minefield," Pat replied as he gave the orderly a confused look. The orderly pressed his lips together. "I'm sorry, sir, do I know you?"

"Maybe. Were you the sole survivor? Right broken arm? Left also unusable?" Again, Pat nodded. He was even more confused. How could this man know almost everything about that dreadful day? Nothing was making sense. The orderly grinned. "Damn glad to see you, son! I wasn't sure if you would make it off my table. General Greenfield. At the time I saw you, I was just your surgeon. Now it looks like I'll be helping you with your leg again? It would be my honor, corporal," he replied. Pat's mouth dropped in shock.

"Yes, sir. Thank you, general. Sir, I'm a civilian now, not a corporal any more. Thank you for saving my life. I hoped I might be able to thank you one day," Pat replied stunned as he reached his hand out. "I hated you for saving me then. I felt like I should've joined my brothers, but now, I can truly say thank you." General Greenfield smiled and shook his hand.

"My pleasure, corporal. I will continue to call you that. You've earned the title, and had you continued your career, you would have still climbed the ladder; I have no doubt. Come on back. Let's look at the leg," General Greenfield instructed as he ushered Pat into one of the rooms. Once Pat had settled down, the General took the leg and inspected it. "What happened?" Pat explained and General Greenfield just nodded. "Let me guess, this girl is the one who has made it possible for you to look at life again with hope and positivity?"

"Yes, sir. Annette's changed my whole world. Thank you for noticing," Pat remarked with a broad smile as he rolled up his shorts so the general could look at his leg. 

"I can set you up with a new top. It'll be ready on Tuesday at the earliest," General Greenfield explained as he nodded and made a few notes in his book. Pat nodded. 

"That's fine, sir. Thank you," Pat replied. "I'm in town through Monday at least. Trying to put away the b*****d that attacked my girl. Hoping it goes smoothly."

"Understandably," the general replied. He scribbled on a spare paper and handed over his number. Pat wrote down his as well. "Join me for drinks tonight. It's not often I get to see one of my patients again, especially when they were marked for death."

"Yes, sir," Pat agreed. General Greenfield made measurements and another mold of Pat's leg. Then he measured the dimensions of the prosthetic.

"Alright. I think we're good here, corporal. Take your leg back with you; we have too many sticky fingers around here. I'd hate for it to be misplaced. I might be able to make it on Monday. It's always good to have a friend in your corner," General Greenfield stated as he shook Pat's hand again.

"Appreciate it, sir. Thank you," Pat replied sincerely. "How much do I owe you, sir?"

"This one's on the house. It wasn't your fault that you were attacked. I'm glad to see you are still standing tall," the general stated as he ushered Pat to the door. Pat grinned.

"Standing tall, smiling, and showing the world that it can't beat me is all I have to do to be successful," Pat replied.

"You most definitely are winning at life if you've figured that out at such a young age," General Greenfield chuckled. "I'll see you later, son."

"Thanks, sir. I didn't figure it out on my own. Annette did," Pat replied over his shoulder with a smirk. The weekend flew by. Pat checked in with Josh once a day. He always got the same report: Annette was stressed but staying occupied. It took all of Pat's self control to not call her and talk to her; she didn't leave another voicemail. He prayed she didn't forget about him, but knew he was being foolish. He spent his evenings with General Greenfield and found out he was a lonely widower; his kids disowned him after his wife died. Pat was a surrogate son and he was okay with that. Come Monday morning, he was a nervous wreck again. General Greenfield met him at the courthouse at 08:30 for the trial at 9:00. Once again, Pat noticed the twin come back and observe the trial. He had two shallow cuts on the left side of his head. "D****t. I called it," he muttered and sent Officer Davies a head's up text. From the front row, in uniform, Officer Davies nodded his head but didn't turn his head around to acknowledge Pat's presence in the back row. Once again, Sam started talking to Brad Henshaw.

"What happened on the night of August 30th?" Sam asked.

"I was wrongfully accused and arrested," Brad retorted.

"I would like to show the court picture evidence exhibit 12-B," Sam stated. A vomit pile showed up next to Brad's face. "Brad, could you please tell me what this is?"

"Damn b***h threw up on me! She was a f*****g," he hollered, trailing off as he met his brother's eye. He looked back at Sam. "B***h threw up on me and this is the first time I'm finding out about it. How dare she! After how I treated her?"

"How did you treat her?" Sam jumped on the opportunity. 

"With grace and respect of course. The only way to treat them," Brad snarled.

"I see. What was she wearing?" Sam pressed.

"F**k! She'd be better of in nothing wouldn't she? Sweet little honey pot. Nude and legs spread. That's where every b***h belongs" Brad yelled as he started to stand up. Pat clenched his fist.

"You are under oath," the judge warned. "Sit down." Brad glared at him but lowered himself back into his seat. "Answer the question. What was she wearing?"

"I didn't see no girl so I can't tell you what she was wearing," Brad hissed. He took a calming breath and made eye contact with his brother again. Pat pursed his lips and looked at his fist as he unbunched it; getting mad right now wouldn't help anyone, especially Annette.

"The vomit in this picture did indeed come from a female. We have her DNA to confirm she was there. We were also able to swab her cheek where she claims you licked her," Sam continued.

"Objection, speculation," Attorney Jones interjected, causing Pat's eyes to shoot up again.

"Overruled," the judge stated. 

"The swabs match both of you," Sam continued. Brad fidgeted in his seat and Pat grinned.

"Push him," Pat ordered mentally. 

"Photo exhibit 15-E and 15-J. These are our victim's legs and hips," Sam explained. Pat blinked back tears refusing to look at the screen. Instead he studied Brad on the stand. He licked his lips as he stared intentally at the picture of Annette's legs.

"You f*****g b*****d. Her leg's don't belong to you. You took what wasn't yours. Respect. Look it up," Pat thought angrily.

"Hmm. Yellow like the sun," Brad mused softly. Pat bunched his fists again.

"Care to continue?" Sam asked. 

"Her dress reminds me of the sun. Tell me, was she really a ray of sunshine or was she more like fresh honey?" Brad taunted. Sam bunched his fists and turned around to his desk. 

"No further questions at this time, your honor," Sam conceded. Pat didn't pay attention to the defense attorney. He knew that they rehearsed their lies several times. He shook his head out of his mental fog. "I'd like to call Matt to the stand. No last names at this time," Sam stated then looked back at Pat with a nod. Pat stood up and made his way to the witness stand.

"Son of a b***h," Brad mumbled and hit the table with his fist. Pat smirked, but didn't let Brad see. When Pat was sworn in, he made eye contact with Brad and held it.

"For the record, will you state who you are?" Sam asked.

"You can call me Matt. It's what those on trial have been calling me. My girlfriend Ann and I were the ones attacked," Pat responded.

"Let the record show that Matt is what our defendant and his cohorts called our witness. For their protection, the real names of Matt and Ann are not given. Nor will we be using any last names; also for their protection," Sam stated clearly. Brad Henshaw slammed his fists on the table. Pat looked back over at the twin who was huffing in his seat. Sam spoke up again, drawing Pat's attention back to him, "can you please tell us what happened on August 30th?"

"I took my girlfriend out for a date. We started at the dam here in town, followed by a picnic lunch at the lake," Pat explained. 

"Can you prove that?" Sam asked. 

"Yes, sir. We took pictures," Pat replied.

"Ladies and gentlemen, photo exhibits 23-A through 23-BX. 75 pictures of their day together," Sam shared as the photos popped up on screen one by one quickly. Pat made a fist and grabbed onto his shorts as he noticed Brad grinning menacingly. "Please continue," Sam asked. Pat nodded and shared what happened the rest of the afternoon. "And the three men that arrived at your cabin, are any of them here now?"

"Just one," Pat confirmed. "The defendant. He was the leader. The other two followed his lead."

"What happened next?" Sam asked. Pat continued. "Let me stop you right there," Sam interrupted. "Why were there pain pills in your picnic basket?" Pat explained all of her injuries. "Ladies and gentlemen, photo exhibit 32-A: Ann in the hospital," Sam remarked softly. The crowd gasped as Annette's broken body, attached to tubes, IVs, and the oxygen tank, appeared on screen. Brad was only slightly hurt by the sight of it. Pat refused to look at it but still teared up a little. "On Wednesday August 9th, Ann was admitted into the hospital with severe injuries. She was given oxycodone to help with pain management. Enter exhibit 27-A and 27-B. We did some tests. This very dosage was the same amount found in Brad's bloodstream. Exhibit 17-A. Brad's medical examination of after he was arrested," Sam explained to the court. Pat smirked slightly as Brad seemed furious. There was no way they could lose this. "Will you please continue, Matt?" Pat nodded.

"Aside from demanding our food, the man sitting in front of me here demanded that we give him our clothes, my wallet, the keys to my vehicle, and the hammack my girlfriend and I were resting on. My truck was across the lake, my wallet and keys with it," Pat explained.

"You lying son of," Brad began. His lawyer clamped a hand over his mouth. 

"Ah-n," Pat began to say Annette but covered it up with a cough. "Excuse me. Sorry about that. Annie agreed to the hammock. I rested her against the tree as I untied it and threw it at them. This man insisted that we had more to share. After showing them my empty pockets, they wanted to see if Annie was hiding anything. I wasn't going to show them anything, but she's good at reading people. We show them or he'll come over and do it himself she told me. I took off her sling and shook it out and put it back on. The man here in front of me demanded that we raise her dress too," Pat continued. Brad glared at him. The jury had mixed emotions but mainly pity at Pat's words. "It escalated to the point where I pushed Ann against the tree again. The defendant's goon squad attacked me and dragged me away. I hit and kicked them in an effort to get back to Ann's side. The defendant approached her. She grabbed a tree branch and kicked his chest then fell to the ground. I kicked one of them in the face and he fell at our feet. The other goon joined his boss in front of me. When Ann screamed I turned around. She had been brought down to the ground by the goon holding her foot. I kicked him again so he would let go of her. Before I could pull her  up, I was hit over the head with something hard. I woke up to Ann sobbing hysterically on my chest. When I was able to sit up, I noticed the blood on her dress, her top split open, her bare chest exposed. She covered her body and tried to lean away from me. After I could confirm the blood wasn't her's, I quickly covered her with my t-shirt and held onto her. She didn't have to tell me what happened as she shook in my arms and flinched from my touch. She kept trying to get me to move because she didn't feel safe. I refused to move because I heard some dogs barking and I knew it meant help. My goal was to calm my girlfriend down. Officers Davies, Johnson, and Ortiz were soon on scene. There were several other cops there too, but I never caught their names," Pat finished his testimony. Brad looked pleased.

"Thank you, Matt," Sam replied. "Ladies and gentlemen, I give you the aftermath pictures. Photo exhibits 15-A through 15-Q. Please note 15-C and 15-D are missing. Due to the size of the crowd, we will still respect Ann's privacy. Let the record show that those pictures are of her exposed chest, riddled in fingertip bruises and hickeys." Sam paced back to his desk, looked over his notes one more time. "One last question, Matt. How old is Ann?"

"17, sir. She'll be 18 in April," Pat replied honestly.

"Thank you. No further questions your honor," Sam replied and sat down. "Good luck," he mouthed to Pat.

"First question, Matt," defense attorney Henry Jones began. "The pictures of you two by the dam doesn't show Ann in her sling. If she really was only about three weeks out from the hospital, why wasn't she wearing it then?"

"Objection, relevance?" Sam interjected.

"Overruled. Answer the question, son," the judge ordered.

"I wanted Ann to feel beautiful. I knew that if we were taking pictures, she wouldn't like that sling memorialized for all time. If you notice in those pictures, her left hand hangs limply at her side or is cradled in her right arm," Pat explained. 

"Pull up those pictures again. 23-A through 23-J will do for now. Slowly," the judge ordered. Everyone looked at the screen. Sure enough, Annette's left hand was limp. She didn't pose that arm once. Pat smiled as the screen stopped on a close up of her face, smiling bright. That picture stayed on as Henry continued his questioning. Internally Pat rejoiced; it gave him the strength he needed.

"Still the most beautiful creature I've ever seen. That's my girl. At least I still got to see you today," Pat thought proudly.

"How do we know that those pictures are from Wednesday the 30th and not some other day?" Henry asked.

"News report," Pat replied and nodded to Sam.

"If I may your honor, exhibit 21, newsreel," Sam interjected. The judge nodded the video was brought up. The date was stamped on the bottom of the footage in with the time it was recorded. 11:47 am 8/30/06. The footage moved through four minutes, the time ticking along with it.

"You said she's 17? Shouldn't she be in school?" He asked.

"Yes, sir," Pat replied. "She worked out a deal with the principal of the school. Until she can get around on crutches and she can manage her pain without falling asleep after taking a pain pill, she only has to check in every Friday. She's a 4.0 student and excels at her work. That's why the principal agreed."

"Pull up photo exhibit 9-A please," Henry demanded. Pat looked over at the screen, praying it wasn't of Annette beat up. It showed three men that were face down, Pat's back, and Annette's legs beside him. "Can you tell me what was going on in this picture?"

"I was trying to comfort my girlfriend after those men had taken advantage of her," Pat explained.

"Why is everyone unconscious here?"

"I told you. I knocked out the one in the red shirt; Ann said his name was Zach. Then I was knocked out. Ann told me Josiah, the one in the brown shirt, drug me away, threw my leg into the bushes, and then he came back and pinned her right arm to the ground while Mr. Henshaw -the man in the black in the pictures and the man in front of us- raped her," Pat replied.

"Hearsay," Henry stated. "So if you were unconscious, and she was pinned down as you say, how did these two end up knocked out?"

"Josiah tried to defend Ann after she told them she was 17 and begged them to stop. The defendant knocked him out. Ann said she pounded a rock into his head twice and wiggled free. She immediately got sick and made her way over to me," Pat explained.

"How? That is easily what, 50 feet? Her injuries show that she shouldn't be able to move on her own," Henry countered. Pat told him the same thing he told Sam Thursday. Sam nodded his approvement. "Moving like that doesn't seem possible. She can't be more than 100 pounds."

"May I show you how she moves around when she refuses help?" Pat offered. Henry gestured to the courtroom floor. Pat grabbed his crutches and moved forward. "Will you hold these please?" He asked Henry. Henry nodded and grabbed the crutches. Once again, he tied up his right hand and put it behind his back. "Ann's injuries made it so that she only makes contact with six parts of her body," Pat explained. "Her broken right leg and fractured right hip is just like me not having a left leg. I'm wrapping my right hand up and tying it behind my back to simulate her dislocated shoulder - no pressure can be applied without causing harm. I'm completely opposite of her now. My left hand is not my dominate side. This will also demonstrate the muscle strength she has." Pat held onto the stenographer's table and lowered himself to the ground. Once again, Pat demonstrated how Annette would move. Once he made it across the floor about 20 feet, Henry stopped him. Pat sat up breathless and released the belt from his mouth. Henry walked over and gave Pat his crutches back so he could move back to the witness stand. He didn't sit down until he reattached his belt. 

"Surely you've practiced that move," Henry ventured.

"Yes, sir. I have done that a time or two. I've been trying to keep up with Ann and still give her the independence she desires. That being said, those moves are not easy and tire one out before too long," Pat replied, breathing deeply.

"If I may, your honor, I would like to have three people from the crowd to try that same move," Henry demanded. The judge nodded. Henry picked the a small girl about Annette's size, General Greenfield, and Officer Julie Ortiz. After confirming that they have never seen or tried the move before, all three of them came up to the front of the courtroom and attempted the move. Julie was able to do it twice, General Greenfield across the room, and the girl not at all. "Thank you for your assistance folks. Matt, the ladies had issues with that move. That makes me think Ann didn't -and couldn't- move like that. So, I'll ask again. How did she get from them to you, fifty yards away."

"I didn't make it up; I'm fairly certain that's how she got over to me, but you're right. I can't know for sure since I was unconscious myself. You were insinuating that somehow, she moved. So she either did that or rolled, but I'm sure she crawled. I just showed you that it's possible, but I also have proof of her doing the same move, your honor," Pat replied. "May I dig out my phone and show you?" The judge nodded. Pat thanked his lucky stars that he thought to have Tyler send him a video of that. Pat pulled up the video and showed the judge. The judge grinned and showed both counselors at the same time.

"My apologizes, Matt; Ann clearly has the strength to do that," Henry sulked and walked back to his desk. "You claimed that my client was in the woods and appeared to be the leader of two other men. Are you sure it wasn't that man over there?" Henry pointed to the twin in the crowd.

"I'm sure it wasn't him. Friday when he came in, he had no cut on his forehead. I took pictures if you'd like to see. I figured somehow you would try and play that card. They must not have paid attention to the cuts. Today he has two small cuts kinda stacked on top of each other. Clean lines, not jagged like cut by a rock. Your client has one lightening cut on his temple with an undertone of a green and yellow bruise," Pat replied. Both men scrunched their faces. Pat could tell they were internally cursing. He met Mario and Jeff's eye in the audience. Both men nodded at him with a small smirk. Pat took a deep breath and continued, "I also told you that Ann kicked him square in the chest. I'm certain she broke at least one of his ribs."

"Both men come forward," the judge ordered. "Bring me exhibit 17-A." The medical records were placed before the judge. Mario was smiling encouragingly; as was Sam. "Shirts off, gentlemen," the judge ordered. The twins shot daggers at Pat as they took off their shirts. Brad had a dark bruise across right side of his chest; the twin had no bruises. Pat grinned. "Medical examination reveals two fractured ribs on the bottom of the right side. Case closed. Bailiff, haul Mr. Bradley Henshaw away. 75 year imprisonment no chance of parole. It'll do you good to not play the system. Remember that next time. Oh. There won't be a next time," the judge stated as Brad scowled at him. He smirked and looked at Pat.

"There may not be a next time but think about this, Matt. Ooh, at least I get to go in on a great note. She'll be the last woman I ever touch. I should have finished, but oh she was so tight and tasted like honey; I wanted to savor every moment. Every time you kiss sweet Ann, she'll be thinking of me. Thanks for giving me her cherry," Brad snarled at Pat before the bailiff made his way over. 

"Don't worry, Brad. I'll find her. I know exactly what she looks like now. She's better than the honey pot you described. I'll f**k her then kill her," the twin whispered loud enough for everyone to hear within a ten foot radius. He grinned at Pat. "Him - I'll take out for free."

"Make sure you get every detail, Eric. I look forward to hearing all about it," Brad sneered. Unable to contain himself, Pat leaped over the stand and clocked Brad squarely on the jaw. Then he hit the twin as well. Both men turned on Pat and gave him repeated blows the his front and back. Pat took on both of them hit for hit. He was holding his own until one of them kicked his leg out from under him and pinned him to the ground. "Without that metal leg, you're useless," Brad spat. Pat tackled him and began hitting his stomach. Eric punched Pat's back and tried to put him in a chokehold. 

"Order! Order in the court!" The judge demanded as he pounded his gavel. Several officers came up and broke apart the fight. "Cuff them all," the judge ordered. 

"I'm sorry, Pat," Officer Davies whispered in his ear as he cuffed his hands behind his back. Pat nodded. "They can't press charges on you. They provoked you."

"I'm sorry, sir. I was wrong. Take me away. Please don't put me in the same cell as them. I'll kill one of them if not both," Pat admitted as he was helped up. 

"We'll make sure you all are separate. You'll get one phone call. We have to book you," Officer Davies said apologetically as he braced against Pat's left side and escorted him out.

"I understand," he replied numbly. 

"I'll grab your crutches. You did good, son," General Greenfield stated as Pat was led out the back. Pat nodded. "Let me know if I can do anything else," the general yelled as Pat was escorted out of the building. 

"I'm sorry, 'Nettie," Pat whispered as he looked at the sun before he was helped into back of the cop car. After they booked him and took all of the items out of his pockets, Pat was allowed to make his phone call. He dialed Josh's number. When he picked up Pat let off a string of profanity before he took a calming breath and gave a brief explanation, "I fucked up big time, Josh. I've been arrested."

"What?! Are you okay? Do you need bail? What can I do?" Josh shot off in rapid fire.

"Just don't let her know what happened. We nailed him. 75 years. He went off on how he'll always be on the back of her mind and she'll always be thinking of him. Then he had the balls to thank me for her cherry while his brother promised to f**k and kill her. In front of the judge and still on record. I lost my temper and hit them. Several times. They're not sure if they'll charge me right now, but I'm not coming home for a while," Pat explained. His voice cracked.

"I'll let the sibs know. We'll keep it from her, Pat. She's been breaking glass and doing a private project. She's staying busy and doing nothing but cooking, this project, and her schoolwork. She misses you but hasn't had a breakdown. Hang in there, man. We got your back. I'll come up tomorrow and check on you," Josh promised. Officer Davies tapped his watch; time was running out.

"I'm glad to hear she's doing good. Thank, Josh. I'm staying at the Hilton. Room 316. I'll make sure Officer Davies gets you the key. I gotta go. Protect her," Pat begged as he hung up the phone. "My buddy, Josh Conrad, is coming up tomorrow. Make sure he gets my room key," Pat ordered as he wrapped his arm around the officer's shoulder and hobbled his way back to his cell.

"Of course, son. I work tomorrow too; I'll talk to your pal directly. I can see how you were able to take on those two goons. If you had another limb, you would have been able to take the twins. Eric Henshaw has a record too; he'll be charged with assault. He's looking at least 40 years. The judge is deliberating on you right now. I don't know if we'll have to charge you too," Officer Davies explained morosely. Pat nodded.

"I'll take whatever punishment I'm given. I deserve it. Thank you for your assistance," Pat replied as he sat down on the bench. There were two other men in the cell; neither Pat had a problem with. He sighed and buried his head in his hands. "Love you, doll. We won," he whispered. "No. You won," he corrected.

*****