Memories ~Part 6~

   We showed up for at the courthouse ten minutes later, and there were reporters everywhere. While the lawyer and I were trying to make our way up the steps, I stumbled, separating myself from him.
   Immediately there was a microphone stuffed under my nose, “Young lady how does it make you feel-”
   And then another one cut off her question, “Ms. Mellie, would you like to tell me-”
   And then that one was cut off, they were swarming me, and I felt like I was suffocating. Pushing through them, I ran up the steps dodging there microphones, and once inside I banged into someone. “Sorry..” I trailed off as I looked up directly in my fathers face.
   “It’s okay Mellie,” he said quietly, and then brought his hand down the side of my face.

I became oblivious to my surroundings. I was hypnotized by the feeling of his hand on my face, it surfaced all the memories that were just below the surface that I had just discussed that morning in court. Strangely enough I didn’t lean into his caress or away from it, I just stood there.
   “Mellie,” he whispered to me, his eyes demanding like they used to get, “why? I love you don’t you know that? I’ve always loved you, I only did what I did because I love you!”
   I could feel the tears collecting in my eyes, and feelings that I had longed buried after the rape incident were surfacing.
   “No Mellie, don’t close your eyes,” he said, and I slowly opened them to find his face closer to mine, “Mellie, we’re meant to be you and I, I don’t care that you’re my daughter or that you aren’t fully grown up, you’re so beautiful to me, and I’m in love with you.”
   Those were the words that snapped me out of my trance. I pulled away from him and sprinted to where now saw my lawyer by the door to the courtroom looking for me with a worried expression across his face.
   “Mellie,” I heard my fathers voice which now sounded angry, and I sprinted harder at full speed, not stopping until I got to my lawyer. I heard his surprised exclamation, but instead of waiting for his questions that I knew would come if he looked at me, I grabbed his hand and pulled him through the doors and into the courtroom.
   It was packed with people I didn’t even know, and I could see all my relatives on my dads side staring accusingly at me. I shuffled across the floor, going to the prosection table, but stopped as my half brother came into my gaze.
   He was sitting on my fathers side of the room. Our eyes caught each others, and I quickly looked away and hurried to the table, with my lawyer.
   Five minutes later, my father was in the room seated,when the jurors entered one by one, they looked like soldiers.
   The judge said in a big booming voice, “Have you reached a decision?”
   One of the jurors stood up and declared, “Yes we have. We the jurors unanimously find John Gregory Gullman…”
   I looked above the juror at the wall, trying to calm my stomach, which was doing flips and turns, and I could hear my fathers voice, 'I'm in love with you.'
   “…on all accounts…”
   I then looked at the juror, and heard my father whispering, 'you're so beautiful.'
   “…not guilty.”
   I looked dazedly at the floor, and for the second time that day, I fainted, hearing the voice saying, 'we're meant to be...'