Patty meets me outside the courthouse in the morning after I drop Wyatt at daycare. I had to leave our hotel extra early to swing by my apartment and get dressy clothes to wear to court. I grin, thinking Patty looks dapper in a suit, especially compared to the khakis and button down that will have to do for my outfit.
Patty hands me a coffee and smiles. “Hey, Lucy. How you feeling about today?”
I draw in a deep, shaky breath. “A lot of feelings, Professor. Nervous. Angry. Anxious.” I tick the emotions off on my fingers and decide my hands are better off wrapped around the coffee cup. I drink gratefully as we walk inside.
“Well,” Patty says, holding the door for me as we make our way to the security checkpoint. “I’m eager to share my view of what happened. I’m on team Lucy and Wyatt. But you already knew that, right?” She nudges me with her shoulder. I nod and set my purse on the metal detector. Once we’re through, I’m not sure where to go.
Criminal cases all take place in a different building from the family court so I’ve never actually been in this courthouse before. Patty seems to know where to go and I’m grateful for her strong, friendly presence at my side. When we get to the floor of our courtroom, I gasp when I see a trio of suited men sitting on the benches in the hall.
Tim Stag and, I assume, his brothers stand when I approach. I tear up, realizing that Hawk really did call his brothers and ask them to be here in support since he wasn’t able to miss training. Tim walks toward me and smiles. “Lucy, good to see you again. Although I’m sorry about the circumstances.”
I shake his hand. “Hi, Tim. Thank you for being here. And…” I turn to his brothers. “Thank you. I don’t know what to say.”
The tall one grins and the bearded one sets his jaw. Tim places a hand on my shoulder. “I would have wanted to be here in support as legal counsel for the team even if my brother hadn’t asked us to come look after you, Lucy.”
Since the D.A. is the one prosecuting the criminal charges, Erika doesn’t need to be here today and I was happy enough not to pay for her time. I’m about to tell Tim it really doesn’t seem necessary for anyone to look after me, but then I see Nick walking in with, I assume, his lawyer. And his parents are right behind him. My knees almost buckle at the sight of him and I realize I am far from free of the trauma he inflicted on me. I’m grateful for the team I’ve got with me. They’re just here for me.
Tim puts a supportive hand under my elbow and Patty presses in closer at my side. I clear my throat. “Tim, Stag brothers, this is my friend Patty.” I blink away tears. “She’s the one who saved Wyatt when Nick locked him in a stifling car while he went out drinking.”
My voice is steady as I say that last part, and I know his parents can hear me. Part of me wishes Wyatt was here so they could see the impact their adult son had on his own child. But ultimately I’m glad he is spared seeing me visibly upset about this whole thing.
The prosecutor arrives from the district attorney’s office and ushers Patty and me inside. Tim and his brothers sit in the row directly behind me. Every time Nick’s lawyer stands up to speak, one of the Stag brothers places a reassuring hand on my shoulder. The beginning of the proceedings pass in a blur until Patty steps up to speak with the judge.
Nick’s lawyer frames everything as if Patty was some sort of criminal, talking about how she vandalized his vehicle. Patty actually laughs at that language. “If that’s how you want to word it, feel free,” she says. “Yes. I shattered the vehicle window in an effort to save a terrified child from a sweltering car.” Her eyes flash as she relays what happened and I anxiously shred tissues in my lap as I remember how hot it was that day, how easily my son could have died.
Patty eventually returns to my side and Tim leans forward. “You doing okay, Lucy? We can ask for a recess if you need.” I shake my head rapidly. The judge is reviewing notes.
He stares at me and then shifts his gaze to Nick. “Can someone tell me why we’re here today?”
Nick’s lawyer starts to say something about the motion to suppress the charges, given the vandalism and the lack of Wyatt coming to harm, but the judge holds up a hand. “What I mean is, why am I being forced to endure this nonsense? Are you seriously suggesting I take seriously a motion to suppress these charges?”
The lawyer adjusts his tie. “Your honor, given the damage to Mr. DeLuca’s vehicle, which the witness admitted to causing—”
“Enough with that.” The judge looks irate. “I’m not suppressing the charges. I’ve heard enough of that. And for that matter, I want to know why in the holy hell the conditions of bail are not being met.”
“Conditions, sir?”
The judge picks up a sheet of pink paper and I recognize it as coming from Erika. She must have been helping the D.A. put together pertinent information. The judge says, “Why am I looking at a report that the defendant followed this woman to her place of work and to her—“ He squints at Nick and shakes his head. “Are you following her to soccer practice? Soccer practice? In the park?”
Nick’s lawyer clears his throat. “Your honor, those issues are related to Mr. DeLuca’s custody concerns.”
“Enough. Enough.” The judge presses his palms against the bench and leans into the microphone. He looks at Nick. “Do you want to go to jail?”
Nick shakes his head. “No, sir.”
“Listen to me very carefully. These charges are going to stand. I want to be very clear that this no-contact order is going to stand. You are to have no contact with Ms. Nelson or with your son. If you look at them wrong, if you pick up the phone and call them, if you go on social media and poke them on Facebook, whatever it is. I will put you in jail so fast your head is gonna spin. Is that clear?”
Patty squeezes my hand as Nick fumbles to respond. “Yes, sir.”
“You do not leave your house apart from work. I see that you have no driver’s license because you haven’t paid your child support in months, so you get yourself caught up with that, too.” The judge points a finger at Nick’s lawyer. “You’ve had long enough to deal with the psychiatric evaluation. Enough dawdling about that. I want it on my desk in a month.”
The judge leans back in his chair shaking his head. “Do you understand my orders here?”
Nick clears his throat. “Those are very strict orders, sir.”
I hear Tim gasp behind me and the D.A. starts laughing silently beside me. The judge’s face turns bright red. “Strict? Son, you don’t know from strict. I’ve had enough of this. I will see you at trial.” He bangs his gavel and strides out of the room.
I look between Patty and the assistant district attorney. “So what just happened here?”
The D.A. raises his brows and says, “He’s about to burn in a fire of his own making.”
Tim squeezes my shoulder again. “Your ex pissed off the judge and his lawyer’s attempt to get rid of the charges blew up in his face. You and Wyatt are a lot closer to being safe, Lucy.”
“Really?” I choke back tears and wrap my arms around Patty. “I don’t know how to thank you.” I step back and gesture to Tim and his brothers. “All of you.”
“Lucy, you don’t need to thank us.” Tim takes my hand now, patting it. His brothers nod.
“I wouldn’t say no to VIP seats at the Forge game tomorrow.” Patty winks. “But seriously, Lucy. I did what I would want anyone to do for me or for my daughters.”
Hawk’s bearded brother grunts approvingly at Patty. The tall Stag leans down and grins. “I’m here because my brother cares about you, and that means I care about you. But I wouldn’t say no to some sweet soccer seats, if you can make that happen.” Tim smacks him in the chest. “What? Our brother has a playoff game tomorrow.”
I laugh, finally feeling lighter. “I’ll get tickets for all of you. I promise.”