Millar rushed into the courtroom. Traffic had been a nightmare and the last thing he wanted was to be late. It was important that he be there when Tina was brought in for sentencing. He hadn’t seen her for a couple of weeks—he’d made a decision not to see her every day. They both needed to get used to the fact that they wouldn’t always be able to see each other whenever they wanted. It was one of the harder parenting lessons he had to teach. He sat down in the front row, just in front of Penner and the Captain, and tried to catch his breath.
‘How you holding up?’ Penner asked, automatically picking a hair off of Millar’s suit jacket.
‘As good as anyone in this kind of situation,’ Millar said. ‘Thanks for being here.’
‘No worries. How’s Tina? Is it sinking in?’ asked Penner.
‘I think so. She seems to be adjusting okay, but it’s only been eight months. She’s got a long time to go,’ Millar said. The judge had denied bail and Tina had been in custody since her arrest.
The door at the side of the courtroom opened and Tina, still walking with a limp, was led in by a guard. She was wearing a blazer and skirt and a short, bobbed, blond wig—her favourite. She saw Millar and waved the best she could with her hands shackled. The guard led her to the defendant’s table and removed her cuffs. She reached up to smooth down her hair and turned to smile at Millar before sitting down next to her lawyer. He thought she seemed older already. They only had to wait a few minutes before the judge entered from another door.
‘All rise,’ the bailiff called out from beside the judge’s bench.
The judge adjusted his robes and took his seat. ‘You may be seated,’ he said, reaching for his reading glasses. He opened up the file he had brought in with him and took a moment to read over the information. ‘I understand a deal has been reached between the Crown and the defense? Is this correct?’
The Crown Attorney and Tina’s lawyer both stood up. ‘That’s correct, your Honour,’ the Crown attorney said.
The judge looked back down at his papers and then looked directly at Tina. ‘Can the defendant stand, please.’ Tina stood up beside her lawyer. ‘Young lady, do you fully understand what it means by accepting this plea?’
‘Yes, your Honour,’ Tina said, looking over at her Dad. Again, he thought that she seemed to have aged considerably in the short time she was locked up. Millar couldn’t imagine what she would be like in ten years.
‘Right. So, how do you plead?’ the Judge asked.
‘Guilty, your Honour,’ Tina said. A wave of whispering rolled over the crowd in the courtroom.
‘Based on the joint recommendations of the Crown and the defense, I hereby impose a sentence of fifteen years. You will be remanded to custody in Juvenile Detention until your eighteenth birthday, at which point you will be transferred to adult detention for the remainder of your sentence.’ The judge took off his glasses. ‘I hope you use your time to take advantage of the help that will be offered to you, and to continue your education. You will have a lifetime ahead of you when you get out—you want to be ready for it. Good luck to you.’
And with that, the trial was over. Before Millar knew what was happening, Tina was being led out of the courtroom through the same door she had entered. There was no time to talk. No time for a hug. Although Millar had known it would probably happen that way, it seemed to take Tina by surprise, and he could hear her cries even after the door closed behind her.
‘I think I’m going to need some more time off, sir,’ Millar said to the Captain as they walked out of the courtroom and into the corridor, trying to avoid the media crush. As they started walking toward the main exit, Millar saw Arden Wall rushing over to him, microphone in hand. He must have shot the reporter quite the look because Arden stopped dead in his tracks and let Millar pass by without asking any questions. He continued, ‘I know I haven’t been there much over the last eight months, but…’
‘No problem, Terry. Take all the time you need. Your job will be waiting when you’re ready,’ the Captain said, offering his hand as they stepped out into the sunlight on the courthouse steps. ‘And make sure you continue with the counselling. I think it’s going to be helpful in the long run.’
Millar shook the Captain’s hand. ‘Thanks, sir. I’ll stay in touch. I think I just need a bit more time to adjust.’
‘Don’t be a stranger, partner’ Penner said, reaching up to hug Millar.
‘I really don’t think things could get much stranger than this,’ Millar replied. He put on his sunglasses and walked down the steps of the courthouse, feeling more alone than he ever had before.