The Happiest Day of Her Life Ch. 04

"I know how to do my job, Ms. Sullivan," said Ebonee coolly.

"Oh, yeah?" asked Holly. "Even the part of your job that says to keep your witnesses safe? How did a wanted fucking fugitive get into the largest courthouse in New York State with a fucking gun?"

"I have no idea," said Ebonee honestly, "but believe me, I am going to find out."

Just at that moment, the doctor emerged from the makeshift treatment room they had set up in the courthouse. Holly stepped in front of him, keeping him from walking away without acknowledging her.

"Excuse me, Doctor," said Holly anxiously. "How's Ree?"

"Ree's just fine," said Doctor Pavel. "I removed the bullet and put her left arm in a sling. She is the most unshakable nurse I have ever met. I damned near peed myself when that first shot was fired and she did not even cringe from it. She is an amazing woman. I expect she will want to continue her testimony tomorrow and I have no objections to that. I will be here tomorrow to monitor her and I'll set up an appointment to examine her later in the week."

Holly said, "Thank you, Doctor," and Ebonee and Isolde echoed that sentiment a few seconds later.

Jenn wanted to be with her sister on the way back home, but they'd taken separate cars to get to the courthouse and Jenn didn't want Chloe to drive home by herself. Jenn had suggested that Ree should ride back with them, but Holly insisted on driving Marie home to give her a pep talk about tomorrow. It amused Jenn that she thought of the house in Lindenhurst as Chloe's home, too. Chloe had been living in Jenn's -- their -- room for the last few months now, since just before this trial was put on the calendar. Jenn loved Chloe as intensely, but in a very different way, as she loved Ree. Chloe was a fiery redhead in many different ways. She was opinionated and stuck to her guns. She was a demoness in the sack and she was a fiercely protective lover.

Jenn had always seen herself as bisexual before meeting Chloe. There were quite a few things Chloe changed since moving in. Jenn used to love toys; she had a huge drawer full of them. Chloe preferred using her hands, mouth and body during sex so Jenn got rid of her toys and gave them all to Ree. She occasionally heard a mechanical grinding sound coming from Ree's room that confirmed at least some of the toys were being put to use. Jenn no longer thought of herself as bi. She had "come over to the Vag side" as Chloe had once put it. Chloe has expanded Jenn's knowledge of music and introduced her to gushy romance novels. When she was absolutely sure Chloe was staying, Jenn used her savings from working part time as a Massage Therapist to buy a bigger bed. Of course, the bed wasn't the only place they had sex and the bedroom was not the only room they fucked in, but the larger bed also made sleeping more comfortable.

Chloe, who was driving, could see that Jenn was lost in thought. She cleared her throat and said, "Hey, gorgeous..."

"Huh?" was Jenn's distracted reply.

"I've given dissertations that didn't take as long as your chat with Holly," Chloe said with a smile. "What were you two talking about?"

"Just what I said at lunch," said Jenn. "Holly got nervous because Ree had made a comment to her that implied she thought Holly was the second chair and they had been sitting together at the lawyer's table."

"But Holly had said she wouldn't be able to be second chair and Ree would only sit at that table at a civil trial."

"That's not how Ree remembers that conversation," said Jenn.

"Aw, shit," said Chloe with sudden understanding. "She had a schizophrenic episode?"

"Yep," replied Jenn. "Apparently in her mind she thought it would be safer to sit between the lawyers and that's the fantasy she was living out in court today. I think she got back to reality during her testimony."

"I don't know," confided Chloe. "Did you see her blank reaction when that douchebag shot at her? She was not reacting to the environment around her. Could his presence have triggered another episode?"

"Huh," said Jenn, pondering. "I doubt it. She has always had a rock solid grasp on reality as far as those motherfuckers were concerned. She was also really looking forward to that douchebag being found. She probably would have burst her blouse buttons with pride if he didn't try to kill her."

"How did he get it through the metal detectors at the door?" asked Chloe. "Do you think it was a non-metallic gun?"

"You've been watching too many old Bruce Willis movies," said Jenn. "The Glock 17 is not a ceramic gun. If he had gone through the security checkpoint, they would have found that fucking thing. He must have found another way in."

Chloe's forehead wrinkled in a way Jenn found very cute and she asked, "Is there another way in?"

"I don't know," said Jenn. "It's a huge fucking building. I'm sure there has to be more than one way to get in there. My father always says that with enough persistence and determination you can accomplish anything. Maybe the douchebag was brighter than he looked. You're the one who's a genius. Why don't you research it and see what you come up with?"

Chloe giggled and said, "I do love taking on intellectual projects that have nothing to do with grades..."

"I know you do," said Jenn, smiling. Jenn noticed they were passing Ree's hospital. She hadn't realized they were on Main Street. Main Street in West Islip became Montauk Highway in Babylon. They would be passing Argyle Park, where some of Ree's wedding pictures were taken. Jenn, who usually traveled west rather than east to school and work every day, just realized at that moment that Ree passed that park and the waterfalls there on the way to work and back.

"You're distracted again," said Chloe.

"I'm just thinking about Ree."

"Duh," said Chloe. "What specifically were you thinking?"

"Wedding photos we took just up ahead on the right at that park," said Jenn. "I was also thinking about the lovers I brought home to share with her."

"You brought them home to help her," said Chloe. "You told me every single one of them was a senior at St. John's University studying Human Sexuality or Psychology with a concentration in Human Sexuality."

"I know," said Jenn glumly. "I just wonder if my 'feed a fever' approach did her any good."

"You've always checked in with Ree's therapist, Dr. Clarke," said Chloe. "He never tried to stop you; and it's not like you were sneaking around her back. You've always been completely honest with Ree."

"I love you."

"I know," said Chloe. "I love you, too, gorgeous.

John Mark Sullivan was one of those guys who went by all three of his names. He was known by "John," "Mark," and by "Sullivan" by different friends. What his friends called him told him where he knew that friend from. John was married to a gorgeous lawyer named Holly. Holly had what John considered a perfect body and her platinum hair in a pixie cut was just the hottest thing he had ever known. Holly had several girlfriends who were also hot. On Friday nights, the Sullivans would go to dinner at the friends' house and play board games after dishes were done. John was at a department store at the Walt Whitman Shops buying the newest version of Apples to Apples and Twister. He had no shame. He freely admitted that he thought all of the four women he shared Friday evenings with were hot, especially his wife. He had no plans to cheat on Holly, but that didn't mean he couldn't imagine getting his clothed body wrapped up with the clothed bodies of four incredibly beautiful women. He had a huge grin that frightened the cashier when his order was rung up.

Now that Holly was on her way home and Chloe and the Stevens sisters were settling in to eat dinner in front of the television, Marie allowed herself to relax a little. There was a lot of love in this house and she was grateful for it. When everyone was finished eating, Chloe cleared the plates. The three of them were sharing the sofa with Jenn in the middle. Now that Chloe had taken her dish, Marie lay down on the sofa and rested her head on Jenn's left thigh. When Chloe returned from the kitchen, she mirrored Marie and rested her head on Jenn's right thigh. Jenn smiled and lazily brushed her fingers through the hair of the two women she loved most in this world. Jenn didn't want to move when she became conscious of the fact that Marie and Chloe had fallen asleep. She picked up the remote and turned the volume down. She then flipped channels until she found a show called Women of Ninja Warrior. She put down the remote and gave in to the fun insanity of this program. The women on this show had to get through an immense obstacle course. Jenn found herself quietly cheering, groaning and oooing as the competitors made their attempts. She had fallen asleep to the show and didn't stir until an infomercial was suddenly blaring. She lowered the volume again before turning off the set.

Jenn gently shook the two women asleep on her legs to no avail. When their heads eventually moved, and Jenn was able to stand up, she got a horrible case of pins and needles. She massaged out her thighs and when the parasthesia was gone, she carried Chloe upstairs to their bed. Jenn came back and walked a very groggy Marie to her bed and came back downstairs to do the dishes. She was exhausted when she finished this task and lumbered her way back to her room. She stripped Chloe without waking her, undressed and spooned with her lover before covering them both with a comforter.

In the morning, Chloe woke Jenn with a kiss and they got up to shower together. After they were dried and dressed, Jenn knocked on Ree's door as they passed it to go downstairs. While Jenn and Chloe fixed breakfast, they heard Marie's shower turn on.

"You need any help up there?" Jenn called up to the second floor.

"I'm good," came the muffled reply.

When Marie emerged for breakfast, she was dressed beautifully in a blue skirt suit. The only distraction from her marvelous appearance was the sling around her left arm.

"How long do you have to wear that hideous thing?" Chloe asked.

"I have to wear this hideous thing until my shoulder can handle the weight of my arm without straining."

Marie called Holly on her cell and told her she'd be riding into the courthouse with Jenn and Chloe and that they would meet her out front. After she hung up, the three housemates had breakfast and Jenn and Chloe did the dishes. Marie opted out by pointing to her sling.

Ebonee had convinced the judge not to declare a mistrial. She said her witness was ready to conclude her testimony and the increased security would prevent any further disruptions. Marie was happy when Ebonee called her to say the trial was still on. Ebonee went over her notes to see what questions she had left to ask Marie. She was a little nervous about Marie on the cross-examination, but soon understood clearly that now that she'd been injured on the stand, any grilling the defense did of her would increase the jury's sympathy for her. Ebonee waited for Isolde in the courtroom. Hopefully, this day would not be as crazy as the day before.

"All Rise!"

Marie stood with the rest of the court. She recognized that she was in the front row of the gallery, behind the prosecution, between Holly and Jenn. Chloe was sitting on the other side of Jenn. Her parents, Catherine and Harry, were sitting directly behind her and Dr. Patel was on Catherine's right side. There was no one in a gray hoodie in the gallery. The bullet hole was still in the wall behind the witness stand but there was no blood on the walls or on the floor of the gallery where Bobby had taken his life. Environmental services must have worked overtime.

"Be seated."

Ebonee called Marie back to the stand and she was reminded that she was still under oath. Marie acknowledged that and took her seat. Ebonee asked two follow up questions about her ability to identify the accused before telling the judge she had no further questions.

Steve, the Public Defender, stood up and looked at the star witness for the prosecution with her arm wrapped in a sleeve. Steve was so pissed he couldn't convince the judge to declare a mistrial. There was really very little he could do to win this case now. He asked again how the witness was able to recognize his clients three months after her terrifying ordeal and got an answer he wasn't expecting.

Marie answered that her job as an Emergency Department nurse had trained her to pay attention to details during even the most apocalyptic and chaotic occurrences. She needed to have a good memory for names and faces during a crisis because there needed to be an absolute assurance that the patients did not get the wrong medication or get sent to the wrong test because of a room change. There were safeguards against that, such as checking the names on the patient's ID bracelet, but it was still important to put names to faces and remember them both just to make sure. There were a few nodding heads from the jurors as she said this and the Public Defender declared that he had no further questions. The judge told Marie she could step down. Marie returned to her seat. Jenn and Holly held her hands and she could feel hands on her shoulders. From the number of hands and the angles, she decided it was her parents and Dr. Patel.

"Your honor," said Ebonee, "the State rests."

Holly squeezed Marie's hand. She had done so well on the stand. She knew Marie had won the hearts of the jury. She prayed silently that the second trial, the murder trial against Marlon, would not be quite as exciting as this trial had been. There were very few times in her life Holly had found herself to be surprised in a courtroom. Yesterday had certainly been one of those days.

++++++++++++++++++++++++++

Thanks for reading.