Betrayal: Beth

He took his seat and the judge motioned for Johnson to give his closing remarks. On the way, he turned the monitor on and showed the image of Don abusing me.

"Ladies and gentlemen of the jury," he said. "Thank you for your service here today. I know this has been very hard on all of you. The defense has tried to obfuscate the issue, claiming that Mr. Robinson never indicated that he did not consent to what was being done to him. There's only one problem. Mr. Robinson was disabled -- he could not speak and he could not defend himself. Under the law in this state, persons with disabilities like his are incapable of giving or denying consent. Mr. Greene knows this. So does the defendant Akins, who, by the way, is a well-trained Harvard lawyer.

"They've admitted to the acts against Mr. Robinson. You've seen the video, you've heard the audio. You know the defendants intended to fraudulently have Mr. Robinson declared incompetent in order to take what is rightfully his and flee the country. The defendant Akins took Mr. Robinson's wife and he intended to take Mr. Robinson's money, leaving his own wife high and dry. You've heard the defendants plot and scheme against Mr. Robinson.

"The defense has not provided any doubt about what took place. Thirty-six times, the defendant Akins sexually abused Mr. Robinson. In each case, Mrs. Robinson did nothing to put an end to it. In this state, sexual abuse and intentional neglect of a disabled person is classified as a hate crime. That's why I'm pushing for the maximum punishment allowed by law. The state has done its job. Now I ask that you do yours and give Mr. Robinson the justice he deserves. Thank you."

After Johnson took his seat, the judge gave his orders to the jury and sent them off to deliberate. He then put the rest of the court into recess. Dr. Steiner and I went into the hallway, where Alan was waiting.

"I just wanted to let you know that Beth signed the divorce papers," he said. "She's not contesting anything. I just got back from filing them. The judge will sign off on them in a day or two and in six months, you'll be a free man."

"Free, huh?" I asked sarcastically. "Why don't I feel free, then?"

"You've been through a lot, young man," Dr. Steiner said. "Trust me, it'll get better."

"I hope so," I said.

"And I think I know just the person who can help you feel better," the doctor said with a knowing smile.

"You mean, Kirsten?" I asked. Dr. Steiner smiled and nodded his head.

"Ja," he said. "She really likes you, you know." It was my turn to smile.

"I like her too," I said. "A lot."

"Good," Dr. Steiner said. "Just be careful, though. I don't want you having sex for at least another six to eight weeks. I don't want to see you put too much strain on your back just yet," he added with a smile.

"By the way," I added. "What's the deal with that rail? How did I manage to crack that thing? I barely slapped it."

"Must be the supplements we've been giving you," he said. "That and Ingrid's physical therapy."

"Ah," I said. "Nothing to do with that inner beast stuff?" He laughed.

"Nein," he said. "Not at all. That's a whole different project. Besides, I wouldn't recommend that for you. Not with the custom-built vertebrae we've put in." We talked for a while longer and after about an hour, Johnson stuck his head into the hallway.

"Jury's back in," he said.

"Already?" I asked. He nodded his head.

"That was fast," I said.

"Yeah, it was," Johnson said. "Hopefully, that's good news for us." We went through the motions again as everyone filed back into the courtroom. The bailiff instructed us all to rise as the judge entered, then we all took our seats on his signal.

"Has the jury reached a decision?" he asked.

"We have," the jury foreman announced. The bailiff took the sheet from the foreman and handed it to the judge. After he read it to himself, he instructed Beth and Don to stand up. Greene stood with them.

"On the charges against defendant Don Akins, how do you find?" the judge asked.

"We find the defendant Don Akins guilty on all charges," the foreman said.

"And on the charges against defendant Beth Robinson, how do you find?"

"We found the defendant Beth Robinson not guilty on the charge of accessory to sexual abuse of a disabled person, your honor, and guilty on all the other charges," the foreman said. The judge nodded his head.

"Very well," he said. Turning to the defendants, he unleashed his fury on them. "I have seen and heard a lot in this courtroom over the years. But I have never seen nor heard anything as outrageous and egregious as I have witnessed here today. The two of you, frankly, make me sick to my stomach. Not only have you made a mockery of your marriages, you have made a mockery of the legal profession. That's why I'm giving you the maximum sentences allowed by law.

"Mr. Akins, as a well-trained lawyer and an officer of the court, your activity disgusts me beyond words. Upon the prosecutor's request, I am sentencing you to no less than 450 years at hard labor. That's 12 years for each of the 36 counts of sexual abuse, along with 20 years added for committing a hate crime. I've also added eight years for conspiracy to commit fraud.

"Mrs. Robinson, I do not agree with the jury's not guilty verdict. I personally do not see how any person with more than two brain cells could not know the abuse against your husband was taking place. Nevertheless, I will abide by the verdict. I am, however, giving you the maximum sentence for criminal neglect, negligence and conspiracy to commit fraud, which, under the state guidelines, totals 15 years in prison, making you eligible for parole in ten," he said. He raised his gavel but Greene addressed the judge.

"Your honor," he said. "Mrs. Robinson has just informed me that divorce papers have been filed and she would like to speak with Mr. Robinson before she is taken into custody."

"Are you okay with that, Mr. Robinson?" the judge asked.

"I can give her a couple minutes, your honor," I said. He nodded his head.

"Very well," he said. He pounded his gavel and declared the court dismissed. Beth walked over to me as deputies prepared to take Don away.

"You look good, Tim," she said.

"Thank you," I said.

"I just wanted to tell you that I'm sorry about all of this," she said. "I really had no idea what he was doing to you. I would've done whatever I could to stop it if I had known."

"I think you convinced the jury of that," I said. "I agree with the judge, though. I find it hard to believe. You're not a stupid woman. At any rate, you'll have 15 years to think about it. Was there something else?"

"Yes," she said. "I wanted you to know I signed the divorce papers and I'm not going to fight you over it."

"That's what I heard," I told her.

"Don't you want to know why it happened?" she asked. I shook my head.

"I really don't care," I told her. "I'm sure it was all for greed and lust. You betrayed me, plain and simple. The 'why' really doesn't matter anymore."

"Do you think you could ever forgive me?" she asked.

"Why is it all you cheating bitches think you can come crawling and begging for forgiveness?" I asked. "You sure didn't give a damn about me when I needed you the most. To answer your question, though, no, I don't intend to ever forgive you. Instead, I'm going to do my best to forget you exist. Was there something else?"

"I know you won't believe me, but I do love you," she said. "I just wanted to tell you that before they take me to jail."

"You're right," I said. "I don't believe you. But thanks for saying so anyway. I think you'd better get going, those deputies don't look too happy over there."

"Okay," she said. "Goodbye, Tim." With that, she walked away, tears in her eyes. At that point, I felt absolutely nothing for her. As I got up, Kathy came over to me.

"How are you, Tim?" she asked. "You look better than you have in a long time."

"Thanks," I said. "I'm doing much better, thanks to Dr. Steiner here."

"I just wanted to apologize for what my asshole soon-to-be ex-husband did to you," she said.

"I appreciate that," I told her. "Did you get in touch with Alan?"

"Yes, I did," she said. "Don's father insisted we get a prenuptial agreement before we got married and it has a very strict infidelity clause in it. So Alan's going to have a field day with it."

"I'm glad to hear it," I told her. "If there's anything I can do to help, let me know."

"Thanks," she said. "I may need to borrow some copies of those videos from you."

"No problem," I said. "Whatever you need. I'll be gone for a bit longer, but I'm sure Alan can use what he already has."

"One last thing," she said. "I still have that key you guys gave me right after the accident. I'll get your place cleaned up and get Beth's things out of there if you want."

"That would be a big help, Kathy," I said. "Thanks."

"No problem," she said. "Good luck, and I'll see you soon," she added, giving me a kiss on the cheek. We watched as she left. I couldn't believe how stupid Don was to cheat on such a good woman.

"Are you finished flirting with all the women?" Dr. Steiner asked. "I'd like to get back to work if you don't mind."

"Works for me," I said. "But how are we gonna get back?"

"No problem, we'll take care of that for you," Agent Smith said from behind us. "After all, we're the ones who brought you here." At Dr. Steiner's insistence, I sat down in the wheelchair and he took me out to the car, where we all piled in. Actually, I was a bit relieved to have the wheelchair. I had been up and down most of the day and I was feeling a bit tired and achy.

We got back to the facility and Dr. Steiner wheeled me into my room, where Kirsten was waiting for me. After dinner, she helped get me ready for bed, then went into the bathroom where she changed into her sleepwear, which was actually just a long t-shirt.

"How are you feeling?" she asked when she climbed into bed with me.

"Wiped," I said. "It's been a long day." She kissed me and laid her head on my shoulder.

"Yes, it has," she said. "I know it's been hard, but it had to be done. Now you can start putting all that behind you. And I'll be here to help in any way I can." I looked into her face for a while before speaking.

"I love you, Kirsten," I said without thinking. She smiled sweetly and kissed me on the lips.

"And I love you, Tim," she said. She put her head on my shoulder and draped an arm over my chest. I felt happier than I had in a very long time. Soon, we were both asleep.

They ran me ragged over the next five weeks. Ingrid's inner drill instructor came out, pushing me to go farther and faster with each session. On top of that, I was making twice weekly visits with the counselor, who helped me get past the abuse I suffered over the previous year. Every day, they took x-rays to check the status of my spine. Kirsten spent every night in my bed and we got to know each other quite well.

Finally, Dr. Steiner announced that I had healed well enough that I could be sent home. By then, my body was in better shape than it had ever been, but he instructed me to refrain from sex for another three weeks. He also scheduled me to come in twice a month for the next year so they could do a checkup on my back.

I was anxious to get back home, but I also knew I would miss Kirsten. The day I was scheduled to leave, I wrote a note, telling her of my feelings for her. I also invited her to come visit me any time she wished. I finished the note as Dr. Steiner came into my room with a wheelchair. I looked at him, confused. I was able to walk on my own by now, after all. He shrugged his shoulders.

"Regulations," he said.

"I understand," I said as I sat in the wheelchair. I had hoped to never sit in one of these things again. He wheeled me to the pick-up area outside and I looked around, waiting for the Arrowhead van to show up. Instead, I saw a dark blue Toyota RAV-4 pull up. The driver's side door opened up and I saw her -- Kirsten, my red-headed angel of mercy.

She came around and opened the passenger door for me. Surprised, I looked at Dr. Steiner.

"Kirsten has a new assignment," he said. "She'll be your live-in care-taker. That is, unless you have any objections."

"Absolutely not," I said, smiling. I shook his hand. "Thank you, Dr. Steiner. For everything."

"You're welcome," he said with a smile. "I'll see you in a couple weeks." He looked at Kirsten. "And please, take care of our boy, okay?"

"I will," she said with a smile. After helping me inside, she got in the car. I noticed several bags had been packed into the back of the vehicle.

"So, how long are you going to be assigned to me?" I asked.

"That depends on how long you need me," she said.

"How long do you think that might be?" I asked.

"Conservative estimate, I'd say at least 60 years," she said. "Is that okay with you?"

"Damn straight it is," I said. She kissed me on the lips, then pulled out and headed home.

Epilogue:

When we got home, I marked the date on the calendar when Dr. Steiner said I could start having sex. As it turned out, that just happened to be the day after my divorce from Beth was final. And yes, we did have sex on the day I had marked on the calendar, but it was much more than just sex -- it was darn near a religious experience. Being inside Kirsten, I felt like nothing else existed in the universe -- just the two of us making sweet love to each other.

As Alan had predicted, my alienation of affection lawsuit against Don didn't go very far, but that was okay. Kathy had eviscerated him in her divorce and I had heard that he was quite popular with a group of very well-hung convicts who had taken him under their wing. I smiled at the thought of him being used the way he used me. The only difference being that he could fell everything being done to him.

Kathy stayed in the apartment she had shared with Don and became good friends with Kirsten. About two years after her divorce, she fell in love with a doctor and got married.

I never visited Beth in prison, but I learned that she was going through counseling. After 15 years, she was released on parole and got a job as a waitress in a truck stop diner out on the highway.

Kirsten and I tied the knot about six months after my divorce was final. That was a good thing, since she informed me a few weeks after we returned from Hawaii that we were going to be parents. We had two more children after that and decided that would be enough for the time being.

Our love for each other never waned, and when our youngest child left for college, we celebrated with a round-the-world cruise. Even after all these years, she's still my beautiful red-headed angel of mercy.

My vertebrae got stronger and it seemed that I was in better health than I had ever been. The implants also did their job and all the nerve damage I suffered from the accident had been reversed. Dr. Steiner performed the operation successfully several more times over the next ten years and the procedure now awaits final approval.

As I look back on my life now, I can't help but think about that quote by John Milton that every cloud has a silver lining. Yes, I went through hell for a year after that truck ran me over. That was my dark cloud. But what I have now would put any silver lining to shame.

...

Note: In 2012, a study revealed that over 70 percent of disabled persons reported having been abused. Over 41 percent of those reported having been sexually abused, while 37.3 percent reported neglect. Worse yet, the study found that most of the abusers are close to their victims.