Holiday From Real

Ashlee walked through the front door of her house in a hurry, wondering what could be wrong to have Pete ask her to come back home. When she entered, she saw Pete sitting in a chair in the living room with Gabe and Brendon sitting on one of the couches next to him.

“Hey, babe,” she said to Pete as she threw her keys onto the table and kissed him. “What’s wrong?”

“You might want to sit down,” he said to his wife. He then turned around to see Vicky and Mary Jane standing there and said to them, “You guys should probably sit down, too.”

“Okay, Pete, you’re starting to scare me. What’s wrong?” Ashlee asked as she looked to Gabe and Brendon, who just kept their gaze on the floor.

“I have some bad news,” he said, and then he added, “For MJ.”

“What?” Mary Jane asked, looking at Gabe who sat next to her and then over at Pete.

“They set a date for the trial for Chris, and you have to be there,” Pete said.

“What?” Mary Jane asked. “I thought they had the trial when we were in Europe. And they said that I didn’t need to be present since I had already given them my statement,” she said as Gabe grabbed her hand.

“Apparently, Chris somehow kept getting the trial postponed. And now, the lawyer against him says that he’s got a better case since it has been so long since the rape. She’s suggesting that you appear in court and be called to the stand,” Pete explained.

“Is that really necessary?” Vicky asked from her seat across from Mary Jane. “I mean MJ’s been through enough. Does she really need to recount the whole thing again?”

“The lawyer thinks it’s for the best if she does testify,” Brendon said, not looking at Vicky.

“Yeah, she thinks that he’s more likely to be convicted if she testifies,” Pete continued.

“What do you mean ‘more likely?’” Ashlee asked. “He raped her. He should already be in jail.”

“It’s the United States,” Pete told his wife. “You’re innocent until proven guilty. He’s got to go before a jury. They get the ultimate decision.”

“So, there’s a chance that he won’t go to jail?” Mary Jane finally spoke up.

“Technically, yes, but that shouldn’t happen. Especially if you give your testimony,” Pete told her.

Mary Jane didn’t know exactly what to say. She didn’t want to have to go through every detail of that night again. She was just beginning to get over it, and now they wanted her to live through it again on stand? But if she didn’t testify, it was more likely that Chris was going to go free.

She looked over at Gabe. “Will you be there with me?” she asked him.

“Of course,” he said smiling.

“Okay, I guess I’m testifying, then,” she said. “When is the trial?”

“It starts Monday,” Pete told her.

Mary Jane began counting in her head. “In four days?” she asked.

Pete nodded her head. “Yeah,” he said.

An hour later, Mary Jane entered her apartment with Gabe right behind her. They sat down on the couch while Mary Jane turned the television on. “MJ, are you okay?” Gabe asked.

“Yeah, why?” Mary Jane asked, keeping her attention on the television.

“MJ,” Gabe said grabbing one of her hands. She turned around to look at him. “You just found out you have to testify against your rapist.”

“What do you want to hear, Gabe?” Mary Jane asked. “That I’m scared out of my mind right now? That I don’t want to relive that night in front of anyone, let alone a bunch of strangers. That I don’t want to face Chris again?”

“MJ, I know you’re scared, but I’m going to be there right next to you the entire time. I promise,” he said.

“Thank you,” she said with a forced smile. “But Gabe, what happens if he gets off? What happens if they find him innocent?”

“They won’t,” Gabe told her. “We all know what he did, and as soon as you tell the jury what happened, they’ll have to convict him.”

“Gabe, I’m scared of what you’re going to think,” Mary Jane admitted.

“What do you mean?” he asked her.

“I know that you were there when I was raped, but you weren’t there the whole time. I’m scared he’s going to try to turn this around on me, and he’s going to say something that’s going to make you change your mind about me,” she said in a quiet voice.

“MJ, I promise you, there is nothing that could ever make me stop loving you,” Gabe said with a smile. “Besides, what could Chris possibly say that would even make me think of changing my mind?”

“I don’t know,” she admitted. “I just remember that night he kept telling you that I asked for it,” she said shuddering at the memory.

“MJ, I know you didn’t ask him for anything. He raped you. I was there that night. So was Vicky and Pete. They both heard you screaming for help. And I saw you afterwards. There was no possible way you asked him for anything,” Gabe told her.

“I love you, you know that, right?” Mary Jane asked him.

“Of course I know that. I love you, too,” Gabe said smiling at her. “And nothing’s going to change that.”

“Thank you. You are amazing,” she said as she leaned over and kissed him.