Broken Promises (Chicago PD)

Blood

As I stumbled my way into the court room, the place fell silent. Antonio immediately stood to his feet and rushed over, taking my crutches and helping me sit down in the front row.

"You shouldn't be here." He whispered as Jay turned around and started to lecture me too.

Ignoring them both, I handed Jay a file to hand to Kage or at least the real lawyer. They scanned their eyes over the contents as the rest of the unit leaned in to see what it was all about. Clarissa moved her judgemental eyes over to our table as we gathered.

"We would like to take a break." Said Jerry as he stood up, receiving the nod from the judge.

For the first time since the incident, I actually saw Hank, his head bowed and eyes filled with tiredness and something else.

Something I couldn't decipher.

Eva was here too, not that I really noticed. She's alright but she keeps trying to butt her head into the case when it's got nothing fo do with her.

"What's going on?" Asked Eva.

"None of you're business." I snapped.

The room fell silent as Antonio's turned to look at us both. "What? She's getting on my nerves." I said to him.

With a huff, I finally looked at her, feeling shameful for speaking to her like that.

"Sorry, Eva. That was rude of me. You're Antonio's kid and I've just pushed my way into his family."

"You haven't pushed your way into anything."

"I have and I do apologise."

Jerry carried on talking to Kage and Jay as they looked over the file.

"Okay, so this proves that the bullet that shot Klarise came from Clarissa's gun that she owns and she definitely fired it because the bullet has her prints on it but we knew that already." Said Kage.

Reaching over, I flipped the page and pushed the paper down so they could really read it without the lights reflecting onto it.

Hank saw it first because he turned to look at me before he hugged me; so tight that I thought he was going to crack my rib.

This was the hug of a man, who was so apologetic but didn't have the words to say how sorry he was. There's not enough words in the dictionary to explain the emotions and guilt he felt. For what? I don't know but he was clearly hurting. I could feel it in his bones and I could see it in the features of his face.

"No, no, that's not...that's not possible." Said Kage. "I spoke to her. She told me how she was going to travel the world...a...and sh-she had these big dreams for the future."

"Wishes. She had wishes for the future." I said as a single tear fell from eye, copying the one that slid down Kage's cheeks.

"But...she...she was fine."

"This is the final thing," Coughed Jerry. "This is what will make the charges stick. This will convince the jury that everything we said was real."

"I need to speak on that stand, I need the crowd to hear my voice. My words and my life of how I suffered from Clarissa."

*No One's Pov*

As a group, they waltzed back into the court room, the doors slamming open as Clarissa shot around in her seat, standing to her feet to witness a family that wasn't made by blood.

The judge commenced the case as Maisey sat in that seat, overlooking the crowd. Her heart hung heavy in her chest, beating steadily as she laid her hand on that book. Dust flew from the cherished leather as she spoke those heavenly white words.