“It’s gonna be okay baby……shhhhh…” I whispered…

“How can he sit up there and tell that lie? He is under oath….”

“Some people don’t care…..for him, it is all about getting away with it…….he will never hurt you again……I promise………”

“I hope not. If they find him guilty, then I won’t have to worry about him….I can go on with my life.”

“We can go on with ‘our’ lives…..” I said as I pulled her closer to me…….

We sat out in the hallway for half an hour, me just holding her until she calmed down enough to go back into the courtroom…..once back in, we listened to the rest of the testimony.

“So, Mr. Roberts, since you say you weren’t there, I guess you wouldn’t know anything about the rape then?”

“No sir….”

I looked over at Tina with a questioning look……and leaned towards her…… “You never told me about that…”

“I……..um, I am sorry. I didn’t think you should know about that part….”

“T, he raped you……..I am the solicitor general, and you didn’t tell me?”

“They had already used the rape kit before you came in I guess…..”

“But, I don’t understand why you never told me…or hell, why noone in my office didn’t tell me…..Someone is going to be in deep shit when I get back there……” I was clearly angry and I guess Tina noticed this, because she grabbed my hand and held it in hers………

“Please don’t be angry…..”

“Don’t be angry?” I asked …. “this changes everything Tina….everything…..” I commented…..my god, how in the hell could she keep this from me? This is a very important thing…..she was taken advantage of…..against her will…….

D.A., “So, Mr. Roberts, you have no idea that there was a rape test given to Miss Kennard when she arrived at the E.R.?

“Um…No….No sir I didn’t know that…..”

“Well, it’s true Mr. Roberts, and your DNA was the only DNA that was discovered on Miss Kennard at the time of the test…….”

“Well, of course it would have been on her…..we had sex prior to me leaving her house……”

“I thought you said that you weren’t there Mr. Roberts……that you hadn’t seen Miss Kennard that day….”

“Well, I…..I……I did see her…….we made love that day…..I guess I had forgotten that……”

“During the rape test, it was discovered that Miss Kennard had vaginal lesions and tears…….amongst bruised wrists, and such. How would that have happened if there had been no rape?”

“She likes rough sex…..what can I say?” answered Eric as he looked at Tina…….

I took notice of this look he was giving, and Tina looked down. She wouldn’t dare make eye contact, and that is when I realized that he was still lying….under oath……

****************************************************************************************

THAT NIGHT AT MY PLACE:

“I just want to know why you didn’t tell me Tina……My god, like I said, it changes things……”

“And how does it change things?” Tina asks getting a little mad…. “Does it make you not want to be with me? Am I nasty now? Am I ruined? Am I disgusting to you?” she yells….she turns and runs outside……..

I was hot behind her……I grabbed her from behind and buried my face in her hair…… “That is not what I meant……I just….I don’t know……it doesn’t make me love you any less, it just worries me…..I don’t want to do the wrong thing, or touch you the wrong thing, and you freak out on me…….I am worried……that’s all baby………” I loosen my grip…….and she turns around to face me……..

“You could never make me feel the things that I felt that day baby…….you are not him……you would never do to me what he has done to me……..that is what makes the difference…….”

I pull her closer to me, holding her, loving her, feeling her pain……

“How about we go back inside and I fix us some dinner? Whadya say?” I ask……..wiping her tears away with my thumbs…..

“Sure…..” .. I let my hand fall down to her side, and grab her hand in mine…….we walked back inside……

“What would you like?” I asked her…….

“Whatever you make will be great I am sure, so just pick out something……”

“Ok……why don’t you go and take a hot bath, and I will start dinner……I will come in and check on you in a few minutes……” I say as I walk towards the kitchen……

TBC………..