Finally Prelim Hearing

Finally Prelim Hearing
Tristan

The courthouse smelled like old paper, polished wood, and fear. I didn’t know how else to describe it. Maybe it was because fear had become the only thing I could taste since I walked through those doors. It sat at the back of my throat, bitter and metallic, no matter how many times I swallowed.
I sat beside Reggie on one of the hard wooden benches outside the courtroom, my hands clasped between my knees, staring at the closed doors ahead of us. I hadn’t looked across the hallway once. I knew Grace was there. I could feel her presence without seeing her and that was the problem, every part of me wanted to look.
I wanted to know whether she was nervous. Whether she was sorry. Whether she was sitting there with the same confidence she had when she first made those accusations. I wanted to see her face and find some indication…anything, that she understood what she had done, but I refused because I knew myself.
If I looked at Grace, I wasn’t sure I would be able to keep the disgust off my face, and I couldn’t afford that today, especially where I am here and not in front of the judge, with everything hanging over my head either.
Reggie shifted beside me. “You’ve been staring at those doors for ten minutes.”
“I know,” I said dryly.
“Then stop.”
I turned my head slowly. He was watching me with that irritatingly calm expression he had worn since he picked me up this morning. He didn’t want us to arrive separately. So, I agreed because I couldn’t trust myself to drive over here with my mind full of thoughts.
“Do you ever shut up?” I asked.
“No.” He replied.
“That wasn’t a rhetorical question,” I said.
“I know.”
I stared at him, he stared back, and then he nodded towards the courtroom doors.
“Do you want to stop staring at those?” He asked.
“No,” I replied.
“Then I guess we are going to spend the next twenty minutes having a staring competition with a door.”
“I don’t need a fucking staring competition,” I said with irritation.
“Good. Because I’m pretty sure the door is winning.”
Despite myself, the corner of my mouth twitched. It disappeared almost immediately. Reggie noticed. “See?”
“See what?” I asked.
“You are still capable of looking human.”
“Don’t push me,” I said through clenched teeth.
“I’m not pushing you.”
“You’ve been pushing me since you picked me up.” I let out a breath.
“Because you’ve been silent since I picked you up.”
“I didn’t feel like talking.” Which was true, and I still don’t feel like talking.
“I noticed.”
I looked down at my hands. They were steady, at least they looked steady. But inside, I was anything but. Just sitting here now, beneath fluorescent lights and surrounded by strangers who knew pieces of my life I had never given them permission to know, I couldn’t stop thinking about what might happen to Elona next.
The photograph.
The accusations.
The pregnancy.
The baby.
The miscarriage.
Her medical records.
Witnesses.
Everything was going to be dragged into this, and I couldn’t protect her from any of it. That was what made my stomach turn.
“Tristan.”
I looked at Reggie. “What?”
“You’re doing it again.”
“Doing what?” I asked.
“Leaving.”
I frowned. “Where?”
“Inside your head.” I looked away. He lowered his voice. “Come back.”
“I’m sitting right here,” I said dryly.
“Your body is.” I rubbed my thumb over my knuckle. Reggie sighed. “You don’t have to pretend you’re not nervous.”
“I’m not nervous.”
“Right.” He didn’t believe that.
“I’m not.” I tried to get him to believe me.
“You’re squeezing your hands together so hard your knuckles are white.” I looked down. He was right. I loosened them. Reggie leaned closer. “Listen to me.” I didn’t answer. “Tristan.”
“What?”
“This is a preliminary hearing.” He said.
“I know.”
“No. I need you to actually hear me. This isn’t a verdict. Nobody is deciding your guilt today.”
My fingers tightened again. “What if they find enough?”
“Then we deal with it.” That’s what made me afraid.
“And if they don’t?”
“We go home.”
I looked towards the courtroom doors. “That simple?”
“No.” His answer came quickly enough to make me look at him. He sighed. “But simpler than you’re making it.” I stared at him. He gave me a look. “You’re not going to prison today.”
“I never said I was.”
“You’ve been sitting here like the walls are closing in.”
“They might.” And it felt like it was since they aggravated my panic attacks.
“They aren’t.”
“You don’t know that.” He just didn’t know what I was going through behind closed doors, when no one else is looking.
“I know enough about the law to know that a preliminary hearing isn’t the end of the world.”
I looked towards the opposite side of the hallway. “Grace has photographs,” I said.
“One photograph,” Reggie replied.
“Of me confronting her.”
“Which isn’t automatically a crime.” He explained.
“She says I threatened her.”
“She says a lot of things.” Well, he would know since he deals with these matters all the time.
My eyes hardened. “She says I got Elona pregnant.” Reggie didn’t answer immediately. That silence told me enough, and my stomach dropped. “That’s the part you’re worried about.”
He rubbed his jaw. “I’m worried about what they can prove.”
I looked away. The pregnancy was different. The photograph was one thing. The accusation that I had cornered Grace, intimidated her, threatened her, that was something I could answer. But Elona? The moment Grace had dragged Elona into this with the lawsuit, she had reached somewhere I couldn’t simply defend with lawyers and evidence. Because there was a baby in that accusation. Our baby. A child we had never gotten to hold. A child Elona had carried. A child we had lost. And now Grace had taken that grief and put it into a legal document.
My throat tightened. Reggie watched me. “Tristan.”
“I’m fine.”
“Don’t say that.”
“What do you want me to say?” I asked.
“Say you’re angry.”
“I am.”
“Say you’re scared.” I looked at him. His expression softened. I hated that.
“I’m not scared for myself.”
“I know.”
“I’m scared for her.”
“I know.”
I swallowed. “She’s going to have to hear this.” Reggie didn’t answer. “She’s going to have to sit somewhere and listen to people talk about her pregnancy. About the baby.”
“Maybe.”
“Don’t say maybe.”
He looked at me. “I can’t promise you how the court is going to handle it.”
I nodded. That was the honest answer. I appreciated it, and I hated it.
A movement across the hallway caught my attention.
Alex Mendez.
He was walking toward us with confidence. His stride was measured, his shoulders relaxed, his expression completely unreadable. He looked like a man walking into a meeting he had already won. My jaw tightened.
“Don’t,” Reggie murmured. I hadn’t said anything. “You were thinking something.”
“I’m always thinking something.”
“You’re thinking about Alex.”
I watched Alex disappear through the courtroom doors.
“Look at him,” I say with disgust.
“I saw him.”
“He looks like he’s already won.”
Reggie sighed. “That’s what lawyers do.”
“No. That’s what people do when they know something you don’t.”
“Or he’s trying to intimidate you.”
“It worked.”
Reggie turned towards me. That wiped the humour from his face. “Tristan.” I looked at him. “Do not let Mendez get inside your head.”
“Easy for you to say.”
“Yes.”
“You’re not the one sitting there while somebody tries to dismantle your life.”
“No. I’m the one whose job it is to stop them.” I stared at him. He leaned closer. “Unless something new comes up, this thing blows over.”
“That’s your professional opinion?” I asked.
“That’s my professional hope.”
I gave him a flat look. “Very reassuring.”
“I’m trying to be honest.”
“You’re terrible at comforting people.”
“I’m a lawyer. We’re not paid to comfort.”
“Clearly.” I nearly rolled my eyes.
The doors opened, and everyone around us immediately began moving. My heart slammed against my ribs. “That’s us,” Reggie said.
I stood up. My legs felt heavier than they should have. Across the hallway, Grace finally came into my peripheral vision. I didn’t look directly at her, but I saw enough and Delance wasn’t there. My eyes moved instinctively towards the entrance…Nothing. No Delance, no familiar presence beside Grace…No one. Delance was nowhere. My brow tightened.
Reggie noticed. “What?”
“Delance.” He looked over. “She’s not here.”
“I see that.” He replied.
“She was with Grace last time.”
“Maybe she had a reason not to come.” Reggie shrugged.
I looked towards the courtroom entrance again. “She wouldn’t just…”
“Tristan.” I looked at him. “Don’t start building theories five minutes before you’re supposed to walk into court.”
I exhaled. “Fine.”
“Good.”
I started walking towards the courtroom, and then Reggie caught my arm. “One more thing.”
“What?” I asked.
“Keep your face neutral.”
“I am neutral,” I replied.
“You look murderous.”
“That’s my neutral.” I clenched my jaw.
“Try harder.”
I followed him inside. The courtroom was colder than when we were in the hallway. I took my place. I kept my eyes forward. I didn’t look at Grace, Alex, or anyone, and then the judge entered.
“All rise.” Every chair scraped backwards. My heart pounded so violently that I could hear it. The judge took her seat. “Be seated.” Everyone sat down. The judge adjusted the papers in front of her and looked over the courtroom. “Good morning.” A murmur of greetings followed. “Good morning,” she repeated, louder. “We are here regarding the preliminary proceedings in the matter of Grace Delance-Luca versus Tristan Crane.” My stomach tightened. The judge looked towards Alex. “Counsel for the plaintiff?”
“Alex Mendez, Your Honour.”
“And counsel for the defendant?”
Reggie rose slightly. “Reginald Carter for Mr. Crane, Your Honour.”
“Very well.” The judge looked down at the papers. “Mr. Crane, you are present?”
I stood up. “Yes, Your Honour.”
“Please be seated.” I sat down.
My heart was beating harder. The judge turned another page. “This court has before it a Notice of Civil Complaint concerning allegations of harassment, defamation, and career sabotage.” My jaw tightened. The judge continued. “The plaintiff alleges persistent harassment, character defamation, and professional sabotage.” I stared straight ahead. She began reading. “The plaintiff alleges that the defendant engaged in threatening and intimidating behaviour, including cornering the plaintiff outside her workplace, raising his voice, and accusing her of misconduct without formal proof or legal grounds.”
My hands tightened in my lap. I could remember that day, I remembered Grace, and the exact reason why I had confronted her. But hearing it presented like this made my blood boil.
Reggie leaned towards me. “Don’t.”
I barely moved my lips. “She knows that’s bullshit.”
“I know what you told me.”
“Then…”
“Not here.”
I shut my mouth. The judge continued. “The plaintiff further alleges that the confrontation was witnessed by bystanders, one of whom provided photographic evidence depicting the defendant standing within what the plaintiff describes as an aggressive and inappropriate proximity.”
“Your Honour,” Alex chimed in, “The photograph is particularly relevant to the plaintiff’s allegation that Mr. Crane’s behaviour was intimidating and escalating.”
Reggie immediately responded. “Your Honour, a photograph of two people standing near one another doesn’t establish harassment.”
Alex turned towards him. “It establishes the confrontation occurred.”
“Nobody is disputing that there was a confrontation.”
“Then we’re already establishing relevant facts.”
“I’m establishing that my client confronted the plaintiff. I’m not establishing that he threatened her.” Reggie argued.
The judge raised a hand. “Counsel.” Both men stopped. “I am capable of determining the relevance of the evidence. You will both have an opportunity to argue your respective positions.”
“Yes, Your Honour,” Reggie said.
“Of course, Your Honour,” Alex replied.
The judge returned to the complaint. “The plaintiff further alleges that the defendant developed what she describes as an unhealthy fixation upon her dating back to a school camp incident approximately one year prior.” My stomach dropped. I stared at the judge. “She alleges that during said incident, the defendant displayed inappropriate interest in her despite the significant age difference between the parties.”
My teeth clenched. Reggie shifted beside me, and then came the next sentence. “The plaintiff alleges that she rejected Mr. Crane’s alleged advances and that, following that rejection, the defendant targeted her unfairly, including allegedly threatening to ruin her and end her career before it began.”
I nearly laughed out loud, because it was funny. It was so fucking absurd that my brain didn’t know what else to do.
Reggie looked at me. I whispered, “I never did any of those things besides confronting her.”
“I know.” Reggie replied.
“Your Honour, the plaintiff’s claim is not simply based upon a single confrontation. There is a pattern of conduct alleged.” Alex said.
Reggie stood up. “A pattern alleged, Your Honour. Not established.”
The judge looked between them. “Both counsel will have an opportunity to present evidence. At this stage, I am reviewing whether sufficient matters exist to justify further proceedings.”
“Understood,” Reggie said.
I sat rigidly and then the judge read the next allegation. And that was when everything inside me stopped. “The defendant allegedly made false accusations concerning the plaintiff’s behaviour during the school camp activity, including an accusation that the plaintiff was responsible for the miscarriage of a classmate whom the defendant allegedly impregnated.”
My vision seemed to narrow. Here it began, Elona, and our baby that are being dragged into this. My hands went cold.
Alex spoke immediately. “Your Honour, the plaintiff contends that this allegation has caused substantial emotional distress and potential reputational damage.”
Reggie stood up. “Your Honour, the allegation itself is directly connected to the defendant’s concerns about what occurred during that camp. There is context…”
“Mr. Carter.” Reggie stopped. The judge looked at him. “Context will be considered. But at this stage, I am reading the claim.”
“Yes, Your Honour.” He replied before sitting back down.
The judge continued. “The plaintiff alleges that the defendant’s social status, business power, and media influence constitute an abuse of power intended to discredit and intimidate a young woman entering the professional world.”
My stomach turned. I wanted to speak. I wanted to tell them they had it wrong. I wanted to tell them that I had never used Crane Industries against Grace. I cared about what she had done. I cared about Elona, but I couldn’t speak, not unless Reggie told me to.
The judge continued. “The plaintiff further alleges that the defendant has used his influence in business circles to try and jeopardize her internship and potential employment opportunities.”
Reggie stood up. “We dispute that allegation.”
Alex turned. “Your Honour, there are communications that will be produced.”
“Then produce them when appropriate,” Reggie snapped.
The judge’s eyes moved towards him. “Mr. Carter.”
He immediately sat down. “Apologies, Your Honour.”
The judge looked at the papers again. “The plaintiff seeks a restraining order preventing further contact by the defendant, which I can recommend.” My chest tightened. “Financial compensation for emotional distress and damage to her emerging career. we will look into that based on further findings and if it is relevant.” My fingers curled. “A formal investigation into Crane Industries are currently being done and any internal misconduct concerning surveillance, slander, or coercion.” I stared ahead. “A public apology under legal counsel.” The judge lowered the paper. “And any further relief the court deems just.” There was complete silence. I will never apologize for something that Grace had done. She won’t get a dime from me either. The judge looked at Alex. “Mr. Mendez, I want to address the evidentiary basis of these claims.”
Alex stood up. “Yes, Your Honour.”
“The photograph?”
“Submitted.”
“Any witnesses?”
“Several individuals may provide testimony regarding other issues and circumstances surrounding it.”
“May?” The Judge raised a brow.
“Yes, Your Honour. Their testimony has not yet been taken.”
The judge nodded. “Medical records?”
Alex paused. “Potentially relevant, Your Honour.”
Reggie’s head snapped towards him. I felt it before he even spoke. “Relevant to what?”
Alex looked at him. “To the allegations concerning the plaintiff’s former classmate’s pregnancy and the circumstances surrounding the miscarriage.”
Reggie stood up. “Your Honour, those medical records belong to someone who is not the plaintiff.”
“Mr. Carter, I understand.” The Judge said.
“Then I would ask that the court be cautious about allowing the private medical information of a third party to become part of this matter simply because Ms. Delance-Luca has chosen to add these to her case which didn’t happen to the Plaintiff.”
The judge looked thoughtful. “That is a valid concern.”
Something loosened in my chest, before she added, “However, if the plaintiff’s allegations are that Mr. Crane engaged in inappropriate conduct with the plaintiff’s former classmate prior to or surrounding the pregnancy, then the circumstances of that pregnancy may become relevant to determining whether there is a factual basis for the allegations.”
There it was. Fuck…Elona. I looked down. It felt like my throat was closing in on me, trying to stop me from breathing.
Reggie leaned towards me. “Stay with me.”
“I’m here.”
“You’re not.”
I swallowed. “Elona is going to hate this.”
“She won’t.”
“You don’t know that.”
“I know Elona isn’t the one accusing you.” He replied.
“She’s going to have to live through it.” I said, my heart beating at a rapid pace just thinking about it.
Reggie didn’t answer. The judge continued. “The court is not, at this stage, making a determination concerning the truth of these allegations.” My eyes lifted. “The photograph alone does not establish the full pattern of conduct alleged.” I exhaled. “But the allegations concerning the pregnancy, the alleged inappropriate conduct, and the circumstances surrounding the loss of the pregnancy raise factual questions that this court does not believe can be dismissed without further examination.”
My stomach dropped.
Reggie leaned forward. “Your Honour-”
The judge looked at him. “Mr. Carter, you will have an opportunity to respond.”
He nodded. “Yes, Your Honour.”
The judge continued. “Accordingly, further proceedings will be necessary.”
The courtroom seemed to shrink around me.
Further proceedings.
The words echoed in my mind. Alex sat back with an expression that made me want to punch him. I sucked in a deep breath. The judge looked at her calendar. “Witness testimony will be heard at the next scheduled proceeding.”
Alex stood up. “Your Honour, the plaintiff is prepared to testify.”
My head snapped up before I could stop myself.
Grace.
Reggie looked at me. The judge nodded. “Ms. Delance-Luca will be called as a witness at the next proceeding.”
My entire body went rigid. Grace would be on that stand. She would have to answer questions. She would have to speak. And knowing Grace, she would tell her version of everything, and cry at exactly the right moment. She would tremble, and look frightened. She would make me look like the monster. And Elona would be dragged through it with me.
I felt sick. The judge continued speaking, but for a few seconds, I couldn’t hear her properly. Then Reggie’s hand closed around my forearm. “Tristan.”
“What?” I swallowed. Trying to keep my nausea and breathing at bay.
“She’s still speaking.”
I forced my eyes towards the bench. The judge was looking at me. “Mr. Crane.”
I straightened. “Yes, Your Honour.”
“I want to be very clear. You are not to contact the plaintiff directly while these proceedings are ongoing.”
“I understand.” I replied.
“If a restraining order is subsequently issued, you will comply with it. As per my recommendation and go ahead with the restraining order, it will be in place right after this hearing.”
“Yes, Your Honour.”
“And I strongly advise you to allow your counsel to handle communications relating to this matter.”
My jaw tightened. “Understood.”
“Good.”
The judge looked towards Alex. “Anything further?”
Alex stood up. “Only that the plaintiff intends to pursue the allegations fully, Your Honour.”
Reggie rose. “And the defendant intends to respond to them fully.”
The judge looked between them. “Then I suggest both parties do so through proper legal channels.”
“Yes, Your Honour,” Alex said.
“Yes, Your Honour,” Reggie echoed.
The judge looked down. “This matter will proceed to the next stage. The parties will receive the schedule and directions through counsel.” She paused. “That concludes today’s preliminary hearing.”
My heart was still pounding. “All rise.”
Everyone stood up. I barely registered the movement. My eyes remained fixed ahead. The judge left. Only then did the room seem to breathe again.
Reggie touched my arm. “Tristan.” I didn’t move. “Tristan.” I finally looked at him. His expression was serious. “Don’t do anything.”
“Do you think I’m going to attack her?”
“I think you’re angry enough to.” He wasn’t wrong, but now that’s the line I’m drawing.
I looked towards Grace. For the first time, I allowed myself to actually see her. She was standing across the courtroom, our eyes met. There was not fear, or regret. But there was something else…something that made my blood run cold. She had that confidence about her.
My stomach twisted, I just had to look away. “She did this.”
Reggie lowered his voice. “I know what you believe.”
“No.” I looked at him. “She did this.” My voice was barely above a whisper. “She pushed us into this.”
Reggie held my stare. “And now we are going to prove what actually happened.”
I swallowed. My anger was burning so hot that I could barely contain it, but beneath it was something worse. I had this fear inside of me, not necessarily for myself but for Elona. I could handle being hated. I could handle people calling me disgusting. I could handle photographs, courtrooms, Lawyers and headlines, but I couldn’t handle Elona having to sit somewhere and hear strangers discuss the baby we had lost. I couldn’t handle them asking her to relive the moment she fell. I couldn’t handle seeing her face when they asked her about it. And I couldn’t handle the possibility that Grace had somehow managed to turn the worst thing that had ever happened to us into another weapon.
I walked towards the exit with Reggie beside me. My phone vibrated in my pocket. For half a second, I didn’t want to look, but then I pulled it out. It was a text from Elona. My chest tightened. I opened the text.
Elona: Are you okay?
I stared at those three words. She was asking if I was okay. After everything, after this hearing, after knowing her life was about to be pulled apart in court. She was worried about me.
My thumb hovered over the screen.
Me: I’m okay.
I stared at the lie, and then I deleted it. I typed again.
Me: It’s not over.
I just deleted the text too, I couldn’t make myself send that. So I typed something that she needed to hear.
Me: I’m okay. We are going to get through this.
Me: I love you.
I stared at it. That was a lie too, but it was the kind of lie I needed to believe, and then I sent it. I put my phone away as soon as we stepped outside of the courtroom but then I stopped. Reggie took another step before noticing I wasn’t following.
“What?” He asked.
I looked back at those closed courtroom doors. “Next time…” My voice was low. “She’s going to be on that stand.”
Reggie nodded. “Yes.”
“She’s going to tell them everything.”
“She will tell them her version.” Reggie said.
“And they will listen.”
“That’s what a hearing is.” I shrugged.
I looked at him. “You really know how to make things sound comforting.”
“I’m not trying to comfort you.” One side of his mouth lifted into a smile.
“Clearly.” I said dryly.
“I’m trying to make sure you understand what comes next.”
I looked back at the courtroom. “What comes next?”
“Evidence, witnesses, cross-examination, her testimony and then our response.”
“And Elona?” I asked.
His expression changed. “That depends.”
“On what?” I frowned.
“On what becomes relevant.”
My jaw tightened. “She’s not a piece of evidence.”
“I know.”
“She’s not a fucking exhibit.”
“I know.” He sounded irritated now.
“She’s a person.”
Reggie stepped closer. “Then remember that when the questions start. Because if Elona is called, your job isn’t to explode. Your job is to let her tell the truth.” I stared at him. He held my gaze. “Can you do that?”
I breathed slowly through my nose. “I don’t know.”
“Then learn.” He was being serious, no matter how much I was trying for Elona not to appear in this court and take the stand either.
I looked towards the courtroom doors one last time. The anger was still there, but now it had somewhere to go. It had to go towards the truth, because whatever happened next, I wasn’t going to let Grace rewrite what happened to Elona, and if they wanted to drag every ugly piece of it into the light, then so be it. I would stand there and watch them, answer every question. Swallow every accusation, and sit through every photograph and every witness. But I would not let them turn Elona’s pain into a weapon.
I turned away from the courtroom, and allowed myself one thought that scared me more than the hearing itself.
What was Grace going to say when she finally had the chance to tell her story under oath?