Chapter 13
Luke and Laura arrived at the courthouse early in order to get a chance to see
Lucky and Will before the trial started. Sonny had kept the both of them updated
on the nightmares they continued to have, but he did say, encouragingly, that
they were not as severe as the night of Luke's arrest. They just hoped that
after this was over, the kids would be able to move a little passed all of this.
Laura looked over at Luke, who looked like a caged animal. Laura had the luxury
of seeing Lucky any time she wanted, and she did visit him often. But Luke was
forced to stay away from his son. This would be the first time he would see his
son since the night of his arrest. Luke didn't know what to say to him or even
know how to act around him. It frustrated him that he had no clue who this kid
was going to be that looked like the son he valued as his best friend. That hurt
more than anything else could.
Alexis walked over to Luke and Laura. She saw by their body language that they
had not gotten a lot of sleep lately, especially Luke. They both looked worn
out, but she could only hope that they could present a very strong family unit
for the jury to see. She knew that under usual circumstances, the Spencers were
as strong a family as any she had ever seen, but she didn't know what this much
stress can do to them. It would break most families apart.
“Your son and brother should be arriving any minute,” Alexis said. “You'll have
about 15 minutes to see each other, with a court guard, before we have to go
into the courtroom.”
“Only 15 minutes?” Laura asked.
Luke held up his hand before Laura could continue. “It's 15 more minutes than
the courts have allowed me to see them so far. I'll take whatever time they will
give me.”
“There is one other condition to this visit,” Alexis continued cautiously.
“Since you are under the suspicion of brutal child abuse, the courts have
ordered that you be handcuffed during this visit.”
“WHAT?!? Now they're going too far,” Laura angrily said. “Whatever happened to
being innocent until proven guilty, or is that not a belief this country has
anymore?”
“Angel, it's okay,” Luke said calmly, not wanting to argue before seeing his
son. “I just want to see Lucky, so I'll abide by any rules they have.”
“Luke, you should have the right to hug your son whenever you want,” Laura
continued. What do they really think you're going to do, strangle him or
something?”
“Laura, you have to understand that Lorenzo has a lot of backing from his police
department, along with the mayor and governor of Florida. Even though we're not
in Florida, having influential people on your side can convince the… powers-
that-be in this state to put stricter restrictions on Luke. I know it's not
fair, but those are the terms,” Alexis said.
“Laura, let's not argue this now. We can swear and curse this court system once
we're home, but right now, let's just do as they ask. My son and brother are
scared of me because of my looks. I don't need them seeing my temper along with
that,” Luke said.
“Okay, Luke. Whatever you want to do is fine with me. I just don't see the
justice in all of this,” Laura said, letting the subject drop.
Sonny came in soon after that with Lucky and Will behind him. Luke and Laura got
a glimpse of the kids before Alexis motioned for them to go to the room where
the visit was supposed to take place. Once they left, Alexis joined Sonny and
the boys. “I just informed Luke and Laura of the restrictions placed on this
visit.”
“What restrictions?” Sonny asked.
“The boys will be meeting them in a room where a court guard will supervise the
visit. Just so you two are not caught off-guard, I should warn you that Luke
will be handcuffed during the visit,” Alexis said.
“Does that mean that the judge all ready thinks Dad is guilty?” Lucky asked
quietly.
“No, Lucky. It just means that this is a serious charge that your father is
facing and the courts are taking every precaution. Plus, don't worry about what
the judge think. Ultimately, it will be what those 12 jurors believe your father
is capable of,” Alexis said.
Alexis and Sonny led the 2 boys to the visitation room to see Luke and Laura.
Once the boys went inside, Alexis led Sonny to the corner of the hallway so they
could have a little privacy.
“Alexis, tell me the truth. What are Luke's chances?” Sonny asked.
“I can't make a guess without even hearing the opening arguments and seeing the
jurors reactions,” Alexis said.
“Can you make a guess based on your case? I need to be prepared.”
“All I can say right now is that it can go either way. I have plenty of people
who will vouch for Luke saying that he would never hit his child. The only
problem is that none of these people have seen him in two months, and if cross-
examined, they might have to admit that Luke is capable of violence.”
“Is there anything I can do to help?”
“Be there for Luke and Laura whenever they need you. Taking care of their son is
one thing, but they're going to need a friend too.”
“I can do that one. But is there anything I can do to help this case?”
“Actually, there is another thing. Is there anything about Luke's childhood that
he confided in you about? If I can prove that Lorenzo did this to him also, then
the jury should have no problem letting Luke off.”
“If I did know everything, I wouldn't be able to tell you. Luke told me things
in confidence and I can't back down from that.”
“I understand,” Alexis said frustratingly. “Maybe you can convince him to tell
me then. When I asked, he was against it. I don't think he realizes how much it
would help his case.”
------------------
Lucky and Will walked into the room and saw Luke and Laura staring out the
window. Once the door shut, they turned away from the window and put on the best
smiles they could. Lucky and Will tried to do the same. Laura rushed over to
Lucky and hugged him, asking him if he was okay. He said that he was, but Luke
could tell that he wasn't. Luke wanted to just go up to his son and hug him
tightly, but he couldn't, so he just stayed back and allowed Laura to do the
hugging for the both of them.
Once Laura let go of both Lucky and Will, they moved towards Luke. Lucky did not
like seeing his father in handcuffs, but he was impressed by the way Luke was
handling the situation. He had pictured Luke arguing with the guard, demanding
that the cuffs come off, but he wasn't doing any of that. Lucky knew he had
changed with this whole experience, but he was just starting to realize that his
father had changed just as much.
“So, Cowboy, how's it going?” Luke asked.
“Okay I guess. Sonny's cool to live with,” Lucky replied.
“I'm glad… really glad,” Luke said quietly.
The rest of the visit was pretty much the same. No one knew what to say and
everyone just seemed to be mesmerized with just seeing the other. Before Lucky
and Will left the room, Lucky ran up to his father and gave him a hug. As a
reflex, Luke moved to hug him back, but he couldn't, so he just enjoyed his
son's arms around him. Lucky and Will then headed out the door, but not before
Lucky turned around and said, “I love you, Dad. I always will.”
As the door closed, Luke whispered, “I love you too, Son. More than life
itself.”
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