Page 75 of Forged Forever

Mr. MacLeod takes his turn, asking about her leaving Jake and moving out of state and not checking in on him. She tries to say she called to check on Jake regularly, but our exceptional lawyer has proof from Mal that she never once inquired about him. He also asks about the divorce proceedings and her not requesting contact or even mentioning Jake. She tries to play it off as a grieving woman, but I notice the judge quirk an eyebrow at her response.

Finally, the judge asks a few more questions of Ray and Jake to clarify the answers Erin gave. Ray seems rigid as a brick house. Looking at his face, he’s pale and clammy. Poor Ray, this must be so hard for him and Jake.

Judge Crombie calls a recess to review all the evidence before sentencing, so we file out to the room across the hall, and Dad shuts the door once we're all inside. I go to Jake and pull him down beside me in a chair. “Holding up okay, handsome?”

“Yeah, I’m good. Listening to Mom made me nostalgic for the good old days.” His eyes connect with mine with a frowny smile. “She is obviously living in an alternate reality. Her version of events is so, so wrong. I feel bad for her and hope she gets the help she needs.”

I’m shocked at his mature assessment of everything. “I’m proud of you, Jake.” Reaching up, I kiss his cheek.

E sets an assortment of drinks in the centre of the table for everyone to have as we lounge around the room. Mr. MacLeod is on the phone, as is Dad. Jake meets my eyes and nods towards his dad, who is still not looking great. He stands and goes over to talk to him.

Seb immediately takes his seat and slings his arm over my shoulders. He pulls most of us into a discussion of what we want to do after graduation. Steven has invited us all to a restaurant for an early dinner on Friday, and we decide to spend a few days at the beach afterward. Jake is excited to join us this time.

We're called back into court about an hour later. The judge wants the night to decide, so we'll all convene here again in the morning. Darn.

Seb is staying with me again tonight, but Nick is meeting up with Markus and Ceres. We sleep on the couch again, and I wake holding Seb’s hand.

When I hop out of the shower, Dad is cooking scrambled eggs and bacon for breakfast. I wake Seb and then make myself some tea.

Once we're ready, Dad drives us to the courthouse for, hopefully, the last time. All the guys are already there when we arrive, so we file into the room we’ve been using. Jake and Ray are sitting with Mr. MacLeod quietly, so I pull out a chair beside Jake and sit down, grabbing his hand. “Morning, handsome,” I smile.

“Morning Sum. Hey guys.”

“Are you doing okay this morning?”

“Yeah. I’m ready to finish this.” He leans closer to talk in my ear. “I think Dad had an awful night though, because of Mom.”

Nodding, I lean up to kiss his cheek. “We’ll monitor him.”

A bailiff comes in to tell us the judge would like to speak to both lawyers before sentencing. Mr. MacLeod leaves us as everyone finds a seat to wait. Interesting. “I wonder what that’s about?” Seb ponders.

“It could be many things,” Alex answers him.

Approximately 15 minutes later, Mr. MacLeod comes back. “Jake, Ray, and Summer, I have some information for you regarding Erin. Could we please have the room?” Everyone else quickly files into the hallway.

“The judge had Erin assessed by a psychiatrist yesterday, and she suffers from delusional disorder. She truly believes that Summer put Jake in a coma, that it was her fault her marriage ended, and she's why she was removed from seeing Jake here.”

“That’s bullshit!” Jake exclaims.

“I agree,” Mr. MacLeod nods. “That is Erin’s reality, however. As a result, the judge has two options for sentencing. The first is prison, as is standard for this type of crime. The second is a high security mental health facility. Both sentences are years long. What would you be comfortable with, Jake?”

Well, that's a lot to put on his shoulders. “Can you tell me more about the mental health facility?” Jake asks.

“It is like a prison in the sense that she won’t be able to leave, but she will have a private room and bathroom and a mandatory schedule each day, including lots of therapy. The psychiatrist doesn’t believe she has dealt with any of her trauma, so that will take up much of her time. It is restrictive in what she can do. Think of it like a prison, but with her own room. Nicer facilities, but a similar structure.”

Jake gets his thinking face on and looks out the window as he contemplates what to do. “She’s still my mom, so I think the mental facility is better. What do you think, Sum? Dad?”

“It's your choice, handsome.” I lay my head on his shoulder.

“That is a very mature decision, son,” Ray tells him with a nod.

“I'll let the judge know,” Mr. MacLeod smiles and leaves the room again as everyone comes back inside. Nick takes the seat beside me before Seb gets there and squeezes my thigh.

A few minutes later, Mr. MacLeod returns to tell us Judge Crombie is ready, so we file out and into the courtroom, taking the seats we’ve been using the past two days.

Joseph Sr. enters a few minutes later without Colette. Strange, it’s her sentencing too.

When Judge Crombie enters, she addresses the courtroom. “This had been an unusual case for me. We have a minor, a teenager, and a mother on trial. Yesterday afternoon, I requested a psychiatrist assess Erin, and I received her evaluation last evening. It is her assessment that Erin is suffering from a delusional disorder because of trauma. She truly believes Summer caused Jake to fall into a coma and, as a result, was the reason she divorced Ray and lost her family. Considering this, and after discussing options with both lawyers, I will call in all three defendants for sentencing together.” She nods at the bailiff as he opens a back door, and Joseph, Colette, and Erin enter and take seats beside Joseph Sr.