Chapter 7 - LILY’S BRAVERY
Inside the judge’s private office, the atmosphere was quiet and solemn. Lily sat in a large leather chair, her feet dangling several inches above the rug. Judge Harris took off her black robe, sitting across from her in a simple sweater to make her feel comfortable.
Mark sat across the room with his hands clenched in his lap, sweating profusely. Eleanor kept her head bowed, sniffling softly into a tissue to play the victim.
“Hello, Lily,” Judge Harris said gently. “You’re very brave to talk to me today. Do you know what it means to tell the truth?”
“Yes,” Lily said clearly. “It means saying what really happened, even if people get mad at you.”
“That’s right,” the judge smiled faintly. “Can you tell me about the night your brother got really sick?”
Lily adjusted her hold on her teddy bear. “I heard Toby crying downstairs. It was night time and all the lights were off except the kitchen. I saw Grandma holding a purple bottle and a little tube. Daddy was holding Toby on his lap.”
“And what was your daddy doing?” Judge Harris asked.
“He was holding Toby’s hands down so he wouldn't push the tube away,” Lily explained, her small voice unwavering. “Toby was making a sad noise because he didn't like the purple stuff. I asked Daddy why Grandma was giving him the medicine from her room, and Daddy told me to go back upstairs and stop being bossy.”
Mark let out a strangled groan, putting his head in his hands.
“Did you see them do it again?” Judge Harris pushed gently.
“Yes,” Lily nodded. “The next night, I saw Grandma pour the bottle from the pharmacy into the sink. She turned the water on really loud so Mommy wouldn't wake up. Mommy was so tired because she was up all night nursing Toby, but Grandma said Mommy was bad at taking care of him.”
Lily turned her head and looked directly at Mark.
“Daddy told Grandma, ‘If she thinks the antibiotics are working, she’ll stop complaining to the doctor.’ He helped her do it every night.”
The silence in the room was absolute.
Judge Harris slowly sat back in her chair. She looked at Mark with an expression of such disgust that his lawyer visibly shrank back.
“Mr. Vance,” Judge Harris said, her tone dropping into an icy whisper. “Do you have anything you wish to say before I issue my ruling?”
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Mark opened his mouth, tears streaming down his face. “I... I just wanted Clara to calm down... Mom said it was harmless... I didn't think—”
“You enabled the slow poisoning of your infant child to undermine your wife’s sanity,” Judge Harris said, her voice shaking with righteous fury. “You are a coward.”
