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Chapter 12 - Justice

Emma came skipping down the stairs the following morning after finding out she was pregnant. Now that she had decided to keep the baby, she felt all her weariness leave. She was wearing a dark green sweater with her favorite jeans. They were getting their school pictures today, and she wanted to look her best.

Tilly and her husband Anthony looked up in surprise when Emma came into the kitchen whistling. She walked over and gave Melora's brothers, Scott and Ryan, kisses on their cheeks before sitting at the table next to her friend.

"Uh, how are you feeling this morning, Emma?" Tilly asked, confused as she thought Emma would still be upset.

"I feel great. I have decided to keep the baby. I know it's going to be hard, but I've already saved some money for after graduation. I'm going to work even harder so I can find an apartment during the summer before the baby comes." Emma put some pancakes and bacon on her plate and began to eat.

"Are you sure you want to decide so quickly? Having a baby is a big responsibility." Anthony looked at Emma in concern. He loved her like she was his own, and he knew she probably didn't come to this decision lightly.

"Yes, I'm sure. You see, I thought about this all night and realized that no matter how I became pregnant, this child is part of me. I will love him or her with my whole heart and never let anyone hurt them." Emma smiled at everyone as they still stared at her in disbelief.

Tilly had been secretly hoping she would get an abortion, but she would never tell Emma that. She had meant what she said to her about supporting her decision. She felt guilty that after the girls graduated, they would be moving to Texas, where Melora would be attending College. They had asked Emma to come with them, but she had been adamant that she wanted to stay in Indiana after graduation. Tilly wondered if they could convince her to move with them now.

"Emma, now that you're going to have a baby and you will be here by yourself after graduation, would you like to reconsider moving with us to Texas? I know it's still six months away before we leave, but I don't want you to be here all alone." Tilly hoped that she could change her mind.

"No, I still want to stay here. I know I should want a change of scenery with everything that has happened. However, all of my memories of my mother, good and bad, are here. Thank you for offering, but I'll be alright. I'm not like my mom, so I know I can make it without a man."

Emma never blamed her mother for her decisions, but she wasn't going to follow in her footsteps. She knew Paula did what she thought was best for her and Emma.

"If you change your mind, we will always have an open door." Anthony smiled at Emma. He wished he had just a fraction of her strength. She had always been mature for her age and had been an incredible influence on their children.

"Thank you both for everything."

Emma and Melora left for school after eating breakfast. Emma told Melora to keep the pregnancy to herself for now. She didn't feel like talking about it with a bunch of people until necessary. She still had morning sickness, but now that she knew what was causing it, she tolerated it better.


About a week after finding out she was pregnant, Emma was getting ready for Martin's trial. She was wearing a dark blue dress that Tilly had bought for her. It reached her knees and had short sleeves. Emma felt very grown up in it with the heels she had on her feet.

Ezra picked her up at the house, and they rode to the courthouse. Emma didn't know if she wanted to say anything to him about being pregnant, but she knew he would keep it confidential.

"Ezra, I have something I want to tell you, but you need to keep it secret for now because I don't want Martin to find out." Ezra glanced at Emma in concern.

"Alright, Emma."

"I recently found out that I'm pregnant with Martin's child, and I've decided to keep the baby." Emma watched Ezra's reaction, and she saw anger flash in his eyes.

"Emma, I'm so sorry he did this to you. Are you sure you want to have his baby? You're not scared that every time you see the child, you will be angry about the reason they were born?" Ezra didn't know how she could even consider having Martin's baby.

"Yes, I'm sure I want to have this baby. I can't blame him or her for something Martin did. When I see this child, I will see a part of me, not him. I refuse to allow him to influence my feeling towards this child; all they will know is love." Emma rubbed her flat belly with a smile.

She wasn't a fool and knew that everything that happened might come crashing over her at any minute. However, that would not change her feelings toward her unborn baby. Emma was willing to put her emotions on the back burner in order to show her child love.

Emma wasn't scared to face Martin when they arrived at the courthouse. She was glad to finally have a hand in locking him in a cell. He was representing himself, and when it was his turn to question her, he tried to turn her words around to make it sound like she wanted him to have sex with her.

Emma didn't break and didn't back down, she stuck to the truth, and in the end, she won. The jury saw the images of her from the hospital, and they only took thirty minutes to deliberate. Emma wanted to jump in joy when they returned with a guilty verdict.

Martin was sentenced to ten years in prison with the possibility of parole in five. Ezra took Emma out for a celebratory lunch at a nice Itialian restaurant. She hadn't eaten breakfast due to her morning sickness, and with Martin's trial being so quick, they were done with the whole ordeal by one.

"I'm proud of you, Emma. Martin thought he could shake you up there on the stand, but you proved once again that you're stronger than he is. I hope you can move on now that he is truly out of your life." Ezra smiled at the teenager. She was young enough to be his granddaughter, but he had never met anyone stronger than Emma.

"Thank you, Ezra. I've been waiting for this day for a long time. I wish my mom were here to see it because she is the one who paid the biggest price." Emma ate her pasta, finally at peace with the world.


A month after the trial, Emma's belly was starting to have a little bump. She could still keep it hidden, but she no longer cared if anyone knew she was pregnant. The only person she didn't want to know was in prison.

Emma and Melora were walking home from school quickly because Emma had to change so she could go to work. When they arrived at the house, they saw Ezra sitting on the front porch with Tilly, and Emma was worried. However, when she saw Ezra smile at her, she calmed down.

"Hi, girls. Emma, can I talk to you for a minute?" Ezra stood up as Emma approached.

"Sure, but it has to be quick because I need to go to work." Emma and Ezra walked down the sidewalk away from the house.

"Emma, I wanted to tell you that I received a call from the prison where Martin was being held. He got into a fight this morning and was killed by one of the other prisoners." Ezra watched her face, not sure how she would react. He smiled when she started laughing.

"Ezra, this may sound morbid, but that's the best news you could have given me. Now I can say justice has been served." Emma hugged Ezra. She knew it might be wrong to be glad someone was dead, but a monster like Martin deserved nothing less.

"I'm going to go now so you can get to work. Take care, Emma." Ezra walked away, knowing this may be the last time he ever saw her. He cared for her but knew his work was truly done at giving her life back to her. He had regrets about how some things were handled with Emma and her mother, but they couldn't fix things in the past all they could do was look forward to the future.

Emma watched as Ezra walked away and she had tears in her eyes. Besides Melora's family he had been the one constant in her life that she could count on. She was going to miss him. Emma rubbed her belly with a smile, with Martin gone for good she didn't have to worry about him ever finding out about her baby.

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