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Phil just looked at him. “But she has your phone location? Okay, like I was saying, so I’ll need to call and confirm you had an appointment at this time. I might need your permission for them to disclose your whereabouts and confirm your visit. Otherwise the court can subpoena the counselor and then it will be on record.”
“Do we need to disclose any details of that to the courts or on my record?”
“Look, there’s no shame in getting help.”
“I know, I know, but I really don’t want this out there.”
Phil held his hand up. “I get it. I really do, but we got to keep you out of jail first. Let me go make this phone call to confirm everything.”
While Phil dialed and waited, Troy glanced around him to see Megan sitting in the courtroom taking it all in. She was so beautiful, he just watched her until she caught him and blushed.
He smiled and she smiled back. That was good. He could build from there. At least he got to see her again, and hey, he probably wasn’t going to have to sleep another night in jail after all. The door opened in the back of the room and his dad walked in, waving to Troy when he saw him.
Megan had turned around too and waved him down, motioning for him to join her. Troy watched as the two most important people in his life talked. The idea of leaving them felt completely wrong.
Phil walked over with a phone in his hand. “Alright, I got the receptionist on the phone. Here you go—she’ll need to speak with you to give permission to send over the documentation we need.”
Twenty minutes later, the judge walked in as the bailiff stood and announced his presence.
“All rise for the Honorable Judge Martin Schweider.”
Judge Schweider was a broad man with gray hair and wired glasses. He sat down and without ceremony said, “You may be seated.”
The arraignment began and was mostly standard proceedings with the charges of aggravated assault and felony theft. Phil did his thing and presented the evidence Megan had prepared.
While he did, Troy fought the urge to glance behind him. The courtroom was mostly empty with a few other people sitting waiting for other hearings, and one person that looked like a reporter. Great. While he tried not to dwell on that fact, he took comfort knowing Megan was just a few feet away, and she was here to help.
He wanted this to be over with so he could talk some sense into her and find out why in the hell she wasn’t at her interview.
“Mr. Chapman?”
The judge’s voice brought him right back to center.
Troy stood, his chair squealing back against the floor. “Yes, your honor.”
The judge looked over the rim of his glasses at him, before squinting down at the maps in his hand. “I see here we have a map showing your location was nowhere near the park at the time of the attack, is that correct?”
“Yes, your honor.”
“Do we have confirmation of the appointment?” he asked, now looking at the prosecutor.
“Verbal confirmation, yes. She’s sending the written over now. Should arrive in the next few minutes.”
The judge nodded and turned his eyes back on Troy, intent and focused. “I’m curious why you didn’t share this before.”
“To be honest, your honor, I didn’t think it would get this far. I was embarrassed and worried about repercussions.”
The judge considered him and nodded. “There’s still a stigma in this country about mental health, and it’s a shame. If more people got the help they needed, my job would be a lot easier. You’re in the army, right?”
“Yes, your honor.”
“I see. Thank you for your service.” He turned to the prosecutor and the clerk. “Did my paperwork come in?”
“Yes, right here,” said a woman in a blazer behind a computer.
“I miss the days when the computer announced when I got mail. All right, case dismissed. Mr. Chapman, you’re free to go.” He grabbed the gavel with a bang, and Troy was free.
CHAPTER47
