In Sickness and in Health (48/55)
Title: In Sickness and in Health
Author: welsh_scotsman
Summary: Ianto looks after everyone, but who looks after him?
Chapter Summary: Strutt cross-examines the witness
Spoilers: None
Warning: Occasional language, references to child abuse,
Rating: 15
http://welsh-scotsman.livejournal.com/6120.html chapter one
Strutt regarded his witness with a predatory air. Her gaze kept flickering over to the gallery as if for reassurance. Not, he was pleased to note, unlike her son. He smirked to himself as he glanced briefly down at his notes before giving Carys his undivided attention.
“Why are you here, Miss Jones?”
Carys frowned and her gaze flickered nervously to the side. “I...I wanted to help.”
“You ‘wanted to help’?” asked Strutt sceptically, one eyebrow raised in bemusement as he surveyed the rapt Court.
“Yes.”
“I see. So you refusing to testify constituted ‘helping’ your “vulnerable” son then, did it?”
“Well. No. But-“
“You see, the way it appears to me, if you loved your son - if, indeed, you believed your son at all, you would have done everything within your power to ensure that his alleged ‘tormentor’ was locked away for a very long time.”
“I-“
“Especially after what you allege Mr Lloyd did to you. If that had happened to me, there is no way on this Earth that I would allow him anywhere near my children.”
“Defence will not use inflammatory statements,” ordered the Judge demurely.
Strutt inclined his head. “My apologies, Your Honour. I appreciate other people may have different views on parenting to me.”
He turned back to Carys. “So, Miss Jones, why did you see fit to leave your son to the mercy of a jury without at least attempting to help him?”
“I just...I thought he’d be alright. He had his own and other people’s testimonies and I thought that would be enough, that he wouldn’t need me.”
“And yet, when you saw it was not going his way, you decided to step in and lie through your teeth anyway,” stated Strutt idly as he examined the fingers on his right hand.
“No!”
“Your Honour!”
“Mr Strutt, I’ve warned you about this. Statements without evidence will not be tolerated within my Court,” said Adams immediately, placating the outraged prosecution council with his hand.
Strutt bowed his head. “I know. I’m sorry, M’lord, but my intention is to justify such assertions.”
“Make sure you do, Mr Strutt.”
Strutt nodded once more, hiding his smirk from the Judge as he did so. He then gathered his notes together before addressing a significantly shaken Carys. “Miss Jones, you stated that you ‘went against medical advice’ to have Ianto. Is that correct?”
“Yes.”
“Why?”
Carys looked around the Court in bewilderment. “’Cos...I did. I couldn’t just murder an unborn baby!”
Strutt inclined his head in acknowledgement. “But the baby could have killed you,” he stated calmly.
Carys’ gaze darted over to Ianto. “I know,” she said softly.
Strutt made a non-committal sound as he glanced briefly over at Lloyd who was leaning forward, his hands clasped between his knees. “What were your husband’s views on the subject?” he asked as he addressed his witness.
“He wanted me to abort.”
“Why?”
“Because I could have died and because we could barely support one child, let alone two.”
A smile crept onto Strutt’s face and he turned to the jury. “So he was concerned about you and the baby’s lives?”
“Well...I s’ppose...” replied Carys hesitantly as she glanced briefly over at Ianto whose head was tilted to the side as he listened attentively.
“And yet, you still went ahead and had the child; disregarding any thoughts for yours or Ianto’s health.”
“No!”
“Yes. Indeed, it says here that you did haemorrhage and had to be resuscitated before undergoing the blood transfusion that would save your life.”
“I-“
“Similarly, it also says here that your baby - the child you had decided to have against medical advice, was also in intensive care for several months; unable to even breathe for himself.”
Carys opened her mouth as if to speak before closing it and inclining her head to hide her tears. Strutt regarded her neutrally for several moments before he too turned his attention away to rearrange his papers and confer briefly with one of his assistants. His gaze flickered up to the gallery where the team sat before refocusing on his witness. “You could have died,” he stated almost gently.
“I know.”
“You could have died and left your ten-year-old daughter motherless.”
“I know.”
“You could have died and Ianto could have been born severely handicapped.”
“I know.”
“So why do it? Why risk it all when you didn’t have to? Was it really worth it?”
“Course it was! What sort of question is that?”
“An honest one, Miss Jones,” stated Strutt, almost sincerely, as he shuffled his papers together. “Now, I consider myself to be a fairly intelligent man, however, there is an inconsistency in your testimony that just does not make sense to me.” Carys looked at him blankly. “You see, you stated that you were willing to risk everything to have Ianto - your life... his life...your family’s financial viability even, and yet...six years later, you walked out. Surely, if you risked that much in having the child in the first place, you would stay?”
“Well, I didn’t exactly have a choice.”
Strutt raised an eyebrow. “How so?”
Carys’s gaze flickered to the door before returning to the floor. “...Well...it was Wayne. He was...he was unbearable.”
Strutt inclined his head. “Mr Lloyd partaking in the care of his child must have been unbearable, I quite agree.”
“No! The arguments!”
“Oh yes. The arguments that ‘no one ever heard’ despite them being, as you yourself described them to be, ‘heated’ and ‘nasty’. That, to me, implies some level of sound. Raised voices perhaps?”
“There were!”
“And yet, neither Mr Lloyd nor Mr Jones have reported as such.”
“Ianto was a baby! He wouldn’t remember anything!” Carys’ tone was steadily getting more and more affronted.
Strutt inclined his head in acknowledgement. “Possibly. However, even when we took a statement from Mrs Rhiannon, she also stated that she never heard any arguments. Neither did any of your neighbours at the time.” Strutt regarded Carys over his nose, his eyes unreadable. “It’s just your word.”
“But they happened!” Carys nearly shouted the words.
“Okay, okay, tell you what. We’ll pretend for the time being, shall we? In fact, I can believe that arguments did occur due to you going against your husband’s wishes. However, that still does not explain why he would beat you.”
“I told you. He drank,” said Carys sullenly.
“So why didn’t you leave?”
“Because it wasn’t that easy. He messed with my head and kept promising he wouldn’t do it again.”
“But, Miss Jones, you had two children to think about. If indeed, as you believe, he was willing to beat you, what made you so sure that Mr Lloyd wouldn’t beat his children?”
“He loved them,” said Carys slowly, unsure.
“So you are saying he’d never hit Ianto,” stated Strutt in simple triumph.
“No!”
“Miss Jones, I do believe you have just contradicted yourself. First of all, you said he would hit Ianto, and now you’re saying he wouldn’t.” Strutt was almost casual.
“He would!”
“Ah, so you’ve been privy to such an occasion?”
“Well...no, but-“
“He never hit Ianto whilst you were under that roof. Yes. You’ve said. As have Mr Lloyd and Mr Jones so we can assume it to be true. However, that still does not explain why he would have a sudden change of tune and start hitting him.” Strutt looked at Carys intently, as he finished. Carys was at a loss for words as she looked from him to Lloyd and then to Ianto.
She glanced once more down at her feet before she cleared her throat and spoke. “I was scared of Wayne. I was scared he was going to kill me and one night, he tried. I didn’t have time to think, I just ran. Wayne never threatened them or gave me any reason to believe he would hurt them. I couldn’t stand to live with him anymore when I was the only one he hurt. I only learned about this when I was contacted about this trial.”
“And thought your testimony would be unnecessary,” stated Strutt smoothly.
Carys looked at him in consternation, trying to articulate her meaning, “I didn’t know-“
“You didn’t know or didn’t want to know?” asked Strutt coldly.
“What?”
Strutt shrugged. “Irreverent of this case, you seem to genuinely believe that Mr Lloyd is a malicious and violent man. If I were you, I would have stuck around for a bit - just to be on the safe side.”
“Your -“
“But, of course, I am not you so cannot comment on such issues,” finished Strutt, effectively silencing Clark’s objections. Strutt turned his attention to rearranging his notes after that and Carys continued to look at her wrists. In the gallery, Owen surveyed the hopeless scene of the court - from Strutt to Lloyd, who was looking at his ex-wife intently.
Strutt glanced once more over at Lloyd before catching Carys’ eye and speaking again. “So tell me, Miss Jones, when you state what a responsible and, indeed, good mother you are, to whom are you referring?”
“Pardon?”
Strutt indicated the Court. “Well, were you a good mother to Rhiannon for putting your life at risk when you and your husband were already facing financial ruin, or were you a good mother to Ianto for giving him a sixty to seventy per cent chance of severe handicap? Indeed, he could have ended up severely handicapped and motherless.”
“I-“
“And what about your dearly beloved husband in all of this? You stated that he didn’t want you to go through with the baby. Has it ever occurred to you that he thought that due to the ramifications such an event could have on the family? Has it ever occurred to you that, instead of being a heartless monster who hated Ianto from, as you describe it, the moment of conception, he was actually trying to do what was best for him. What was best for Rhiannon and, possibly above all, what was best for you. Who really is the selfish one here, Miss Lloyd? Him for trying to save your life, or you for putting it at risk in the first place?”
“Your Honour, the Defence is browbeating the witness!” Clark was on his feet. Carys herself was fighting back tears.
“Sustained; Strutt, let the defendant answer your questions, if you’re going to ask them or let her step down,” stated Adams wearily.
“Yes, M’lord,” Strutt’s tone was clipped. He returned his gaze to Carys and exhaled slowly. When his face had calmed once more he looked at her with a strangely sincere look.
“Mrs Jones, you have not made a good case for yourself or your son. I ask you now, what possible reason could Mr Lloyd have for abusing Ianto as a child?” His voice was low, his tone clear and undemanding. Carys just looked at him for a moment; her shoulders tense and eyes brimming with tears.
“’Cause he’s not Ianto’s father!”
http://welsh-scotsman.livejournal.com/34872.html#cutid1 chapter 49