Off Sides

sick.
    “I forgot to bring my phone with me to the party,” Ryan murmurs. “Thank God you texted Mike. Otherwise...I wouldn’t have known you were in trouble.” I shudder as I consider the probability of what would have happened had I not sent that text and Ryan hugs me tight.
    As soon as the one cop leaves, another comes in.
    "She's already given a statement,” Ryan growls. “Can't you guys leave her alone?"
    The officer looks at me with sympathy but then turns hard eyes to Ryan. "I'm not here to take her statement. I'm here to place you under arrest for assault and battery."
    "What?!" I shriek a little too loudly and fly off of Ryan’s lap. "He was defending me. You need to arrest that animal who attacked me."
    "Ma'am. You need to calm down. We will press charges against Mr. Malone but he is asking that we press charges against Mr. Burnham."
    "It's not fair," I whisper, and the tears start flowing again. Ryan gathers me in his arms and kisses my forehead. He asks the cop, "Can you wait until at least she sees the doctor so I can stay with her?"
    The cop looks back and forth between us and then sighs. "Sure. I'll be outside waiting for you."
    Before he steps outside he turns to look at us. "For what it's worth, if that had been my wife or my daughter, I would have done exactly what you did, Mr. Burnham."
    Ryan nods at the cop who leaves and softly shuts the door behind him. Then he picks me up and sits back down, cradling me in his lap. "It's going to okay, Danny. Please don't worry."
    I'm clutching his shirt while I lay my head in the crook of his neck. "How can I not worry? You're getting arrested."
    "Sssshhh," he says. "Just close your eyes until the doctor gets here."
    I do as he asks and then I melt when Ryan starts humming a song to me. I don't recognize it at first but then I realize its John Lennon's Imagine , one of my all-time favorite songs. I utterly sink into Ryan and let him sing to me to wash away my fears.
    Eventually, Sarge arrives. I had called Paula at work and she was trying to find someone to cover her shift so she could come to me. Sarge was my next call after Paula. He hugs me and then puts Ryan in a big, bear hug, thanking him for saving me.
    Finally the doctor comes and clears me. He says my CT scan is negative and that I should be just fine.
    After he leaves, I turn to Ryan. Any words I want to say are stuck in the dryness of my throat. He asks for my phone and I hand it to him. He enters something in my contacts and hands it back to me.
    “Please call my uncle tonight,” he says. “I programmed it under Jim Thorne. He knows who you are. Tell him what happened and ask if he can arrange for an attorney for me. Ask him not to call my parents. I don't feel like dealing with them."
    I nod then hug him hard. "I love you. More than anything."
    "I love you too.” He pulls back and kisses me on the temple. “Don’t worry. I promise it’ll be okay."
    I start to walk out the door with him but he shakes his head no. "I don't want you to see me get arrested."
    I nod as tears stream down my face, and the door closes behind him. Sarge takes me in his arms and hugs me again.

CHAPTER 15

    Ryan

    I'm at my arraignment hearing the day after my arrest. Uncle Jim brought me one of my suits to wear and he's sitting with Danny behind me. I glance back at her and give her a reassuring smile. She returns it and mouths I love you .
    Uncle Jim hired me a really good lawyer and he has prepared me that the judge will probably not throw the charges out at this point, but that I should be able to make bail with no problems. This satisfies me.
    I know I should be afraid at the prospect of getting convicted but I'm not. And I have no regrets for beating that shit the way I did. I'd do it again if he even looks at Danny the wrong way. The only solace I have right now is that he is in jail for attempted rape and will most likely not make bail.
    The hearing is short. I stand as the judge reads the charges against me and asks how I plead. I want to say, "I'd do it all over again, Your Honor" but instead I say, "Not Guilty" as my attorney instructed me to do. Bail is set at $10,000 which is easy money and then the hearing is over.
    My attorney tells Uncle Jim and Danny that he'll walk me through the process of paying the bail and getting me released, and that we will meet them on the front steps of the courthouse.
    ***
    I walk out of the courthouse and immediately loosen the tie around my throat. I've always