Chapter 64 - I Like The Bed We're Sleeping In

"What do I need around the clock security for?  Dalton should be sent to prison in the morning." She asks, a little put off by his demand.  "Plus, security just draws attention, you know I don't like that."

"I said what I had to say on the subject.  You have your own plane to go wherever and whenever you want, but you must have security Beth."

"That's crazy Jon.  We don't need another person on payroll and I don't need another person lurking around."

"If you want to go back and forth to the vineyard, you are more than welcome too. But you will have security.  And maybe extra security if you take kids with you." He adds for good measure.  "Your pilot knows that you don't leave the ground without a bodyguard, so the sooner you accept it, the better off you will be."

Beth is angry, feeling like a child, she can't let it go.  "Why the need for security now?  Where was it in the past when I really needed it?" Her fingers covered her mouth as soon as the words spilled out, she's wishing she could take them back.

"Don't think I haven't thought about that myself.  The times when you needed protecting, you weren't - and I live with that everyday.  It kills me to know what the asshole has done to you, and with that being said, nothing like that will ever happen to you again."  He steps into her and can almost see the steam coming from her ears, but he didn't care.  His point was made, rules were laid out and she had no choice but to accept it.

Throwing her arms up in the air and walking away, "Whatever!" She knows that she's lost and she isn't mad about it, she's just a little miffed wondering why now?  As she trails off she sarcastically says, "you're being a doodoo head."

Jon stands there for a moment and takes in what she just said.  For years he has dealt with the guilt of not being there to protect her when she needed it most, driving him to make the decision that he has.  He can see her love for the vineyard and understands that she needs something of her own, but with it being 3000 miles away from home - they had to be extra safe.  He isn't caving on this one and he knows that she knows it.

The alarm clock made the dreaded noise that they both hated.  Jon reaches over Beth and hits the snooze button.  Beth rolls into Jon and drags his arm over her, she wiggles into place and says, "We should get up."

Jon squeezes her and says, "In 9 more minutes."  He nuzzles into her and holds her close.  They both doze back off to sleep, only to be woken by the alarm clock again.  This time, Beth reaches over and turns it off.  Jon mumbles, "I guess we better get up."

"Noooooo." Beth whines, "I'm not ready."

"Come on babe, it's a big day." he pats her on the ass, "I'll order room service.  Do you want anything out of the ordinary?"

She shakes her head no and says, "Unless they have something to calm my nerves."  Jon climbs out of bed and orders their usual breakfast and their extra pot of coffee.  Beth can hear him open the patio door so she yells, "Are you smoking?"

With the sound of smoke in his lungs, he answers her, "No."

"Liar."

Beth climbs out of bed and grabs one of the complimentary robes and meets Jon on the patio, "Why do you bullshit me?"

"Cause it's fun."  Beth takes the cigarette from him and takes a drag, coughing like it was the first time that she has smoked a cigarette in her life.  "Lightweight."

"Those are terrible.  I wish you would quit for good." she tells him, walking back into the suite to brush her teeth.  When she's finished she joins Jon back on the patio, "What should I wear?"

"Whatever you want." he tells her, leaning into her to kiss her on the forehead, "good morning babe."

Her arms go around his neck and she kisses him back, "We need to look like a power couple, what should I wear?"

"I seen that you packed that Versace pant suit, wear that.  I always thought you look like a hard ass in that" he kisses her again and follows that up with, "A sexy hard ass that I want to bend over a counter and have my way with you."

She laughs, "We haven't even had breakfast, plus we have to hurry."  With his hand in hers, she leads him back into the beautiful suite and adds, "you're going to have to wait to bend me over anything." 

He walks up behind her, wraps his arms around her and whispers, "I'll take you whenever I want you."

There is a knock at the door, "Room Service!"  Jon answers the door and lets the room service attendant in, he places the tray at the table and excuse himself after receiving a hefty tip from the rockstar and the end of the world.

Jon and Beth eat their breakfast together and when they are finished, they both find themselves  out on the patio smoking a cigarette .  "We really need to hurry Jon.  I want to be in the courtroom before he gets brought in.  I think it's important that he see us together and that he sees that we're happy.  It's my hope that he sees that and that sets him off and he acts out or makes threats."

"Don't worry about all of that.  Let's just get through it the best way for us and let his cards fall where they will."

The power couple get ready in record time and head to the LA courthouse.  Once they are inside, they are amazed by the buzz and all the people that are around. Dalton's trial starts at 9:00am  and it's only 8:15, why are all of these people here Beth wonders.  As they round the corner to head to the hallway that houses Courtroom D, they are net by a swarm of reporters and caught totally off guard.  Jon is furious.

A brave news reporter dared walk up to them and ask, "Jon, Beth what do you hope to accomplish by this trial?"

Beth buries her face on Jon's shoulder and lets Jon do the talking.  All that he would say is, "We have no comment.  Can you please leave us alone?"  And they walk away to sit on a bench, just outside the courtroom door.  Security seen what had happened and a guard positioned himself between them. 

All parties for the Dalton Patterson trial were called into the courtroom.  Jon and Beth took a seat behind the prosecution and held hands.  Jon kisses her temple and tells her, "We got this babe.  We are going to get this over and done with today.  I promise."

"I hope that you are right.  I need this man out of my life, out of our life."

"ALL RISE.  THE HONORABLE JUDGE THOMPSON PRESIDING"

Jon and Beth stood and waited to be told to be seated.  There was a small handful of people in the gallery and Beth didn't recognize any of them.  She assumes they are reporters. 

A few moments later, they see the door open to the left of the judges bench and in walks Dalton is a bright orange jumpsuit that had LADOC printed all over it.  Beth smiled and when she looked at Jon, he was too.  His arm went around her and he kissed her temple again, "It's good, all good."

The judge calls in the jury and as they are being seated, Daltons attorney stands and asks that he be allowed to speak to the court, on his clients behalf.  The judge was so inclined and he let him have his say.  The lawyer cleared his throat and started with, "While the allegations are trumped up and they added  charges that did not fit the crime - given the history between the defendant and Miss Adams, Mr. Patterson has decided to take the plea deal offered to him by the Prosecuting Attorney."

"A deal?" the judge questions.  Jon and Beth look at one another and they can't believe what they just heard. 

"Yes your Honor.  He thinks that no matter what defense we use, Miss Adams and her fiancé may sway the decision of the jurors, over looking the facts of this case and the one before this one.  And not only that, it will save the taxpayers millions of dollars to hold this trial due to the celebrity attached to the case."

The judge look at Jon and tries to read his expression, but Jon is pretty good at using his poker face.  But the judge can see the worry on Beth's face.  "Mr. Patterson, are you ready to allocute?"

Dalton stands and says, "Yes, your honor."

"Let's hear it."

Dalton clears his throat, looks over at Jon and Beth and starts his allocution.  "I am guilty of attacking Miss Adams in the parking garage where she works.  I hit her, I kicked her and I spit on her.  Your Honor, I wanted her dead."

"What could she have done to you to warrant you raping her, which you were convicted of and then attacking her, blind sided and left for dead on a parking garage floor."

"Well sir, she lead me on for a year and cheated on me with her rockstar.  I was jilted and jealous and vowed that I would get even with her."

The judge looks him in the eye and asks, "So, do you think that she has paid for the heartache that she has caused you.  Are you finished or do I need to keep an eye on you while you are incarcerated and once you get out, even if you get out."

"I've learned my lesson, your honor."

The judge looks through Dalton's rather thick file and make comments and sounds as he reads it.  "Mr. Patterson, who is Melissa Masterson?"

"An ex girlfriend."

"And she is the same woman that killed the Bongiovi baby?"  Dalton nods his head.  He can feel his freedom slipping away, "The woman that you conspired with to work your way back into Beth's life?"

"Your honor, I wanted her to hurt like I did."

"So you made this diabolical plan with Melissa, after you had raped Miss Adams?"

"Yes, sir." Dalton can't deny it.  It's on public record in New Jersey.

The judge makes some notes and excuses the jurors after he was satisfied that there wouldn't be a change of min and Dalton want a trial.  With the jurors gone, the judge does his thing.

"You, Mr. Patterson are a sick man.  You have destroyed the lives of those around you and it's obvious that you have no remorse.  You helped a woman kill a baby, which destroyed a family.  You raped a woman and ruined her inner peace, you have beaten a woman so badly that you broke her bones and you say that this is all payback?   Payback because she didn't want you.  Thankfully, real men don't act like that and clearly you are NO MAN." he pauses and looks over the deal that the state met with him and starts to speak again, "I see you agreed to 15 years, with parole eligibility in 7 and a half.   I agree to half of that.  Mr. Patterson, with all the joy that I can - I sentence you to 15 years in a maximum security prison and your parole eligibility will be in 13 years.  You WILL DO most of your sentence.  You are to have no contact with Miss Adams, Mr. Bongiovi or any

one within their extended families.  If I hear that you have contacted any of them, you will serve your whole sentence PLUS I will add five years."

"Your honor....." Dalton's lawyer stands up, "That is not what we agreed to."

"Sit down counselor, I've made my ruling with in the guidelines and if you don't like it, walk across the street and start the appeal process.  Court is in recess."  The gavel banged the circular block of wood and it was over.  The judge let his courtroom and retreated to his chambers, but not before he requested his secretary to get Beth and Jon.

Jon and Beth are in the gallery watching Dalton get emotional and it quickly turns to pissed off.  His voice is loud and slowly getting louder.  They are enjoying the show and feel a great sense of relief.  As they sat there, they were interrupted by the judge's secretary - asking them to join him in his chambers.

When they enter the judges chambers, they are greeted with a warm hand shake and a glass of scotch.  "Sit, sit."  The judge orders them and they do.  "Thanks for coming back here, I just had a few things to tell you."

Jon pipes up and says, "Okay, what do you need to tell us?"

"Well, I read your letter and then took a look at the case file - which was disturbing to a point that I haven't seen and I've seen a lot of crazy stuff.  So, after I read through the cases, I knew I had to keep him behind bars.  He doesn't know this yet, but he's going to a federal prison in Montana." as soon as he says it, he laughs out loud.

"That's great."  Beth says, "Now we know not to go to Montana."

Jon stands and extends his hand to the judge, "Thank you your honor.  We are grateful for your gesture and we appreciate you going above and beyond the call of duty."

"Jon it was my pleasure.  If you have any questions, please call me.  I will tell you what I know when I know it."

The goodbyes were quick, and when Beth and Jon hit the street, she looks up and lets the sun hit her face, "This is a glorious day."

Jon grabs her and holds her, "We did it and didn't have to do a thing."