Agnodice
Agnodice and Warren pulled up to the courthouse, the court steps and sidewalk crowded with townspeople, a line of officers standing in front of the courthouse doors. The people were shouting and jeering, trying to get past the officers.
Warren turned in his seat to look back at Agnodice. “It would seem that word has gotten out about your father, everyone in town must be here.”
“Here to watch my father hang in my place… Let’s go.” Agnodice stared out the window, watching the face of the men of women she had helped in the past. The one's jeering her father had no clue what was happening, how both of them were the reason their families were whole.
The two exited the car. As they pushed their way through the crowd, the sea of people began to quiet down until no one was making a noise. All eyes are on Agnodice. The pair reached the top of the steps, standing in front of the officers. Deputy Pryor stood in the middle of the others.
“I don’t think you should go in there, this isn’t something for a lady like you to ought to see or hear.” There was symptha in his voice, pitty as well.
“You can’t expect me to just let my father go through this alone. If you don’t let me in, I will find another way.” She locked eyes with Pryor's, her voice as cold and hard as steel. “Please move, I have to be in there.”
Pryor resigned himself and stepped out of the way to let her through. Before she reached the door, she turned to face the crowd. “My father is innocent! This is a clear display of wrongful conviction and lackluster policing! My father is innocent and I will prove it to you all today!” The crowd errupted into a roar again, following Agondice and Warren into the courthouse, pushing past the guards. They went down the hall to the only room with an officer standing by it, who made no serious attempt to stop the mob of peole.
Inside, Sebastian sat at a large wooden table with his lawyer, another lawyer sitting to their left next to the jury stand. The 12 jurors were already seated. Everyone turned their heads when the court doors flew up, Agnodice leading the charge.
“Daddy!”
Sebastian jumped from his seat, embracing his daughter when she ran into him. “My peace! What are you doing here?”
“I can’t just leave you here alone like this! Mommy wouldn’t want us to be separated, not now, not like this.”
Tears pooled in Sebastian’s eyes. “You have become just like her, perhaps even stronger. She would be so proud of you, I know it.” He kissed her head.
A voice behind them spoke up, seemingly booming in the once-quiet courtroom. “I thought I said this was to be a private matter! And where in the Hell is my Deputy!?” It was Sheriff Elsey, looking mad and sweaty as ever. He was exiting the judge's chambers, the judge following behind him.
Pryor pushed his way through the crowd, stammering over his words, trying to come up with an excuse for his negligence.
“Well, there’s no use in fusing over it now, everyone is here and we must continue.” The judge said, taking his seat at his bench. “Everyone, get seated, quickly.”
The judge was an older man, who had a miserable face to him and a hunched back that matched. Whenever he was in court,, he looked as if he would rather be anywhere else. Even so, he did his best as a judge to be fair in his sentencing, giving justice to victims as he saw fit.
Father and daughter hugged each other one more before Agnodice took her seat on a bench right behind her dad and his lawyer, Warren sitting next to her. The rest of the crowd quickly filled up the empty seats, some forced to stand or lean on the walls.
Once everyone was settled and quiet, the judge spoke. “Is the state ready to present?”
The lawyer stood and began to make his cause. He told the court that Sebastian Magna was here on charges of adultery and rape. He was pretending to be a doctor to help women give birth or to check on them during and after their births but in reality was sleeping with them or forcing himself on the mothers.
Agnodice couldn’t take these lies anymore. She stood up and shouted, “This is lies! My father would never do such things!”
The judge banged his gavel. “I will have no outbursts in my courtroom! I already was lenient with letting you make yourselves at home in my courtroom, do not push your luck, Ms. Manga!”
Warren gently grabbed her arm and pulled her back down to her seat.
“It won’t happen again, judge.” Sebastian’s lawyer said, his voice was timid, as if he was unsure of himself. “Sorry, judge.”
“Continue, Richard.”
“Don’t worry, I’m done. The defense may go.”
Sebastian’s lawyer stands. He clears his throat, trying to calm his nerves. He stutters over his words, trying to explain to the judge and jury how his client, Sebastian, is innocent but he can’t explain how he is innocent at this very moment. He then sat down. Warren placed his head in his hands and Agnodice groaned in frustration. Agnodice leaned forward and whispered in her father’s lawyer's ear. “Please tell me you have a stronger argument than what you just presented.”
“I’ll think of something.” That was all he could say.
Minutes went by, soon turning into hours. Witness after witness came up and down the stand, mostly of men, fathers, husbands, and brothers, all testifying that they thought Sebastian was a doctor helping their daughters, wives, and sisters, only for it to be found out that he was abusing them. It took everything in Agnodice not to scream that they were lying. She gripped Warren’s hand, watching her father become more and more defeated with each witness.
“And that’s when I had returned home, and saw Beatrice in bed. She had been crying and said that a doctor came in to check on her but I don’t remember hiring no doctor!” Johnson Taylor was on the stand now, telling the court how he had found his sister in her room after Sebastian had left. “And I thought it was strange, for him to be doing house calls so late at night but he said he’s a doctor and that I could trust him.” He looked right at Sebastian, cold hard hate in his eyes. “A mistake I will never make again! Now she just sits in her room all day, crying thanks to you!” Johnson jumped up from his chair and ran over to Sebastian, aiming to attack him. The court officer was quick and grabbed him, pulling him off the table, Johnson shouting vitriol and cursing Sebastian’s name.
The judge banged his gavel, demanding order in his court. Once Johnson had settled down, he asked the plaintiff if he wished to cross-examine the witness. He said no.
“Very well then. We will be adjourned for a 20-minute recess.” The judge slammed his gavel down. The crowd in the courtroom began to file out and the courtroom officer walked to Sebastian, handcuffs out.
“I’m sorry.” Was all Agnodice could say as she watched her father be taken away for a second time.
Hot tears once again rolled down her cheeks, the reality of the situation setting in. There was nothing she could do to fix the situation. Even if she exposed herself as being the actual doctor, would the court even believe her? Would they have more or less mercy on her than they were going to have on her father?
Agnodice was lost in her thoughts when Warren spoke up, breaking her thoughts. “I’ll be back. There’s something I have to take care of.” He left before he could be questioned, pushing his way through the crowd. She had barely registered what was said to her, lost in her thoughts of despair and heartache.
“Ms. Magna? Ms. Magna!”
Agnodice snapped her head up at the voice. It was her father’s lawyer. His face was flushed, he looked as if he was about to cry as well. She could see sweat forming at his brow but she didn’t know if it was the stale heat of the courtroom or if it was nervousness. She guessed it was probably both.
“Yes, what do you want?” Her words came out harsher than she would have normally meant them to but she didn’t care, not really. The man in front of her was in charge of making sure her father didn’t get convicted of a crime he didn’t commit, a crime that she should be held responsible for, and he was doing an absolutely bad job of it. So what if she sounded ungrateful and rude, so what if he was free, he wasn’t good at his job!
It was as if the lawyer had been reading her thoughts, his next words shocked her. “I know I’m failing you and your father. I’m new to this as if it weren’t obvious. I’m from Maryland and we do things differently there, more formally and I’m afraid to say that I am completely out of my element.” He took a handkerchief from his pocket and handed it to the crying woman. “I’m sorry I’m doing such a bad job. I can’t tell you how much I wish I could do more but I really don’t understand what’s going on, that is to say, I don’t understand who is even pressing these charges against your father or why none of the actual victims are on the stand.”
Agnodice wiped her eyes and stood. She was about an inch or so taller than the lawyer, she found humor in this. She’d never been taller than a man before. She told him as much. “It's weird being taller than a man, even if it's a few inches. And I’m sorry I was so rogh just now… what's your name?”
“Samuel. Samuel Halmil.”
“Halmil… are you related to Deputy Halmil?”
Samuel nodded. “He’s my uncle. He called me early yesterday morning and asked me to come as quickly as I could to represent your father. Had I known these were the stakes, I would’ve brought help. I worry I may have made things worse for him.”
“I would be lying if I said that I don’t agree with you. But, I do appreciate what you’re trying to do but it unfortunately won’t be enough.” Agnodice took a deep breath. “It’s my fault that this is happening.” She sat back down on the bench, her hands clasped together on her lap, looking down at the ground. “He’s in this situation because of me.”
Samuel took a seat too, confused. “How could this be your fault?” He paused. “You’re not raping the women, are you?”
Agnodice looked up at Samuel, her face completely natural, unable to fully process what he just said to her. “Boy… we’re going to come back to that later. But no, that’s not what has been happening.” She paused, looking around the room. It was just them in the courtroom now. “Listen, the mortality rate in this town is high, too high. Either the mother or the baby don't make it through the pregnancy. It's how I lost my mother.” She reached into her shirt and pulled out a gold locket and opened it up. Inside was a picture of Amara, her smile bright and cheerful. Samuel told her she looked just like her, especially in the eyes. Agnodice smiled, closing it and clutching it in her hands. “I get that a lot.
“My daddy says we all watched the sun rise together, that she wanted one morning with her family before she left this world. He’s told me that I am their greatest gift but now… Now I feel like the worst person in the world. I am letting him take the blame for my actions, all because my town is so closed-minded and cannot and will never accept a woman as a doctor.”
“That’s what this is all about?”
“Yes. I try to do it at night but I help the pregnant women in my town. I came back only two years ago. I had tried to join the local doctors but they all turned me away and made sure to tell all the men not to allow me in their homes. They were mad at the thought that I could know more than them and wouldn’t allow me to share my knowledge. So, I had to resort to secrecy. It was hard at first, getting the women to trust me but eventually I won them over. The problem arrived when I had women who lived with their fathers or brothers and the men wouldn’t leave the room. I had to get creative.”
“That’s where your father comes in.”
She nodded. “Yes. I pretended to be his son who came back from medical school. I offered cheaper prices than the town doctors, but it wasn’t about the money; I just didn’t want to see any more families separated from something so preventable!” She took a deep breath, trying to calm herself down. “I saved hundreds of women and babies, in this town and nearby ones and now all my efforts have gone to waste and my father is going to jail.”
Samuel sat there, as if he had something to say but didn't know how. Agnodice looked at him, confused. "You look like you've seen a raccoon in your laundry. You alright?"
“I hate to be the bearer of bad news but that’s not all they want to do. My uncle told me that if he is found guilty, and the way this trial is going, he probably will be, they’re going to hang him.”