My SecurityThis chapter is short, but a segue. Tell me what you think. Always, thanks for reading and replying.
The weakest arm is strong enough, that strikes with the sword of justice. John Webster
Chapter 9
"It's about time you got here, Ms. Scott?" Dr. Tucker moved to help the lady up and away from her nephew.
Haley whimpered with fear because of his close proximity to her guardian.
Nathan returned to the lass.
She hid her face in the fleece of the young man's red basketball warm up.
"I had a charity event in Raleigh last night. I knew it was going to run late, so I got a room. My children didn't tell you?" She lied easily.
"They haven't told us much of nothing. Including, why both of them have been beaten, badly, frequently and recently."
Slick as ever, Deb swayed pass Haley's medical professional and around the office, hoping her presence would intimidate Nathan and Haley. Purposely, she rock at the end of the hospital bed to unnerve the pair.
"Look, my Haley's sweet as an angel, but extremely clumsy. ... an Nate's my only nephew. I love him to death (making him cringe when she threw a kiss his way) but you all just witnessed how hot headed he is. ...Not to mention the two fighting. Living with me, they are practically brother and sister. You know how that gets?"
The adults eyed each other suspiciously, recalling the way the girl kissed the boy when the entered the room.
Nathan stayed stone faced, unmoved by his kin's frosty blue eyes. The fragile tutor held on to him, avoiding his piercing eyes.
"These scars and bruises are far from sibling rivalry." The social worker reviewed the many pictures taken of both children's injuries and given to her for evidence, turning green. "I'm sick and tired of going around in circles. As their guardian, you couldn't have missed some of the marks on these two."
Ms. Scott didn't miss a beat, laying her palm on her cheek as she walked to the side of Haley's bunk that held the monitor and IV.
The wards became still, easily falling back under her regime.
"I promised, Haley I wouldn't say a word. She's like a daughter to me and deserves her privacy."
"Ms. Scott, get on with it." The annoyed detective pressured.
"Haley. Forgive me for breaking your trust." She falsely appeared disappointed in her actions. "At our house Thursday, her boyfriend got rough with her because she broke up with him and refused him when he tried to force himself on her. Haley's a "good" girl." She faked pride as the girl showed no expressions.
"That doesn't explain Nathan's injuries." The doctor informed.
"Let me finish! Haley told me Lucas, her boyfriend was upset because she tried to break up with him and refused to go to the upcoming dance with him. He found out Nathan was taking her so she wouldn't have to miss it and went ballistic. ... The two boys got in a scuffle while I was out. Lucas Scott took the novelty strap I have hanging in the hall and hurt my wonderful nephew. Isn't that right, Haley Honey?" She batted her eyes at the girl, swinging the straps of her purse back and forth.
Haley's mind was fogged from the recent fall and her caretaker's blows. The sluggish woman's vision was blurred when she lifted her noggin from Nate's tight chest. She slit her eyes at the deceitful bitch goading her.
"My child wouldn't do those horrendous things." Karen intervened, mixed up and protective.
The older blond didn't get a chance to lay on the pity.
The girls pulse rate was irregular. The doctor advise a nurse to regularly take her vitals while Ms. Scott kept goading her.
"Didn't he tell you he was coming over last Thursday?"
"Yes, but ..." Karen rebuked.
"Oh, Kar. I wish it hadn't of come to this. I was just as amaze as you that Lucas would behave like that. He use to be such a nice boy. ... Maybe his father should spend more time with him less out to sea on those quaint little cruise ships you own." She judged snobbishly.
"What kind of sick game are you playing?" Ms. Sawyer dove for the slick widow, but one of the patrol men restrained her.
"I knew something wasn't right about your house. I've call The Department of Children and Family Services to investigate more times than I wanted to. Somebody's been overlooking something." Karen accused.
"My supervisor put this file on my desk when Detective Willis called this morning!" The social worker held her hands up in defeat. "You haven't been the only one worried about Nathan and Haley."
She raise a hefty pile of incident reports. "These are from teachers, neighbors, a couple of officers, friends parents, anonymous reports, hell even the maid and cook." She shook her head in disgust.
"How convenient is it that their original caseworker was off duty this morning because he had personal business in Raleigh?" She eyed Ms. Scott.
"Don't you dare slander my good name!" The high class witch huffed.
"Stop, Aunt Deb! You've put on your little charade for long enough." Nathan breathed. Taunting his aunt wasn't giving him the thrill he had thought it would. "It's going to be the last time at Haley and my expense."
The blood drained from her face with her nephew's menacing attitude and tone.
The female patient's doctor opened his mouth in an effort to get the conversation on the right track again, only to shut up when the girl contributed to the talk.
"Lucas and I weren't and never dated. He didn't hurt us." Haley yawned. "I'm a little accident prone, but I didn't do any of this to myself. Well, accept for falling off the ladder this morning." Her eyes were getting heavy.
Nathan nudge her, trying to keep her alert with the concussion.
She droned on. "Ms. Scott is a liar."
"This is the thanks I get for taking you in when you had nobody ... treating you like me own?" Deb feigned hurt.
"I'm your blood and you beat the crap out me! ... us! You did this. Except for Haley's fall. ... I should have been there to catch her." Lowering his face in shame.
"It was an accident. I'm okay, Nate." The dizzy miss stroked his cheek with the back of her hand.
She eased his troubled mind so he could continue while staring at her with such love and conviction.
"True, Hales and are like family, but never in the sibling sense. We've never physically fought each other, only that, Monster!" He pointed at his late uncle's wife. "Anything would set her off and she never let up."
"You little ingrates! Lying on me after all I've done for you. You know how much I love you." Deb dramatized.
An eerie laugh exuded Haley's lips.
"Lady, you are some piece of work. You hate me! You've told me more times than I can count." She staggered, pointing at her attacker.
"Until a few days ago, you had me brainwashed into thinking I deserved to get my ass kicked by you on a regular basis since you became my guardian." Haley tilted her head at the wicked woman, too dazed to fear her.
"It's too bad you fell in love with Dan Scott during freshman orientation, but he never reciprocated it. He had eyes for your later roommate and married her, Nathan's mom. Love can't be forced."
The adult's were very interesting in this revelation. However Haley wasn't finished.
"It's terrible that my mom had an affair with your husband. I get that she hurt you, but I'm not her. Nathan isn't Dan or Keith. We won't take the brunt of your vengeance any longer." Tears streamed down her pretty face, but Nathan swept them away.
"Why are you lying? Why?" An irate Deb denied.
"The dummy and the slut were trying to get over on me, please! They better think again! They are going to pay dearly after I clean up this mess." She noted.
"Can you give us any proof, Ms Scott's been the one assaulting you?" Desperate to save the teens, the social worker pleaded with the worn out wards.
"A witness? Anything?" Karen prayed, cutting her eyes at the deviously smirking socialite.
"Officers, they just have wild imaginations ...always making up stuff. I forgive them" An artificial giggle came from the woman." I'll sit down and have a nice long talk with them once I get them home."
"No! She's not going to confess!" Haley moaned, too weak to put up a real struggle. "Show them, Nate!"
The slightest possibility of returning to that house of horrors put a jolt in the teens. Nathan grabbed Haley's big reindeer head purse from the nightstand and sat it on the bed.
"We stumbled across some footage of our beatings this morning. That's why Haley was on the ladder." He waved several tapes at the crowd, including his skeptical aunt.
"I guess the surveillance company forgot to tell you, they put a camera in the kitchen chandelier." He address the stunned woman.
Suddenly, she lunged for the films, only to be restrained by the detective and one of his fellow co-workers. She was handcuff and lead pass the giddy pair on the bed.
"They are going looove you in prison!" He grinned happily, before turning over the evidence to the kindly case worker...
Pamela