Disclaimer: I don't own Scott or Shelby. I don't know who owns them...but whoever
does needs to put the show back on. I
do own Chelsea Barringer...and Brad Javenson. ALSO I used a lime from the movie "Rainmaker" and some of the plot
schemes because Matt Damon said it better than I ever could. Bluebanana saw the similarity. The story is SORT of based on that movie and
will have an ending like that one, except I'm changing a few things and putting
my own twist on it. If you haven't seen
the movie you should. It stars Matt
Damon and Claire Danes. Just so you
know, a couple lines are from that movie and a couple no dialogue scenes are
too. Please don't sue. :)
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In Your Darkest
Hour
Ch. 6
Scott drove the estimated 6 hours to get back to Springfield Gardens in 4 and a half. It was midnight when he finally arrived at the hospital. He went to the front desk.
"Excuse me?" he said to the receptionist. She looked up at him. "Can you tell me where I can find Shelby Merrick? She's a patient here." The receptionist types on her keyboard.
"I'm sorry sir...there is no Shelby Merrick checked in here." Scott was puzzled and then he knew what he had done.
"Sorry, I meant Shelby Javenson." He corrected himself. She gave an annoyed sigh and typed again. "She's in room 431 but you should find her in the cafeteria right now."
"Thanks" he said and walked in the direction of the cafeteria. He entered and scanned the room quickly. He saw Shelby sitting with a man that must have been Brad. They were arguing. He watched for a minute, hanging back, trying to get a good look at him. He was average height, though shorter than Scott. And he was built like an athlete. He had dark brown hair which was barely visible underneath his white cap. He was wearing baddy jeans and a blue sweatshirt. Scott watched them argue, though he couldn't hear what they were saying. Brad rose from his chair. Shelby was in a wheelchair and obviously, by the looks of her, she couldn't stand. She shook her head and looked away, and her eyes locked with Scott's as soon as she saw him standing there by the door. Brad broke their gaze when he hit the pitcher of juice sitting on the table which splashed all over Shelby. He stormed out, still not realizing that Scott was there.
Scott waited a second and walked over to her and sat down at the table facing her.
"Was that him?" he asked, a twinge of anger in his voice as he picked up a napkin and blotted juice off her face.
"Yes. Charming isn't he?"
"Look, Shelby, I'm glad you called me. You gotta get out of this. Look at you." He said studying her badly beaten face
"Um...actually that's not why I called you." She confessed
"But on that message you said I was right." He said
"Yeah...you were. About Chelsea. Which is why I want you to take her back to the city with you for a couple weeks until I can work things out with Brad. I just....need to figure out what I'm doing wrong. Once I do that....I know we can work it out....make it the way it was when I met him..."
"But Shelby- -" he protested.
"Scott, I promise, if it doesn't work out this time, I'll come back to the city with you. I swear." She interrupted
"Ok......" he said, still a little apprehensive about it.
"So you'll take Chels?" she said with a little gleam in her eye.
"Yes...of course I will." He said, a little hurt that she would question his response to such an important question.
"Thanks, Scott. That means a lot to me." She said and tried to smile. He smiled back. "Can I ask a favor?"
"Anything." He said truthfully, because looking at her right now, he truly would do anything for her.
"Could you take me up to my room? I'm really tired."
"Yeah, sure."
He took her up to room 431. When they got into the room she wheeled herself over to the bed and tried to get out of the wheelchair and into the bed.
"Allow me." He said and picked her up like a child and laid her in the bed. He could see more bruises on her legs under the hospital gown when he laid her down, but he didn't say anything, just shook his head.
"Thanks." She said as he pulled the covers up for her. He walked around and stood at the foot of her bed. He looked at her for a minute. This wasn't the strong beautiful and proud Shelby he used to know. This was a weak, beaten, and scared little girl. And Brad had done this to her.
"What's the excuse you gave the doctors?" he asked her
"I...uh...fell down a flight of stairs." She said quietly so no passing doctors would hear.
"And what really happened?" he asked. She waited a minute before she decided it was okay to tell him.
"After you left....I fell asleep. I didn't get dinner done and I didn't do anything else he asked me to, and it obviously really pissed him off." She said motioning to her face. "Then I apparently back talked him. I shouldn't have done that. I know better."
Scott sighed and waited a minute before replying. "Shelby do you know where your dad is? Do you have a guy cousin...and step-brother...anything?" he asked her.
"No....... to all of the above. Why?"
"Because if I were your father or brother...and I found out what he was doing to you....I would kill him with my bare hands."
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They talked awhile longer and Shelby told Scott to go pick up Chelsea that night so they didn't risk running into Brad and making things worse than they already were. Sooner or later Shelby drifted off into a peaceful sleep. One that she obviously needed.
He watched her sleep for a few minutes and then got up to leave, but not before he kissed her on her bruised forehead and whispered in her ear "Just hang in there...it'll get better."
He brushed hair out of her eyes and then turned the light off as he left the room. He almost hoped he would run into Brad so that he could give him a little piece of his mind, and maybe even a little piece of his fist. But he didn't.
He walked into the childcare room and a young brunette lady walked up to him and gave him a smile.
"Can I help you, sir?" she asked perkily with a smile. Scott instantly thought of Juliet but then brushed the thought away.
"Yeah, I need to pick up Chelsea."
"Well...you're not the one who dropped her off...it was a blonde lady...she looked pretty bad." She argued
"Yes, I'm aware of that." He said hoping she wasn't going to give him a hard time.
"What's your name?" she asked and picked up a notebook and opened it.
"Scott Barringer." He said
"Well....that's the last name I have here, so if I can just see some photo ID you'll be free to take her home." She said giving him a smile. Shelby had obviously already planned this out, to the last name of the person to pick Chelsea up and all. He got his driver's license out. She took a quick look at it and handed it back to him.
"Ok, that's fine. Let me get her." She said with a smile. She went into the nursery and emerged with Chelsea in a baby carrier in one hand and a large baby bag in the other. First she handed him the bag which he swung over his shoulder and then she handed him the baby carrier holding Chelsea. "Your daughter is well behaved....and a very pretty little thing too." She said
"Oh, she isn't my- - " he started to say and then stopped himself. Why not pretend he had a baby with Shelby? "Yeah...yeah, she is, isn't she." He said. The girl smiled. "How much do I owe you?"
"Twenty Even." She said. He set the carrier down on the floor and then reached into his pocket, pulled out his wallet and gave her a twenty dollar bill. "Thank you, sir." She said. H nodded and left the building
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Scott got in his car and drove the 6 hours home again for the 3rd time in a row. It was 6:30 a.m. when he walked through the door of his apartment. He put Chelsea's carrier down next to the bed and took all his clothes off except for his boxers and fell into the bed. He was horribly tired. He had only been asleep two seconds when Chelsea started crying, and loudly. Scott fell out of bed and picked her up, and staggered into the kitchen. He made her formula, which she wouldn't drink. He rocked her, burped her, changed her. Nothing worked.
"Oh, Chels....please stop crying." He said and went back into the bedroom. "Please?" he asked. He yawned and got in the bed holding her to his chest. He laid her on the bed next to him. Her cries eventually lessened and they both fell asleep.
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NEXT: find out how Shelby is doing. Someone calls Scott next chapter. Who is t and what do they say? Find out next chapter if I get 10 reviews. IF YOU HAVENT ALREADY, PLEASE NOTE DISCLAIMER!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!