Disclaimer: I don't own the characters from "Walker Texas Ranger", I'm just
borrowing them for the story.
The three rangers split up in their search for Johnny Lawrence or anything that would help them find Sydney.
There was a big set of stairs leading to the second floor.
"Guys, I'll take a look up there!" Gage called to his friends and started walking up the stairs. He couldn't stop thinking "what if she was already dead".
No. I can't think like that. Sydney is too stubborn to die.´ he thought.
He reached the top of the stairs, was now standing in an empty corridor with many doors. He chose the closest one and opened it to see what was behind it. Not much. Just a simple room that looked like it was designed for guests to stay in. He exited the room and continued to the next.
He quickly checked a few more rooms, but no Johnny Lawrence. As he got to the fourth room a crash was heard, coming from the room at the end of the corridor. Gage hurried over there, expecting to find the man they were looking for. But he soon realized that the room he had just entered belonged to a child. But he could not see one.
This was obviously a little girl's room. It had pink wallpapers and dolls sitting or standing in small chairs or on the floor. A big bed had been placed next to the window and the pillows and blankets were spread all over the bed.
Suddenly Gage heard someone sobbing and it came from under a bed quilt on the floor next to the bed. He stepped closer and then carefully lifted it and peeked under it. There sat a small girl, hugging her knees. Tears were pouring out of her eyes and she looked terrified.
"Hi there sweetie! My name is Gage. What's yours?" he asked in the kindest and most patient voice he could manage under the circumstances. He lifted the quilt off her and put it on the bed.
The little girl kept scanning the room as if she expected something horrible to jump out at her. She didn't seem to be afraid of him though. Gage reached out his hand and she accepted it. He helped her up.
"What happened in here? I heard a noise."
The girl, still dressed in her pyjamas met his gaze but quickly looked down again.
"S-sorry."she stammered through her tears. "I had a bad dream and fell out of the bed. I'm sorry." She said.
It wasn't until Gage looked into those eyes that he understood who he was talking to. He had been so set on meeting this Johnny guy that he completely forgot who else lived here. This was Sydney's daughter. She looked so much like her mother it was scary. The same eyes, the same ears and hair colour. The girl smiled at him. They even had the same smile.
So, this is what Syd looked like at eight. Wow! I never thought I'd get to see that.´
He wiped away a tear from her nose with his thumb.
"It's not your fault you had a bad dream. We all have those. What's your name?"
"Rebecca Lawrence." She answered and grabbed a teddy-bear on the bed for comfort.
Gage smiled at her. "That's a very pretty name." footsteps were heard from the corridor and Trivette appeared in the doorway. His eyes grew a little wider when he saw who Gage was talking to and a look of recognition spread across his face. He quickly recovered and pointed out the door.
"Gage, we gotta go. We've checked every inch of this house and he's not here. Not that we expected him to be."
"Ok. I'm coming."
"Wow, she looks so much like Sydney." Trivette said. Rebecca looked up and stared at him. She had stopped crying and seemed more relaxed than just a moment ago.
"Who's Sydney?" she asked confused by the ranger's observation. "And who are you?" she wondered, pointing her small finger at Trivette.
"I'm Trivette and Sydney is........uhm.........Nobody. Just my sister."he lied. "She lives far away from here."
"Oh, okay." She ran pass him and down the stairs.
"I don't think we should leave her here with that woman." Gage said. "I mean you heard Sylvia, she's being abused by her father. Maybe by Mrs Lawrence too."
Trivette nodded."Yeah, I know Gage. But we can't just take her with us. We don't have any proof of that until we find Syd."
"I know. It just seems so wrong to leave her here. And by the way, your sister?" he asked with a chuckle.
"I had to say something. Don't laugh!"
The two rangers met up with Walker downstairs. He was standing talking to Mrs Lawrence with the little girl next to her. The woman repeatedly tried to take the child by the hand, but she pulled it away each time.
"Honey, why don't you go to the kitchen and start making breakfast and I'll be right there to help you, ok?"
Rebecca took off as fast as she could and she never turned back.
"Isn't it a bit late for breakfast, Mrs Lawrence?" Gage asked glancing at his watch. "I let her sleep late, it's so much more quiet around here when she does. And she is more rested when she does get up that way." She too took a look at the time." I'll show you out." She simply said.
Walker's cell-phone made a loud noise in his pocket and he hurried to get it out and answer.
"Walker, it's Alex. I did some checking and found the woman that Sylvia talked about. You know the one who used to work at the place you are at and could testify about the abuse."
"That's great, Alex. Did you talk to her?"
"Yes, just a minute ago. She told me the whole story and she also gave me some video-tapes showing it happening in their home. I talked to the judge and he's willing to let you take the girl with you for her own protection until it has been proven in court. But you can't arrest the parents until we've watched those tapes."
Walker sighed with relief. That was exactly what he had wanted to do when he first heard about the little girl. No child should have to be abused by anyone.
"I was hoping you'd say that. Great work Alex, we'll do that right now." He hung up the phone and turned to the woman in front of him.
"We have to take your daughter with us, Mrs Lawrence. We have a witness who claims she has been abused here." He eyed the woman who didn't seem to take the news very well at all. "Trivette, would you go get the girl? We're leaving now." Trivette left for the kitchen.
"You can't take my child away. You have no right!!!" she screamed as loud as she could. "I want all of you to leave NOW!"
"We will, with Rebecca." Gage said and watched as her face went blank when she realized this was a fight she could not win.
Trivette returned with Rebecca, still dressed in her pyjamas. Gage ran upstairs to her room again and quickly went through her wardrobe, searching for something easy to bring with them. He grabbed some dresses and underwear. Just as he was about to leave he saw the same teddy-bear the girl had hugged earlier and brought that too.
He could hear the argument between Mrs Lawrence and his friends downstairs. Of course it was sad when a mother and her child were parted, but they all knew for a fact that the woman down there was not Rebecca's real mother, and she did not, according to Gage, deserve a sweet girl like her if she didn't treat her well.
To be continued
The three rangers split up in their search for Johnny Lawrence or anything that would help them find Sydney.
There was a big set of stairs leading to the second floor.
"Guys, I'll take a look up there!" Gage called to his friends and started walking up the stairs. He couldn't stop thinking "what if she was already dead".
No. I can't think like that. Sydney is too stubborn to die.´ he thought.
He reached the top of the stairs, was now standing in an empty corridor with many doors. He chose the closest one and opened it to see what was behind it. Not much. Just a simple room that looked like it was designed for guests to stay in. He exited the room and continued to the next.
He quickly checked a few more rooms, but no Johnny Lawrence. As he got to the fourth room a crash was heard, coming from the room at the end of the corridor. Gage hurried over there, expecting to find the man they were looking for. But he soon realized that the room he had just entered belonged to a child. But he could not see one.
This was obviously a little girl's room. It had pink wallpapers and dolls sitting or standing in small chairs or on the floor. A big bed had been placed next to the window and the pillows and blankets were spread all over the bed.
Suddenly Gage heard someone sobbing and it came from under a bed quilt on the floor next to the bed. He stepped closer and then carefully lifted it and peeked under it. There sat a small girl, hugging her knees. Tears were pouring out of her eyes and she looked terrified.
"Hi there sweetie! My name is Gage. What's yours?" he asked in the kindest and most patient voice he could manage under the circumstances. He lifted the quilt off her and put it on the bed.
The little girl kept scanning the room as if she expected something horrible to jump out at her. She didn't seem to be afraid of him though. Gage reached out his hand and she accepted it. He helped her up.
"What happened in here? I heard a noise."
The girl, still dressed in her pyjamas met his gaze but quickly looked down again.
"S-sorry."she stammered through her tears. "I had a bad dream and fell out of the bed. I'm sorry." She said.
It wasn't until Gage looked into those eyes that he understood who he was talking to. He had been so set on meeting this Johnny guy that he completely forgot who else lived here. This was Sydney's daughter. She looked so much like her mother it was scary. The same eyes, the same ears and hair colour. The girl smiled at him. They even had the same smile.
So, this is what Syd looked like at eight. Wow! I never thought I'd get to see that.´
He wiped away a tear from her nose with his thumb.
"It's not your fault you had a bad dream. We all have those. What's your name?"
"Rebecca Lawrence." She answered and grabbed a teddy-bear on the bed for comfort.
Gage smiled at her. "That's a very pretty name." footsteps were heard from the corridor and Trivette appeared in the doorway. His eyes grew a little wider when he saw who Gage was talking to and a look of recognition spread across his face. He quickly recovered and pointed out the door.
"Gage, we gotta go. We've checked every inch of this house and he's not here. Not that we expected him to be."
"Ok. I'm coming."
"Wow, she looks so much like Sydney." Trivette said. Rebecca looked up and stared at him. She had stopped crying and seemed more relaxed than just a moment ago.
"Who's Sydney?" she asked confused by the ranger's observation. "And who are you?" she wondered, pointing her small finger at Trivette.
"I'm Trivette and Sydney is........uhm.........Nobody. Just my sister."he lied. "She lives far away from here."
"Oh, okay." She ran pass him and down the stairs.
"I don't think we should leave her here with that woman." Gage said. "I mean you heard Sylvia, she's being abused by her father. Maybe by Mrs Lawrence too."
Trivette nodded."Yeah, I know Gage. But we can't just take her with us. We don't have any proof of that until we find Syd."
"I know. It just seems so wrong to leave her here. And by the way, your sister?" he asked with a chuckle.
"I had to say something. Don't laugh!"
The two rangers met up with Walker downstairs. He was standing talking to Mrs Lawrence with the little girl next to her. The woman repeatedly tried to take the child by the hand, but she pulled it away each time.
"Honey, why don't you go to the kitchen and start making breakfast and I'll be right there to help you, ok?"
Rebecca took off as fast as she could and she never turned back.
"Isn't it a bit late for breakfast, Mrs Lawrence?" Gage asked glancing at his watch. "I let her sleep late, it's so much more quiet around here when she does. And she is more rested when she does get up that way." She too took a look at the time." I'll show you out." She simply said.
Walker's cell-phone made a loud noise in his pocket and he hurried to get it out and answer.
"Walker, it's Alex. I did some checking and found the woman that Sylvia talked about. You know the one who used to work at the place you are at and could testify about the abuse."
"That's great, Alex. Did you talk to her?"
"Yes, just a minute ago. She told me the whole story and she also gave me some video-tapes showing it happening in their home. I talked to the judge and he's willing to let you take the girl with you for her own protection until it has been proven in court. But you can't arrest the parents until we've watched those tapes."
Walker sighed with relief. That was exactly what he had wanted to do when he first heard about the little girl. No child should have to be abused by anyone.
"I was hoping you'd say that. Great work Alex, we'll do that right now." He hung up the phone and turned to the woman in front of him.
"We have to take your daughter with us, Mrs Lawrence. We have a witness who claims she has been abused here." He eyed the woman who didn't seem to take the news very well at all. "Trivette, would you go get the girl? We're leaving now." Trivette left for the kitchen.
"You can't take my child away. You have no right!!!" she screamed as loud as she could. "I want all of you to leave NOW!"
"We will, with Rebecca." Gage said and watched as her face went blank when she realized this was a fight she could not win.
Trivette returned with Rebecca, still dressed in her pyjamas. Gage ran upstairs to her room again and quickly went through her wardrobe, searching for something easy to bring with them. He grabbed some dresses and underwear. Just as he was about to leave he saw the same teddy-bear the girl had hugged earlier and brought that too.
He could hear the argument between Mrs Lawrence and his friends downstairs. Of course it was sad when a mother and her child were parted, but they all knew for a fact that the woman down there was not Rebecca's real mother, and she did not, according to Gage, deserve a sweet girl like her if she didn't treat her well.
To be continued