Disclaimer on first chapter.

Chapter Two:

Kolby James was vaguely aware of his surroundings. He could hear his mother sobbing in the distance and there was someone talking to her. His world was still black and the pain was dull but still lurking. He kept his body still, trying to assess the damage. His memory was fuzzy and he couldn't quite remember why the world was black.

Then it all flooded back to him and his leg twitched involuntarily. He felt his mother rush up beside him and he clenched his teeth. He kept his eyes closed. He was furious with himself. The prick Robbie had beaten him. That prick Robbie had gotten the better of him. He would have to work harder. He would have to push harder. He would have to make himself into the best.

He could do it. He knew he could. And then in four years he could join the marines and become even better. But right now he had lost his siblings. He had failed them. He felt like he was going to throw up again. He bit it back down and opened his eyes. His mother's face, swollen and streaked from crying, stared down at him. She tried to smile at him but it was forced. He wondered if she blamed him too.

"Kolby James," She whispered. Her voice was hoarse. He looked up at her with his blank empty eyes and he saw her guilt. He held all emotion inside. He looked away from her and saw two men come in the room. One came up to the monitors on his right side while the other drifted back towards the wall, a subtle move, barely noticeable in the room. Kolby was impressed.

His attention was diverted to the man standing along the wall. His focus was intense. The doctor asked him something but Kolby didn't hear what. He ignored the doctor until he snapped his fingers next to Kolby's ear. With no hesitation Kolby's good hand snapped out and gripped the doctor's arm directly behind the wrist and twisted violently. The doctor yelped in pain and slowly Kolby tilted his head towards the doctor and trained his blank empty eyes on him. He saw the fear in the doctor's face, and was still twisting when he felt a gentle hand on his other shoulder.

"Easy, Son," the other man in the room said as he gently applied pressure to Kolby's shoulder. Kolby released the doctor and settled back into the bed. His mother was shocked and standing back from him now. He looked away from her. He had failed her. The other man was studying him now. Kolby turned his head so he could see the man and they locked eyes. Kolby held his emotions tight, tucking them neatly into the box deep inside of him. The man on the other hand let his emotions run.

Kolby was entranced. He was intrigued. He was impressed. Finally the man pulled his hand from Kolby's shoulder and it settled to his side. Kolby shifted his gaze towards the doctor who was now standing back from Kolby looking over a chart.

"Kolby, I need to ask you some questions," the man stated. Kolby slowly turned his head again to look at the man. He was the cop. He was here to ask Kolby what happened. Kolby took a deep breath, but no one else in the room even saw it. He was still. He was calm on the exterior.

"Robbie took them," Kolby said plainly. "He found us and he took them. I failed. I couldn't keep them safe."

"You didn't fail, son, it wasn't your fault. You can't blame yourself for this. You're too young to protect them from a man like him," the man replied. Kolby looked at him for a moment then looked away. "My name is Detective Mac Taylor. I'm with the crime lab. Can you tell me what happened?"

"Robbie came. I hid Kady, and Kolt and Kassie. I told them to sit and be quiet, to not make a sound or move. They all nodded. Then I failed. I should have stayed put I should have stayed in the trees. If I hadn't moved he wouldn't have found us. He would have given up. He beat on me. He was going to kill me. I wouldn't tell him where they were. Then Kady, she ran out and charged at him. He forgot about me and drug her and the other two out. He took them," he said in a monotone flat voice. Detective Taylor watched him closely. Kolby just stared at the wall.

"You didn't fail, son, you did your best," Mac said.

"It wasn't good enough," Kolby said flatly and then closed his eyes. He ignored the man as he asked him more questions. He didn't want to speak anymore. His arm was casted and it ached. His head throbbed and he could tell they had stitched him up in a few places. He didn't move a muscle. He stayed like that for over an hour. Eventually the detective had given up and he and Kolby's mother were in the hall now. Kolby was by himself. He cracked his eyes a sliver. It confirmed he was alone. He opened them all the way, and slowly sat up. The world spun and he felt nauseous again. He closed his eyes and sat perfectly still.

When he opened them again the world had stopped spinning. Without a sound he slid from the hospital bed, detaching himself from the machines. He was out of sight before the first alarm even sounded.

Mac tried to get the boy to respond but he got nothing in return. If it hadn't been for the monitors he would have been checking for a pulse the boy was so still. Mac was impressed. The boy had immense patience. He finally gave up on asking the boy and stepped into the hall. He cleared his mind and walked himself through the scene again. He was thinking about what Aiden had said about there being no sign of the boy besides the blood he left behind, when he felt a pair of eyes on him.

He turned to see the mother coming from the boy's room, her gaze on him. He saw the sadness in her face. He felt her pain radiate from her. He glanced in the room and saw the boy still lying perfectly still in the hospital bed.

"He won't move until he knows he is alone," she said softly. Mac just nodded. "Tell me the truth, what are the chances of getting my three younger children back…alive?" she asked, her voice strained. Mac took a step closer to her.

"Ma'am we'll do everything to find your children. It hasn't been that long, someone had to see something, someone had to see a vehicle," Mac replied reassuringly. She just looked at the floor.

"I feel responsible for how Kolby James has turned out. I should have listened to him when he was four. I should have listened to him when he first came to me. I should have run, I should have…I don't even know anymore," she said, fresh tears spilling down her cheeks. Mac watched, his gaze moving from her to the hospital door back to her. He wondered what had happened to cause the mother so much pain, and for the boy to hide his soul so deep.

"Sometimes there is nothing you can do," Mac said softly. "I need to get back to the scene. Here is my card, call me anytime, ok?" Mac said handing her a card with his contact numbers on it. She took it and nodded. It was then they saw two nurses and a doctor running towards them. They both stepped back shocked as the three people burst into the exam room. Mac followed first with the mother on his heals.

Kolby James was standing in the corner of the room perfectly still. The doctor and the two nurses seemed to breath a sigh of relief as one turned off the monitor. The doctor approached him slowly, still remembering how quickly the boy had his wrist earlier.

"Son, you need to stay in the bed," he stated softly. "You have a serious head injury, and you need to lie down." The doctor was slowly approaching and Kolby did not move. Mac watched with awe as the boy stood perfectly motionless, not even sure he was breathing. If he was feeling the affects of the head injury he was not showing them. Finally Kolby slowly turned his head to look the doctor full in the face. He waited a moment.

"My head does not hurt," Kolby replied in an even and flat voice. He then turned his head away from the doctor and resumed his motionless stance. The doctor was at a loss. He had no idea what to do, and quite frankly Mac could see that he was scared of the boy. Mac stepped forward, brushing past the stunned mother.

"Son," Mac said quietly as he approached him. "You really should lie down. We wouldn't want you to get dizzy and take a spill. Last thing you need is to end up on the floor with the other side of your head splayed open." The boy gave him no response. Mac didn't want to touch the boy; he knew it would have the reverse affect he was trying to induce. "Please, Kolby James," Mac said softly. The boy cocked his head slowly to the side and looked at Mac a moment. Then Mac saw him let out a breath and then he nodded. The boy turned quickly on his left foot and went back to the bed. He settled himself in and fixed his stare on the ceiling. The doctor breathed a sigh of relief, nodded to Mac then left the room. The boy's mother stood quietly watching.

"I don't know what to think," she said quietly, fresh tears leaking from her eyes. Mac just nodded he knew this whole situation was difficult for both of them. Finally Mac motioned for the door and she followed him. As he left he felt the boy's eyes on his back watching him.

Once in the hallway he closed the door after the mother came through. He looked at her and offered a smile, but he knew she could tell it was forced. He then nodded and took a step back.

"You got your hands full with him. He'll feel guilty for a while. If you or he needs someone to talk to we can provide a councilor for you or him," Mac said. The mother just nodded her gaze going back to the door. Mac smiled again. "I have to get back to the scene. You can contact me anytime," he told her. She looked at him and nodded. The pain and guilt in her eyes burned Mac deep. He made a promise to himself then and there he would bring those other three children home.

TBC...