Chapter 6
Taylor hadn't long been asleep when she heard the banging on her front door, she looked at her clock, who the hell could this be, she'd only got in just after midnight. Taylor got out of bed and pulled on her dressing gown, as she started down the hall the knocking was getting louder and harder, she was reluctant to open it and was starting to become nervous until,
" taylor, it's me, ryan I know your in there, now open up" ryan was nearly knocking the door of it's hinges.
Taylor quickly started fumbling with the locks and wrenched open the door, " ryan, what is it? Whats wrong?" taylor was starting to panic, was summer and seth ok? Parker? And then she looked into ryans eyes and realised that he knew. He knew about everything.
Ryan pushed past taylor into the living room, they needed to talk and he wasn't going to do it outside.
" ryan, I ….." taylor didn't know what to say, where she could start.
Ryan took her hand in his and looked her straight in the eyes, " how could you not tell me what he was doing to you, to jamie, why couldn't you tell anyone?"
Taylor decided it was best if she started at the beginning, she started to explain how, she had met scott,, how he was nice to begin with, but he quickly changed, how scott always wanted jamie out of his way.
Ryan could feel his anger bubbling but he knew he had to control it for the sake of taylor and his son.
Taylor went over different things that scott had done, she knew this was killing ryan, the fact that she had been through so much and he couldn't rescue her. She started to tell him the things that she had told summer that day and when she had finished they both sat in silence for what seemed like eternity.
" we have to get you out of here taylor, you and jamie, I'll take you both up to berkerly and we can stay with sandy and kirsten until we find some place of our own…." ryan looked up at taylor, why was she not talking, didn't she want to do this, escape, be free from this monster.
" I can't ryan, I can't put your family in danger, I know what he's capable of, I've had it first hand, please…"
" you can't be serious, your going to stay with him? " ryan had stood without realising, his anger was truly boiling over now.
Taylor couldn't talk, she just looked at her hands.
" so you're just going to wait for him to kill you next time, what about jamie? Your not thinking of him," ryan was seething, the thoughts of scott hurting taylor was bad enough but scott hurting his son was unbearable.
" that's just it ryan, I am thinking of jamie, if I leave and he finds us, which I know you don't think he will, but I do, he will not just kill me for leaving but he will kill jamie as punishment for you"
" I don't understand, why would he punish me" ryan didn't understand what she was talking about.
" he knows you jamie's father, I've never hid that fact, scott was horrible to me when I wrote to you every week and if he found out I'd left with you…." taylor couldn't get her words out, and the tears began to spill down her cheeks.
" so that's it…. Your going to stay with him"
" I'm sorry ryan"
Ryan left taylor sitting on her own sobbing to herself, he just couldn't understand how she could stay with this man that had inflicted nearly 3 years worth of pain on her.
The following day taylor decided to take jamie to the beach again, she sat on the sand as he made sandcastles remembering the other day when ryan had been with them, she loved ryan, she always had, why couldn't he understand that she was protecting everyone by staying with scott.
Ryan was asleep in the den at seth and summers and was awoken by a little mini seth jumping on his bed, " uncle ryan" the little boy yelled,
" parker get off there and let uncle ryan wake up first" seth was trying to pull his son off ryans bed.
"seth its fine, I was just getting up anyway" ryan threw on his t-shirt and sagged out of bed.
" morning atwood, you talk to taylor last night, ryan noddedat summer who had just come in to find parker, " o….k…. parker your coming with me shopping"
"awww no mommy"
" yes parker you start nursery again next week and we need to get you new pants mister".
Seth rolled his eyes at the same time as his son, " summer, we do not say pants ok, my mom said that to me and from then on all I ever got were wedgies"
" awww poor baby summer stroked her husbands hair, people still try and do that now, that's why you have me" summer stuck her tongue out at seth and grabbed parker pulling him out of the room as she shut the door.
" so you talk to taylor, I'm judging that by the way you slammed the front door last night that your answer is yes"
" she's staying with him" ryan didn't even look at seth when he said this, he knew that seth was thinking the same as he was.
Taylor and jamie arrived home and as soon as taylor walked through the front door she knew that something was wrong, the house felt strange. Taylor walked protectively in front of jamie as they entered the kitchen.
Taylor lost her breath and dropped her keys,
" scott, what are you doing home I thought you said you'd be back on Friday"
" I bet you did" scott was walking closer to her and jamie and he had the crazy look in his eyes that she knew all to well.
Taylor knew she didn't have time to send jamie to his room, so he was left to witness everything.
" you know taylor, there was no business trip" scott was still advancing on them as he spoke.
" scott what are you talking about?" taylor could feel the nervousness in her words.
" I've been here, in Newport, watching you, waiting for you to make a mistake"
" watching me?" taylor held jamie's hand tighter, something was brewing she could fell it,
" I've seen everything, do you think I'm that stupid?"
" I haven't done anything I swear" taylor almost yellped the words out as scott grabbed her by the hair, pulling her across the room, before sending her flying into the kitchen work top.
" DON'T LIE TO ME" scott was shouting, "I saw you at the beach, with him, playing happy families"
Taylor remembered she was so sure she had seen scott that day, why hadn't she trusted her instincts.
" don't you remember what I've always told you, you'll never learn will you" scott lifted taylor and began punching her all over, taylor was trying to shield herself, jamie ran over screaming trying to pull scott off his mommy, " mommy,let go of her, mommy"
Scott lunged his arm backwards and it collided with jamies face, flinging him onto the floor, scott let go of taylor and started heading for jamie.
With all her strength taylor heaved her self up off the floor, "no-one hurts my son" and she ran for him, jumping on scott taking him by surprise, " RUN JAMIE, RUN".
Jamie ran as fast as his little legs would carry him, he could hear the grunts from his mom, as she was being defeated and hurt.
The pain was unbearable, as taylor lay there on the kitchen floor taking blow after blow to her head and body, would he ever stop. She had stopped fighting back as soon as she had seen jamie run out of the house, she knew he was safe, the only thing left now for everyone to be free, was to die.
Ryan was sat with seth and parker playing video games, while summer was ordering take out, when they all heard the doorbell go.
" man that Chinese is fast" seth laughed.
" I'll get it, I've seen parker beat you at least six times now already, once more isn't going to hurt" ryan chuckled to himself as summer burst out laughing.
The instant ryan opened the door, a little figure rushed at his legs, " daddy" it was jamie and he was upset and shaking,
Ryan carried jamie inside and sat him on the kitchen top,he was joined by summer and seth,
"jamie look at me, whats going on, wheres mommy"
Ryan placed his hand under jamies chin and lifted his head, everybody gasped, there on jamie's perfect face was a huge purple and blue bruise.
" he's got mommy and he's hurting her" jamie was crying
" who, scott?" ryan was beside himself, his son had turned up battered and bruised and now his worst fears were being confirmed, taylor was waiting to die.
" summer call the police, seth stay here incase scott turns up" ryan ran out of the door and arrived at taylor's in seconds.
He rushed into the kitchen and saw scott kicking the life out of what looked like a sack of potatoes, but ryan knew it was taylor. Without a second thought, ryan tackled scott sending them both flying over the kitchen worktops.
" I'll kill you, you son of a bitch," ryan was yelling as he punched scott over and over, " if you ever touch my son again….. scott punched ryan in the stomach, god it hurt so much, ryan was coughing on the floor when he saw taylor laying there, " I'm sorry , and , I love you" she whispered, that was enough for him to hear, he leapt up and grabbed scott by the scruff of his shirt, " whats the matter, you only hit women?" ryan asked scott and he let the rest of his anger come flowing out, until the cops arrived and broke the two apart.
Taylor was rushed to hospital, and when ryan arrived shortly after, he was greeted by his entire family,
" she's in surgery, they say she's got some internal bleeding and a few broken ribs, so all we can do is wait" sandy was offering a chair to his son afraid he might collapse at any time .
Jamie crawled up onto ryans lap and ryan cuddled him until he fell asleep.
Everyone was sat quietly when two cops showed up, " we're looking for ryan atwood?"
" that's me" ryan stood up and handed jamie to kirsten.
" ryan atwood we are arresting you for attempted murder, breaking and entering and assault, you do not have to say anything…." the cops reeled off the quote as they handcuffed ryan.
" ryan don't say anything, I'll meet you down town ok?" sandy gave his son a reassuring pat on the arm and turned to the officers , I'm his lawyer"
Ryan had been sat in this empty room for an hour before he could see sandy,
" sandy whats going on?"
Sandy hesitated " ryan, scotts told the police that you broke in and attacked taylor, for not telling you about jamie, he says that he came home and found you attacking taylor and then you turned on him" sandy couldn't believe what scott was saying.
Ryan sat shaking his head. " I do have some news though, taylorr's out of surgery and they say that she's going to be fine"
At least some good may come out of this, surely taylor will be able to tell the cops what happened. Right.
