The Beginning

Chapter Seven: Tin Man Trouble

A few hours after Ambrose had been arrested he sat in a chair with his hands cuffed and bolted to the table by a foot and half chain. He had been in the same interview by the cheif of police for more than an hour now. The man pounded his fist on the table causing the young inventor to flinch again for the twentieth time. "Damn it Ambrose, I'm trying to help you, but I can't do that until you tell me where you live and what your number is so I can call your parents...." He snapped angrily. Ambrose tilted his head and looked at the police officer with a confused expression. "I already told you, I live in Central City and nothing else you have said as made any sense...." Ambrose said looking from the cheif to Officer Curt and back again. "Ambrose just tell us where you live...." Officer Curt said in a calm voice as he leaned against the door with his arms crossed against his chest. Ambrose sighed and banged his head on the table. "I live in Central City...." He muttered with his head still on the table.

The chief sighed and rubbed his forehead. "Ambrose we can't help you if you're not willing to cooperate...." He said looking at Ambrose and sitting back down in the chair across from the young inventor. "I am cooperating...." Ambrose said as he lifted his head off the table. He put his hands in his lap and started wringing them violently causing them to turn red. This wasn't the first time he had started tearing up his hands either, Officer Curt sighed and walked over taking the boys wrists and gently slamming his hands on the table again pulling them apart. "Keep your hands above the table and keep them flat just like this...." He said laying Ambrose' hands about two inches apart on the table. Ambrose nodded and did as he was told.

"Greg can I talk to him for a second?" Another police officer asked who had just walked in looking at the chief. Greg threw his arms in the air in an irritated way and stood leaning against the wall. She smiled politely at Ambrose and noticed that he was once again wringing his hands together. She grabbed the boys hands and held them tightly. "Ambrose, I'm Brianna, it's nice to meet you...." She said as Ambrose squeezed her hands tightly, watching Curt and Greg leave the room. "Nice to meet you to...." Ambrose muttered looking down. "Ambrose I'm here to help you, I'm your aunt and I'm gonna do anything I can to get you outta here ok. Your dad's waiting for you in the foyer...." She said quietly looking at the door. "Aunt Brianna you have to help me, those tin men are confusing me. I don't know what a phone number is, or an address...." He said trying to stand up but the handcuffs pulled him back down. "Shhh! I'll give you the address and the number to our house ok...." She said taking his hands in hers.

Ambrose stopped talking and looked at the floor nodding slowly. "How good are you at remembering things Ambrose?" Brianna whispered in his ears. "Pretty well...." He whispered back looking at her seriously. "Ok here goes...." She whispered the address and number in his ear. "I gotta go now ok, don't forget!" She kissed him on the forehead and walked out of the room. "He's ready for you cheif, try not to be so hard on him Greg...." She said patting him gently on the shoulder. Greg nodded and walked in smiling now that he had calmed down. "Are you ready to cooperate son?" He asked smiling at the young inventor.

"Yes sir...." Ambrose said putting his hands flat on the table repeating the phone number and address, what ever those are, he thought to himself. He tilted his head and watched Greg sit down. "Ok Ambrose what's your phone number so I can call your father?" Greg said also putting his hands flat on the table. "Oh, phone number, right. It's 574-9071...." He said shaking his head. "I guess the cigarette got to my head sir...." Ambrose said as he looked away. Greg looked at him with a confused expression but wrote the number down. Ambrose looked at the mirror and sighed before looking back at Greg. "I'm sorry...." The young boy muttered before once again banging his head lightly on the table.

"It's ok, I'm gonna go call your father, I'll be right back...." The chief said standing up. Brianna walked back in and sat down smiling at her nephew. "There, that wasn't so hard, was it? If you promise not to move I'll take the cuffs off, but you have to promise...." She said sternly taking out a key and holding it tightly between her fingers showing it to Ambrose. "You won't go anywhere will you?" She asked as he smiled and tried to take the key, she pulled it away and looked at him crossly. "No, I promise...." Ambrose said looking at her with no emotion. "I promise...." He unknowinlgy repeated as Bri placed the key in his hand. "Ok, unlock yourself and I'll be right outside, I'll be watching you...." She said standing up which just confused Ambrose more seeing as there were no windows in the room. He shrugged the thought away and took the cuffs off.

Man those things hurt, glad I'm not a convict.

He thought as he folded his hands in his lap. He didn't know how long it to "call" his father if his father was already there. Taylor walked up to the desk looking at the Chief, Greg, he remembered him from the academy, but he wasn't here for a reunion. Leaning against the desk, Taylor cleared his throat. "My nephews tell me you picked up my son, Ambrose about two hours ago. I'm here to take him home...." He said and Greg, who was holding the receiver to his ear blinked a few times confused before putting the receiver down. "Oh you're Ambrose' father? Greg Sway...." He said holding his hand out, Taylor shook it and smiled, surprised Greg hadn't recognized his voice, but then it had been 15 years since they'd seen each other last before he was pulled to the OZ. "Taylor Avery...." He said as Greg walked him toward the interview room. Bri saw them coming and stood up, she knew she had to pretend that she didn't know Taylor. "Brianna this is Taylor Avery, Ambrose' father...." He said forgetting that his friend had the same last name. Bri smiled and shook Taylor's hand. "Pleasure to meet you, Ambrose is a wonderful boy...." She said smiling and then winking at Taylor. The man smiled and walked quickly into the interview room.

"Ambrose? Are you alright?" Taylor asked as he hugged his son. Ambrose moaned, he hated his parents treating him like a child sometimes. "I'm fine...." He mumbled through his father's arms. Taylor let him go and kneeled beside the chair and looked at Ambrose' hands. He sighed and looked at Ambrose, shaking his head when he saw the bruises from the handcuffs on his wrists for so long as well as how tore up his hands were from wringing them so violently. "We'll go home and give you a nice hot bath, soak your wrists and hands...." He said rubbing the back of his sons head. Ambrose nodded and didn't say anything as Greg released him to Taylor.

Once they got home Ambrose was practically tackled by his mother. "Oh Ambrose, I'm so glad you're safe...." She said glaring at Jeremy and Jordan. The two boys gulped and walked away. "Mother!" Ambrose said in an irritated voice. Carry let him go just as Taylor walked in carrying a small bag. "Here Ambrose, you forgot your stuff...." He said setting the small brown paper bag on the table. Ambrose nodded and didn't say anything as Taylor gently grabbed his arm. "He needs to soak his hands...." He paused and grabbed his son by the shoulders and looked at him. "How long did they have you cuffed to that table exactly?" He said pulling Ambrose' face up so he was looking at him. The young inventor thought for a minute and tried to look away, but his father wouldn't let him. "Ambrose?" Taylor said as Ambrose looked at the wall without moving his face. He looked back up at his father and licked his lips. "I don't know, about an hour and a half...." He said shrugging his shoulders.

Taylor glared at the floor and let Ambrose go, but quickly and gently grabbed his arm so he couldn't go any where. "They're not supposed to do that, especially to a minor...." Before he could say any more Carry was dragging Ambrose upstairs toward the bathroom. "Come on...." Taylor followed her and turned the bathroom light on, he showed Carry Ambrose' wrists and hands while she started the bath water making it nice and hot the way Ambrose liked it. He sighed and started working on taking off his trench coat, but his hands were to weak. After kissing Carry and gently kicking her out of the bathroom Taylor started helping Ambrose. As gently as possible he pulled the sleeves off his wrists seeing Ambrose scrunch his face in pain. Once he had his shirts off Taylor took his pants off and helped him into the tub. Jay had walked in to make sure everything was gonna be alright. "Don't worry, the boys will be punished severly...." He said looking at Ambrose with an apologetic expression. He looked at Taylor and tilted his head. "You gonna leave his boxers on?" He asked watching Ambrose get into the tub, his father holding his elbow. Taylor nodded. "That way if he needs anything and I can't hear him Carry can come tend to him...." He said looking at his older brother. Jay nodded in understandment and walked out of the bathroom. Taylor watched Ambrose lay down, putting his hands in the scalding hot water. "Keep your hands IN the water Ambrose. I'll be back to check on you shortly....." He said standing next to the door. Ambrose nodded before going completely under the water, looking up as the hotness swept over his face and stung his eyes, but he was quite used to it.

Every few minutes either Taylor, Carry, Jay or Brianna would come and check on Ambrose. Jay and Bri were a little surprised the first time when they saw Ambrose under water staring back at them. Carry explained as best she could about her sona uniqueness and Taylor, although New York City born, tried to help. "How long is he gonna be in there?" Brianna asked after sending the boys to bed early. Ambrose had already been in the bath for over half an hour "Until the water gets to cold most likely, he does it every time....." Carry said sitting at the table as MiKayla walked up the stairs again. She was 11, a year and two months younger than the twins and she liked helping her parents check on Ambrose even though her father had told her three times already to leave Ambrose alone, she just couldn't help it. She walked into the bathroom again and walked over to the tub so Ambrose could see her. When he saw her standing there for the fourth time he came up not even gasping for breath and looked at her. "Hi Ambrose, your mom told me you might be thirsty and that she don't want you drinking the water. Not that you do she said, but I brought you some soda, try it... it's really good...." She said showing Ambrose the light green bottle. "It's Sprite, my favorite soda...." She said in her sweet voice. Ambrose didn't say anything as he stared at the bottle. "Why is it all bubbly?" He asked tilting his head. "She looked down at the soda and shrugged her shoulders. "I don't know, the caffine or something...." She said holding the bottle out to Ambrose. He looked down at his hands and lifted them out of the water, but quickly put them back in as Mikayla helped him sit up. "Wow, handcuffs are terrible things...." She said seeing how bad her cousins hands were. She took a sip of the soda and held the bottle for Ambrose. "That's good...." He said smiling as he licked his lips when she finally pulled the bottle away. Ambrose burped loudly and started laughing along with MiKayla even though he didn't know what was so funny. "Excuse you...." The young girl said with a smile.