[HANSON STORIES]

The Gifted Child

Chapter 16 - Kill Him?



Daniel, Sheila, and Jacob all watched as Taylor struggled to lift the huge one ton box, which now was about a foot off the floor. He had gone through all of the warm up objects only having minor difficulties concentrating, but it was considered to be a good enough job to move on. Sheila was terribly worried about the boy. His heart rate had jumped to an extremely quick rate. His body temperature was up to one hundred three degrees. His breath was coming out in short, quick spurts. His hair, clothes, and body were dripping with sweat and he looked extremely pale.
She looked to Daniel, "Please stop this! He can't take it anymore."
"He's doing just fine Sheila," Daniel said, not taking his eyes off the struggling boy, "Mind your own business."
She then turned to Jacob and grabbed his arm.
"Please sir! Can't you see what this is doing to him? He can't take this. He isn't ready for it! Please Jacob listen to me!" She said, on the verge of tears.
Jacob turned and grabbed her.
"Listen to me! You are here to monitor the tests and that's it! I'll tell you when he's had enough! Got it!?" he yelled.
Before she could answer, a weak voice interrupted her.
"Sheeeeilaa." She looked to Taylor.
"Taylor what is it? What's wrong?" She looked at him. His fists were clutched so tight his knuckles looked like they were about to bleed. She looked at his face again and panicked when she saw a trickle of blood come from his nose and run down to his chin.
"Taylor?"
"Sheeeeilaa," he said again, "Help me." With that, the box hit the floor and Taylor collapsed.
"Taylor!" She yelled as she ran to him, kneeling down beside him. When he fell and had twisted around and landed on his back with his hand pointing towards the steel box. Sheila felt for a pulse and was thankful she found one. It was a quick pulse but a pulse none the less. She then checked to see if he was still breathing. He was. She placed her hand gently on his face.
"Taylor? Can you hear me? Come on sweetheart wake up."
Daniel and Jacob were now standing over the two.
"Taylor?" She said again. He let out a small moan and slightly moved his head to his left, in her direction.
"Taylor? That's it... wake up. Fight it Taylor." He then let out a large moan and his eyes fluttered open allowing him to see a blurred image.
"Sheila?" He said weakly.
"I'm right here Taylor. Are you alright?" She said stroking his forehead which felt extremely hot. He took a deep breath.
"Head.... hurts. Bad."
Sheila shot an angry look in Daniel and Jacob's direction. She then looked back to the pained boy.
"Taylor, can you sit up?" He nodded his head weakly and began to sit up. Sheila had to help him because he was a lot weaker than he realized.
When he was in a sitting position, he moaned and rested his aching head in his hands. It hurt so bad he thought he would either pass out or vomit, which ever was easier.
"Taylor?" he turned to the voice, "Are you okay?" She asked.
"I'm so tired," he said in a weak whisper.

Sheila pulled a tissue from her lab coat and held it to Taylor's bloody nose, trying to stop the flow.
"That's it! That's enough for today."
Daniel became enraged, "Who says?"
Sheila glared at him.
"I do!" She said defiantly, standing up so she could be face to face with him.
Daniel began yelling,
"Listen missy... I'm in charge here and I'll be the one to say when he's had enough!"
Sheila became enraged.
"Now you listen to me! This boy can NOT take this anymore! He needs rest! If you don't give him a break you are gonna kill him!" She then stopped, realizing what she had just said. Sheila felt awful. She saw Taylor jerk his head up and look at her with much fear in his eyes. She looked to the floor.
"Why did I say that in front of him? Why?" She thought to herself. She felt so bad that she didn't even realize Jacob was shouting.

"Now the both of you just stop it right now! I'M the one who is in charge here! Do you understand? Daniel I want you to shut your mouth! NOW! I'm sick of your attitude and temper.... so just cut it!"
He then turned to his left.
"Sheila?" She looked up at the sound of Jacob's voice as he continued.
"Is that a possiblity if we don't stop right now and let him rest?" he asked in a serious tone. She nodded.
"Yes sir. It is."
Jacob sighed.
"Then you're right. That's enough for today. We'll pick it up again tomorrow." He turned to Sheila.
"Will that be enough time for him?"
She shook her head.
"I don't know. Only time will tell." He nodded.
"Fine. Everything is temporarily on hold," he looked to Daniel, "Understand!?"
Daniel gave him a disgusted look.
"Yes sir."
Jacob smiled.
"Good. Glad to hear it," he said sarcastically and turned to Sheila before walking off, "Help him to his room and see that he rests. I want to pick up as soon as possible."
"Yes sir." She sighed.

At the words, "Kill him" Taylor looked up at Sheila and saw her look back at him, fear in her eyes. Was it true? Nothing else they said even registered. He didn't hear it. The only thing he heard was "kill him." He got scared. All he could think was, "God, I don't want to die." The next thing he knew, Sheila was kneeling next to him telling him he needed to get up. He gladly obliged wanting nothing more than to get out of this room and away from these people. With much effort and Shiela's help, he was on his feet, staggering back to his room, hoping his head didn't fall off on the way.

*******************************


When they got back to the room, Sheila helped Taylor over to his bed and helped him to lay down. He was so weak and so tired that she had to lift his legs onto the bed and push him down onto the pillow. She pulled the covers up and tucked him in gently. As she was doing this, her eyes met with two very tired, questioning blue eyes.
"Taylor? You ok?" She asked stroking his forehead, glad his temperature was finally lowering. He slowly nodded. She smiled and continued tucking the blankets around him. She stopped at the sound of his voice.
"Sheila?" She looked up.
"Yes Taylor?"
"Is it true what you said in there?" She pretended not to know what he meant, hoping it was anything other than what she thought he meant.
"Said about what Taylor?" He looked at her with such scared blue eyes that she thought she was going to break down and cry at any minute. Taylor took a shaky breath.
"Can..can the testing...can it kill me?"
Why did he have to ask that? She sat on the bed.
"Yes Taylor it can." She saw him start to cry.
"Why?" He asked in a whisper.
She sighed.
"Listen Taylor. I don't want you to be afraid of your power. You have it in you to do the things they want without it hurting you. But considering the conditions you're doing it under... yes it is very dangerous to you because your fear is interfering with it. You're afraid of doing it wrong so you're getting very tense. That is what makes it dangerous for you. You have to relax. You are putting too much effort into it. Much more than is needed." She leaned in and whispered to him.
"I'm gonna tell you something and you must not ever let on that you know this. Ok?" He nodded. "If you really wanted to, you could go into that lab right now and lift that box with almost no effort."
"I could?" He said bewildered. She nodded.
"Yes Taylor you could. You have to relax. Don't worry if you mess up. That isn't your fault. Just take it easy, ok?" He nodded.
"How do you know this Sheila? I didn't even know this. I don't think my dad knows it either."
"Because Taylor, I've been studying your test results. You have the power in you to do so much more than just lift a one ton box. Your power just isn't focused right. You're thinking about too many things. Trust me, when you learn how to focus your power on one thing, you will be able to do much more. Do you understand?" He nodded weakly.
"Good. I better go now before they get suspicious." She got up and walked to the door. She looked at him.
"Remember, not a word." With that she left.

Taylor, after much effort, turned on his side and stared at the wall.
"You have the power to do so much more." The words kept playing themselves over and over again in his mind.
"I have to learn how to focus." He said in a whisper. Then, more words entered his mind, "Kill him." He got tears in his eyes. What if they wanted him to try this again? What if what happened today happened next time or every time? Why were they doing this to him? He started to cry.
"Oh please God let me focus. Please don't let me die! I don't wanna die!" He said in a hushed voice, choked with sobs. Eventually, the tired boy cried himself into a fitfull, restless sleep.

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Mr. Hanson was starting to get very frustrated. He was very scared for his son and could not make a connection with him. All he got was blackness. He tried again.
"Taylor?! Taylor, son, answer me please! Are you ok? Taylor?!" Nothing.
"Dear God what have they done to him?" He tried one more time.
"Taylor..Ahhhh!" A ripping pain shot through his head. He got furious.
"Daniel you monster! What have you done to me!?" He yelled as he slammed his fist into the wall with all his might. Just then he heard the electronic beep of the door and turned towards it seeing a timid Sheila enter carrying a small tray.
"What are you doing in here? Have you come to give me more drugs? To make a zombie out of me!? Is that what it is!? Huh!?" She looked to the floor. Mr. Hanson sighed.
"I'm sorry Sheila, but why are they doing this to us?"
She looked up and Mr. Hanson saw tears in her eyes, as if she had just been crying and tried to stop. He was about to say something but she began to talk.
"Mr. Hanson, I'm sorry but it's my job."
He nodded.
"I suppose it's useless to refuse, considering they watch my every move I make and will probably just increase my dosage if I give you a hard time," he said in a disgusted tone as he sat on the bed. Sheila let out a small laugh.
"Yeah I suppose that is true, but at least there are no cameras in the bathroom so you can have some privacy in there."
Mr. Hanson looked at her as she paused, realizing that she was getting at something. She had her back to the camera as she let out a small smile.
"They can't watch you in there."
Mr. Hanson then realized what she was getting at as she handed him a pill and a small glass off water. He put the pill in his mouth and then took a drink of water. After he handed her the glass she gathered up her stuff and headed to the door.
"I'll come back and check on you later to see that the drug is doing its job," she said in a warning tone. Mr. Hanson nodded as she walked out of the door.

Once she was out of the room, he sighed and put his head in his hands. He rubbed his face with his hands and then stood up heading towards the bathroom, undoing the tie on his sweat pants. Mr. Hanson slowly made his way into the bathroom and shut the door behind him so they would know he was taking care of business.
He had business to take care of alright. Once the door was shut, he turned around and opened the toilet, spitting the pill into it. He spit a few more times to make sure there was none of that horrible drug left to make matters worse. He stood over the toilet for a few minutes looking at that pill.
"You won't control me anymore. No more! I'm going to get to my son and we are going to get OUT of here! I guarantee that!" he said flushing the toilet. He then looked into the mirror above the sink.
"Come on Walker! Get it together! Do it for Taylor... he needs you! No more pills! You've got to get it together!" He said in a forceful whisper.

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As Shiela left the room, she hoped and prayed with all her heart that Mr. Hanson understood what she was getting at. It looked like he did. She had decided that she was going to help these people one way or another. She didn't care what Daniel and Jacob did to her. If it helped the Hansons it was well worth it.
"Oh God protect them. Let this work. Please!" She said in a whisper as she headed back to the lab to discuss Taylor's test with Daniel and Jacob.
"I won't let them get hurt anymore! I won't! I can't!"


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