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In the morning the campsite was in full swing for the search for Taylor Hanson. The media was held back about a mile down the road. And it was confirmed that Taylor wasn't taken to any hospitals in the area. Search parties were already in progress. Many people came from the surrounding areas to help the Hanson's when they heard what happened to Taylor. Several people came and set up tents around the camp. One served as the headquarters for the searching operation. This was set up by the police and headed by Sam Smith, captain of the police force, of the town of Southfork. Other tents included food and coffee to be served to all the volunteers who came to help and some as a resting area. Walker and some volunteers were already out searching in the woods. Diana was trying to keep things in order at the campsite. Ike was still sound to sleep in the camper. Zac was looking after his younger brother and sisters, making sure they wouldn't get in the way of all the activity surrounding them. Taylor suddenly woke with a start. He felt disoriented. He couldn't remember where he was. He tried to sit up, but pain shot through his body as tears welled in his eyes when his memory came back to him. He looked around and didn't see the huge man anywhere in the cabin. "Sir!? Sir!?" He called out, but no one answered. Suddenly the door up above burst open and Jason ran in with fear covering his face. He slammed the door and bolted it quickly. Taylor cringed when he noticed that the man looked at him with anger in his eyes. Jason headed toward him as Taylor tried to back away. "Wh..what's wrong!?" Taylor asked with fear shaking in his voice. Pain filled his legs when he tried to back away while Jason stood over him looking down at him angrily. "Quiet! Just be quiet! Don't say a word!" Jason demanded as he gazed upward. Taylor noticed that he looked like he was listening for something. He could suddenly hear voices above them. He watched the man who now had a worried look on his face. "TAAAAY!?" "TAYLOR!?" Could be hear from above. Taylor jumped realizing that the voice from outside was his father's. "DA........" He started to yell, when Jason slapped his huge hand over his mouth roughly. Taylor was shocked by the sudden move and wriggled to get away from the hold with his eyes wide in fear. Pain shot through his body as he let out a muffled moan. He grabbed at Jason's hands desperately trying to pull them away. He tried screaming through the huge hand covering his mouth, but all that came out was a muffled cry. Tears of frustration formed in his eyes. The man looked angry and grabbed his hair, pulling it down on the pillow to hold him still. "Be quiet!" Jason whispered angrily through his teeth. But Taylor tried screaming again, but he knew his father couldn't hear him. He heard his father's voice fading into the distance. Taylor felt fear bolt through him knowing his dad was going away. He started to sob and tried twisting his head away. He desperately wanted his father. He started to swing out and hit the man's arm, but he still couldn't move it. The man was hurting him as he groaned in agony. He couldn't understand why he was doing this. He couldn't hear his father's voice anymore and Jason slowly took his hand away from his mouth. Taylor lay there staring into Jason's eyes blinking rapidly. Taylor started to shake as he sucked in a deep breath of air. "DAAAAAAAAD!" Taylor screamed as loud as he could. "He is gone now. He can't hear you. They are too far away now." "DAAAAAAAAAD!" He screamed again while racking sobs suddenly shook his body. "Shut Up! Quiet!" Jason yelled angrily. "Why? Why?" Taylor whimpered as his tears spilled down his face. "I told you! No one is to know I am here. Please try to understand. I don't want anyone to find me!" Taylor looked at him with a confused expression covering his face. "I didn't mean to hurt you. I...I'm sorry." Jason apologized sadly as Taylor stared at him shaking with fear. "Please tell me why?" Taylor pleaded trembling all over. "They... they will think I am a monster. People usually do. No one likes me. They will take one look at me and assume that I was trying to hurt you!" Jason explained in a fearful voice. "No! My family isn't like that. Please! They won't hurt you. I will tell them that you helped me." "No! No! No! When you get better I will take you back. I am sorry.... kid but that is how it is going to be! I know you probably think that I am cruel, but you don't understand son. I made a vow to myself that I won't ever let anyone know where I am." Taylor started to weep again feeling totally frustrated and scared. "I...I want ..." He didn't finish noticing that Jason was beginning to look angry again. He bit his lip to try to hold back the tears. "Please don't get angry at me for asking, b..but what happened to you?" Taylor asked in a pleading voice looking a little fearful. "Okay, I will tell you. I owe you that much. Well.... I was in a fire years ago that disfigured my face. People treated me badly. I couldn't take it anymore... so I came to live where I know I would find peace. Where I don't have to see how people react to my face. I don't like to look at myself if I don't have to. Okay?" Jason explained crinkling his eyebrows together waiting for the kid's reaction. "Oh.... I thought the scars look...looked like you were burned." Taylor replied still trembling a little. He wanted to ask more, but was to afraid to dig for anymore information than what the man wanted to tell him about his past. "What? No I am sorry?" Jason asked amazed that the boy didn't pity him. "Wh...What?" Taylor asked not understanding why he asked that. "You are a amazing kid! You don't fear me and you don't pity me either." Jason smiled as he sat down in the chair next to him. "I don't see what there is to be afraid of. I...I mean because of the way you look." Taylor pointed out and calming down a little when Jason smiled at him. "But I am scaring you by the way I am treating you." "Well...yeah. I don't understand why you are so angry with me." Taylor admitted sadly licking his lips nervously. "I am sorry. I am not angry with you. I am just scared. When I found you well... I really didn't want to get involved, but you needed help and I was the only one to give it to you at the time." Jason stated. Taylor suddenly jerked. His left leg started to shake uncontrollably. It sent bolts of pain through him. "Ohhhh...it hurts! Ahhhh...." Taylor cried out with his face twisting into a look of agony. Jason quickly pulled back the covers and examined his leg. "Your nerves are jumping in the leg. It is just a reaction from the injury." "Please! Make it stop!" Taylor begged pitifully. Jason gently massaged his leg hearing Taylor groan. The jumping started to subside. Taylor was breathing in short gasps of air. "That hurts too!" He moaned shutting his eyes tightly trying to bare the pain. "I know. I know but I am trying to relax the nerves. There. It's stopping." Taylor let out a rasping sigh with sweat beading on his forehead. "Everything still hurts. I wish it would all go away!" Taylor groaned in a frustrated tone of voice. "Do you want something for the pain?" "No! Not that awful stuff you gave me before! I...I can't stand it! I am thirsty though. Could I have some water?" Jason smiled and didn't blame the kid for not wanting any more of the pain killer. He knew that the taste was awful. He got up and filled a cup with some cool water and walked back over to him. Taylor reached for the cup, but Jason bent down and lifted him up and put the cup to his lips. "I..I can do it myself." Taylor said looking up at him. "Just drink." Jason smiled bringing the cup to his lips. Taylor started to drink while staring up at Jason. He pulled on Jason's hand when he had enough and he gently laid Taylor back down. "Wh.. when will you take me back?" Taylor asked tearfully, still yearning for his family. "Not at least for a couple of weeks. You are to weak to be moved right now." "That long?! My family will be going crazy with worry." Taylor said in anguish. "I wish it could be sooner, but you are just to..." "But can't you let them know somehow... that I am okay?" "NO!" "Plea... please don't get mad again. I...I just..." "Don't start that again!" Taylor just nodded, afraid to say anything more. Jason stared at him with angry eyes. "You have to get your strength back." Taylor nodded again with tears welling up in his eyes. He tried to hold back his emotions as best he could. Jason felt sorry for the kid. "If...if I have to stay... could you at least tell me your first name. I..I don't like to just call you Sir." Jason knew that the kid was right and cracked a smile. "Jason. My name is Jason." "I..I'm Taylor." Taylor stated shyly, casting his eyes up and down. "I think I already know that from the shouts outside earlier." Jason smiled, running a loose strand of his long dark hair behind his right ear. "Oh... yeah, that's true." Taylor smiled weakly. "Are you hungry Taylor?" "Not really... just tired." "But you have to eat. You have to get your strength back." Jason got up and went to the kitchen area of the cabin. Suddenly Taylor heard a scratching sound above him. He noticed Jason looked up too. He slowly went up the stairs and unbolted the lock and lifted the door wide enough to let something in. He saw Jason come back down with a white wolf following him. The wolf was jumping at Jason, trying to lick him on the face. "Down Snow! Down! I am glad to see you too." He laughed, grabbing the wolf by the tuffs on the sides of his huge head. The wolf noticed the boy laying in the bed and creeped up to him slowly, making Taylor back away a little feeling unsure if the wolf would like him or not. He sniffed his hand curiously and then Taylor lifted his hand slowly as his heart started to pound a little faster. He started to tremble sightly when the wolf put his face near his and then began to lick him on the cheek. Taylor couldn't help but smile feeling the big tongue tickle the skin on his face. He petted the wolf on the head as Jason stood back watching the boy and Snow. "His... his name is Snow? He is beautiful." Taylor crooned smiling while scratching the wolf behind the ears. "Yeah... I called him that when I found him as a pup almost frozen in the snow. He has been my friend ever since." "Does he like most people?" Taylor asked curiously. "No... you must seem like someone special to him." Taylor smiled as Snow kept nuzzling him. Jason started to make oatmeal. He was glad that the wolf came. It seemed to entertain the boy. He liked that the kid was smiling. Finally he finished cooking the oatmeal and took two bowls from the cabinet. He put some in both and thinned the oatmeal down with some milk in one bowl, that he wanted the boy to eat. He brought the meal over to the small table next to the bed and put it down. Snow was still enjoying Taylor's company when he noticed that the boy was falling asleep. He shook him gently on the shoulder and then saw him look up into his eyes curiously. "Here... I want you to eat some of this." Jason asserted as he grabbed the bowl from the table and then put the bowl of oatmeal near Taylor's chin and scooped up some and put the spoon near his mouth. Snow tried to nose his way in, wanting to eat what he was giving the young boy. "Snow go in the kitchen! Snow now!" Jason ordered as Snow whimpered softly and obeyed. Taylor put his hand up trying to push the spoon away. "No. I'm not very hungry right now." "But you have to try eat something Taylor. Your body is very weak." "I don't think I can right now. I'm not hungry and my stomach hurts somewhat. Please no." Taylor refused again, looking directly into Jason's eyes. "At least three spoonfuls. That is all I want you to eat. Okay?" "I..I can't..." Taylor began, noticing that Jason wasn't going to give up until he did. "Okay... I..I'll try." Taylor took in the first mouthful as Jason scooped up some more. He found it hard to swallow and then ate the next spoonful that he fed to him. He felt his stomach getting a little upset, but he sucked in a deep breath trying to make the nausea pass. He could barely eat the last spoonful. "No more! Please! I can't!" Taylor pleaded sucking in deep breaths of air. He watched as Jason put the bowl down on the table and then grabbed a napkin and wiped his mouth off gently. "Good. At least you ate a little." Jason said with a smile. Taylor nodded still feeling sick to his stomach after eating the oatmeal. Jason started to eat his breakfast when he noticed the kid was making a funny face and beads of sweat were forming on his forehead. "I..I think I am going to throw... throw up!" Taylor moaned as sweat started rolling down his forehead. Jason bolted up and hurried to the kitchen and grabbed a pan and ran back over to Taylor and placed it on the side of his cheek. Suddenly Taylor threw up violently with pain shooting through his stomach. The convulsions made his whole body hurt. Finally he stopped and laid his head back down with tears streaming down his face. "I..I'm sorry... I'm sorry!" Taylor moaned, feeling embarrassed and humiliated. "It's okay. You couldn't help it." Jason crooned softly, petting the boy's head gently. It worried him that he couldn't even hold down that small amount of food. "Try to rest now. Just go to sleep." Taylor nodded his head swallowing hard and felt exhausted. He was very tired again, noticing the pain in his stomach subsided a little. He laid there with his eyes closed, wondering what his family was doing again. He knew they were searching for him now. He wanted to be with them badly and his heart ached for them. He still remembered how scared Isaac was. He hoped he was okay. Tears formed under his eye lids and slowly he drifted off to sleep again. << Previous Page of Story>> << Back to Story Page>> << Back To Index Of Chapters Page>> Back To Main Page>> |