How We Began

by Sandra Corton

  "The cleaners will be here soon. Stop being stubborn or they'll catch us." Steve sounded more exasperated now, which only increased Isaac’s worry.

  Ted pointed to one side of the door, while he stealthily took the other side. Ted had glanced quickly in the door, as he moved and Isaac didn't like the grim expression that appeared on the man's face. Ted raised a finger to his lips for silence once again. That was instantly shattered as all the lights in the field flashed back on. Ted gestured to duck closer to the building and Isaac followed his movements.

  "They know we're here, Kayla! What do we do?" Steve became frantic, and Isaac feared for Kayla when he heard the smallest of whimpers.

  "Steve? Are you there sweetie?" A voice that Isaac didn't know bellowed over the speakers. She sounded uncertain, harassed, but somehow determined.

  "Dammit! How did my idiotic mother find out about this? I bet it was your precious 'he loves me' Isaac." Steve snarled out the words, and Isaac gritted his teeth against storming in and punching the guy.

  Regret poured over him. Why hadn't he returned those precious words to her? He had tried so many times to tell her that he loved her. He always chickened out, wondering if this was what love even felt like. He had become a bumbling mess the instant he had even thought of the words. He made a promise to himself, once she was out of the situation he was going to tell her that he loved her so often that she would became bored with hearing it from him.

  "Steve, honey, you need to stop this now. Do you really want to get yourself arrested and sent to jail?" Steve's mum said in a direct manner over the loud speaker.

  "Now she wants to pull the ‘I’m your mummy' card?" Steve sounded like he began pacing inside the small cleaners room. "It's not going to work. I've got you, Kayla, and now everything is going to turn out the way it should." His voice turned gentle, as he crooned softly to her.

  Isaac looked to Ted, who seemed to be seriously considering his options. The man closed his eyes briefly, and Isaac felt guilt build a wall inside him. This was partly his fault.

  He should have listened to Kayla last weekend. He should have told his parents what Steve and Melissa had done. He wasn't sure if it would have changed things much, but surely, Steve wouldn't have been able to kidnap Kayla if they had all been more on their guard.

  "Please be here, Steve. I don't know what else I can to do to help you." Steve's mum sounded devastated, which came over the speakers loud and clear.

  "Help me? How has she ever helped me? You know she keeps me on these happy pills, so I can come across nice and normal for the world. Can't have the son of a shrink being crazy, now can we?"

  Steve laughed a bit hysterically, and Isaac’s face became horror-stricken. Steve seemed to need a lot more help than Isaac had thought. Is this why he had been acting so odd recently? He had always been a quiet, but different guy to Isaac. Maybe the guy really had problems that Isaac had never considered before.

  "That's why I stopped taking them. I'm not letting them have control of my world ever again." Steve's voice became a cackle, while Ted's face hardened.

  He made a speaking motion with his hand to Isaac, who shook his head rapidly. Hearing Isaacs's voice was not going to help Steve. The guy absolutely hated him. Ted made the gesture again, and Isaac let out a quiet breath, hoping that he wouldn't regret this.

  "Steve, mate, we know what's going on," Isaac said the words calmly, but it caused Steve to growl.

  "I am not, nor have I ever been a mate of yours, Isaac dickhead Thornton," Steve spat viciously. "You stay away from me, or I swear I'm gonna hurt your pretty girl."

  "You wouldn't hurt Kayla, Steve. You and I both know how much you like her." Isaac crossed his fingers, hoping his hunch played out.

  "Don't tell me what I will, or will not do!" Steve screamed out, and Isaac heard a shuffling noise. "I would hurt her, if it hurt you." Steve then sounded completely calm, which only increased Isaac’s worry.

  "It's Kayla though, Steve. This isn't about getting me, this is about hurting Kayla." Isaac said a bit frantically.

  "You know what, screw it! You are the only one I want to hurt. Perfect Isaac in his perfect little world. I hate you so damn much!" Steve's voice threatened in such a way that Isaac felt his body freeze.

  Steve came running out of the small room brandishing a huge, sharp looking knife in his hands. His eyes were fervid, and the feral grin on his face had Isaac's heart beginning to palpitate against his chest harshly. Steve headed straight for Isaac, who had no time to step out of his way.

  "Die, and let the rest of the world live." Steve snarled in a gruesome way.

  Isaac closed his eyes, and prepared for the inevitable pain. It never arrived, for Isaac at least. Steve was unarmed in under a few seconds. Isaac breather with relief that Ted had followed him. He certainly couldn't have done this on his own. Ted had Steve planted face first into the ground, when Isaac finally managed to unfreeze his limbs.

  "Check on Kayla." Ted's gruff words caught his attention.

  He turned to the small room, and flipped on the light switch. He let out a strangled sound of distress, as he noticed her bound figure. Relief filled her eyes when she saw him, and tears leaked out from her eyes.

  "Kayla."

  He dropped down to the ground, and pulled her to him gently. He reached over and tore at the tape that held her legs. He worked to free her arms next, and she stretched in an agony of movement. She grabbed the tape that covered her mouth, and gently peeled it from her skin. She winced and moved her jaw awkwardly.

  "Thank God, you're here! What happened to Steve?" Kayla threw her trembling arms around him, and Isaac held her close.

  "Your Dad's got him," Isaac pointed out the door, and Kayla went pale.

  "That's bad," Kayla tried standing with Isaacs’s assistance. She tumbled out the door to her grim faced father. "Let him up, Dad," she said, as she reached out to touch her father's shoulder.

  "Not happening, Muffin. Nobody takes my little girl away from me," Ted's words were stark, as he pushed Steve's face deeper into the grass.

  "He needs professional help, Dad. You're not going to help him by hurting him." Kayla's voice was calm, while she bit her lip with worry.

  She reached a hand back for reassurance from Isaac, who linked their fingers together. She sent him a concerned look, but Isaac had no idea what to do. Steve let out an odd gurgling noise, but Ted didn't let up his hold.

  "Daddy, please let him up." Kayla urged, as she squeezed her hand on his shoulder.

  At that, Ted stood and dragged a frightened looking Steve with him. Isaac felt immensely glad that the eye glare that Ted sent Steve hadn't come his way. It was a threatening, scary look. Steve's gaze briefly turned to Kayla, before he gulped, and turned back to face Ted's wrath.

  "Would you like to explain to me why you kidnapped my daughter?" Ted asked fiercely, as he shook Steve lightly. Steve only mumbled out words that made no sense.

  "Steve!" A new voice called out frantically, and the three turned to face her.

  A woman ran towards them in a fancy suit with high heels that dug into the soil at every step. Ted grabbed the back of Steve's shirt, so he couldn't escape, as he placed his other hand over Kayla's that was still on his shoulder. Steve sagged as if accepting his fate.

  "Explain to me why your son thought that it was a good idea to kidnap my daughter," Ted's words made the woman stop abruptly. She turned wide, reproachful eyes to her son.

  "You stopped taking your medication," The woman accused Steve, as her lips thinned unhappily, while she stared hard at him.

  "How would you know? You're never at home to even check if I take them," Steve snapped at her.

  "Are you mixing them with something else?" Steve squirmed at her question and looked away. "I guess that means you're still getting high."

  "You are aware that he drugged both my daughter and her boyfriend on two separate occasions." Ted told her abruptly, and the woman's eyes went wide before infusing with anger

>   "This has gone too far, Steve! All you had to do was turn up to the hospital when I asked you to be there, stay off the drugs, and take the ones prescribed to you." His mother crossed her arms, and stared with disapproval at her son.

  "You don't work there." Kayla said bluntly, and Steve flinched.

  "Work at the hospital? Steve is a patient at the hospital. Whose treatment would work if he quit taking other damn drugs." His mother snarled.

  "Mum, don't tell them that!" Steve's voice became distressed.

  "What that you're a pill popping, junkie who is now apparently taking it upon himself to drug other innocent people? Why the hell not, Steve, it's the truth." His mother said furiously, and Steve shut his mouth with a click.

  "I think we've had enough of that. Let's talk about your son kidnapping my daughter." Ted's fierce words made Steve finch outright.

  "I'm sorry for Steve causing you such distress. Are you going to have him arrested? I don't blame you if you do." Steve's mother said solemnly.

  "Mum?" Steve said in despair.

  "I've tried Steve, so many times. Sometimes people have to pay for the mistakes they make, this is yours."

  "Well the police have been called already, and they are on their way." Dana told them, as her and James rushed over to Isaac and Kayla.

  "If you just took your medication then nobody would have suffered."

  "He drugged my son and Kayla! Just taking his mediation isn't going to cut it." Dana's told her fiercely, as she hugged Kayla and Isaac close.

  "What exactly happened?" Steve's mum asked, as she shook her head in despair.

  "He put something in my water today. When I drank it... it made me happy and dizzy. I didn't even care about that," Kayla pointed to the cut on her arm that was stinging nastily. “It made me really sick. I still don’t feel that well, to be honest.” Kayla told Steve's mother.

  It sounded like the whole football field exploded with noise. Isaac's fingers tightened in hers, as all the voices tried to raise above the others. Kayla tugged on his hand, until they had left the parents and Steve behind. She pulled him in for a hug, as lights began flashing and sirens wailed.

  She was still feeling shaky from everything that had happened. Isaac's presence certainly helped her to calm down. He had come to save her, and that meant more to her than anything else in the world.

  She knew she should hate Steve for what he had done, but she knew that he needed help. She could only hope that he would find it soon. Steve was far more troubled than she had ever thought possible

  "Are you okay? What even happened?" Isaac asked, as he pulled her tightly against him.

  "I'm not okay. I think from my mum's analyses of all things bad, I've gone into shock, and I'm probably still coming off whatever Steve gave me. He's worse off than me," Kayla glanced over to the group of parents, where police were starting to arrive.

  "Chickpea, you're really shaking, so I know you're not good. I still can't believe that he had your tied up like that. What was going through his mind?" Isaacs’s voice went angry.

  "Can you just hold me for a minute, before they all want the same answers you do?" She asked hopefully

  "Of course I can." He told her softly.

  He held her closer, trying to stay in the blissful cocoon of their own. Kayla felt so jumbled up inside that she couldn't even cry about what happened. She felt an intense chill in her bones, while her thoughts swirled out of her control. Her teeth began chattering, as she rested her head against Isaacs’s chest, and tried to engulf his warmth.

  "Excuse me, Miss, but we want to check you out and find out some information from you," a kindly voice dragged them out from their cosy world. “We’ll be back to check you over too.” The woman gestured to Isaac.

  Isaac watched, as she disappeared into the crowd of police, concerned parents, and ambulance people. She turned back to him once, and he had the strangest feeling that he had lost her. He gulped in a breath, feeling his earlier guilt smothering him.

  If only he had noticed, what Steve was attempting. Why hadn't he told his parents about the fact that Steve had drugged him? If he had of done that, then maybe he would be enjoying his date with Kayla, instead of watching them load her into an ambulance.

  Even as his parents and Hayley surrounded him with words of comfort in between the scolding, he didn't feel any better. The truth was that he had brought darkness into a life that was nothing but light. Everything that had happened today, and even the lead up to today was all on his head. There was no one else to blame for what had happened to Kayla, and that bit at him deeply.

  In that one moment of time, he realised that he truly had fallen in love with Kayla. He loved her enough to let her go, so he could never cause any kind of hurt to her again.

  "I love you, Kayla." He whispered the words to the sky, knowing that he could never keep his promise now. He would never even be able to tell her to her face that he loved her. He had to let her go, to find someone less selfish and more loving than he was.

  Chapter 25 - What to do about missing people

  "Where's Isaac?" Kayla asked her father, for what she thought was about the hundredth time.

  "Muffin, I told you, they brought him in here too, so he won't be that far away," Ted answered soothingly, as he pushed her hair back from her face, and smiled at her

  "I'm fine, I just want to go and see him. I need to make sure that he's alright," Kayla insisted, as she went to get out of the bed. She would search the hospital for him if she had to.

  "You stay right there, young lady! Your Mum would kill me if she saw me letting you go anywhere," one of the nurses grinned at her, and Kayla flopped back onto her bed with a grumble. "Now, who are you looking for? Maybe I can search him out for you." She asked politely, and Kayla felt like she could finally breathe.

  "Isaac Thornton." Kayla told her and she frowned.

  "He was discharged a little while ago." The nurse said making Kayla feel immensely disappointed.

  "Oh, okay, so when can I go?" Kayla asked, and prayed that they would say soon.

  "Not until I say so! Now put that behind of yours back on that bed," Kylie bustled into the room, as Kayla went to stand up.

  "Mum! C'mon, I'm just fine." Kayla pleaded.

  "You're in here overnight, and I won't here an argument from you."

  "Kylie, honey, I can take her home and look after her." Ted told her confidently, but she shook her head.

  "Fine, I'll stay here, but will someone ring Isaac for me, because I can't use this in here." Kayla waved her mobile phone at her parents, who abruptly stopped their conversation.

  "Kayla, I told him what room you were in when Dana signed his release forms." Kylie told her, as she fussed around her bed.

  "He chose not to come and see me? Even Hayley?" Kayla's voice rose, as a sense of abandonment filled her.

  She knew something had been wrong when they dragged her off to the ambulance. He had sent her this odd look, he seemed to be saying goodbye, but she had no idea why. The guy had just saved her, only to decide to farewell her in the same instant. That just didn't seem right.

  A knock on the door had her groaning. Two police officers stood there, and Kayla knew that she was in for even more questioning. The endless retelling of the same story was driving her mad. At least this time they had some answers for her questions, which she welcomed.

  It seemed that Melissa was in for questioning over last Saturday's drugging of Isaac. Her parents were none too pleased about the whole situation. They had searched Steve, and found to be carrying all manner of drugs. His charges now included drug possession, as well as the kidnapping stuff concerning her.

  Things were not looking good for Steve at all. Kayla felt that he deserved some punishment for what he had done to her and Isaac. At the same time, she felt quite bad for him too. He had problems, incredibly serious problems that Kayla struggled to even understand. She just hoped that he found the help he needed.

  She had trouble staying awake afte
r the police departed. All she wanted to do was to see Isaac, to know that he was doing well. Knowing that he was avoiding her was making her anger slowly bubble to the surface, which began to overtake the disappointment.

  The idiot never showed which sent Kayla's feelings about him going from one spectrum to another. He was the one that dragged her into his world and had made her love him! The fact that he was running away at the tiniest hurdle made her want to throttle him. Didn't he realise that all relationships had there difficulties?

  Sure this was an unusual situation, but life was full of stuff like that, and they should be facing it together not running away. She only knew one thing; she wasn't going to let him run. The moment she could leave the hospital, she was going to talk some sense into him.

  She sent her Dad home when she knew her Mum was not backing down and letting her go home. She slept fitfully through the night. Hospital noises kept her awake, but thoughts of Steve didn't. Isaac was a different matter. She constantly woke with an aching heart, or began gritting her teeth over his stupidity.

  Morning light was a welcome thing, sure, she was exhausted, but she knew that she was one-step closer to talking things out with Isaac. Noises in the hallway attracted her attention, and made her heart begin beating faster. Hayley stood at the edge of the doorway with her hands on her hips, and a furious look on her face.

  "You need 'moron' stamped on your forehead. I'm not arguing this with you anymore. I'm at least going to see my friend!" Hayley's voice was a loud, but obvious whisper, and Kayla grinned, feeling happy that she was there.

  "Hey, Hayley," Kayla called out, glad that she wasn't sharing her room with anyone.

  "Kayla! I'm sorry that I didn't come to see you last night," Hayley rushed over to her friend’s bedside.

  "It's not visiting hours, how did you even get in here?"

  "My secret weapon, your Mum," Hayley told her, and they both giggled softly together. "She said to keep the noise down, and she would allow me to stay."