| He heard the shower start, and Emma still crying, heartbreaking desperate sobs and his own tears flowed again. He went to the phone and picked it up, dialing Tay and Jen. "Hello?" Jen answered. "Jen. I need you to come over here, NOW. Please." Zac said and sniffled. "Zac? What's wrong?" Jenny sat bolt upright, effectively throwing Taylor's arm from around her shoulder. He looked at her worriedly. "I need you to come to Emma's, Jen. She needs you." he stated. "We'll be right there, Zac." she said and started to hang up. "NOOOO!!" he roared. "Just you. If I see Taylor right now I'll have to break his face." he said. "And besides, Hannah shouldn't be here now. Please hurry, Jen." he said and hung up the phone. "Oh shit." Jenny muttered as she looked at her husband. "You're gonna have to stay here, Tay." she said and covered his hand with hers apologetically. "Why? What the hell is going on? And where are YOU going?" he asked angrily. "Emma's." she stated flatly. "Danny nust have seen the video." Taylor groaned. "I'm coming with you. We can take Hannah to my mother. Zoe will be thrilled." he said. "Tay.." Jenny paused. "What?" he ran a hand through his hair. "Zac specifically said, and I quote, 'If I see Taylor right now I will have to break his face.' Apparently Danny is not as dumb as I thought." she stood with her hand on her hip. "Just go get Hannah's bag. Let him break it. I deserve it anyway." he sighed and went to take a sleeping Hannah from her crib. "Come on sweetpea. Time to go see Nana and Zoe." he whispered and bundled her up while Jen made her an overnight bag. "Hopefully Uncle Zac won't do too much damage, so you'll still recognize me in the morning." he hugged her to settle her, since she was not happy about being awakened. Jenny held her little hand until she fell asleep on the way to the Hanson's L.A. home. Diana and Walker told them to be sure and let Hannah stay the night, that Zoe was looking forward to 'baby-sitting' in the morning, then Tay and Jen hurried over to Emma's apartment. Jenny and Taylor burst through the unlocked door to Emma's apartment, when the hear the pitiful wails coming from inside. Jenny looked around to see steam billowing out from underneath the bathroom door, and Zac squatting against the wall in the short hallway, directly across from the bathroom door with his head in his hands. Both Jenny and Tay looked at the pictures strewn over the table and on the floor and the color left both their faces. Jenny looked at Taylor and burst into tears, then ran to the bathroom door and banged on it. "Emma!! Emma baby, it's Jen!! Let me in baby, please..." she begged tears pouring down her face. The only sounds coming from there were Emma's heartbreaking wails and the running water, but all of a sudden there was no more steam. "Zac? How long has she been in there?" Jenny choked. "Since I called you." he said through hands closed over his face. "Break that fucking door down, before she freezes herself to death." Jenny's heart broke as she saw Zac's swollen red-rimmed eyes and tear-streaked cheeks. "ZAC BREAK IT!!" she yelled. He stood and kicked it in, popping the doorknob, and thehinges loose. Jenny grabbed a towel and pushed the lopsided door open, reached into the shower and turned off the freezing water. "Emma..Emma it's just me, just Jen.." she said and approached her slowly, her heart twisting again as Emma's small shivering body curled itself into a tighter ball, still sobbing. "Baby, I'm just gonna wrap you up, dry you off okay?" she knelt inside the bathtub in front of her, then wrapped the towel around her. Emma backed against the wall and tried to bury her face deeper into her lap. "Emma, it's Jenny. It's me, JEN..." she tilted Emma's face up and made her look at her. Tears poured down Jenny's face again as she looked into Emma's pained eyes. "Oh Emma. You should have told me...why didn't you tell me everything? I'm so sorry...so sorry." she pulled her friend into her arms and held her tightly rocking her as the sobs let loose anew. Jenny sat down in the wet tub and rocked Emma while she sobbed and tried to get the whole story out coherently. |
| Zac turned and saw Taylor as Jenny rushed into the bathroom with the towel. Zac's blood pressure rose a few degrees as all the times Taylor came in smelling like smoke and whiskey came rushing back to him, realizing it was the same smell that permeated Emma's hair and clothes after she finished a shift. "You selfish bastard.." Zac roared and punched Taylor in the stomach before Taylor knew what hit him. Taylor stayed calm and caught his breath as he looked into his brother's snapping, dark angry eyes. Zac went to throw another punch and Taylor caught him, pinning him to the ground with a thud. "Zac stop!" Taylor grunted. "I deserved that one, but save the rest for the real slimebag...LISTEN TO HER..." he pleaded as Emma's sorrowful wails echoed through the apartment. "Nothing happened between Emma and me Zac, I swear, or Jenny would never have married me.." Taylor grunted holding Zac's struggling body on the ground. "And you KNOW Emma isn't like that. She LOVES YOU." he said forcefully. "She needs you." he said more softly and let go when Zac relaxed. "I should still beat the shit out of you." he grumbled. "Fine. Do it later. LISTEN." Taylor urged. They moved to the door of the bathroom and sunk down against the wall, listening to Emma's ragged gasps and intermittent sobs as she spilled the whole disgusting story out to Jenny. Taylor couldn't help but put his arms around his brother as Zac began to sob for Emma again. |
"There were two or three.." Emma gasped between sobs. "I can't remember..I can't remember.." she sobbed harder and then tried to catch her breath. "Danny....kept..handing me...drinks. Then...suddenly I...had...no idea...where I was..." She took another deep breath between sobs. "I passed out...I think...I dunno, Jen. I can't remember that either. But when....I woke up....they were ALL on me...all over me..." she covered her mouth for a moment as she fought back fresh waves of nausea. "I...couldn't fight....couldn't move...couldn't tell where they were coming from..." she gulped hard and swallowed repeatedly and Jenny knew she was fighting to keep from being sick again. "It's okay, Emma. Go slow. I'm not going anywhere." she soothed and stroked Emma's wet head. "I was still so dizzy...couldn't get away...and I could hear Danny talking...he was one of them. I scratched him I think...I can't remember..don't wanna remember.." she choked and sobbed again. "When he finally brought me home.." she sobbed. "he put money in my hand. He said since I liked it so much we could make money..." she clawed at her friend and shoved her aside, hurling imaginary contents from her stomach into the toilet. "I can't even remember everything...couldn't remember until I saw those awful pictures.." she broke down again and cried some more as Jenny pulled her back into her arms and rocked her. Emma was shaking violently and Jenny yelled for Taylor or Zac to get Emma's large bathrobe. "No...Jenny...please.." she whispered. "You get it..I can't even bear the thought of looking to Zac...if he's even still here.." she said. "Don't be ridiculous, Emma. That man loves you more than his own life. He's sitting out there bawling his eyes out because he wants to help you and doesn't know how." she told her. The door opened and Emma quickly turned her head away. "It just me, Tay, Emma." he said softly and held her robe down for her to take it. "You'll freeze. Put it on, you're shaking so hard the apartment's shaking with you. Everything will be alright, Em. I'm sorry." he said and laid his hand on her wet head, tears threatening to spill from his eyes as he looked at his wife. |