Chapter 57
Upon returning to the hotel, Taylor found himself in deep trouble. While the boys were talking to Tom Harris, their lawyer had been on the phone explaining to their parents what was going on. He told them he believed it would be therapeutic for Taylor to face the man, though he had to admit, he wasn't sure what he'd wanted to discuss with him. He assured them that there were guards there and that he would remain shackled and handcuffed and that at the slightest problem, the visit would be terminated immediately. Once they got over their initial shock, Walker and Diana had decided that Mr. Conover had acted in what he believed were Taylor's best interests. Taylor, on the other hand, had once again gone off on his own and had drug Zac along as well. Taylor endured what he and his parents hoped would be their last lecture on the subject. After that was out of the way, they wanted to know exactly what had been said and why he'd needed to go there without them or Jason.~~~~
As Taylor was being interrogated in the living room, Isaac was grilling Zac in the boys' bedroom. Isaac watched sweat break out on his little brother's pale forehead, and then, he'd run into the bathroom and thrown up everything he'd eaten. Ever. Whatever had happened had shaken Zac to his toes. He came back out slow and shaky and laid down on the bed. As much as he wanted to know, he knew Zac wasn't up to answering him tonight, so he'd just turned off the light so his brother could settle down. Besides, if he just stood in the hall, he'd hear what he wanted to know.
~~~~
The next day, Jason and the others accompanied all the Hanson children, including the three oldest, to Central Park. Taylor had apologized profusely to him and Jason had accepted, though he'd threatened his life if he ever did it again. As the lawyers talked to each other, and then to Walker and Diana, the group formerly known as Hanson visited Strawberry Fields with their little brother and sisters. A few fans had spotted them and they'd chatted and signed some autographs. It was cold, but the sun was shining and they enjoyed the fresh air as across town in a warm, stuffy office Tom Harris' future was decided. He signed papers and agreed to plead guilty to a long list of charges. They did not include felony kidnapping though, a crime that carried a sentence of life in prison with no chance of parole. He was charged though, with other felonies including torture and aggravated mayhem, both carrying sentences of life in prison, but with the possibility of parole. Both lawyers assured them though, that if he did get parole, it would not be for many, many years.
Diana insisted on seeing him. She and Walker were led into the same room her sons had been in the day before. She was almost disappointed to see that he was just a regular looking man. In her mind, he was a monster and he should have looked like one. For a moment, they just looked at one another, then Diana spoke. "Too bad you couldn't have gotten the death penalty, then you could have been with her." She paused to regain her composure, refusing to cry in front of the man. "He never got those letters from her. He didn't know about you or that child... You took an innocent boy and you took his dreams, his livelihood, his future..." She paused again, and he noticed that her features were eerily similar to her son's, and then, he felt a pang of remorse. "How dare you play God like that." She said. Walker didn't say anything, only watched. He was afraid if he let himself go at all, he wouldn't be able to stop.
~~~~
In the park, Isaac was watching Taylor with the fans. He had written something down for them and when he'd headed for the trash can to throw away the slip of paper, the girls had asked if they might keep it. Shaking his head and smiling, he'd obliged. The sun was out and the bitter cold had passed, leaving snow flurries in it's place. Zac was swinging Mackenzie in circles as he giggled madly, begging him to stop, but relishing every moment. Jessica and Avery were talking with some of the girls and occasionally voicing something for Taylor. His mind went back to the day before and his parents and his brother first talking, then yelling at each other. Of course, Taylor couldn't yell, but he had hit the table hard enough that today, he wore an ace bandage to protect his swollen knuckles. One more physical reminder of the traumatic turn of events he'd gone through the last few months. Isaac prayed it would be the last.
Taylor's relief when his parents had finally agreed to forego the trial came out in a flood of tears and exhaustion. He'd gone to bed at 7:20 and had finally been awakened this morning when Zoe lifted his eyelid, thinking him dead. Isaac looked at the little girl in his arms now as she made the sign for "snow." It amazed him still that his little brother and sisters had so easily adapted to Taylor's situation, he supposed it had affected he and Zac so deeply because of the band. And here they stood in this place that was a memorial to another victim of Rock 'n Roll, John Lennon. Well, he thought, at least Taylor had come away from the experience with his life. Tomorrow, they would leave New York again and head back to Tulsa to begin their lives one more time.
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