Forgotten

BOB'S POV.

Pale and shaking slightly, Matthew walked slowly back into the room. Josh and Dan had disappeared, talking about drums and Cassie was chatting to Nathan and Mateo, both of whom were trying to convince her to come on stage with them.

"Bob - I... holy shit, come with me," muttered Matthew, grabbing my arm and dragging me into the kitchen, shutting the door behind us.

"It's bad?"

"It's worse than bad... he needs to see a counselor and the fucker that did that needs to die."

"Let me listen to it."

"I don't think you-"

"Matthew, why else would I ask you to record it? I knew he was never going to talk to me, but I want to hear the whole story, I think I deserve to hear the whole story."

"Bob, please, you don't want to know- I... I... you shouldn't hear this."

"He's my son, I have a right to hear it, give me the tape Matthew," I could tell by the look on his face he would not be giving me the tape anytime soon.

"Give me the tape."

"N-no."

"Matthew?"

He went even paler and looked at me, his eyes wide.

"That kid upstairs, needs to see a doctor, I'm destroying the tape, I don't want anybody else to even begin to imagine what he went through."

"Let me listen to it first," I said quietly.

He looked me in the eye for a moment before pulling it out of his jeans pocket.

"I hope for your sake Bob, that you are strong enough to listen to it, and I hope for his sake that they catch the guy that did that, because fucking hell... I need to be sick..." he trailed off and left the room. I felt a shiver run down my spine and I hadn't even heard any of the recording yet. How bad could it possibly be?

I opened up the cassette recorder, checked the tape was still inside, then found my i-pod headphones lying on the side and plugged them into the recorder, then put them in my ears.

I pushed play and a sound filled my head. Robbie sobbing hard, and Matthew trying to calm him down with no luck.

I rewound the tape all the way to the start and sat and listened carefully.

"What did he do to Josh? Did he hit him too?"came Matthews voice through the headphones very clearly. Robbie didn't reply but I guessed he had nodded in response.

"How about Cassie?" Oh god please no...

"Is that bruise from him?"

"Man, what the fuck did he do to you?" I held my breath as I waited for Robbie to respond to the question. I heard him take a deep breath on the tape and then begin to speak...

"Well... he hit us, the whole time we were there, he hit me right here with this... I don't know what it was... but it hurt so much and I cried all night and he came down and started beating on Josh, saying he was weak for not protecting me. And then he h-he c-came into the room and f-for n-no r-reason he... he..." Robbie's voice then became completely obscured by his sobbing and I could hear Matthew comforting him as best he could. I felt tears prickle at my eyes and my hands shook a little, my thumb inching towards the 'stop' button of the cassette player. I forced myself back under control and listened carefully.

"Dude, it's OK, talk when you're ready, I'll listen."

"O-O-OK."

"So he beat you up pretty bad huh?"

"Y-yeah h-he did, b-but he's d-done that s-since we were small."

"He doesn't like... ever... you know... touch you, does he?"

Robbie's sniffling stopped abruptly and I knew right away exactly what had happened. I felt sick to my stomach, first Josh, now Robbie too?

This fucker is going to pay... big time.

"It's m-mostly Josh he d-does stuff like that t-too but h-he... h-he... h-he did it."

"Did what?"

"R-r-r-r-r..."

"Oh my god, Robbie come here It's gonna be alright."

I cracked. I pulled the headphones out of my ears and sank down into the chair, fighting back tears, my hands shaking. How could anybody do that to a child? Just the thought of it made me sick, I could never even dream of doing such a...

Ring... Ring...

I got up from the table and walked to answer the ringing home phone, seeing as it had disturbed me from my thoughts I figured I might as well answer it, rather than let one of the others get it for me.

"Hello?"

"Good afternoon Mr. Bryar."

"Who is this?" I asked, immediately feeling edgy, something about this mans voice freaked me out.

"My name is Benjamin Davies, I'm an officer with the Chicago police service."

"Right. Um... you know that I live in New Jersey now right?"

"I have been informed of that yes, but I have been assigned the case involving three children which I believe the care of now resides with you."

Dude. Who the FUCK talks like this?

"Yeah..."

"There has been a breakthrough Mr. Bryar, around half an hour ago a drugs raid was carried out on a small house in the Chicago suburbs. We got him."

"You've... you've got him?"

"He is in custody. A Mr. Darren Sharpe?"

"That's him alright. Just make sure he doesn't get out," I said, unable to stop the smile that was slowly creeping onto my face. Scratch that. The huge grin that was on my face already and not in any danger of leaving soon.

"He's in a maximum security cell awaiting questioning. If anything else happens I will call you right away."

"Thank you so much, you have no idea what this will mean to the kids," I said, now itching to go and tell them.

"They will need to attend questioning of their own, but all in due course Mr. Bryar. Enjoy the remainder of your day and I will call you again if anything happens which you need to be informed of."

"Thanks again, bye."

"Goodbye."

I hung up the phone and sprinted up the stairs as fast as I could and ran straight into Robbie's room without knocking. He looked up at me, his face tear stained and his eyes so full of pain.

"Robbie, don't cry, you need to be happy, I got some really really good news," I said tentatively, walking over to his bed where he was sat, staring at me emotionlessly.

"And what would that be?"

"They caught him, Robbie he's in jail, he's gonna get what he deserves for what he did to you."

What happened next was something I could never have imagined ever happening. Robbie flung himself on me in the biggest hug I think I've ever received in my whole life.

"Oh my god, oh my god, really?"

"Yes. They got him."

"Oh my god.... I... oh my god..."

"Hey Robbie I-.... oh... um.. what's going on?" asked Josh who had just appeared in the doorway. Robbie was now crying, out of happiness or just sheer overwhelming emotion I couldn't tell.

"They caught him, he's going to jail," I said and Josh flung himself on me too, crying out in happiness.

"I don't believe it... oh my god... I wish Mom could know," said Josh. I held both of them tightly. Robbie started crying harder, I felt so damn terrible for not stopping what had happened to them but I guess now at least, justice would be done.