The Scent of Betrayal

Chapter 16

27 years ago when Jason was still in the custody of his birth mother, things werent so easy. six months before he was taken from her care he had been taken to the doctors with a broken arm, an xray had shown it was a spiral fractor. Heather couldnt come up with an excuse as to why this three year old boy had had a spiarl fruacture on his arm. That amoungst other things were not adding up to the doctors about the littles boys contidtion, unexplained bruises. Fingertip bruising on his arms and upper thighs.

The suspision was at its highest piont when Jason hadnt been taken to go and ge the cast off his arm when he wa supposed, nor a week later, nor two months later. That is when socail services were called, they had found him alone in the flat. Alone, hungry but he was suprisingly clean and was not dehydrated. The cast that caused him to be resuced was tattered and worn. The scene was not one that any social worker expected to see, it was filthy but it was tidy. They would find all the tins that had been in the home had been cooked, to the best of a three year olds ablity with a mrcowave, and they had all been put in the bin. Even the washing up had been done.

"Hello, what is your name?" A tall slender woman asked the small child, she remarked to her coworkers before that someone must have been in and cooking and bathing the small boy.

Jason didnt answer. She asked if he was Jason, he nodded. She asked where his mummy was but Jason didnt know so he shrugged his shoulders. She asked him who had been looking after him, he had looked at her blankely he didnt understand the question. So she asked him who has been cooking for you, he pionted at himself.

"You have been cooking?" She was stunned, Jason nodded slowly. She asked if he could show her he shook his head. But the small boy took by suprise by gestering her to follow him and showed her that there were no more tins. The social worker asked if it was becasue he had no more tins and he nodded. The woman asked someone she was with to go and get her a tin of something. They had all been amazed when the small boy opened it, turned on the stove and heated the tin of beans. He had pulled a chair up and stood next to the stove stiring it, being careful not to burn himself. They couldnt look away when he poured the beans into a bowl, they saw him clamber down off the chair and pushed it to the sink to wash his dishes. Then he sat and ate the dinner he had just made himself.

The social worker was in awe of the little boy, she realised that he had been made to look after himself. She suddenly thought that this child didnt know they had come to take him away from this world. She didnt know if she had the words to tell him that is why she was there. That night she sent everyone home and texted her husband that she had to stay out that night. She just stayed with the young Jason, she just watched as he ran his own bath, got his own water and put himself to bed.

The next morning Jason had woken up in some crappy childrens home, he saw that socail worker one more time and she had promised him that things would get better, it didnt. Not for at least three months before he was put up for adoption. Jason didnt talk unless he had to. He didnt tattle on the boys that pushed him, but he always got back up. He was in the home for five months before the Mortons had come in and changed his life.

The day he was taken for a day trip with the Mortons he had said his first words since he had been taken from his home. This took the couple by suprise, they had been told he couldnt talk. "Thank you Miss" that is all he said, a small timid voice almost lost in the crowed room. Lynn had brought him an ice cream, when he spoke she had almost dropped it with joy. She didnt want to overract about it so she said he was very welcome. then more and more the boy had before comfortable talking to them. On the day they took him home for the last time Lynn Morton had walked into the office and explained that they needed to do better.

"I was told when I took an interest in Jason that he couldnt not speak, i was under the impression he had been here for five months and he had not said a word." The worker looked as if he was going to speak. Lynn just raised a hand to him. "That little four year old boy can talk perfectly, he has more words than you do. You have failed his little boy and I am appaled by all of this. I will be making a report against you all. Jason Morton can talk, he does talk. You just didnt bother to let him talk, you decided that you were right. If i hadnt walked into this place to save him he would probably never spoke again. Shame on all of you." With that Lynn had left that place with her son in toe. Hand in hand, and neither of them looked back.

That first Christmas they had spent together had been the best day of her life so far. The smile on his face when he saw just both of his parents in the livingroom, he didnt even know that he was meant to get presents. He was never greedy, always over the moon with the smallest of things. His face was just a picture of joy when he had found out they had got him presents, if they had given him a fraction of what they did that day the little blue eyed boy would have been so happy. They knew he was the most perfect child for them. Every Christmas he was just so shocked and overjoyed that he had presents, when he was old enough he made his parents presents for their Christmas, in thoes moments he didnt care about his presents he just cared about giving, they knew did right by this boy.

It had taken months to get Jason to stop saying thank you for basic parenting thing, drawing his bath, holding his hand, putting him to bed. The Mortons didnt know about Jasons past but they knew that he was not looked after how he should have been. They knew he was an idepentant boy, it hurt Lynn that he didnt let her bath him but she didnt push him. One night Jason had been bathing and he shouted for his mother. That night she washed his hair, she bundled him up in a towel and carried him for the first time. She brushed his hair and helped the four year old into his pjs. They were rare nights but when he let Lynn help him she felt them get closer. Everynight she read to him, not kids silly stories. Jason wanted real stories so thats what they did. Lynn had a nightime tea, Jason had warm milk and together they read four chapters of whatever book it was. Mr Morton had often found them curled up together in the childs bed fast asleep.

Even now when everything was wrong Jason wanted his mother to brush his hair.