I Choose You

Chapter 46: Unfit Conditions

          They pull up to the house about twenty minutes later, a run down one story modular home. Liam's home a lot nicer.

          "Do you want me to come in?" Sloane asks. Liam takes off his seatbelt.

          "No, you better not."

          "It will be fine," she smiles, leaning over and kissing his cheek.

          Liam gets out of the car, walking up to the scratched door as he takes a deep breath before knocking lightly. A stout, hairy man opens the door.

          "Is uh Natasha home?" Liam asks.

           "Who are you?" the mystery man asks, eyeing Liam up and down.

          "I'm a friend of Natasha's."

          "She isn't here," the man says. Liam hears a baby cry.

          "Well can you tell me when she'll be back?"

          "I dunno man."

          "You okay man?" Liam asks, trying to be buddy buddy with him. He pulls out his phone, nonchalantly texting Sloane who's still in the car.

           "Yeah man fine," the man shrugs. "Want me to tell her you stopped by?"

          "Yeah if you could do that, that would be great," Liam nods hearing the baby once more.

          The squirrelly man nods and shuts the front door, Liam watching through the window as he sits down on the couch and continues to watch TV. After watching, he walks back to the truck.

           "Did you call?" he asks Sloane.

          "They said they'd get here as soon as they could."

          "Thank you," Liam says, looking back at the house. "Natasha's not there, and she left some strange guy who looks like he's on something watch her kid. My kid."

         "She'll be okay," Sloane assures, reaching over and rubbing her thumb across Liam's cheek.

          Sirens begin wailing in the background. They pull up as Liam walks over.

           "You the one that called?" the officer asks.

          "My girlfriend who is in the car called but I told her to call you guys," Liam says, shaking the officer's hand. "Liam."

          "What's the matter?"

          "The baby that is in there is my child. The mother is keeping me from seeing her. I'm currently in the process of taking her to court. I came here to you know, talk to Natasha who is the mom, hoping maybe we can settle this without going to court. But, a guy answered the door, paranoid, scratching at himself, told me that Natasha wasn't there while my daughter is in the house screaming her head off. I think he's on something. When he closed the door, he went straight to the TV and didn't even tend to my daughter."

          "So you have no custody of the child?" the man asks.

           "Uh no. I don't," Liam shakes his head.

          The officer nods and walks up to the front door and knocks, the man answering once again. Liam watches, Sloane watching as well. The officer walks down the stairs a few moments later and towards the pair.

          "Didn't hear a baby. No one crying. I can't go in if nothing is wrong."

          "I'm telling you, sir, she was screaming her head off."

           The officer sighs. "I don't know what to tell you. I can't break policy because you think you saw something."

           Liam sighs, running a hand through his hair as a car pulls up, Natasha getting out.

          "Liam," Sloane says, sliding her hand down his arm.

          "I'm okay," Liam assures her.

          "What the hell are you doing here?" Natasha slurs, walking over to Sloane, Liam, and the officer.

          "Natasha you're high," Liam says.

          "No," she mumbles. "I'm not. I'm drunk," Natasha smiling, looking over at Sloane. "Who the hell is this slut?"

          "Natasha," Liam says softly. "Who's in there with my daughter?"

          "My boyfriend. Go away," stumbling to the front door.

          "Natasha let me see my baby."

          "No," she says. The door opening as the boyfriend walks out. The high-pitched scream filling the silent night. The boyfriend walks down, getting in Liam's face, no one watching as Sloane walks into the house and down the hallway following the cries.

          "Hi sweetheart," she smiles, lifting the little girl and bouncing her a little as she cries into Sloane's neck. "Liam!" she yells.

          He walks into the room, something straight out of a nightmare. The place is covered in dirt, diapers are strewn everywhere, the windows shut and boarded up.

          "Liam, we have to take her to a doctor."

           "Get her dressed or find a blanket or something. Let me go downstairs and get the cop here."

          "Give me your jacket," Sloane says as he takes it off before heading out of the room. Sloane takes the dirty clothes off the little girl and cleaning her up a little since it looks like no one has. "It's okay sweetheart."

          "The living conditions are filthy. They are endangering my daughter," Liam says to the officer.

           "Liam! Now!" Sloane yells coming down the hall holding the crying baby.

           "Whoa, where are you taking her?" the officer asks.

           "She needs to go to the hospital," Sloane says.

           The officer looks at the baby and then Sloane, contemplating what he should do. "Alright go ahead. I'll call them to tell them the situation since I'm assuming you aren't on the little girl's paperwork."

          "Yes, thank you."