The Boy in the Woods (2014 Wattys Winner, Wattpad Version)

Chapter 48 - Take Good Care of My Baby

Doug breathed heavily, not saying anything, and when Jess lifted her head, he was looking down at her with horror, as if he didn’t know her.

“It’s not true!” Jess cried, while Doug searched her eyes.  “I swear it’s not true!  I just came back from a walk!” 

“She’s a lying tramp!”

“Don’t talk about her like that!” Doug roared, trying to take a step towards Uncle Jonathon, but Jess’s tight hold kept him back. 

“You’re going to take her word over mine?” Uncle Jonathon shouted, his hands balling into fists.

“No!  Stop!” Jess pleaded desperately.  With Uncle Jonathon drunk, and Doug angry and determined to protect her, she was terrified they might get into a physical fight.  “Please take me upstairs, Doug.  Please!”  He didn’t want to, she could see it in his angry eyes, but then his expression changed.

“Alright,” he muttered.  “Come on.” 

“Douglas!” Uncle Jonathon shouted while he led her up the stair.  Was Uncle Jonathon going to come after them, she wondered fearfully.  She felt the urge to run up the stairs to get away from him, but Doug kept walking with his arm protectively around her waist.  “Douglas!” he shouted again, but Doug continued on to her bedroom.  Once the door was closed, Jess slumped with relief.

“Are you okay?” Doug asked.  “Did he hurt you?”

“Yes,” she replied, the tears returning, and she wiped them away with a shaking hand.  “I thought – I thought he was going to kill me.”

“Oh, Jess,” Doug said mournfully, putting his arms around her and rubbing her back.  “He wouldn’t do that.”

“I was so scared!”

“You’re safe now.  He won’t hurt you again.  What happened down there?”

While she clung to him, the events that had taken place that evening ran through her mind; her going to the cabin to confront Marty about his date with Sharon, their argument, her kissing him, and then their struggle to get back home in the snowstorm.  Uncle Jonathon must have been drinking in the grand parlor with the lights out and when he saw her walking back from the garage, he’d assumed she’d been visiting James. 

She wanted to tell Doug the truth.  It was possible he might understand since he’d had his own troubles seeing Donna, but now that she’d seen what Uncle Jonathon was like when he thought she was in a relationship with James, it made her doubly terrified about what he might do if he found out about her visits to the cabin.  And if he could be that out of control with her, what would he do to Marty?  She was just going to have to convince Doug her lie was the truth. 

“It looked so pretty outside with the snow falling,” she explained, wiping her face.   “I wanted to go for a walk.  So I went out the kitchen and walked to the woods behind the garage.  I was going to walk around the edge of the yard, but the snow was too deep, and I decided to come back.  That’s when Uncle Jonathon must have seen me.” 

Doug let go of her and she looked up at him.

“Jess,” he said soberly.  “Please be honest with me, okay?  You didn’t go out there – so you could see James, did you?”

“Doug, no!” she exclaimed.  “I hate him!  Ever since I’ve lived here, he’s always been rude to me.  I would never have anything to do with him!” 

“I’m sorry,” he said, pulling her close so he could hold her again.  “I didn’t think you would do something like that.”

“What am I going to do?” she cried.  “Your dad doesn’t believe me!  What if he tries –.”  She couldn’t finish as she was overwhelmed with emotion, remembering how terrified she was when he attacked her.