When the Sun Comes Out

Chapter 13 ~ Tae

     Taylor stood, waiting in line inside the hospital cafeteria. She was anxious to get back to the room, but she was trying to give Rhett and his mother time to talk.

His mother had seemed worried about whatever she needed to tell him.

As Taylor thanked the worker for her coffee, she looked for a place to sit down. Being back in the hospital cafeteria was a strange feeling. She'd spent so much time here between her father's illness and her mother's accident. She had few good memories of this place, and sitting here was bringing back the many bad ones she had.

She looked around and noticed that very little changed since she'd been here last. The room was still cold and quiet. It was still filled with grieving and worrisome families, and it was still the meeting place for families that had to bring bad news.

She tried to ignore the crying woman sitting at the table over. She didn't want to act nosy, but she wondered who she'd just lost.

She sipped at her coffee and remembered sitting in this exact room crying with her father over her mother. Then again, but this time by herself, as she mourned her father.

Changing the direction of her thoughts, she thought about the different scenarios that could be happening in the room with Rhett and Caroline. Her mind was coming up with too many scary plots for her liking. Finally, she gave up on waiting and headed back towards Caroline's room.

Roaming the halls, she saw the different families all waiting anxiously for their family members. They were lucky that Caroline was okay. There were too many people in this hospital that weren't as fortunate.

She made it to Caroline's room and stopped at the door to take a deep breath and prepare herself for whatever was going on inside.

After knocking lightly, she slipped through the door. Rhett was pale with shock and sat staring at his mother. Taylor quietly sat down in her chair beside him and offered him his coffee.

He took a sip of the coffee, then stared at his cup.

"Mama, go ahead and tell Tae," he started. "She deserves to know everything that's going on, and I already told her the truth about me," he added.

Caroline looked surprised by this, but then she smiled and looked between them.

"So, I take it that it's not fake anymore," she asked smiling happily.

"Nope, not anymore," he blinked, "Wait a minute, mama! You knew it was fake?" he bellowed.

She smiled proudly at him.

"I'm the one who came up with the entire plan," she said cheekily.

Taylor held her breath as he looked back and forth between the two of them.

"Seriously?" he asked.

Caroline cleared her throat.

"Now, don't you go getting mad at her. I knew you were perfect for each other that very first day when you pulled into the driveway with her piled up in your lap. You were looking down at her like she was your world," she said dreamily.

Rhett shook his head and looked over at Taylor. She breathed a sigh of relief when she saw amusement dancing in his eyes.

"So, I snuck into the house while you were gone, and introduced myself. I played the poor pitiful me card, and Taylor fell in love with me. I convinced her we needed to trick you to make up for the sadness you had put me through. She didn't know that what I was really doing, was making you guys act like a couple so that you'd realize what a wonderful couple you'd actually make," she said, smiling proudly again.