*Taylor*
No more pain. Just us.
Thank you. For everything.
I'll see you.
"Sarah." I groaned. My eye lids felt like bricks weighing me down as I tried to open them. Tile ceiling hovered above me and I knew exactly where I was. The hospital.
I put all strength in my elbows as I tried to sit myself up. My shoulder throbbed in my pain, making me yelp.
My eyes darted up as the door opened. The nurse took a look at me trying to get up and rushed over. "No, no Mr. Andrews." She said gently pushing me onto the bed. "Don't get up so fast. Your shoulder is still healing."
"What happened?" My voice was hoarse.
"The bullet punctured straight through your flesh. It cracked a bone, but no serious injuries. We put a cast on for the mean time. It should heal up no later than a few weeks." She explained. "Your parents are outside. Would you like for me to send them in?"
"Uh, yes. Thank you." I mumbled. She nodded and made her way out of the room.
Moments later, my dad and Pamela walked inside. Pamela's tummy grew slightly, now showing off her pregnancy. "Hey Taylor." She grinned. "How you feeling?"
"Like shit."
She chuckled. "Well you didn't get the worst."
I glanced to my dad who was now sitting at the edge of the hospital bed. "Taylor." He said sternly. "We need you to tell us exactly what happened. Do you remember anything at all?"
I wanted to tell him to fuck off for using that tone with me. But I know that if my son was shot, I would want some answers too.
"All I remember is going to dinner. Sarah's parents left when he came.. he brought a gun and he.. Oh god. Oh god, no." I tried to fight back the tears that were threatening to spill. "Sarah. Where's Sarah? What happened to Sarah?"
"Taylor, calm down." My dad reassured. "Sarah's in surgery right now."
"Is she going to be alright?"
My dad sighed in response. Oh, no. Please not her. Not Sarah. "She was hit in her left lung. She passed out due to lack of oxygen. Doctors said she almost suffocated on her own blood. But she lost a lot of it.. She's in a coma. They don't know if she'll make it. Her life is in her own hands now."
I welcomed the tears that started to stream down my cheeks. "I need to see her." I croaked. "I have to see her."
"You can't. You need to recover." He said. "Her family is with her right now. They need time with her alone."
I shook my head. "No. I need to see her."
"Taylor, no."
"Then get the fuck out!" I roared, making them both flinch.
"I'll just.. go get you some food." He muttered before they both left the room.
I looked at my arm that was wrapped in bandages. I tried to move it just the slightest, but the sharp pain kept coming back. I threw the blanket off of me and swung my legs off the edge. I need to see Sarah.
I gently tiptoed across the cold tiles, making sure to not make any noise. The hallways were empty ecept a few nurses behind the counter, their backs facing me. I quietly moved to the door next to me and opened it.
Sarah slept in the hospital bed, both of her arms resting on her sides. Oxygen tubes coursed throughout her nose and mouth. The monitor beeped at Sarah's heartbeats. Each of them getting slower and slower.
I looked in the corner to see Sarah's mom asleep layed out on a chair next to the hospital bed. A blanket craddled beside her.
I slowly walked to the other side of her bed, getting on my knees to be the same height as her body. She looked so peaceful.. so beautiful. My finger lightly grazed over the side of her cold cheek, brushing away strands of her brown hair.
This can't be it. This can't be her ending. This girl whose purity and innocence is so valuable. She did nothing to deserve this. Any of it. She was thrown into constant struggles, and she had to handle it all on her own. I can't lose her. She can't lose me.
"Sarah.." I sniffled. "I've been your strength when you were weak. I've been your warmth when the world was so cold.. And I wish you would wake up so I could look in your pretty green eyes and tell you that you've been doing the exact same thing for me. Just please.. wake up."
"You really do love her."
I jumped up to find Sarah's mom awake, watching me as I talked to Sarah's unconsious state.
"I-I'm sorry. I didn't meant to distrb your time with her. I just needed to see her and-"
"It's fine honey." She reassured. "I'm just glad Harold isn't here right now. He probably would of raised all hell if he saw you here right now."
I rolled my eyes at the mention at Sarah's careless father.
"I know you what you're thinking. My husband is a heartless man." She added. "And I'd be lying if I said I didn't agree with you."
"Come here." She motioned me over. "I want you to meet someone."
At first I was confused, since there was only her and I in the room. But when I took a closer look at the blanket beside her, something-someone was wrapped in it. A baby.
Sarah's mom picked up the baby and held her in her arms. "This is Emily." She smiled at the beautiful sleeping baby. "She looks so much like Sarah."
She glanced back at Sarah then me. "Would you like to hold her?"
"Oh uh, I don't know-"
Before I could finish, she was practicallly shoving Emily in my chest. I looked at her noticed the resemblance. The baby looked to be almost a year old. Her brown hair softly layed on top of her small head.
"Hi Emily." I grinned.
Suddenly, her eyelids fluttered opened at the sound of my voice, revealing a pair of big green eyes. I stood there, holding Emily, as she stared at me intently. Her little fingers rose and lightly touched the stubs on my chin. A cheeky toothless smile spread across Emily's little face as I smiled back. She really is a spitting image of Sarah.
"I need you to do me a favor, Taylor." Mrs. Hart stated.
"What is it?"
"I need you to take care of Emily for me. For us." She glanced back at Sarah.
I looked at her in shock. She wants me to take care of Sarah's baby?
"Sarah needs to go to medical school." She pleaded. "She needs to build her life again before she can take care of a child. She's only a child herself."
"Why me? Why can't Emily stay with you? You are her grandparents."
"My husband doesn't want to have anything to do with Sarah or her baby." She said sorrowfully. I couldn't help but feel bad that Sarah's dad bosses around her mother like his own property. Jeez, what gives him the right. "And Sarah trusts you. I do too. I know you probably don't want to be burdened by Emily, but she's better off with you right now than anyone."
A light groan distracted my thoughts, my eyes darted straight to the hospital bed. Another groan escaped from Sarah's lips. Sarah's mom took the baby from my arms as we rushed to her side. Her eyes warily slid open. "Taylor?" She croaked.
"Shh. You're going to be okay now." A wave of relief ran through me at the sight of her. She's going to be okay.
"Where am I? What happened?" She mumbled as she looked around the room. Her eyes traveled from me to her mom and Emily. Sarah's eyes widened at the sight of her child. "I-Is that Emily? How is she-?"
"Don't worry about anything. We found someone to take care of her."
"Who?"
"We'll talk about the details later. Do you want to hold her?"
She nodded in reply before her mom placed her in Sarah's arms. Her eyes started to water in joy as she held her baby.
"She's beautiful." I complimented.
Sarah's eyes looked to me. Her eyes faltered to my bandaged shoulder and the smile disappeared from her face. "What happened to you? Did you-?" Her eyes darted back and forth between Mrs. Hart and I. "Where's Owen? I don't want him to come in here. He can't-"
"Sarah." Her mom tried to ease her. "Owen isn't going to get anywhere near you or Emily." She paused in hesitation before continuing. "He.. he took his life."
Silent sobs came from Sarah as looked she looked from her mom to her baby. Her old lover turned into someone she never imagined he could be, and now he's gone. I couldn't help but feel an ache for the pain and grief she must be feeling.
"I'm so sorry." I whispered to her. "For everything."
"I'm just glad you're here and he isnt." She caught me off guard by saying.
"Taylor." Mrs. Hart called. "I think you should go get some rest."
I nodded and looked at Sarah one more time. She smiled at me amd mouthing a 'thank you' as her hand softly cupped my cheek before I stood up and left the room.