| Jade's tears started anew as soon as she saw Taylor. He was sitting, leaned forward in his chair, his head hanging low, his hands anchored in his hair. Isaac gave her hand a squeeze and looked back at Mr. Vaughn, and Jamie's uncle. Jamie's father was as distraught looking as Taylor, and made a beeline straight for him. "Where is she, son?" he asked anxiously, placing his hand on Taylor's shoulder. All four people were taken aback at the sight of Taylor's red, puffy eyes and dirt streaked face. His jeans were dirty and his hair was disheveled from running his hands through it so much. "They're still working on her sir..." Taylor said quietly, unable to keep the tears from streaming down his face again. "The nurse wants to see you and they won't let me in yet." he finished, sniffling and wiping his face. He nodded in the direction of the admitting desk. "It's all right, boy." Mr. Vaughn squeezed his shoulder and looked up at his brother in law. "Come on brother.." Mongo led his brother in law to the desk, to get information and make sure his daughter was taken care of. Jade looked more closely at Taylor and almost broke completely down. He was shaking now, and more tears streaked down his face as he ran his hands through his hair yet again. 'Funny,' she thought to herself, 'they have the same nervous habits.' "Tay," she asked aloud, "what happened?" he looked up at Jade and took a deep breath. "I found her after you left, at that bar that she and Jimmy used to play pool...John was already there...she looked upset, she was crying...and I was MAD, Jade. I was mad...she ran...wouldn't talk, never said a word...just got on her bike and off she went..." his voice wavered as he spoke and tears flowed more quickly. He took another deep breath and continued on. "I went after her...I KNEW she was gonna hurt herself...I knew it...and then I found her. Her bike is totaled, it's gone... I didn't see her at first... and then I did...and I thought she was...she was...oh god..." he buried his face in his hands, the wiped more tears roughly away. "Her arm...it was all twisted and I knew it was broken...her leg was bleeding...she looked so...I thought she was..." he couldn't make himself say it out loud, what would happen to him if she really was? He couldn't even THINK it. He took a deep shuddering breath as his brother sat down on one side of him and Jade sat on the other. She took Taylor's hand and squeezed, wincing as he held hers in a death grip. "I got down on the ground with her, and I listened to see if she was breathing...she was but barely...she hit her head...she wouldn't answer me, Jade. I shook her, I begged...she wouldn't answer me..." Isaac and Jade looked at each other, not knowing how to calm Taylor, who obviously was a thread away from snapping right here in the waiting room. "Tay..." Ike began, "You and I both know Jamie well enough to know that she will not go down without a fight. She will be okay, Tay. She has to." Ike looked hopefully at Jade. "Yeah, Tay." Jade added with a silent prayer that she was really telling the truth. "Jamie is the most stubborn person I have ever met in my life. There is NO WAY she'd give up." she told him, wiping her own eyes. |
| Taylor spent a considerable amount of time trying to explain to the police what happened to Jamie, getting angrier by the second. No he hadn't been drinking, yes he was sure she had been, that is why he was out looking for her, no he didn't see what happened he just found her that way, yes she left because she was more upset than drunk, yes they'd had a fight, sort of. He stood yelling at the officer for a good ten minutes trying to get past him so he could see Jamie, make sure they were being careful with her obviously broken arm as they loaded her still breathing but unconscious on to the gurney and into the ambulance. The officer announced that he didn't need Taylor anymore anyway, but wanted his phone number in case he had anymore questions. "You don't need it, man. I will be at the hospital as long as she's there." he stated flatly. He leaned over the gurney and kissed Jamie's unconscious forehead. "I'm right behind you baby...I promise.." he whispered in her ear, wiped his face with the back of his hand and got in his car as the EMT's closed the door. He quickly started the engine and headed straight for the emergency room, almost beating the ambulance there. He was at the door when the ambulance unloaded Jamie's limp, pale body and wheeled her in through the enormous double doors, talking to Jamie so she could hear him until the ER nurse forcefully stopped him to get information, then made him sit in the waiting room. "Does she have any family you could contact?" she asked him gently as he sat with his head in his hands, silently praying that Jamie would wake up soon and be all right, smile at him with that fiery sparkle in her eyes that he'd grown to love so much in this short time. "My brother went to get her dad. He'll be here soon." he said his throat closing up as he held back more sobs. "All right, Mr. Hanson. Have him come to the desk as soon as he arrives. Is there anything I can get you?" she asked gently, placing a sympathetic hand on his shoulder. "No. Thank you." he answered softly, his eyes clouded over with more unshed tears. "All right, Mr. Hanson. We will do everything possible for her." she said softly and was gone. Taylor slumped back down in his chair, leaned forward and buried his face in his hands, resuming his litany of prayer for Jamie |