Page 96 of Inevitable Inheritance

Guess we will have to replace that, Taylor mused to herself. But she didn’t stop him. She had seen him like this before; it was how he dealt with stuff. When his mother died he had broken every piece of furniture in his room. They had to sit on the mattress on the floor when she went to talk to him.

Derrick paced back and forth, his fists balled at his sides. He was like a caged tiger, and Taylor was just starting to wonder if she should intervene when he came back to his father’s bedside and just stood. He still looked angry and ready to hit something. Then suddenly he went lax and collapsed, dropping to his knees, his head and chest dropping onto his father’s body, and he started to sob.

Taylor went and stood behind Derrick and rubbed his back as he let his tears go.

* * *

Derrick laywith his head on the bed now, very still. He had stopped crying about fifteen minutes before, and Taylor was wondering if he had fallen asleep from exhaustion. Taylor tried to stay stoic and strong, but it hadn’t lasted. Eventually she started silently crying behind Derrick.

She didn’t want to call to him, she wanted him to have his time, but she was partly wondering now if she should give him space.

She was thinking it through, and she took both of her hands from his back and wiped the tears off her face. When she looked down, Derrick had his head turned to the side on the bed and was looking at her.

Taylor’s heart broke. He looked so much like the boy she remembered, and she realized how much she had missed him. “Hi,” she said softly and absentmindedly stroked his hair back. He just looked at her; he looked crushed and didn’t reply.

“Let me take you home,” Taylor said, nodding, and he nodded back slowly. She was going to ask him if he was ready, but she knew that sometimes it was just easier for someone to make decisions for you. He didn’t need to be troubled with thinking right now. “I’m going to go and tell Sara that we are leaving. You wait here.”

Taylor left the room and told Rog they would be leaving momentarily. Rog immediately texted someone, and Taylor assumed it was to get the ball rolling. Another black-suited man walked with Taylor over to the nurses’ station, and instant quiet came over the desk. Taylor spotted Sara and gave her a little wave.

“Hi, Sara, Derrick and I will be going. Thank you so much for your help,” she said.

“Of course,” Sara said, coming around the desk. “I am so sorry for your loss, and we will take great care of Mr. Fletcher. You, uh, or your people, or whatever just have to call the funeral home.”

Taylor smiled at her uncertainty of phrasing for her and thanked her again. As soon as she turned, whispering started at the desk. It was just something she had to get used to.

When Taylor got back to Simon’s room, Derrick was in the same position she had left him. Rog and the other suited man followed her in but stayed at the door.

She made her way over to Derrick. “Let’s get you home,” Taylor said to him, taking his hand.

Derrick followed along limply. He didn’t speak and didn’t ask any questions, but when he stood, he bent over and kissed his father on the forehead. Taylor also leaned over and gave Simon a kiss on the cheek.

Rog stopped them when they got to the door. “The press has covered every exit, the only safe way for us to leave is through a service exit, and then we have to walk a little, but that way appears clear.”

“Okay. Thanks, Rog,” Taylor said, and they exited.

It was a blur of hallways, stairs, and elevators, but finally they were out in the fresh air. And in the middle of a monsoon. The rain fell heavy, and though they moved as quickly as possible, it was far enough for the group to get soaked before they were ushered into the waiting Range Rover.

“You okay?” Taylor asked as she climbed in next to Derrick.

Derrick nodded and then grabbed Taylor’s hand. He kissed it and held it between the two of his. The ride seemed to take forever, but it was probably because she was more saturated than a dish sponge that it felt that way. Once they got to Derrick’s garage, they made it upstairs to the penthouse in record time. Taylor quickly brought Derrick up to his room, and he sat on the edge of the bed as Taylor went through his closet to find him something to change into.

“Derrick, do you want to take a shower? You must be freezing,” Taylor said to him as she laid the clothes on the bed beside him.

“No, thank you,” he said softly, staring at the wall opposite him.

Taylor didn’t want to push him. “Okay, well you change, and I am going to change out of this stuff in the bathroom,” Taylor said. She was getting worried about him. He was so quiet. Taylor wasn’t sure how to get to him. Maybe he just needed some time to himself.

She went to the bathroom and quickly got rid of her saturated clothes with a bigthwapon the floor, and then realized she had nothing but a terry cloth robe.Well, it will have to do for now, she thought and slid it on. The warmth of the fuzzy fibers was like a hug on her cold skin. Taylor combed out her hair, threw it up with an elastic, and went back out to check on Derrick.

He was in the exact position she had left him, with the clothes still on the bed next to him and his rain-soaked clothes still stuck to his body. Taylor looked up to the heavens.Somebody help me please, she thought. She had no idea how to handle this. Especially dressed in only a robe.

With limited options, Taylor went and crouched before Derrick. “Talk to me, Derrick,” she said, hoping to find an answer as to how to help him.

“I have no one now,” Derrick said flatly.

“What do you mean?” Taylor asked, dumbfounded.

“I have no more family,” Derrick said.

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