Page 94 of Loving Taylor
Chapter Twenty-Seven
Slater triedto talk me into going back to the house for a shower and a few hours of sleep but I wasn't going anywhere. Even though I couldn't go in to see her just yet I wanted to be close to her. It wasn't something I could explain.
I did drift off for a couple of hours while sitting in one of the chairs in the waiting room nearby her room. The chairs were so uncomfortable but it didn't matter.
Slater had left to go back to the house to shower before he returned. I told him he didn't have to stay but he had refused to leave me. Connor also spent the night.
Slater went to get us some coffee when Connor came out of her room.
"She's awake."
I felt a tremble of excitement.
"She wants a mirror."
I closed my eyes briefly. I hadn't seen her but I knew her injuries looked pretty bad. He walked to the nearby nursing station and got a compact from one of the nurses.
I paced when he went back in. Would it be too much for her to cope? I released an emotional breath. I wanted to be inside the room, making sure she understood that any outward injury that marred her would heal. She was beautiful anyway. Her beauty went beyond her appearance. It was the way her eyes lit up and the way she smiled.
I continued to pace until Slater arrived with two cups of coffee.
"She's awake," I told him. He handed me a cup of steaming liquid.
"How's she coping?" he asked.
"She wanted a mirror so she can see the damage."
His eyes held mine. "She will get through this."
I nodded. We drank our coffee and waited.
Matthew arrived with Jordan and I could feel the tension from my best friend coming off him in waves. He was being pushed to his limit.
Jordan tried to comfort me but there was nothing anyone could say that would make me feel any less responsible for what had happened to Taylor.
Connor looked emotionally drained when he came out of her room a little while later. He was tired but I couldn't imagine it was easy seeing his little sister dealing with this.
I was dying to see her but Connor suggested Matthew and Jordan go in first.
"She is feeling emotionally fragile," Connor warned them before they went in.
"I want to see her," I told her brother after Matthew and Jordan disappeared into her room.
"You can see her next."
It felt like I had waited an eternity for this moment. I felt more nervous with every second, hoping I would be able to keep my shit together. I couldn't allow myself to react badly to her injuries. Her emotional state was my top priority.
When Jordan and Matthew exited after a while, they were struggling to contain their reaction to seeing Taylor. Jordan caught Slater's gaze, then she told Matthew she was going to the bathroom and she hurried off down the hallway.
Matthew looked like he wanted to hit something.
"Your turn," Connor said to me. "I don't want her upset."
I nodded. That was the last thing I wanted to do. I took a moment to prepare myself before I opened the door.
My heart contracted at the sight of the bruise on her face. I didn't understand how a guy could do that to a woman. We were physically stronger and in my book that meant it was never okay to raise a hand to a woman, no matter what she did.
It took everything I had not to react. I worked my jaw tensely when I took in her injuries. She looked so fragile, like the slightest shake would break her. To stop myself from showing my anger, I shoved my hands into my jean pockets.
