Taylor watched as Jaymi and Mrs. Bennet climbed into the back of the ambulance. He then walked over to his parents and Isaac.
"It's my fault. We had a fight and she was coming over to see me and then she got hit... I couldn't even say I was sorry... It's all my fault" Taylor said, staring at the ground.
"Taylor! this is not your fault! you couldn't stop that car! We know you would've if you could!" Mrs. Hanson said, taking Taylor in her arms. Taylor stood there, hugging his mother, something he hadn't done for a while. Mr. Hanson then instructed Isaac and Taylor to go to Zac's friends house, Chris, to get C.J, Zac and Brian. Before going to Chris's, Taylor slowly walked inside and washed Kayla's blood from his hands and arms. He didn't have any time to change his shirt. Taylor and Isaac drove to Chris's house in silence. Once they got there, neither boy made a move to get out of the car.
"Well, are you going to stay here or are you going to come with me to get them?" Isaac asked gently. Taylor shrugged.
"Come with you to get them I guess... Ike, every time I close my eyes I see Kayla being hit by the car... it's like a nightmare I can't wake up from..." Taylor said quietly. Isaac was quiet, he had no idea what to say. Both boys got out of the car and walked slowly up to Chris's front door. Katie, Chris's 22 year old sister answered.
"Isaac. Taylor. Hi!" Katie said, giving the boy's a smile. Her smile faded when she noticed Taylor's red eyes and Isaac's sorrowful face.
"What's wrong?" She asked.
"Uhh.. is Zac, C.J and Brian here?" Isaac asked. Katie nodded.
"Yeah, they're in the living room... come on in" She said. Taylor and Isaac followed Katie into the living room where they found Zac, Chris, C.J and Brian, sitting on the floor playing Monopoly.
"Ha! that's $200 you owe us!" Zac shouted out to C.J.
"What?... how come?"
"You landed on our property! look! Hotel Zac and Chris" Zac said, holding out his hand to get the money. C.J looked at Brian and he nodded. The four of them were playing in teams. Zac and Chris against C.J and Brian. C.J groaned and handed Zac his $200.
"Tay! Ike! when did you get here???" C.J asked happily when she saw Zac's older brothers. Her smile and happy face disappeared however when she saw the looks on the boy's faces.
"What's wrong?" C.J asked. When they didn't answer her she asked the question again."What's wrong?". Isaac sighed.
"You should sit down." Was all that he said. C.J sat down on one end of the couch and Zac joined her, sitting next to her. Brian sat down in one of the chairs.
"Uh, Chris, we should leave these guy's alone ok?" Katie said, taking Chris by the shoulders and leading him out of the room. Chris started to protest but Katie soon shut him up. The two of them walked out of the room and Katie closed the door behind them. C.J, Zac and Brian all looked up at Taylor and Isaac, who were both still standing.
"Well?... what's wrong?" C.J asked. Taylor swallowed and opened his mouth to talk.
"Uhh... well, Kayla... um, she... oh god" Taylor said and then broke down. He sank into the nearest chair and buried his face in his hands. Without a word, C.J got up from her seat and sat on the arm of the chair that Taylor was sitting on and hugged him.
"Ike! what's going on?" Zac demanded. Isaac took a deep breath and faced Zac, C.J and Brian.
"Kayla's been hit by a car... it was a hit and run... Taylor saw the whole thing" Isaac said.
--------------------------------------------------
About 10 minutes later, Isaac, Taylor, Zac, C.J and Brian arrived at the hospital. They went to the emergency waiting room where they found Mr. and Mrs. Hanson and Mrs. Bennet.
"Where's mom?" Brian asked.
"She's at home... waiting for Mal to come home" Mrs. Bennet said. She had stopped crying but her eye's were still red. Malcom was out with his new girlfriend, Brooke, so he didn't know what had happened to Kayla. No one knew where Malcom was so Mrs. Appleton had stayed at the Bennet's house to wait for Malcom to come home.
"Where's Jaymi?" Taylor asked, still standing as the rest of the teenagers sat down in hard, orange plastic chairs.
"She couldn't stand waiting here so she's gone for a walk... she is in the hospital somewhere" Mrs. Bennet said. Taylor nodded and then turned and walked away, he was going to look for Jaymi. After about 5 minutes of searching for her, he found her looking at all the new born babies.
"Hey" Taylor said quietly. Jaymi looked up at him and gave him a watery smile.
"Look" she said softly as she pointed with her finger on theglass."Twins... little girls" Jaymi said, smiling at the tiny babies. Taylor looked down and saw the two baby girls lying side by side in the cribs. They were both asleep. Jaymi looked at them one last time and then went across the hall and sat down on the floor. Taylor sat beside her. He then put one arm around her shoulders.
"You saw her being hit didn't you?" Jaymi asked.
"Yeah.... I did..." Taylor said. Jaymi sat back.
"Did you yell out to her? Did you let her know that there was a car coming?" Jaymi asked, suddenly getting angry.
"Jaymi! There was no time! none at all!. I saw the car and then it hit her! I would've yelled out if I could! but there just wasn't any time" Taylor defended himself. Jaymi's angry face crumpled and she started to cry.
"She was hurt so bad Tay... and- and before this... I wouldn't listen to her... I told her to wait for when I got home... I wouldn't listen... she wanted to talk to me.. I could see that she had been crying but I didn't care... I hate myself so much!" Jaymi said through her tears.
"Shhh.. Jaymi... don't hate your self! you had no idea that this would happen... Kayla knows your sorry.... she would know" Taylor said. Jaymi shrugged and wiped her eye's. <
"Is that Kayla's?" Jaymi asked, looking at the front of Taylor's shirt. Taylor looked down and nodded.
"Well, if she dies then you can never wash that... you have to keep it... I know this sounds stupid but you can't wash that shirt... ok?"
"Ok... but Kayla isn't going to die Jaymi... she is strong... and we wont let her die right?"
"Right... she is strong... she has to be with a sister like me... I haven't exactly made Kayla's life an easy one.." Jaymi said, smiling a little.
"That's what I like to see... you smiling... Kayla would want you to smile..."
"Yeah.. I guess so... I really want to see her Tay..." Jaymi said, looking at Taylor with wide eyes, her smile gone.
"Maybe your Mom has heard something about her condition" Taylor said. At that Jaymi brightened.
"Yeah... maybe the doctor said that Kayla is going to be just fine and that she can come home anytime she wants!" Jaymi said, determined not to think anything else. Taylor bit his lip and then nodded.
"Maybe Jaymi... come on... let's go find out ok?" He asked, getting up and then helping Jaymi up. The two of them walked back to the emergency waiting room and found that Mrs. Bennet wasn't there.
"Jaymi!... your Mom's in with Kayla... " Mrs. Hanson said, standing up when Jaymi and Taylor returned.
"Where? where is she?" Jaymi asked frantically.
"Come on.. I'll show you dear" A nurse said from behind Jaymi. Jaymi turned around and followed the nurse. She lead Jaymi to a small room.
"Mom?" Jaymi called out from the door. She was to afraid to come in.
"In here honey..." Mrs. Bennet said from inside the room. Jaymi had no choice but to go inside. Jaymi slowly walked inside and gasped. Mrs. Bennet was sitting in a chair next to Kayla's bed. Kayla had a white bandage around her skull and a white cast on each of her legs. Her face was pale and her eye's were closed. She was hooked up to a number of different machines and Jaymi had no idea what they were for. She knew one was for Kayla's heart beat, and one was a drip, but that was about it. Mrs. Bennet had one of Kayla's limp hands in hers. Jaymi felt her throat choke up and the tears began to fall as she looked at her sister. She sat down on the other side of the bed and stroked Kayla's other hand. It was warm.
"She's in a coma sweet heart... both of her legs are broken and she has severe damage to the back of her skull... " Mrs. Bennet said with silent tears running down her cheeks. "MOM!" Malcom cried as he came running into Kayla's room. Both Jaymi and Mrs. Bennet looked up.
"Oh Mal.." Mrs. Bennet said, getting up. Malcom wrapped his arm's around his mother and then motioned for Jaymi to join them. For the first time in a long time, Malcom didn't try to hide his tears. Mrs. Bennet, Malcom and Jaymi all stood at the end of Kayla's bed, hugging and crying.