Chapter 17

Chapter Seventeen

T he first thing Taylor noticed was the beeping. Rhythmic, persistent, and annoyingly close to her ear. She winced, her eyelids heavy as if glued shut. A hand touched her forehead, warm and gentle, smoothing away the damp strands of hair stuck to her skin.

“Taylor?” Cecil’s voice was soft, coaxing her back from the darkness. “Come on, sweetheart. Open those beautiful brown eyes for me.”

She forced her lids to flutter open, squinting against the harsh white glare of fluorescent lights. The hospital room came into focus slowly, sterile and impersonal, with muted gray walls and a faint antiseptic smell clinging to the air.

“Cecil,” she croaked, her voice a hoarse whisper.

“I’m here,” he murmured, leaning closer. His dark eyes searched hers, worry etched into every line of his face. “Don’t try to talk.”

Sam’s gruff voice cut through from somewhere to her right. “You scared the hell out of us, Taylor. What were you thinking, letting yourself get so worked up?”

“What—what happened?” she asked, her head throbbing as she tried to piece together the fragments of her memory.

“You collapsed,” Cecil said, his hand still stroking her forehead. “Right there in the hallway. They couldn’t wake you up.”

Sam leaned forward in his chair, his arms crossed over his chest. His jaw was tight, and his eyes burned with anger that barely masked his fear. “The doctor said you pushed your brain too far. You’re still recovering from that meningitis, for God’s sake, and your sisters decide to have World War Three in our kitchen. And you—” He pointed a finger at her. “You let them.”

Taylor winced, her mind rushing back to the kitchen argument. Lucy’s accusations, Anna’s defensiveness, Jo’s quiet sobs. She closed her eyes against the wave of guilt crashing over her. But she hadn’t let them, had she? She faintly remembered shutting it down and ordering them out of her house.

“I already told Lucy she had to move out before you come home. And don’t worry, Cate and Ellis talked her into staying with Jo and Levi, until her therapist thinks she’s ready to live alone again.”

“The kids,” she whispered. “Lennon and Johnny—are they okay?”

“They’re fine,” Cecil assured her quickly. “Cate has them. Lennon’s with her right now, and Johnny’s playing with his toy trucks. Alice is helping watch out for them. They’re safe.”

Taylor’s chest tightened. “How long have I been out? Lennon needs to nurse.”

Sam sighed, running a hand through his hair. “You’ve been asleep for about six hours. The doctor recommended a formula for now, just until you’re strong enough to handle everything again. Cate’s got it covered.”

Taylor’s throat tightened with emotion. “She needs me ,” she said, tears welling up in her eyes. “Not manufactured milk.”

“You’re right, she needs a healthy mom,” Sam said firmly. “And right now, that means resting and letting people help you. Don’t argue with me on this, Taylor. You’re not invincible.”

Before Taylor could respond, the door opened, and Dr. Kellner walked in, his white coat pristine and his expression professional but kind.

“Good to see you awake, Taylor,” he said, pulling up a stool beside her bed. “How are you feeling?”

“Like I got hit by a truck,” she admitted.

He nodded. “That’s to be expected. Your brain’s been through a lot these past few months and, today, it essentially hit a wall. The stress, combined with your ongoing recovery, caused a temporary shutdown. It’s your body’s way of forcing you to rest when you won’t do it yourself.”

Taylor frowned. “So what now? Can I go home?”

Dr. Kellner smiled faintly, but there was no mistaking the firmness in his tone. “I’d like you to stay for at least another day so we can monitor you. Make sure there’s no lingering neurological impact. And after that, I want you to seriously consider scaling back. Whatever’s on your plate right now—it can wait.”

Taylor thought about the Colburns, and the person who had killed them, yet unnamed or brought to justice. She glanced at Sam and Cecil, her cheeks burning with shame. “I have a lot to do,” she protested.

Sam seemed to read her mind. “Like Shane’s emails about that case? Yeah, I saw your laptop open when we got home. You’re pushing yourself too hard, Taylor, and it’s going to kill you if you don’t stop.”

Taylor looked away, her guilt deepening. “I just … I can’t sit back and do nothing. People are counting on me.”

Cecil’s hand tightened around hers. “Taylor, you don’t have to carry the weight of the world on your shoulders. It’s okay to let go sometimes. To focus on yourself.”

The doctor’s expression softened. “He’s right. And you need to understand something: people having difficult feelings is not an emergency. You don’t have to swoop in and fix everything the second someone’s upset. That’s not your job.”

“Amen to that,” Sam said.

Taylor’s lips trembled. She thought about how things used to be, with her family barely talking or seeing each other. She didn’t want to lose what they had now and go back to that. “But if I don’t, who will?”

Cecil leaned closer, his voice gentle but firm. “Taylor, it takes practice to let go of that instinct. To realize that it’s not your responsibility to solve everyone’s problems. Sometimes, just being there is enough.”

Dr. Kellner nodded in agreement. “And in your case, putting your health first isn’t selfish—it’s necessary. If you don’t take care of yourself, you can’t take care of anyone else. Especially that beautiful baby girl.”

Taylor swallowed hard, her tears finally spilling over. She already missed Lennon so much that it hurt. But the thoughts about her sisters tumbled over and over in her mind. The worry and frustration. “I don’t know how to stop,” she admitted, her voice breaking.

Sam reached out, his hand resting on her shoulder. “You’ll learn. But first, you’ve got to give yourself the chance to heal. Promise me you’ll try, Taylor. For Lennon, for Alice, for all of us. If you think your family can’t survive without you, then you should put yourself at the top of the priority list.”

She nodded slowly, her heart heavy but her resolve beginning to form. “I’ll try,” she whispered.