backlogged dreams & day old teas

XXVII - sacred new beginnings

24th April, 2019

days to Willow's due date: 4

Taylor waddled around the house in nothing but a tank top and shorts, trying to beat the heat. The couple were currently in Nashville, as Taylor wanted to have Willow there. The house they rented was a homey, 2 storey one about 10 minutes away from her parent's house and 15 from the hospital.

Since it was April, the heat was getting increasingly hotter and being pregnant didn't help Taylor's case. She spent most of her days playing the piano or eating ice cream to beat the heat. She was too afraid to even leave the house for more than two hours.

Joe had been even more of an angel fiance to her, always climbing out of bed at 2 am to restock her ice cream supply or giving her daily back massages.

Taylor found Joe on the couch, somehow watching the British Office for the upteenth time. She slowly sat down and snuggled into him, and he wrapped his arms around her.

"Ouch," Taylor flinched, feeling Willow kick her strongly. She rubbed circles on her belly, trying to calm the restless baby down.

Joe looked over at her and smiled, before leaning down to her belly and planting butterfly kisses onto it. He placed his hand gently onto her stomach and caressed it. "Stop being such a meanie to Mumma, baby."

Taylor giggled at his words but felt the kicking slow down and come to a stop. "Thank God," she mumbled, tilting her head back until she couldn't see the TV screen. "I think she wanted Daddy's attention."

"If you wanted an excuse to call me Daddy I could give you another one," Joe winked at her.

"Joseph, stopppp." she whined. "You and your lame dirty jokes."

"I save them for you." he smirked.

Taylor's phone suddenly rang and Joe instinctively picked the phone up and handed it to her so she wouldn't have to get up.

"Thanks," she mouthed as she accepted the call.

"Hey Dad, how's it going?"

"Taylor. Your mother." Scott whispered hoarsely.

Taylor felt her heart stop in her throat. "Mom— What, what happened to her?" she urged, tears already threatening to spill.

"They..." Scott sighed. "They found a brain tumour. Apparently her cancer had recurred and none of us knew. And now she's in a coma."

"Oh God." Taylor breathed out, choking up. She felt her world get blurry and her hands digged into the pillow next to her. She was speechless. Her phone dropped from her hands and fell onto the couch, leaving her sitting there frozen in shock. It hadn't even fully hit her yet. "Mom," she whispered, the tears finally starting to flow, dripping down her cheeks. Why the hell did these things always happen to her?

Joe immediately scooted closer to her and tried to calm her down, but she swatted his arm away.

"I'm sorry darling, I didn't mean that. I didn't mean that," she whispered. "Mom." she said again, unable to wrap her head around the situation.

"What happened," Joe asked cautiously.

Taylor tried to speak, but sobs wracked her fragile body and she was shaking, hyperventilating so much she was unable to breathe. She collapsed into Joe's arms, feeling all the energy drain out of her.

"My mom... She's in a coma. Apparently they found out she has a brain tumour." Taylor took a deep breath, trying to calm herself down but it was laboured and shaky. Joe wordlessly grabbed a tissue and blotted her tears away with it. "Her cancer recurred, Joe. MAKE IT STOP!" she yelled, clinging onto him. "WHY IS IT ALWAYS ME?" she yelled more, seemingly to no one.