in my best dress [kaylor au]

n i n e

The nurse stops Taylor's parents right outside the room, but they can see in the window. Taylor is sitting in the hospital bed, scribbling something down in her journal.

Andrea looks at her daughter in amazement, "She never stops writing."

Scott puts his arm around Andrea's waist and kisses her temple. "That's our baby girl."

The nurse coughs, breaking the sweetness in the air. "Her blood pressure was a little low, due to dehydration, but that is nothing that drinking water and sports drinks can't fix. She needs to replace her lost fluids and minerals. Luckily, she didn't hurt herself or hit anything when she fainted. Also, her feet were close to being frostbitten. I do not know the circumstances, and it may not be my place to say anything, but the girl needs warmer shoes if she's going to be traipsing through the forest. Thank god she was wearing that jacket," the nurse points to Karlie's jacket, which is hung over a chair in the corner, "Leather isn't the warmest choice for this type of weather, but—"

"That's not her jacket..." Andrea questions.

The nurse doesn't seem to care. "It was the jacket she was wearing when she was admitted here, ma'am."

Scott squints to read the nurse's name tag, "That will be all, Miss. Argon. Thank you."

The nurse hands Scott a few forms on a clipboard. "Fill these out and drop them off at the front desk when you're finished." She falters for a few moments, looking back at Taylor, before turning around and walking back down the hall.

Taylor's face lights up as her parents enter the room, and she quickly closes her journal and shoves it to the side. "Mom! Dad!"

"Oh honey," Andrea rushes over to Taylor, embracing her in a frantic hug. The familiarity of her mother makes Taylor want to cry tears of happiness; the hospital experience without her parents was uneventful and a bit scary, although Tracy, who arrived earlier because Karlie lives closer to the hospital, took over a bit of a motherly role in Andrea's absence.

Scott pats his daughter on the head. "We're glad you're okay." Taylor smiles. She's glad her parents are here, but she can't stop thinking about Karlie. Is she still in the waiting room?

As expected, Taylor is bombarded with questions about the party, about her passing out, and about the whole situation.

The questions start off simple enough:

"How was the party?" Casual.
           "Fun while it lasted." Truthful, borderline dark humor.

"Why were you and Karlie in the woods?" Speculative.
          "We wanted to escape from the noise." Vague.

"Is that Karlie's jacket?" Inquisitive.
            "Yes." Confession.

"Why were you wearing it?" Serious but gentle.
             "Because I was cold." Incomplete.

The tone of the conversation switches when Andrea brings up a recently claimed "forbidden" topic in their household: Taylor's love life.

Taylor slowly sinks into the bed, pulling the covers over her head as her mom asks, "So Karlie, huh? She seems nice...is she taking anyone to the Winter Formal?"

"Uh I haven't talked to her about that." Taylor lies, her voice muffled from the sheet over her face. She pretends to fall asleep, keeping her body as still as possible.

"Taylor, I know you're not asleep. Just answer your mother's question." Scott warns. He shoots his wife an amused look. Their 18 year old daughter is hiding from them, under the covers, pretending to be asleep and it reminds him of the stubborn, immature toddler that Taylor used to be.