Taylor launches herself into Ryan's arms and starts to cry again.
"You poor things," Mom starts. "I'm so sorry about this."
"Thanks, Mrs. Moorehead," Jason says, polite to a fault. He fills her in on what he knows about his mom's condition.
Mom smoothes his hair across his forehead, such a parental move. I can tell she cares about him, though, because he means so much to me. "I talked to Dr. Strasberg and he says your mom is in stable condition, but they're watching her very closely. You have to do that when it's suspected that someone tried to take her own life."
I can see how difficult it was for Mom to actually say that. She's a professional though. She's birthed babies and informed loved ones of untimely passings. As an emergency room nurse in Chicago, she saw it all and did everythingâas much as any doctor had to do.
"Your mom took too much of the medication that she's using for her depression. The doctors want to keep her for several days, as you can imagine."
"When can we see her?" Taylor asks.
"We'll go up right now," Mom says. "Someone said your father has been called?"
"Yes, ma'am," Jason says with a nod. "I talked to him about an hour ago. Thing is, he doesn't know how soon he can get here. He's, like, at this remote location of the park where they dropped him off by seaplane. He has to wait until they can come back and get him. It's totally screwed up. I mean, I had to talk to him through this radio because his cell phone doesn't work. Thing is, he said he'd do his best to get here as soon as he can."
Taylor crosses her arms over her chest and harrumphs. "Typical."
Jason lowers his head. "Come on, Tay..."
Mr. Roach steps forward. "If there's anything Norma and I can do for the kids..."
"They'll need a place for the night," Mom tells him. "Taylor, you're welcome to stay with us. Maybe you guys can let Jason stay with you?"
"Absolutely," Jim says.
Jason gives him a halfhearted fist bump. "Thanks, man."
Jim nods. "I got your back, dude."
Mom hugs Taylor to her. "Let's go see your mom and then we'll swing by your house and pick up enough clothes for school and the next few days. Whatever you need."
I watch as my friends walk along with my mother, listening intently to her calming voice. Taylor glances back and me and smiles her thanks. She's so fragile right now, someone who's usually so self-confident and sure of herself. I catch up with her and hug her to me.
"I'm scared of what's going to happen to us," she whispers.
"We're going to take care of you, that's what."
"No, I mean ... after." She takes a deep breath. "Nothing's ever going to be the same. Ever."
I try to latch on to her thoughts or to see what's ahead for her future. It's quite hazy. Always is when it comes to anything that has to do with Jason. We're connected, but I can't get any kind of psychic readings on him. It apparently goes for Taylor too.
"I know, hon ... I know." I try to reassure her. What do I know, though? I'm just a kid like her.
"Maybe Daddy'll come back to Radisson."
"At least for the time being," I say. "You've got a place with me, though, for as long as you need it."
"Thanks, Kendall. You're such a good friend to me."
"Anything for you, Tay."
So, due to the circumstances, we've opted to postpone our ghost-hunting efforts at Mayor Shy's house until next weekend. Celia thought we should go ahead with it to help Taylor keep her mind off things, but my mom frowned on doing an investigation while a team member's mother was lying in the ICU. She has a point.
I'm sitting in study hall with Becca, racing her at online sudoku, while Celia continues her Internet search of all things Emily Faulkner related. I can't even think about Emily right now. Taylor cried herself to sleep last night lying next to me in bed. Emily may have been there, for all I know; however, I was too concerned about my friend to pay attention to some obstinate ghost with secrets she doesn't care to share with someone she claims to love.
"You poor things," Mom starts. "I'm so sorry about this."
"Thanks, Mrs. Moorehead," Jason says, polite to a fault. He fills her in on what he knows about his mom's condition.
Mom smoothes his hair across his forehead, such a parental move. I can tell she cares about him, though, because he means so much to me. "I talked to Dr. Strasberg and he says your mom is in stable condition, but they're watching her very closely. You have to do that when it's suspected that someone tried to take her own life."
I can see how difficult it was for Mom to actually say that. She's a professional though. She's birthed babies and informed loved ones of untimely passings. As an emergency room nurse in Chicago, she saw it all and did everythingâas much as any doctor had to do.
"Your mom took too much of the medication that she's using for her depression. The doctors want to keep her for several days, as you can imagine."
"When can we see her?" Taylor asks.
"We'll go up right now," Mom says. "Someone said your father has been called?"
"Yes, ma'am," Jason says with a nod. "I talked to him about an hour ago. Thing is, he doesn't know how soon he can get here. He's, like, at this remote location of the park where they dropped him off by seaplane. He has to wait until they can come back and get him. It's totally screwed up. I mean, I had to talk to him through this radio because his cell phone doesn't work. Thing is, he said he'd do his best to get here as soon as he can."
Taylor crosses her arms over her chest and harrumphs. "Typical."
Jason lowers his head. "Come on, Tay..."
Mr. Roach steps forward. "If there's anything Norma and I can do for the kids..."
"They'll need a place for the night," Mom tells him. "Taylor, you're welcome to stay with us. Maybe you guys can let Jason stay with you?"
"Absolutely," Jim says.
Jason gives him a halfhearted fist bump. "Thanks, man."
Jim nods. "I got your back, dude."
Mom hugs Taylor to her. "Let's go see your mom and then we'll swing by your house and pick up enough clothes for school and the next few days. Whatever you need."
I watch as my friends walk along with my mother, listening intently to her calming voice. Taylor glances back and me and smiles her thanks. She's so fragile right now, someone who's usually so self-confident and sure of herself. I catch up with her and hug her to me.
"I'm scared of what's going to happen to us," she whispers.
"We're going to take care of you, that's what."
"No, I mean ... after." She takes a deep breath. "Nothing's ever going to be the same. Ever."
I try to latch on to her thoughts or to see what's ahead for her future. It's quite hazy. Always is when it comes to anything that has to do with Jason. We're connected, but I can't get any kind of psychic readings on him. It apparently goes for Taylor too.
"I know, hon ... I know." I try to reassure her. What do I know, though? I'm just a kid like her.
"Maybe Daddy'll come back to Radisson."
"At least for the time being," I say. "You've got a place with me, though, for as long as you need it."
"Thanks, Kendall. You're such a good friend to me."
"Anything for you, Tay."
So, due to the circumstances, we've opted to postpone our ghost-hunting efforts at Mayor Shy's house until next weekend. Celia thought we should go ahead with it to help Taylor keep her mind off things, but my mom frowned on doing an investigation while a team member's mother was lying in the ICU. She has a point.
I'm sitting in study hall with Becca, racing her at online sudoku, while Celia continues her Internet search of all things Emily Faulkner related. I can't even think about Emily right now. Taylor cried herself to sleep last night lying next to me in bed. Emily may have been there, for all I know; however, I was too concerned about my friend to pay attention to some obstinate ghost with secrets she doesn't care to share with someone she claims to love.
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