It was a normal day at Cook County General. Everyone was busy as one
trauma after another came in. Elizabeth Corday sat in the lounge on her
break sipping a coffee. Elizabeth was deep in thought about a case as Susan
walked into the lounge. Elizabeth jumped.
"Oh, Sorry if I scared you Elizabeth!" Susan exclaimed.
Elizabeth laughed. "Its quite alright. I needed to come out of the deep thought I was in anyway. So how are you?" she asked
Susan's smile turned cold. " I'm not so great." She said as she poured herself some coffee and sat on the couch with Elizabeth.
"Thinking about Mark?" Elizabeth asked
Susan nodded. " I can't get him out of my head." She said.
"Neither can I, I miss him so much." She said.
"Me too." Susan replied.
Haleh stuck her head into the lounge. "Excuse me Susan, trauma coming in, woman in a hit and run."
"ETA?"
"Now!"
"Thanks Haleh." Susan said, sighing.
Just then they heard an ambulance pull up. "Well, I better go, sick patients are calling my name." She said.
Elizabeth chuckled. " Alright, I'll see you later." She said. Just then the double doors burst open and they rolled a gurney down the hall. Elizabeth stepped out of the lounge and wasn't looking where she was going and she bumped into a girl. "Oh, Pardon me." She said and then looked again. " Taylor?" She said and almost spilled her coffee.
"Hi Aunt Elizabeth." Taylor said.
"What are you doing here?" She asked.
" Mom was in a car accident." She said and looked down.
"Oh God, Abigail, is she alright?" She asked and before she could hear an answer she was racing down the hall and into Trauma 1 where all of the doctors were walking.
"Time of death, 7:30." Susan said when she saw Elizabeth come into the trauma room.
"No, no, Oh God, please." Elizabeth said.
Everyone looked at Elizabeth as they were working.
"She's.she's my sister." Elizabeth choked out and then broke down into tears.
"Oh my God." Susan said softly and then went over to comfort Elizabeth. "I am so sorry Elizabeth."
Elizabeth tried to say something but the words just wouldn't come out and she found herself crying even harder than before. Finally got up enough strength to go find Taylor. She saw her over in chairs talking to Abby and drinking a soda.
"You know, you look an awful lot like Elizabeth." Said Abby.
"Wow, thank you! I always thought she was pretty."
"So, you like school?" Abby asked.
"Yeah it's great. I love the people and the teachers and-"
" Tay, I need to talk to you." Elizabeth interrupted her.
"Sure Aunt Elizabeth." She said hesitantly but listened.
Elizabeth sat down. " Sweetheart, your.ummm. mum's injuries were very bad. She had some internal bleeding that we couldn't stop. We.we tried everything but she didn't make it. Taylor, your.your mum died." Elizabeth said before breaking down into uncontrollable sobs.
"Oh God" Taylor said and Elizabeth pulled her into a tight embrace as they sat there, crying together.
When they both calmed down, Elizabeth tried to get Taylor to tell her what happened.
"Taylor," She began. " I know this is hard for you but I must know what happened to her." She said, tears still flowing down her face.
"I don't want to talk about it." Taylor said between sobs.
"Taylor, Dr. Corday is right, in order for us to help, we must know what happened. It's okay to tell us. You won't get in trouble." Abby said as she rubbed the scared teenager's back.
" Well, okay, I guess. We were driving in the car. This man came out of nowhere and rammed right into us, on the drivers side. That's all I really remember." She said quietly.
"Oh God," was all Elizabeth could say. Finally she got up enough strength to ask more questions. " Where's your father?" She asked.
"I should go." Abby said, feeling she didn't belong here anymore, that this was a family issue.
" Didn't she tell you?" Taylor asked and in response came a every confused look from Elizabeth. " He left Mum, about 4 months ago, he moved to Europe to be with his family again. Mum was devastated. I, on the other hand, could care less. He was a jerk of a father." She said.
" You've got that right!" Elizabeth agreed. " I just don't know where I'll go now. I mean my mum was all I ever had. I can't believe she's gone, Aunt Elizabeth." She said and felt more tears coming.
"Shh, sweetheart, everything will work out." She said soothingly.
"No it won't!" Taylor said in a very loud voice that surprised them both. " My mum's dead! I have no reason to live!" She exclaimed and got up from her seat.
" Taylor!" Elizabeth called out but it was no use, as she was out of the doors and into the streets. Elizabeth ran after her and finally caught up with her. Out of breath she began to talk to her. " Taylor.you have got to listen to me.your mum would not want you like this! You must come back with me..I will take care of you. You've got nothing to worry about." She said.
"But Aunt Elizabeth, I don't have a mother anymore!" Taylor cried.
"Yes you do Tay," Elizabeth said. " Yes you do" **
Taylor gave her aunt a funny look. " Aunt Elizabeth, what are you talking about?" She asked
" Taylor, I think we better save this conversation until we get back to the hospital." Said Elizabeth calmly.
"NO!" cried taylor. " If you have something to tell me, tell me now!" She exclaimed
Elizabeth led Taylor to a bench nearby, took a deep breath and started to tell her end of the story.
"Taylor, there's something you don't know about us that I need to tell you. Do you know why Abby told you that you looked so much like me?" Asked Elizabeth, staring into Taylor's eyes.
Taylor stared back at her, her eyes wide and just simply shook her head.
"Alright, this is going to be hard, but the woman who just died is not your mother, she is your aunt."
Taylor was speechless. Finally she got up enough strength to say something. " What happened?" She asked simply.
"When I was younger, I realized I couldn't handle having a baby. Your real father died in a plane crash and I was left alone. My sister, your aunt, came and said she would help me out. She ended up taking you away so that you could have your life back and I could have mine. I regreted it for a while but then I just sort of put it aside, with the baby and all and Mark. I guess I never thought this day would come so soon. I'm sorry, Tay."
Taylor was speechless yet again. When she got up enough strength to talk, her voice was shaky as she began to clarify this all. " So let me get this straight. You're my mother?" She asked.
"Yes Tay," Elizabeth said, her voice shaky as well. " I am your mother."
" I can't believe it." She said. " I can't believe my so called mother never told me this."
"It was for your own good, Tay." Elizabeth said. " We knew one day we had to tell you. I just didn't think it would have to come down to this."
"For my own good? FOR MY OWN GOOD?" Taylor said louder, " Try thinking your mother is one person and then having a totally different mother. How is that good? How is being lied to all your life a good thing? Good my ass!" Taylor cursed.
"I know, I know what your going through and I anticipated it from the moment you left my arms. Taylor, I loved you so much, I wanted you more than anything but I was 20. I was young and didn't know what to do. Even your mom was young for a mother, she was only 25. But I swore that I wanted you to have a better life than I could've given you. And look how you turned out. An amazing girl , an amazing singer and actress with an amazing soul."
Taylor didn't have to say anything. She wrapped her arms tightly around Elizabeth. " I'm sorry. I'm sorry I even doubted you. I am so happy that you are here."
"And I will be, no matter what. I am here for you Taylor and we'll live together and I'll try to give you the best damn life a girl will ever have."
" I don't doubt it, aunt.I mean, Mom."
Elizabeth wiped the stray tears from her eyes and got up from her sitting position on the bench. " What do you say we go back to County and grab a snack or something? You look awfully tired. Maybe a bit of rest would do you good as well." Said Elizabeth, knowing that Taylor wouldn't want to sleep right now.
" The food part sounds okay, but I don't really think I could even come close to sleeping. Not right now anyway."
"Alright , come on then." She said and held out her hand to Taylor. Taylor took it and together they walked back to County, squeezing each other's hand every once in a while, to let each other know that she was there.
Elizabeth laughed. "Its quite alright. I needed to come out of the deep thought I was in anyway. So how are you?" she asked
Susan's smile turned cold. " I'm not so great." She said as she poured herself some coffee and sat on the couch with Elizabeth.
"Thinking about Mark?" Elizabeth asked
Susan nodded. " I can't get him out of my head." She said.
"Neither can I, I miss him so much." She said.
"Me too." Susan replied.
Haleh stuck her head into the lounge. "Excuse me Susan, trauma coming in, woman in a hit and run."
"ETA?"
"Now!"
"Thanks Haleh." Susan said, sighing.
Just then they heard an ambulance pull up. "Well, I better go, sick patients are calling my name." She said.
Elizabeth chuckled. " Alright, I'll see you later." She said. Just then the double doors burst open and they rolled a gurney down the hall. Elizabeth stepped out of the lounge and wasn't looking where she was going and she bumped into a girl. "Oh, Pardon me." She said and then looked again. " Taylor?" She said and almost spilled her coffee.
"Hi Aunt Elizabeth." Taylor said.
"What are you doing here?" She asked.
" Mom was in a car accident." She said and looked down.
"Oh God, Abigail, is she alright?" She asked and before she could hear an answer she was racing down the hall and into Trauma 1 where all of the doctors were walking.
"Time of death, 7:30." Susan said when she saw Elizabeth come into the trauma room.
"No, no, Oh God, please." Elizabeth said.
Everyone looked at Elizabeth as they were working.
"She's.she's my sister." Elizabeth choked out and then broke down into tears.
"Oh my God." Susan said softly and then went over to comfort Elizabeth. "I am so sorry Elizabeth."
Elizabeth tried to say something but the words just wouldn't come out and she found herself crying even harder than before. Finally got up enough strength to go find Taylor. She saw her over in chairs talking to Abby and drinking a soda.
"You know, you look an awful lot like Elizabeth." Said Abby.
"Wow, thank you! I always thought she was pretty."
"So, you like school?" Abby asked.
"Yeah it's great. I love the people and the teachers and-"
" Tay, I need to talk to you." Elizabeth interrupted her.
"Sure Aunt Elizabeth." She said hesitantly but listened.
Elizabeth sat down. " Sweetheart, your.ummm. mum's injuries were very bad. She had some internal bleeding that we couldn't stop. We.we tried everything but she didn't make it. Taylor, your.your mum died." Elizabeth said before breaking down into uncontrollable sobs.
"Oh God" Taylor said and Elizabeth pulled her into a tight embrace as they sat there, crying together.
When they both calmed down, Elizabeth tried to get Taylor to tell her what happened.
"Taylor," She began. " I know this is hard for you but I must know what happened to her." She said, tears still flowing down her face.
"I don't want to talk about it." Taylor said between sobs.
"Taylor, Dr. Corday is right, in order for us to help, we must know what happened. It's okay to tell us. You won't get in trouble." Abby said as she rubbed the scared teenager's back.
" Well, okay, I guess. We were driving in the car. This man came out of nowhere and rammed right into us, on the drivers side. That's all I really remember." She said quietly.
"Oh God," was all Elizabeth could say. Finally she got up enough strength to ask more questions. " Where's your father?" She asked.
"I should go." Abby said, feeling she didn't belong here anymore, that this was a family issue.
" Didn't she tell you?" Taylor asked and in response came a every confused look from Elizabeth. " He left Mum, about 4 months ago, he moved to Europe to be with his family again. Mum was devastated. I, on the other hand, could care less. He was a jerk of a father." She said.
" You've got that right!" Elizabeth agreed. " I just don't know where I'll go now. I mean my mum was all I ever had. I can't believe she's gone, Aunt Elizabeth." She said and felt more tears coming.
"Shh, sweetheart, everything will work out." She said soothingly.
"No it won't!" Taylor said in a very loud voice that surprised them both. " My mum's dead! I have no reason to live!" She exclaimed and got up from her seat.
" Taylor!" Elizabeth called out but it was no use, as she was out of the doors and into the streets. Elizabeth ran after her and finally caught up with her. Out of breath she began to talk to her. " Taylor.you have got to listen to me.your mum would not want you like this! You must come back with me..I will take care of you. You've got nothing to worry about." She said.
"But Aunt Elizabeth, I don't have a mother anymore!" Taylor cried.
"Yes you do Tay," Elizabeth said. " Yes you do" **
Taylor gave her aunt a funny look. " Aunt Elizabeth, what are you talking about?" She asked
" Taylor, I think we better save this conversation until we get back to the hospital." Said Elizabeth calmly.
"NO!" cried taylor. " If you have something to tell me, tell me now!" She exclaimed
Elizabeth led Taylor to a bench nearby, took a deep breath and started to tell her end of the story.
"Taylor, there's something you don't know about us that I need to tell you. Do you know why Abby told you that you looked so much like me?" Asked Elizabeth, staring into Taylor's eyes.
Taylor stared back at her, her eyes wide and just simply shook her head.
"Alright, this is going to be hard, but the woman who just died is not your mother, she is your aunt."
Taylor was speechless. Finally she got up enough strength to say something. " What happened?" She asked simply.
"When I was younger, I realized I couldn't handle having a baby. Your real father died in a plane crash and I was left alone. My sister, your aunt, came and said she would help me out. She ended up taking you away so that you could have your life back and I could have mine. I regreted it for a while but then I just sort of put it aside, with the baby and all and Mark. I guess I never thought this day would come so soon. I'm sorry, Tay."
Taylor was speechless yet again. When she got up enough strength to talk, her voice was shaky as she began to clarify this all. " So let me get this straight. You're my mother?" She asked.
"Yes Tay," Elizabeth said, her voice shaky as well. " I am your mother."
" I can't believe it." She said. " I can't believe my so called mother never told me this."
"It was for your own good, Tay." Elizabeth said. " We knew one day we had to tell you. I just didn't think it would have to come down to this."
"For my own good? FOR MY OWN GOOD?" Taylor said louder, " Try thinking your mother is one person and then having a totally different mother. How is that good? How is being lied to all your life a good thing? Good my ass!" Taylor cursed.
"I know, I know what your going through and I anticipated it from the moment you left my arms. Taylor, I loved you so much, I wanted you more than anything but I was 20. I was young and didn't know what to do. Even your mom was young for a mother, she was only 25. But I swore that I wanted you to have a better life than I could've given you. And look how you turned out. An amazing girl , an amazing singer and actress with an amazing soul."
Taylor didn't have to say anything. She wrapped her arms tightly around Elizabeth. " I'm sorry. I'm sorry I even doubted you. I am so happy that you are here."
"And I will be, no matter what. I am here for you Taylor and we'll live together and I'll try to give you the best damn life a girl will ever have."
" I don't doubt it, aunt.I mean, Mom."
Elizabeth wiped the stray tears from her eyes and got up from her sitting position on the bench. " What do you say we go back to County and grab a snack or something? You look awfully tired. Maybe a bit of rest would do you good as well." Said Elizabeth, knowing that Taylor wouldn't want to sleep right now.
" The food part sounds okay, but I don't really think I could even come close to sleeping. Not right now anyway."
"Alright , come on then." She said and held out her hand to Taylor. Taylor took it and together they walked back to County, squeezing each other's hand every once in a while, to let each other know that she was there.