Chapter 4

Taylor, Shane, and Lucas waited in the warm waiting room of the only hospital in the small town, Pleasant, they lived in. Taylor was yelling at the only nurse on duty while was sitting in a comfortable looking chair with a dirty washcloth pressed against his leg. And sitting next to him was Lucas, being nonchalant about the current situation.

"I'm sorry, but I can't help you right now." The red-headed nurse told Taylor pleasantly.

"Do you not understand? My friend is going to bleed to death! He has a serious wound in his thigh! If he dies, or has permanent damage I will sue the hell out of you and this damn, crappy hospital! I don't care what you have to do, just get him some help!' Taylor was making a complete fool of herself, yelling, screaming, kicking, and doing whatever she had to, to get some attention. The last thing she wanted is for Shane to get hurt anymore than he already is.

"I'm terribly sorry, ma'am, but all out doctors are busy and, we're booked. Now if you could please have a seat and calm down, I'm sure a doctor will be here in time." The nurse tried to reason with her. Taylor did not want to be reasoned with.

"Oh, don't give me that shit!" Taylor could feel the tears whelming in up in her eyes, "please, help us."

"I'm sorry, but as I said-"

The ringing of her office phone interrupted yet another one of her lame apologies. She held up one finger and mumbled a few OKs and MHH HHMs and hung up.

"OK, a doctor is coming down right away to take a look at your friend. Just fill this out and I'm sorry for the inconvenience." The nurse gave her a clip board and a pen.

Taylor walked over to where Shane was sitting. "The doctor will be here soon Shane, hold on." She ignored Lucas and sat on the other side of Shane. And began filling out the paperwork. Her pen paused at the line it asked for the address. It reminded Tailor that she was going to go home, back to hell. So, she decided she should put her own address.

A tall man in a white lab coat, obviously a doctor, distracted her.

"Hello, I am doctor gibbons. I will be examining Shane lots this evening. Please follow me to exam room 5." The three teens stood and helps Shane limp to the room. Once they were there they helped Shane hop up on the bed.

"What seems to be the problem?" doctor Gibbons questioned.

"He has a serious knife wound done to his thigh" Taylor answered nervously.

The doctor turned to Shane. "May I see the wound?"

Shane gently lifted the washcloth and the doctor gasped. Shocked, Taylor jumped to look at Shane's leg.

"How did this happen?" the doctor asked, purely curious.

"He was mugged." Lucas lied smoothly before anyone could answer.

"Mugged?" the doctor asked in disbelief

"Yeah." Lucas assured him

"Will he be OK?" Taylor asked, deeply worried.

"We will for sure have to keep him overnight, maybe even for a few days." The doctor gibbons explained

"That's fine, but we have to go." Lucas said as he grabbed Taylor's arm and began to drag he out of the room. She yelled at the doctor to update her while trying to pry his hand off her. He dragged her all the way out to the waiting room where she gave the red-headed nurse her number and made her promise to keep Taylor updated.

"Let's go" Lucas said toughly.

Taylor refused to talk to him. She stomped to his truck, got in the passenger seat, slamming the door.

It was a silent ride. The familiar houses whizzing past her made her depressed. She realized she was about to go back t=to where she tried so desperately to get away from. For some reason, she found herself thinking of Shan's 'accident'. She remembered how mad she got when he didn't tell her what it was.

She was so lost in the thoughts she didn't notice that they stopped until she looked out her window to find a baby blue painted, two story house. Whenever she saw this house she thought of how much her mother loved that color and it was also a painful reminder that her mother was no longer with her.

Taylor goy out of the truck and began walking up to her front door, but

She didn't seem to notice Lucas got out of the truck too until he grabbed her by the waist and basically carried her back to the truck.

"What are you doing?"Taylor asked calmly. No energy or ambition to display rage.

"What? I don't get a goodbye kiss?" he asked innocently while pressing hr back against his truck and pressing his body against hers.

"no. no. no. stop." Taylor said as she tried to push him away.

This didn't stop Lucas; he leaned and pressed his lips against hers with force. He speared his toung in her mouth. Taylor just stood there, arms at her sides, limp. Just waiting for him to stop.

He removed his lips from hers and stepped back with an entertained smile on his face. What Taylor did next both surprised Taylor and Lucas.

She drew her right arm back and let it go; she punched him square in the jaw and ran up to her front door leaving Lucas kneeling over in pain.