The Fast and the Furious: Redline

Chapter Seven
A Visit to St. Catherine's and More

Leon wiped his brow and looked around the garage. He had been working on a '98 Toyota Supra for the last hour and a half and he had made very little progress. The punk who owned the car had screwed the car up and was now using 'daddy's money' to pay for it. Oh how he hated kids like that.

Dom walked out of the office and laughed at Leon.

"Still not working right?"

"Nah, the kid screwed this car up."

Dom patted Leon on the back. "And it has to be done in two days."

Leon groaned. The phone in the office began to ring and Dom headed toward the office.

"Hey, Leon, after I answer this, I'll give ya hand."

"Thanks, dog," he called out to Dom's retreating figure.

Leon ran a hand through his hair and looked at the engine of the car. He practically wanted to scream. Never before had he grimaced at the thought of working on a car. Usually he was glad when he had to work on a car that needed a lot of work, but this car was not the case. This car was hell.

Just as Leon was about to start working on the car again, Dom stormed out of the office and screamed, "We gotta get to the hospital."

Leon found himself pacing in the waiting room of St. Catherine's Memorial Hospital. His stomach was twisted into knots. Vince sat in a plastic chair across from Leon.

"Leon, man, that car came out of nowhere."

There was no reply. Leon wasn't sure if he was capable of replying. His mind was going in some many directions at one time that he knew whatever he would say wouldn't make sense.

"Leon, say something man," Dom said from his seat next to Vince's. "You're going crazy keeping everything bottled up."

Leon stopped pacing and looked over at the team who were sitting in the plastic chairs across from him. They all watched him with looks of concern.

"What happened?"

Vince clenched his jaw. "One second, everything was fine. I went through the intersection once the light turned green and then Bam! It hit her side within seconds of me seeing. The last thing I remember saying before the car slammed into us was, 'Oh God.' I should have done something. I should have hit the brakes or sped up to get out of the way."

Silence again filled the air as Leon took in all of the information. It was way more than he could handle at the moment. He had no clue why he felt the way he did toward Taylor.

"I've known her for three days," he said finally.

The whole team looked as if they were hanging on every word he said.

"If she dies…"

Leon couldn't finish the thought. It was just way too much to think about.

"She'll be okay," Mia said. She stood up from her seat and walked over to him.

It nearly broke her heart when she saw tears forming up in the corner of his eyes. She began to tear up just seeing him in this state.

"I sure hope so, Mi," he replied as his eyes fell to the floor.

"I need to speak to a relative of Taylor Hughes," a doctor said as she entered the waiting room.

Leon practically ran over to the doctor.

"I'm her boyfriend," he said.

The doctor looked him over for a second or two before looking down at the clipboard in her hands.

"Do you mind if we talk in private?" she asked.

"Yeah."

Leon became extremely nervous as the doctor led him to a secluded part of a hallway.

"Doc, you gotta tell me what's up," he said, not able to take the silence any longer.

"My name is Dr. Cavanaugh, and I've been overseeing Ms. Hughes since she came to St. Catherine's Memorial. Now, Ms. Hughes is at this point unconscious and has been since she came to the hospital. There was very little internal damage and there are a few lacerations on her face and arms. She broke her wrist, however. Once she wakes up, you'll be able to go in and speak to her."

Leon let out a breath that he didn't know that he had been holding.

"When do you think that she'll be awake?"

"That's hard to tell," she said after thinking for a moment. "It could be five minutes from now to four weeks from now."

Leon's shoulders shrank a little in defeat.

"What's wrong with her? I mean, why don't you guys know?"

"You girlfriend seems to have been very exhausted within the past couple of weeks. Her body's resetting itself is the best I can come up with. She was also dehydrated a bit so we put her on an IV to get some fluids back in her and it appeared that she hadn't eaten in a while. When she wakes up, I'll be sure to inform her of the consequences of not eating or drinking properly. I just ask that for a little while that you monitor her eating and drinking and make sure she gets plenty of rest."

"Thanks, Doc," he said softly.

As he started to walk back toward the rest of the team, the doctor stopped him.

"Y-you can go in and see her now, if you want," she said adjusted the clipboard in her hands.

Leon smiled.

"Thanks, Doc."

"Call me, Adelyne, please. I have a feeling Doc is going to drive me crazy."

He chuckled before sticking his hands in his pockets.

"She is in room B14."

"Thanks. Well, I guess I'll see ya later."

The doctor nodded and headed walked off. Leon took a deep breath before he headed down the hall to where Taylor's room was. When he found the room, he was afraid to walk in. Afraid of what he might see once he stepped inside the room.

Hospitals had never been Leon's favorite place. The worst moments of his life were at hospitals. His father died in a hospital. His sister died in a hospital. Both Jesse and Vince almost died in a hospital. Frankly, they just gave him the creeps. After taking several moments to regain his composure, he stepped in and brought his eyes up to where Taylor was resting peacefully.

He watched silently as her chest rose up and down showing that she was still alive, despite how horrible she looked. Taylor wasn't horribly disfigured, she merely had scrapes and bruises across her face and her left arm was in a cast. Her skin, which was normally slightly tan, was a pale white that nearly blended her in with the sheets that she was lying on. Leon lowered his calloused hand and gently rubbed his thumb over the top of her hand. Emotions ran through him so fast that he wasn't sure if he wanted to know what they were.

His breath caught when he saw her eyes flutter open and stare straight up at him. He stood in a daze and wasn't snapped out of it until she spoke.

"Hey," she said with a small smile. Her voice was very hoarse and her eyes were full of sleep.

Leon knelt beside her and kissed the side of her temple. "Hey," he replied, unsure of what else to say.

A comfortable silence enveloped them and no words were said between the two until Vince walked in the door several hours later informing Leon that they had some business to finish up. Leon stood slowly and laid another kiss on her temple.

"I'll be back in the morning," he whispered to her.

She nodded in understanding and watched silently as he slipped from the room. Something was going on, that much she was sure of. Taylor didn't want to press the issue with Leon because she hadn't known him that long, but sooner or later she was going to ask about the sudden disappearing acts. She prayed that she would get a truthfully from him.

Two weeks later:

Leon pulled up to the garage and turned his car off. Seconds later, both he and Taylor got out of the Skyline. Taylor walked up to the side of the garage and began to read a sign that was posted. It read:

Contractor's Pyramid:

Fast Plus Good Equals Not Cheap
Fast Plus Cheap Equals Not Good
Good Plus Cheap Equals Not Fast

Taylor let out a small laugh at the sign before being walking back over to Leon.

"Hey Mia," Leon called out. "I brought you some help."

He wrapped an arm around Taylor as Mia stepped out of the small office that was situated in the back of the garage. Her hair was pulled up haphazardly in a pony tail and she looked bored out of her mind.

"Good," she replied with a small smile. "I could use some company."

Leon smacked Taylor playfully on the butt and whispered in her ear, "Have fun."

Taylor flipped him off with her right hand. Her left arm was still in a cast and would be for another four weeks. She rolled her eyes as Leon smirked and walked over to Mia.

"What can I do for ya?" she asked.

"Well," Mia replied as she stepped into the office. "You can help me straighten up the office. Dom has completely destroyed it and there are papers everywhere. I'll be in there to help you as soon as I talk to Dom about some stuff."

"All right. I can do that."

Taylor walked up to the desk and glanced down at the invoices that were scattered all across it. She shook her head slightly and began to gather the papers. The sound of Mia and Dom talking filled her ears, and she couldn't help but ease drop.

"What about the parts and service?" Mia asked.

"Hold off on that," Dom replied.

Taylor continued to straighten up the desk while paying attention to the conversation. She felt slightly guilty for ease dropping, but she couldn't help it.

"Dom, I don't know what to do with this…"

Taylor laid some papers aside and glanced up at Mia and Dom right as a tow truck stopped outside the garage. A beat up car was sitting on the back of it. The car was destroyed. Taylor had a feeling that the car was incapable of running ever again. She slipped out of the office and stood next to Mia.

"What the hell?" she said in a low voice. Mia looked over at Taylor and gave her a look that said, 'My thoughts exactly.'

"All right, what the hell is this?" Dom asked, walking closer to the heap of junk. "What do you got there?"

"This is your car," Brian announced proudly as he motioned to the car.

Dom leaned up against the side of the garage with a beer in one hand.

"My car? I said a ten-second car, not a ten-minute car."

Jesse walked up to the car and inspected it. He beat his hand on the body of the car.

"You could push this across the finish line, or…tow it," he said, backing away from the car a bit.

Laughter filled the air, but Brian's smile never left his face.

"Couldn't even tow that across the finish line," Dom added.

Laughter again.

"No faith," Brian replied, looking a bit disappointed.

"Oh, I have faith in you, but this isn't a junkyard. This is a garage."

"Hey," Brian said, not giving up. "Pop the hood."

"Pop the hood?"

"Pop the hood," Brian confirmed.

Taylor stood next to Mia as the guys maneuvered the car off of the tow truck and into a space in the garage.

"Hey Letty," she said as she neared Letty. "You see where Leon went?"

"Uh, yeah. Dom sent him over to Harry's to pick up a few things."

Taylor nodded and waited for Jesse to finally pop the hood to the Supra. When it was finally open, the hood clattered to the floor.

"Two J.Z. engine. No shit," Jesse said, astonished. Dom, Brian, Mia, Jesse, and Taylor were all gathered around the car staring down at the engine. Taylor had a feeling that she was the only one in the garage who didn't know a thing about cars.

"And what did I tell you?" Brian asked.

"I retract my previous statement."

"You know what?" Jesse asked, getting excited. "This will decimate all after you put about fifteen grand in it…or more. If we have to, overnight parts from Japan."

"We'll put it on my tab at Harry's," Dom replied.

"Yes!"

"I gotta get you racing again so I can make some money off your ass," Dom said to Brian. A small smirk was placed upon his lips. "There's this show down in the desert called Race Wars, and that's where you'll do it." Dom started to walk off but stopped shortly thereafter. "I'll tell you what. When you're not workin' at Harry's, you're workin' here. If you can't find the right tool in this garage, Mister Arizona, you don't belong near a car."

Brian smiled and turned back to his car while Taylor headed back to the office to get some of the work finished. She faintly heard Mia say to Brian, "He owns you now."

The next couple of days were a big blur for the Team and Taylor. The Team was constantly working on the Supra. It seemed as though they spent every waking hour at the garage attempting to get the car done as soon as possible. Taylor had her work cut out for her as well. She was stuck with the job of cleaning the garage. It was an absolute mess and getting worse. Fast. Every time she cleaned out a drawer, she couldn't throw anything away because she didn't know what to keep.

"This ain't workin', Mia," Taylor said, exasperated, as Mia walked into the office.

Mia laughed. "That's okay. I was comin' in to let ya go anyways."

"Good." Taylor stood up from the desk and walked out of the office. As they did, Brian and Jesse walked into the office. Taylor immediately noticed Mia's wandering eye, but decided to say nothing about it. She knew that eventually the two of them would hook up. Mia and Brian made too cute of a couple to not get together.

As she was thinking about Mia and Brian, Leon came up behind her and wrapped his arms around her waist.

"Whatca thinkin' about?" he asked, sending chills down her spine. It had gotten to the point, where she loved to hear his voice. Every time he talk, it made her feel all warm and tingly inside and she was beginning to love that feeling.

"Nothing…"

Leon placed a soft kiss on her ear lobe and walked with her out to her metallic purple Toyota Celica.

"Look, I got to run to the store with V and Let. I'll see ya later on?"

"Okay," Taylor said before she kissed him good-bye.

Taylor parked her car in front of the Toretto house. She followed Mia inside and into the kitchen. It had been kind of hard learning to operate her car with only one hand, but she had managed to get along all right.

"So, what are we waiting for?" she as she hopped onto the counter.

"Well," Mia said, putting her hands on her hips. "We just have to wait until Letty and the boys get back from the store."

Taylor nodded and watched with a smile as Mia looked out the window at Brian. The sound of three cars pulling up the driveway floated into the house. Taylor walked out of the hose to help Leon carry in the groceries.

"Vince, get over here and give us a hand," Dom yelled.

She looked over to V and saw him heading to his car. It had been fixed since the wreck and now looked better than ever.

"Looks like you got all the help you need, brother," Vince called over his shoulder.

As she walked over to Leon and took a bag from him, she asked, "What was all that about?"

The two of them headed into the house.

"The punk," Leon mumbled.

Taylor sat the grocery bag on the counter and crossed her arms the best she could with a cast.

"Why do y'all keep calling him that? He's done nothing to you. Mia's head over heels about him, but y'all still have a hard time accepting him."

Leon sighed.

"It's just because he's new. We don't know him. Trust me, babe, it'll be better in a couple of weeks."

He wrapped an arm around Taylor's waist and planted a small kiss on her neck.

"Well, I'm new and y'all have an easier time accepting me."

"Y'all?" Leon asked with a smile, trying to change the subject. "You from the South?"

"Don't change the subject like that. And yes, I am. How is it that you can't stand him when you've known him for the same amount of time as me?"

He shrugged.

"Exactly." She wrapped her arms around Leon's neck. "You guys need to lighten up on him."

"Oh get a room," Letty said as she walked into the kitchen.

Taylor laughed, but never lost eye contact with Leon.

"I'll try," he whispered before he kissed her on the lips.

"All right," Mia said, breaking up the kiss as she entered the house. "Girls only. We must make dinner."

"Speak for yourself," Letty said with a laugh as she walked out of the room.

Leon kissed Taylor on the cheek before walking out.

"All right, Mia," she said. "What do you want me to do?"

"Peel those potatoes the best you can," Mia said, gesturing to a stack of potatoes.

Taylor nodded and got to work on the stack.

"Mia!" Dom called from outside an hour and a half later.

"All right all ready," Mia as she picked up the potato salad and barbeque sauce. Taylor followed behind her as she walked outside.

"The chicken's dry already," Dom said over his shoulder.

"I'm comin' out."

Taylor walked down the back stairs and over to Leon, who was playing basketball. Sweat dripped down his temples and arms. She couldn't help lick her lips before poking him in the ribs. Leon sat the basketball down. He then wrapped his arms around Taylor's waist and pulled her closer to him. After putting his head on her forehead, he stared down into her eyes.

"Did I ever tell you that I'm glad you're okay?"

She peered up at him, confused.

"The wreck," he explained.

Her features softened in understanding.

"You really had me freaked," he admitted. "For a second, I thought that I was going to lose you."

Taylor's cheeks turned red. She wasn't used to guys being this sweet to her. After all the crap she had gone through with Jarrett, Leon was an angel.

In order to shift attention away from herself, she asked, "Havin' fun playing ball?"

"Maybe you and I should play a little one-on-one," he said with a slight smirk.

Taylor smiled. "Sounds like fun. Now come on, Mr. Sweaty, it's time to eat."

"Mr. Sweaty, eh?" Leon stepped for with a look of mock aggression on his face. She stepped backwards, attempting to get away from him. "I'll show you sweaty."

Before Taylor knew what was happening, Leon had stepped forward and attempted to tackle her. She managed to get away in time and took off running. She was about to go around the picnic table when he caught up with her. Muscular arms wrapped around her waist and jerked her off her feet. A giggle escaped her lips as Leon rubbed the sweat from his temples along the side of her neck.

"Hey, you two. Cut it out," Dom called out as he placed the chicken on a plate.

Leon put Taylor back down on the ground before whispering in her ear, "It's not over yet."

The two of them walked over and sat down. Taylor peered around the table and quirked an eyebrow. Everyone was staring at the food like they wanted some, but nobody would reach in and get something. She attempted to reach in and get a roll, but Leon squeezed her knee causing her to stop. Seconds later, Jesse walked in and grabbed a piece of chicken.

"Hey, hold up," Dom said with a smile. "Because you were the first out of everybody here to reach in to get the chicken, you say grace."

"Oh," Jesse replied. Everyone clasped their hands together and bowed the head.

"Dear heavenly, uh-"

"Spirit," Leon said as he laid his head on Taylor's knee, causing sparks to shoot off throughout her body.

"Spirit. Thank you. Uh, thank you for providing us with a direct port, nitrous injection…"

Taylor opened her and looked at Jesse. She caught Dom's eye and smiled before looking at everybody else at the table.

"…four core intercoolers and ball-bearing turbos, and, um, titanium valve springs. Thank you."

"Amen," she said softly with a small smile.

Leon opened his eyes and rubbed his hand up and down her leg. She put her hand on his and then took a sip of her Corona.

"Not bad," Dom replied.

"He was prayin' to the car gods, man," Letty said with a laugh.

"If he's not the best…" Dom said, trailing off. Everyone pretty much got what he meant.

Everyone around the table began to dig into the food and put generous helpings on their plate. Taylor sat back a bit, waiting for everyone to get what they wanted before she got her food.

"What do you want?" Mia asked Taylor as she handed Letty the potato salad.

"Uh, I'll take a wing." She passed her plate over to Mia, who put the wing on the plate.

Taylor was in the middle of asking Brian for a roll, when Leon chuckled a bit.

"Look who it is," he called out. "Old Coyote 'R Us. I thought you weren't hungry, pumpkin."

Taylor nudged Leon, but he merely smiled.

"You know I gotta eat," Vince replied as he opened his arms.

"He's always hungry," Letty commented, causing Taylor to laugh.

Dom looked up at Taylor and then at Brian. "All right, sit down," Dom said, not bothering to look at Vince.

Vince kissed the back of Dom's head before heading toward his seat. Tension hung in the air. No one was really sure what to say. Taylor watched Vince as he walked past Mia.

"How you doin', Mia?" Vince asked.

Mia replied with a 'Hey' timidly. All eyes turned to Vince as he sat down and grabbed a Corona. He then took a sip of the beer, but never put his lips on the mouth of the bottle. Taylor was a bit confused, but figured that the action had something to do with Brian.

"Hey, Jesse, hand me that chicken, bro," Leon said, breaking the silence. Everyone seemed to snap out of their silent mood and continued to put food on their plate.

"Let's eat some grub, man," Letty said with a smile to Vince.

Once everyone had their food, the conversations did not stop. Taylor nibbled on her food. She wasn't very hungry due to having a big lunch at the shop earlier that day. Leon was talking to Vince about something that seemed very important. Everyone except for Brian and her were involved in a conversation, so she decided to talk to him.

"So, Brian, where ya from?"

"Tuscon, Arizona," he replied as he scooped himself a second helping of potato salad. "You?"

"Memphis, Tennessee," she said as she grabbed a roll from the basket in front of her. She pinched off a small part and stuck it in her mouth.

"What brought you here?"

Taylor swallowed the food in her mouth before replying. "Just something new, I guess. My parents really weren't thrilled about me coming out here, but it's my life. I can go where ever I want to go and they have no real saw in it. Now don't get me wrong, I heart them to death, but you gotta branch out, ya know?"

Brian nodded. "Is LA different from Memphis?"

She laughed. "Very. Memphis is very low key compared to LA. What about Tuscon?"

"Very low key like you said."

The conversation kind of died then. Neither of them knew what to say, so Taylor resorted to poking at her chicken with the end of her fork.

"Something wrong with the chicken?" Leon asked.

She shook her head no. "I'm just not hungry, that's all."

Leon nodded in understanding and placed a kiss on her forehead. She smiled in return, but the smile disappeared when she looked over at Vince. He had a scowl on his face and was glaring over at Brian. Taylor merely shook her head in sadness. She wished that Leon and Vince would accept Brian, but she knew it was next to impossible.