Chapter Four: Emotional Meeting

Taylor's POV:

When I woke up, there were tubes in my arm hooking me to machines. I was sore everywhere. And there was a man I didn't know at my side. Then it all came back. The car crash. Mom, not moving. Only on the road at that time because I was being wreckless again. I started crying. The man looked up, startled.

"Taylor," he said my name. "I'm so relieved you're awake."

I tried to say anything to him, but there was a tube in my throat. It scared me. I started to panic. He pushed a button and the nurse came in.

"Yes, Mr. Hardy?"

"She woke up! The breathing tube is scaring her, can it be taken out?" Mr. Hardy asked.

"I'll get a doctor," the nurse replied.

"Relax. I know you're scared. I would be too, but the doctor will let us know if you still need to have the tube to help you breathe, Taylor. Just don't get more worked up, it won't help," he said, trying to calm me down.

Looking at him, it helped a little. I calmed down a bit. He seemed familiar, but I knew I'd never seen him before in my life.

"It's good to see you finally awake, Taylor," the doctor drawled when he came into the room.

He pushed my bed away from the wall and stood behind my head. He tilted my head and told me to cough. When I did, he pulled the tube out. My throat hurt. They put a tube to help me breathe in my nose and the nurse brought me water.

"We'll slowly take you off of that, Taylor," the doctor said. "You gave your father here quite a scare."

I started coughing and spit out the water I was drinking. Father?

"Doc! She didn't know!" Mr. Hardy yelled.

"I'm sorry. I didn't know that. I'll finish my exam and leave you two to talk."

The doctor finished his exam and said that I was healing fine, but I would still need some time. After that, he and the nurse left the room.

"I'm sorry you had to find out like that, Taylor," Mr. Hardy said. "My name is Jeff Hardy. I'm your father."

"Mom?" I croaked out.

"Do you remember the accident, Taylor?"

I nodded, trying not to cry.

"She didn't make it. I'm so sorry. I'm sure she must have meant a lot to you."

I stopped trying not to cry. Jeff stood up and moved closer to me, rubbing my shoulder as I cried. I didn't say anything else that night, and Jeff didn't try to push things. When I cried, he tried to comfort me, staying by my side, letting me cry on his shoulder. Somewhere, in all of this, I fell asleep with him at my bedside.

Jeff's POV:

I stayed by Taylor's bed all night. Dad and Matt took turns coming to check if I needed anything since I wouldn't leave her now that she had woken up. Finally, at around two in the morning, I told them to go back to Michael's house for the night.

"Maybe ya'll can meet her tomorrow. She was overwhelmed remembering Tammy was gone when she woke up," I explained to Dad and Matt.

"Call me if you need anything, Jeff. I'll come back," Matt said.

"I'm fine. I have my daughter, finally. We can figure everything else out later," I said to Matt as I got him to leave me to my little girl and my thoughts.

Flashback: Sixteen Years Ago

"You can't be pregnant, Tammy. We're not ready to be parents," I said to her in desperation.

"Well, that ship has sailed, Jeff. I'm ten weeks pregnant. We have to figure out what to do. Please, please, try to give up all this adrenaline you're always chasing. Not for me, for the baby we have coming. Do you really think that you can be a father when you're always risking your life?"

"Tammy, this is who I am. I can't just change like that. I'd be miserable."

"You wouldn't even do it for our unborn child?"

"That's not fair, Tammy! You're trying to make me choose between being in my kid's life or being me? How can you do that?"

"My father will never allow us to stay together like this. He'd never see us having any kind of real life together if you're an adrenaline junkie, Jeff. He'll keep us apart."

"We'll find a way, Tammy. If you stay by my side, we'll find a way to deal with your father. I'm not gonna leave you alone with our baby, but I can't just change who I am either."

Present:

"But he found a way to keep you away from me, Taylor. And nobody is gonna keep us apart again. I'm gonna be here for you from now on. I promise you that," I said to my sleeping daughter.