So I'm sorry it's been a couple days since I updated but I've been having a tough time getting into Taylor's head. I think I'm finally happy with it so please let me know what you think. Thanks!

Taylor opened her eyes and blinked rapidly trying to get rid of the blurriness. Once she could see she looked around and sighed in relief when she saw the empty room. For the past 24 hours every time she woke up either her Mother or Ryan was in the room. Once even Summer and Kaitlyn had been standing by the window talking about how crowded the house was; and since she had no idea what they were saying she'd just closed her eyes and pretended to sleep until she'd actually fallen back to sleep.

Taylor had always hated silence. She didn't like to be alone. She always needed somebody beside her or to be in a roomful of strangers. When she was surrounded by silence she ended up analyzing herself and her choices through the years and she didn't like to dwell. Her fourth therapist had always said dwelling on the past got you nowhere. It was a quote Taylor applied to her life every day.

But today Taylor embraced the silence. She wanted to reflect on her life and how she'd ended up in another hospital bed with another concussion. She hated hospitals. Not that she was afraid of them or had anything bad happen in one but she just hated hospitals. She hated being stuck in the uncomfortable bed with the headache inducing smells and the disgusting food. It was why she had been such a safety conscious kid. She'd never wanted to go to the hospital.

And now she'd been admitted to the hospital not only once but twice in one year. Both times inadvertently involved Ryan even though neither one was his fault. She'd gotten agitated on the ladder causing it to wobble and fall to the ground. Ryan's only fault had been to try and reach out to stop her, causing his own hospital visit.

But this time…it wasn't even Taylor's fault. Who could have predicted an earthquake? The entire time she'd lived in Newport Beach there had never been an earthquake. Not even a slight rumble. But somehow on her 19th birthday, there was an earthquake. Life was just not fair.

She'd wanted to get away from Newport Beach. Away from all the pain and hurt she'd been feeling the moment she'd opened that ridiculous birthday present. She'd felt like an idiot standing there holding it in her hands knowing her friends and Ryan's family were watching what should have been a special moment between Ryan and herself but it had turned into a joke.

Taylor tried to swallow the lump in her throat that had appeared the moment she'd thought of Ryan but her throat felt like she'd swallowed a cotton ball. She turned her head to grab the pitcher of water that was always waiting beside the uncomfortable hospital bed but her hand froze when she saw the picture of her and Ryan.

She'd remembered the moment it was taken. She'd been sitting staring at the beautifully decorated tree listening to them talk about how they'd hired the crew to set up the tree and most of the decorations but as a family, they'd all taken time out of their busy day and put on some ornaments. She'd never been able to do that as a child. Her Mother had always hired a decorator to come in and set up a monstrosity of a tree…that is if she was planning on being in town. More often than not she'd flitted off with her boyfriend of the moment to a foreign country. Leaving Taylor to fend for herself.

But sitting in the Cohen's living room staring at their tree she was able to pretend for a moment, that she was part of their family sharing their made up holiday Chrismmukah. And when Ryan had sat down beside her and put his arm around her back and whispered to her the present he'd gotten Seth…she couldn't even remember what he'd said…she'd tilted her head towards him smiling as his breath had tickled her ear. That's when Kirsten had snapped the picture.

Taylor turned her head in the opposite direction as she blinked rapidly this time clearing the tears from her eyes. She didn't want to remember the happy times. The times where she'd been able to picture a future with him. Where she'd let herself dream that stupid child wishes could come true.

"God I'm an idiot," Taylor whispered raising her hand without the IV to her face. She gently fingered the throbbing spot on her head and winced when it sent a searing flash of pain through her head.

She couldn't remember much about the accident. She'd heard bits and pieces over the past couple days when she'd come in and out but not the whole story. She did remember the moment before the taxi had flown through the guard rail. She couldn't admit to thinking about anything profound, just that Oh Shit moment that one got before they knew something bad was going to happen.

And that was it. Not another thing until she'd woke up in the hospital bed. She really wanted the whole story. She wanted to know if anybody had gotten hurt. If the cab driver was okay. She wanted to know if she was going to be okay.

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Veronica walked back into the hospital after running home to meet the contractor she'd hired to fix the damage to her beautiful house the earthquake had caused. She'd had to promise to grossly overpay him to get him to start right away but if she was going to bring her daughter home, well, they needed a decent place to stay.

She smiled politely at the nurse who'd helped her reach her moment of insight on what a terrible Mother she was. She still wasn't comfortable talking to her. It still felt like she knew that she sucked as a parent and that she was judging her. She'd already had enough with people judging her, even if most of their judgments were based on fact.

She pushed open Taylor's hospital door her eyes immediately going to the bed but instead of the sleeping girl who'd been there since she'd arrived at the hospital after she was first admitted, she was met with wide open eyes.

"Taylor," Veronica said softly frozen in place wondering at what kind of reception she was about to get. They hadn't exactly parted on good terms the last time they'd saw each other. In fact, it had been in another hospital room and her daughter had told her to go on vacation with her boyfriend instead of spending Christmas with her. She really did need to work on the Mother thing.

"Mom," Taylor croaked her throat still dry. She hadn't been able to look at the table again, knowing that damn picture was still sitting there waiting to rip more tears out of her. She waited for her Mother to say something, anything but she just stood there staring at her and Taylor finally rolled her eyes. "Can you get me some water please?" she asked wincing at her sore throat.

"Oh sure sure," Veronica said quickly. She set her purse down in the chair as she grabbed the pitcher of water and poured Taylor a glass. She held it up with the ever present bendy straw they provided and watched as her daughter drank by herself for the first time.

"Thanks," Taylor said her voice slightly better. She stared at her Mother and watched as she straightened everything on the table, even the picture. "What are you doing here?"

Veronica closed her eyes for a moment, gathering what little composure she had against her daughter's obvious confusion with her being at her bedside. "You're in the hospital, where else would I be?" she finally asked flippantly.

"Anywhere else," Taylor said honestly.

"I deserve that," Veronica admitted crossing over to the chair so she could sit down for a conversation that was long over due. "Do you know where I was during the earthquake Taylor?" Veronica asked softly looking down at her hands.

"No," Taylor said even more confused.

"I was at a very important dinner," Veronica said smiling as she shook her head. "I was wining and dining a potential client. He is going somewhere and I wanted to take him places. We were just about to head upstairs to his hotel room when the earthquake hit." Veronica shuddered as she remembered the pang of fear that had rushed through her. "Do you know what was running through my mind as everybody was screaming and running for safety even though we had no idea where to go?"

"No," Taylor said again.

"I was terrified I was going to lose my house," Veronica said laughing at how dumb she was. "Here I had a daughter going through a car accident and all I was worried about was my damn house."

"It's a beautiful house," Taylor commented wanting to smile when Veronica glared at her. "Sorry." Truth was she hated that house. It was too big for two people and she always thought it was just a show place. It wasn't a home.

"Just let me finish this," Veronica said determined to get it all out. "It was almost an hour later when Seth and Julie found me." She stood up so she could pace back and forth. "I was annoyed that once again you were in a hospital and who was involved but the Cohen's and that boy."

"It wasn't their fault," Taylor said quietly but her voice was firm. She didn't want her Mother being rude to Sandy and Kirsten or Ryan. It honestly wasn't their fault.

"I know that," Veronica said shocking her. "But I walked into that waiting room and let them have it. I made an idiot of myself. Telling them I knew what was best for my daughter." She stared at Taylor and for the first time, Taylor saw sorrow in her eyes. "When I don't even know you at all."

"Mom," Taylor said softly. She knew she should be saying I told you so. She should be full of righteous anger and be telling her off for every bad thing she'd said to her over the years. But Veronica was beating herself up enough for the both of them. Besides, she was still her Mom.

"Which your boyfriend made obvious," Veronica added so softly Taylor barely heard her.

"Who?" Taylor asked confused but then the light dawned. "When did you talk to Ryan?"

"The night you were brought in," Veronica told her. "Ryan introduced me to my daughter."

"Really," Taylor said sarcastically. She really wished she would have been awake and a fly on the wall for that conversation. "I can't imagine what he told you."

"He seems to know you really well Taylor," Veronica said surprised by her tone of voice.

"I use to think so," Taylor agreed smiling sadly as she glanced at the photograph once again. "But now I'm not so sure."

"Taylor," Veronica said walking over to the bed. "I've been here, with him, for the past couple days. He's been pacing the hallway, you room, the waiting room. He's been completely devoted to staying here so you wouldn't be alone." Veronica sighed before continuing. "I wish I had someone in my life that cared that much."

"He's really good at caring one moment and then he flips a switch and gives you a freakin dictionary for your birthday," Taylor said starting off quietly but by the end of the sentence she was near yelling.

"I'm not going to even pretend I understand that," Veronica said shaking her head. "But whatever happened…before the accident…let it go. That boy cares about you, a lot. He's the one who found you. Went looking for you when he had no clue where you were."

"What?" Taylor said confused.

"He found you, in the woods," Veronica explained. "He carried you out of the woods and took you to the hospital when an ambulance couldn't get to you fast enough. He wouldn't leave until somebody told him what your condition was."

"He rescued me," Taylor said but instead of seeming even a little happy about it, she looked destroyed.

"Yeah," Veronica said slowly, drawing the word out into two syllables.

"I just…" Taylor said trailing off. 'Never wanted him to have to save me,' she finished in her head. Out loud she said, "I'm surprised to hear you praising him. I thought you considered him a hoodlum who needed to go back to where he came from."

"I did," Veronica admitted. "But I also use to be a bitch. Well, I'm actually still a bitch but I'm working on it."

Taylor stared at her Mom and she wanted to pinch herself to see if this was really happening. Ever since she was a little girl she wanted a Mom who actually cared about her. Who didn't want to change her. Now as an adult it looked like her wish was going to be answered.