"I Leave Tomorrow"

By CorbinBleuFanatic1

Normal POV

Taylor McKessie groaned softly, her eyes opening slowly, as her hand flew to her mouth.

Oh, God, she thought, resisting the urge to throw up then and there. I'm gonna be sick.

Taylor got up shakily and looked around. It was still dark.

Where the hell was she?

All at once, the events of the night before came flooding back to her.

She was in the park, that much she knew. But what time was it? Did the doctors realize she was gone yet? How far was it to Chad's house?

She had a million questions but no answers to go with them.

It took a while for Taylor's eyes to adjust to the darkness. When they did, she headed in the direction she thought Chad's house was in.

Twenty minutes later she was pounding on his door.

"Who the hell . . . ?" Chad Danforth said angerly, opening the door, ready to yell at whoever it was. He stopped when he saw the person on the other end. "Taylor . . . " Chad helped her into the house. "What the hell are you doing here? You're supposed to be at the hospital getting help."

Taylor shook her head. "No, the hospital can't give me the help I need . . . " Taylor stopped, looked at Chad, and stifled a laugh.

Chad looked at her confused. "What?"

Taylor pointed the clothes he was wearing. Or lack there of.

Chad looked down at the boxers he had on and his face got bright red. "I'll be right back," he muttered over his shoulder as he headed upstairs to put on a hoodie and jeans.

Ten minutes later he was downstairs. Taylor was on the phone.

'Who is it?' He mouthed the words so he wouldn't disrupt her phone call.

Taylor held up a finger. 'Wait a minute.'

Five minutes later, Taylor said goodbye to whoever it was one the phone and turned to Chad.

"Who was it?" he asked again.

"Um . . . " Taylor paused. "The rehab center. The doctor left their number on the table beside my bed." Taylor sat down on the couch and Chad sat down next to her. "I leave tomorrow for New Jersey, Chad."

Chad was taken totally off guard. "What? You're leaving? How are you getting there?"

"I have some money saved up from my birthday, enough to buy a one way ticket to NJ . . . "

"A one way ticket?" Chad interrupted. "You're not planning on coming back?"

"Not until I get the help I need," Taylor answered. Taylor placed her hand on Chad's arm. "Look, I don't know how long its gonna take me to get better but I need your support, Chad. I know you'll miss me . . . Hell, I'll miss you, too, but as Jason said, just know that I'm getting the help I need . . . Help the hospital can't provide."

There was a sound coming from over head.

"Shit," Chad said under his breath. "How am I supposed to explain why you're standing in my living room to my parents?"

"Tell them I didn't like being at home by myself," Taylor suggested with a shrug.

Chad shook his head. "That won't work. If it's my mom, she already knew you were in the hospital."

Taylor shot him a look and Chad put his hands up in front of his face, as if to defend himself from Taylor's deadly look.

"Chad, honey, what are you doing up so early?" Mrs. Danforth asked in disbelief as she entered the room. "You always sleep 'till twelve . . . " She noticed Taylor and her eyes got wide. "Taylor, what are you doing here? I thought you were in the hospital."

"I...was . . . " Taylor said slowly, buying some time, looking for an excuse. "Um . . . why am I not in the hospital, Chad? Why don't you tell her?"

This time Chad shot her a look and stammered, "Um . . . because . . . because . . . Uh . . . take it away, Taylor. She asked you, not me."

By this time, Taylor had already come up with an excuse, one she hoped Chad's mom would believe. "Oh, that's right!" she said. "They discharged me. Said I was okay to go home."

"Can I bring Taylor back to her house, Mom?" Chad asked before his mom realized how bogus Taylor's story sounded.

"All right, Chad, but don't stay out too long, okay?"

Chad nodded his head, ushered Taylor out of the house before his mom could ask any more questions, got his keys, and soon they were on their way to Taylor's house.

"Did I wake you up, Chad?"Taylor asked, not wanting to talk about what Chad wanted to talk about.

"Yeah," Chad said in a cold voice. He hated being this mad at Taylor but he was pissed because she hadn't stayed in the hospital. "I was just going to let it go and fall back asleep. My parents are really heavy sleepers so I knew they didn't hear it. But if you woke my little brother up it'd be like a living hell. He yells and throws things when he doesn't get enough sleep. So I answered the door before that happened." He looked at Taylor. "And I'm glad I did."

"Oh . . . "

"Now, can we please talk about why you left the hospital?"

Taylor sighed and slid down in her seat. She knew Chad would bring up this subject sooner or later. She just wished it were later rather than sooner.

When Taylor didn't say anything, Chad looked sideways at her. "Come on, Taylor," Chad said, his patience wearing thin. "Does the hospital staff even know you're gone?" Again, Taylor said nothing. "God dammit, Taylor! Why aren't you answering me?"

A lone tear slid down her cheek and Chad realized that his voice had risen to a high level. Chad pulled the car over to the side of the road and turned in his seat to face Taylor.

Chad put his hand on Taylor's shoulder but she cowered back at his touch.

"I...I'm sorry . . . Taylor," Chad stammered, afraid that he had really hurt her. "But I'm so worried about you. I really am. I shouldn't have yelled at you like that but I'm . . . scared. So scared . . . "

Taylor finally looked Chad in the eye and let out more than a tear. She cried a river. "Chad, don't you see that I'm scared too? I mean, what if this rehab center doesn't help me but makes me worse? What if I'm so far gone that they can't help me?"

Chad shook his head and took Taylor's fragile hand in his own trembling one. "You're going to get better, Taylor, you are. You're going to overcome this eating disorder and you're going to be stronger than you ever were before. I promise."

Chad wiped her tears and put the car in drive. Five minutes later, Chad was parking out front of Taylor's house.

As soon as they got into her house, Chad's cell phone rang.

"Hello?"

"Chad?" It was Gabriella Montez. "Oh, my God, Chad, something's happened!"

"Okay," Chad said. "Calm down, Gabby, okay? Take a deep breath . . . " When she did, Chad continued, "Now, tell me what happened."

"The doctor called my mom," Gabby started explaining. "My mom woke me up and told me . . . " She took another breath. "Taylor is gone!"

Chad started saying something but then a sickening thought struck him.

If the hospital called Gabby's mom . . . would they also call my house? Chad wondered. My mom will tell them that Taylor was in our living room, that I brought Taylor to her house, that I knew she left the hospital, that I told no one. But then again, it might be good for the hospital to come here. Taylor could get her help . . . Or was she right when she said that the hospital can't give her the help she needs?

"Did the hospital call anyone else?" Chad asked Gabby nonchalantly.

"What?" Gabby wondered. "Yeah, I think they called all of us. Didn't you get a phone call?"

Just then, Chad's phone started to beep and it read: Home.

Oh, no . . .

"Hang on, Gabs," Chad told her. "My mom's calling."

"Where are . . . ?"

Before she could finish the sentence, Chad pressed a button on his phone. "Hey, Mom. What's up?"

"I thought Taylor said she was discharged, that the hospital knew she was gone, that they gave her the okay to leave," Mrs. Danforth said angerly.

Shit. What would her excuse be?

Chad made cracking noises and said, "Sorry . . . Ma. Can't . . . hear. Static . . . "

Before she could say anything, he pressed another button on his cell phone and said, "Gabs? You still there?"

"Yeah, Chad." Gabby sounded impatient. "Where the hell are you?"

Chad looked at Taylor and said into the phone, "I'm at Taylor's. That's where she is. Tell the others to meet over here. She has something to tell you guys."

Chad hung up before Gabby could ask what was going on.

When Chad went looking for Taylor, he found her upstairs in her room, frantically packing. She didn't know how much clothes she was gonna need.

She saw Chad at the doorway and gave him a sad smile. But in the next instant, she was hunched over in pain, breathing heavy.

"Taylor?" Chad said scared. "You have to eat something. You're going to get worse if you don't."

Taylor nodded her head and Chad helped her down the stairs. He was making her a sandwich when the doorbell rang.

He looked through the peephole on the door and Gabriella Montez was staring angerly back at him.

"Hey, Gabby," Chad greeted her as he opened the door. "Guys."

"Cut the shit, Chad," Troy said. "Where is she? Is she all right? Why isn't she at the hospital?"

"Whoa, one question at a time," Chad told them, finishing the sandwich, heading into the living room. "She can probably answer them better than I can."

"What happened, Tay?"

"Why aren't you in the hospital?"

"Why'd you leave?"

"Are you okay?"

All at once, her friends started throwing questions at her before Chad yelled, "Quiet! What did I say about one question at a time?"

"I'm leaving for New Jersey tomorrow."

"What?" everyone yelled.

"I'm going to that rehab center. I need to. I want to get better so bad and that's not going to happen in the hospital. I'm sorry but this is something I need to do." Chad handed her the sandwich and Taylor took little bird bites.

"Come on, Tay," Gabby spoke up. "You haven't eaten in days. Take big, huge bites, not tiny bird bites."

Taylor looked at her. "All of those days of not eating, I think it messed up my stomach or something," Taylor admitted. "I don't know. I'm not hungry, even though I haven't eaten in I don't even know how long . . . " Taylor handed the sandwich back to Chad who reluctantly took it.

Taylor got up. "Not to be rude, but I should probably get packing . . . " She motioned to the door.

Gaby sighed and hugged her best friend. "I hope you get better," she whispered. "And come back real soon."

Taylor nodded her head, giving her friends encouraging hugs, telling them she'd be okay.

When everyone left, Chad turned to Taylor. "Its going to kill me," he told her, "not seeing you for I don't know how long. I miss you already." He took her in his arms. "And you're not even gone yet. But I will feel better, knowing your getting the help you need."

I just hope it does help you, he couldn't help but think.

Did you like it? Plz R&R! I don't know if I like this chapter this much. I might redo it . . . What do you guys think? Do you like it?

x0xCorniqueXoX