“My best friend for as long as I can remember. He’s also my ex husband’s cousin,” she replied.
“You still get along with his family?”
“Just Hayden…he was my friend long before I knew Sam existed. Plus he and Sam don’t really like one another, so there isn’t any conflict,” she shrugged. “I think you’ve got a new best friend,” she smiled as Draco crawled into Landon’s lap.
“I don’t normally like kids…this little guy’s won me over, though,” Landon smiled back.
“Glad to hear it.”
“Well, I mean, it’s not everyday you meet an adorable little boy named after a Harry Potter character.”
She blushed slightly but grinned wider.
“You’re mental, you know that? Someday he’s going to ask you why on earth you named him Draco, and you’re going to have to explain that at eighteen years old you were so obsessed with an elementary level reading book that you named him after one of the characters. One of the evil characters at that.”
She laughed. “Or I could just lie and tell him I liked the name after spotting it in a baby book.”
“You do that then he’ll think you’re completely off your rocker.”
“Well I don’t care what you think. I happen to like his name. It’s strong and unique.”
“Too true, my friend, too true.”
“You think Brook’s okay by herself?” Taylor changed the subject.
“She’s out for the night…she’ll be fine, love. Don’t worry,” Landon assured her easily.
“Is there anyway you can, I dunno, not let her drink at the bar? I’m seriously starting to worry. She’s quickly becoming an alcoholic and it’s only going to get worse.”
“I can try, but I doubt it. She’s one of the regulars. Owners aren’t likely to ban their best customer, are they.”
“No I guess not…I just don’t know how to reach her. It’s frustrating. I feel like I’m dealing with Sam all over again.”
“Maybe you can’t reach her. Maybe it’s time for someone else to have a go at it.”
“Who?”
“Me,” Hayden answered as he walked out of Scott’s room. “But we’ll talk about that later. He wants to see you two. I’ll watch Draco so you all can talk.”
“Can do,” Landon handed over the little boy then followed Taylor to see Scott.
Taylor sat down on the chair beside the bed, and Landon leaned on the wall behind her.
“Listen, I…I’m sorry,” Scott told them gently.
“Sorry? For what sweetie?” Taylor took his hand in hers.
“For worrying you. I screwed up, and I’m sorry.”
“Scott, don’t apologize. You don’t have to justify your actions or give an explanation to anyone,” Landon replied.
“Landon’s right…I…we’re just glad you’re alive. The doctors weren’t sure if you were gonna make it.”
“I know…my brother was here when I woke up. I had to be in a dangerous position for him to come around.”
“Keith was here? What did you guys talk about?” Taylor smiled.
“We didn’t talk. He left as soon as I came around,” Scott answered bitterly.
“He probably just wasn’t ready to face you yet. He’ll be back to see you,” she assured him. “If he came back despite your father, he wants to talk to you.”
Just then the dark haired nurse from earlier came in with a smile.
“How you doin, Scott? Feelin okay?” she asked pleasantly as she glanced at his monitors and made notes on his chart.
“Better I guess…still really sore, but better,” he answered as he watched her, a slight glint to his eyes.
“Your pain killers are probably wearing off,” she checked her watch. “Your next does is coming shortly. Well…I’ll leave you guys be for now.”
After she had left the room, Scott turned to his friends with a smile. “She’s hot.”
Taylor and Landon both laughed.
“Only you would try and pick up women while in the ICU,” Taylor grinned.
“Hey, there’s gotta be a silver lining…a positive to every bad situation. I mean, sure, I’m laid up and hurtin like hell, but I got a gorgeous nurse takin care of me, so it all evens out in the end,” he explained.
They sat and talked for another twenty minutes or so until the nurse returned again with Scott’s medication, and apologetically insisted that they leave so he could rest.
Upon returning to the waiting room, they found Hayden sitting down, a sleeping Draco in his arms, talking to a very pretty girl with golden brown hair.
“Hey guys,” Hayden carefully stood up as they emerged. The girl followed suit.
“Hello,” Taylor smiled at the girl as she held out her hand. “I’m Taylor Mullholand.”
The girl was very pretty in an average, almost tomboyish way. Her hair was in a simple ponytail. She wore jeans and a University of Florida tee shirt. She wore no make-up, but she didn’t need to. She had a tan complexion, brown eyes and a sweet smile.
“Nice to meet you. Sorry bout just showin up and all but I wanted to make sure Hayden was okay, ya know. I’m Mackenzie, by the way Mackenzie Bryans, but you can call me Mack,” the girl accepted and began talking a mile a minute to Taylor. Her attention then turned to Landon. “And you would be?”
“Landon Turner,” he smiled.
“Ooooh…a British boy,” Mack grinned. “What brought you to the Burgh?”
“My music,” he replied.
“A British Rock Star, huh…”
“How long has he been asleep?” Taylor asked Hayden suddenly.
“Ten minutes or so. I gotta get goin, actually…I’ll see ya tomorrow?” he answered as he carefully handed his friend her son.
“Sure, sweetie,” Taylor kissed Hayden’s cheek as Draco adjusted himself in his mother’s arms.
“C’mon, Mack…quit droolin over Landon,” Hayden hooked his pretty friend around the neck with a smile.
“Nice to have met you!” Mackenzie waved with a smile as Hayden pulled her away.
Brooklynn awoke to warm sunlight streaming though the window and onto her face. Someone was bustling around the kitchen, cooking a heavenly smelling breakfast.
Slowly she sat up and glanced at her watch. Nearly ten in the morning. Her head was pounding.
Bleary eyed, she began to stumble towards the kitchen. “Taylor? Taylor I think we need to talk about…” Her sentence was cut short upon entering the kitchen and finding Hayden standing over the stove and not her roommate.
“You look horrendous, Brook…go take a shower right quick and by the time you’re done I’ll have breakfast ready for ya,” he instructed before she could speak.
Silently she nodded and did as she was told. She took a quick shower, then pulled her hair up into a messy knot, pulled on a pair of old sweatpants and a tee shirt, then returned to the kitchen. As promised, Hayden had breakfast and coffee waiting for her on the table.
“A little better than before,” he smiled, kissing her on the forehead as she sat down.
“Why are you here? Why are you in my kitchen…where’s Taylor?” she asked confusedly.
“I came home because you called me in hysterics telling me all the bad things going on around here,” Hayden sat opposite her at the table. “But you seem to have left out the part about you becoming an alcoholic.”
“I’m not an alcoholic…” she argued a she took a bite of her bacon.
“Oh you’re not? Then clearly I misunderstood, and so did your friends. Cause, see, the few people I’ve seen since I’ve been home have all expressed to me a concern for your lifestyle. This was, of course, after what’s his name…Landon…carried you home from the bar and you let out our little secret then I put you to bed. They seem to be under the impression that you’re always drunk…but then again, I suppose Taylor wouldn’t recognize a lush when she saw one….who cares if she dated and married one, right? What does she know?”
“I’m having a good time. I know my limit.”
“Is that why you showed up at Scott’s smashed a week or so ago? Cause you hadn’t exceeded your limit—it was all just for fun? Or how about the nights when you don’t come home cause you’ve passed out at the bar and they just stick you in the band’s dressing room?” he challenged. “Taylor told me everything, Brook. This is going to stop.”
“You’ve been home for less than a day and you think you can just tell me what to do? You aren’t my father, Hayden,” she answered lowly.
“Yes, I know I’m not your father. But I am your friend. And I refuse to let you drown yourself in Tequila or Jack Daniels or whatever the hell your choice of drink may be. It isn’t solving anything…it’s only making it worse,” he explained firmly.
“What are you going to do about it Hayden? I’m not going to some detox center or a frigin AA group therapy thing so forget it.”
“And I don’t want you to. Here’s what we’re gonna do. I’ve got an apartment I secured a little while ago—I’ve been planning to move back for months. You’re gonna move in with me, and I’m gonna keep you off the drink. Easy as that.”
“I can’t move out. Taylor can’t afford this place on her own.”
“She’ll be fine. We talked about it this morning and we’ve made some arrangements.”
“I don’t want to. No. I’m fine and you all are just turning something that isn’t an issue into this overly dramatic scenario,” she folded her arms over her chest and glared at him.
“Brook, the first step is admitting you have a problem…”
“You know what, I do have a problem!” she exploded, standing up so quickly that her chair fell over. “But it isn’t being an alcoholic,” her voice leveled off dangerously. “My problem is that my life is complete shit. No boyfriend, cause Scott dumped me, a broken heart, also because Scott dumped me, plus the fact that he despises the very thought of me, and a meddling bitch for a best friend…don’t’ you think that you’d wanna get fucking smashed everyday if you had to live with those circumstances?”
“What is your damage? When did you become so God damn delusional?” Hayden questioned in awe. “You do realize how ridiculously mistaken you are, don’t you? Taylor wants to help you. Scott doesn’t despise you..”
“Funny way of showing it…”
“Where did you come up with these ideas? Who filled your head with such bullshit nonsense? I know it had to come from somewhere because this isn’t you!”
She said nothing. She only stared at him for a moment before turning and walking away, locking herself in her bedroom.
“Brooklynn!” he followed and knocked on her door. “Brooklynn quit acting like a two year old! These tantrums might work on Landon and Taylor but it won’t work on me…”
He stood there for a moment, waiting to see if she’d open the door or give him some kind of verbal response.
“Brook I know you hear me…if you don’t open this door I’ll take it off by the hinges,” he warned.
A minute or so of silence ensued before she flung the door open and breezed past him, now dressed in jeans and a black sweater, her hair in a neat ponytail.
“Why are you mad at me? I’m trying to help you…we all just want to help you,” he followed her around as she grabbed assorted items and dropped them in her purse.
“Don’t talk to me…I don’t like you very much right now,” she answered tonelessly.
“You have two choices here…you can come with me…or I can call your mother. You think I’m bad…I’ll let you deal with her.”
She acted as though she hadn’t heard him and continued to walk around the house, putting certain things in place and looking for something in particular.
“Brooklynn!” he grabbed her by the shoulders and spun her to face him.
“I’ll go with you, alright!” she shouted back at him, but then her voice went quiet, her expression sorrowful instead of angry. “I wanna go see Scott…I’ll try and stop, I’ll do whatever you want me to do…but right now, he’s my main concern.”
He loosened his grip on her shoulders and gave her a nod. “Let’s go.”
“I wanna go home sooo bad,” Scott sighed.
“I know babe…you’ll be home soon enough,” Taylor assured him. “Draco, easy!” she warned the baby as he stood up on Scott’s leg, making him flinch in pain.
Taylor and her son had been at the hospital since seven in the morning. She figured Scott would probably be bored and appreciate the company, and she knew that Hayden’s talk with Brook would be more effective if she and Draco weren’t around to distract them.
“I sorry…” Draco’s lip trembled.
“Come here…” Taylor took the baby off the bed and held him in her lap. “I’m sorry, Scott.”
“No biggie…huh little man…it’s all good,” Scott waved it off, and grinned at the boy. Draco’s trembles stopped immediately.
There was a light knock on the doorframe and both looked to see who had joined them.
“Bookie!” Draco grinned, both hands high over his head at the sight of Brooklynn.
“Hi Draco…Taylor,” Brooklynn smiled tentatively. “Can I have a few minutes?”
Taylor nodded, took the baby out of the room and closed the door.
“Hi…” she bit her lip and looked at the ground, unable to look at Scott as she spoke. It broke her heart.
“Hey…” he replied, equally uncomfortable.
“I’m glad you’re doing better…it’s good to see you awake and talking, I mean…”
“Yeah…”
“I’m sorry,” they spoke simultaneously.
They looked up with smiles on their faces, and both knew that things were going to only get better.