Chapter Four - Reunion

Popping wheelies was something Taylor had become quite good at. At first it was something to take his mind off the pain that returned when the morphine wore off. Now he did it for fun.

“Jordan, you are in a public place. And that wheelchair is on its last legs as it is. I’m not willing to carry you back to the van when the wheels fall off again.”

Taylor stopped and brought the chair back down to ground level. “You’re such a killjoy, Mum. I gotta work my energy off somehow.”

“Don’t forget how old you are.”

Nineteen. It slapped him hard in the face. He’d been an adult for, what, one year?

“Flight JX118 from Brisbane has arrived at Gate 20. Repeat, flight JX118 from Brisbane has arrived at Gate 20.”

“That’s their flight,” Taylor realised.

And they waited…

“Tay!”

Taylor looked up. A tall teenage boy was running full-tilt towards him, a wide grin on his face.

“Zac!”

Zac skidded to a stop, dropped to the floor and flung his arms around Taylor. “I’ve missed you so much,” Zac said, voice muffled from having his face buried in Taylor’s jacket.

“Okay, okay, I get the picture Zac. Now get off me.”

Zac reluctantly untangled himself and got back to his feet.

“Mum, this is my brother Zac. Zac, meet Marianne Reid.”

Greetings were exchanged. Then came another voice.

“Is this a private party, or can anyone join in?”

Taylor looked up again. A wide smile split Isaac’s face almost completely in two.

“It’s good to see ya again, Tay.”

“Likewise.”

“So what you’re saying is, you want to get back in the business.”

“Exactly.”

Zac got to his feet and started pacing around the room.

“Zac, would you stop doing that? You’re making me very jealous.”

“Oh yeah I can see that.” He kept pacing.

“Zac!” Taylor yelled. “Please! Do you know how hard it’s been these past four years, seeing all of my friends walking around? And knowing that I can never get up and walk around, ever again? It is so fucking hard, Zac. I’ve had to rely on pure willpower to survive. I would’ve topped myself long ago if I had no reason to live. I really would have. So please, if you don’t want me to throw something at you, sit down.”

Surprise at Taylor’s sudden outburst forced Zac to sit down again.

“I’m just…surprised, that’s all. I mean, it’s hard to do music if you’re stuck in a wheelchair.”

“And besides that, Taylor…” Isaac’s voice trailed off.

“What?”

“Well, the press was told that you didn’t, well, survive the accident.”

“But I did.”

“Yeah, we know that. But it was touch and go for about a week or something like that. Maybe more.”

“Enough about the accident,” Taylor said. “What’s done is done. I’m stuck in this wheelchair for the rest of my life, but I’m cool with it. Just…”

“What?”

“First few thousand we make, we get me a new chair.”

Isaac grinned. “Sure, man. Anything to get my hands on a guitar again.”