Taylor's eyes fluttered open slowly. His first impression was of white surrounding him. He blinked his eyes to focus them, then realized he was in a hospital room. As his eyes began to focus, he noticed a person sitting in a chair next to him. "Ike?" he said softly, almost incoherently.
The person started. "Tay..you're awake!" Isaac stood and bent over him. "Do you remember what happened?"
Taylor closed his eyes for a second, trying to remember. "I remember singing...and music...and screaming...." He opened his eyes. "A concert. We were doing a concert. And there was this girl...and she had this sign...it said she was coming to get me. She...came onstage...and I remember...falling."
Isaac smiled in relief. "Good, you remember. The doctor said you might have amnesia, but I guess you're all right."
"Where is everyone?" Taylor asked.
"They had to wait outside...only one person was allowed to stay in here at a time, and it was my turn." He went to the door and called, "Zac! Mom! Dad! He's awake!"
Diana and Walker Hanson immediately rushed in the room. "Taylor, honey, are you okay?" Diana asked worriedly, leaning over her son.
"Yeah, Mom, I'm fine," said Taylor, sitting up. "When can we get out of here? I'm hungry!"
"He's definitely himself again," joked Zac, who had just entered the room. "Always thinking about that stomach of his!"
"Hey!" protested Taylor. "I do not always think about food! I'm just hungry because I haven't eaten anything since before the concert, whenever that was."
"The concert was last night," Walker said.
"Okay, thanks Dad. See, I haven't had anything to eat all day!"
"We'll have to see how soon we can get you out," said Diana. "For now, I think we should leave so you can get some rest...we don't want to tire you out."
"Mo-om," Taylor groaned, "I'm fine!" Just then, a yawn escaped him.
"See?" said Diana. "You're tired. We're leaving now...we'll be back later." She, Walker, Isaac, and Zac left the room, closing the door behind them. Taylor yawned again inadvertently and laid back down, telling himself it would only be for a few minutes.
Taylor was jolted awake by a loud banging noise. He looked around quickly, then realized it was someone knocking on the door. "Come in!" he called, assuming it was one of his family members.
The door opened to reveal a girl about Taylor's age. "Hey hon, how are you doing?" she asked, smiling as she approached his bed.
Taylor blinked to make sure he wasn't seeing things. He couldn't remember ever seeing this girl before. "Um...excuse me, who are you and what are you doing here?"
She laughed. "Nice try, Tay, but you can't fool me that easily. Ike said you remembered everything."
"What?" Taylor was confused. Who was this girl? He tried again. "Please, just tell me who you are."
The girl rolled her eyes to the ceiling. "Fine, if it'll get you to stop this joke...I'm your girlfriend, of course! Tay, it's me, Jessica!" She laughed again. "Now stop this joking around...it's really not that funny."
Taylor was even more confused with Jessica's statement. Her? His girlfriend? He didn't even have a girlfriend. He looked at her again...looked closely. Something about her did look familiar, though...her eyes. He knew he'd seen those eyes before.
Then it hit him - the realization of where he must have seen this girl before. She was the one who had attacked him! There was no other explanation. He knew he'd seen her before somewhere, but couldn't remember where...she must be the girl from the concert!
He glared at her, no longer confused. "Okay, enough of this," he said angrily. "I know exactly who you are...don't even try to deny it. I know you're the girl who attacked me at the concert. You think that by not screaming or acting obsessed you can hide it, but you can't. I know who you are...and I want you out. Now."
"What?!?" the girl gasped. "Tay, please stop this...it's really not funny. I was not the girl who attacked you, you know that! Tay, I'd never do that to you, especially not during a concert!" She bent over and took his hand. "Tay, please..."
He yanked his hand out of her grasp. "I told you, get out! You're not my girlfriend, and you never will be! Now get out before I have to call security on you!"
Jessica burst into tears and ran from the room, sobbing.
Over Jessica's sobs, she was aware of soft singing as she ran down the hallway to the waiting room where Diana would be. She and Diana were very close. Ever since she was a little girl, Jessica had wanted to be a gymnast. Taylor had gone to her every meet. That was how their relationship started...they naturally evolved from best friends to boyfriend and girlfriend. Diana was like a second mother to Jessica.
Jessica stopped in the hallway and looked back to see a form standing outside Taylor's door, singing. She started over when she realized who it was.
She'd always admired Maddi for some reason. She was always singing. She wanted to be a singer. Today she was singing from some sheet music she was holding in front of her. Curls were falling in her face from her messy updo, but she didn't notice. The notes coming from her mouth were the only things she cared about.
She looked up from the music. "Hey hon, are you okay?" she asked worriedly. Jessica and Maddi had been best friends ever since Isaac had fallen for her.
"Taylor doesn't remember me!" she cried, bursting into a fresh set of tears.
"What? Didn't the doctors say he was all right?"
"I don't know what to do..." Jessica cried.
"Aw, come here, Jess," Maddi said. She pulled her into her arms and let her cry on her shoulder, telling her it would all be okay somehow.
Isaac rounded the corner, to check up on Jessica, when he saw the two huddled intimately in the corner outside Taylor's room. Maddi always had a special touch for calming anyone down, and right now, Jessica was the one who needed to be comforted. Isaac's own fears about his brother could wait. He disappeared before Maddi noticed he was there.
Meanwhile, Zac was sitting out in the waiting room, waiting for Isaac to get back so he could go see Taylor. He looked up as the door of the hospital opened.
A girl stood there...a very pretty girl. Her dark hair fell down her back, and she had the deepest, most mysterious brown eyes Zac had ever seen. She looked around, obviously searching for someone. She looked in Zac's direction, and her eyes immediately lit up. She smiled and began to approach Zac.
"Hello, Zac," she said as she reached him, smiling at him.
"Hello," he replied, smiling back. "What's your name? Since you obviously already know mine."
She laughed. "I'm Erica. How's your brother doing, by the way?"
"You were at the concert?" Zac asked politely.
She smiled again, a secretive kind of smile. "Yes, I was there. I saw what happened, and I just wanted to apologize for what that girl did."
"Thank you," said Zac. "I'll be sure and tell him you said that."
Erica looked down for a second. "Um...if it isn't too much to ask...would it be alright instead if I told him myself? I know you're thinking why should you let a fan know where his room is, but it would really mean a lot to me to tell him myself. I feel very strongly about this, and...and I just want to apologize to him on behalf of all of the other fans at the show."
Zac was touched at this girl's dedication. "All right," he said slowly. "I'll show you where his room is." He stood up, and Erica began following him.
"Thank you so much," she said. "You have no idea how much this means." A single tear ran down her cheek.
Zac stopped at the hall. "His room is down that way," he said, pointing down the hall. "Room 142."
"Okay," Erica said, beginning to walk down that way. She turned back, another tear visible in her eye. "Thank you again, Zac," she said, turning around and continuing on her way. As she continued down the hall, out of sight of Zac, the tears in her eyes turned into a triumphant smile.
Chapter 2
Falling
Story Page
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