Taylor ran down the stairs with a hop in his step. He could see his mother, Diana, in the kitchen cleaning out the refrigerator. He walked in quietly and stood watching her for a few seconds. He felt a pang in his heart. How could he not remember his family and his own mother who carried him in her stomach for nine months?"Hi, mom," he spoke uneasily. The foreign words once again escaped his solemn lips.
"Oh, Taylor! I'm so glad to see you're up!" she said lovingly and hurried over to him to embrace him. "I'm so sorry, sweetie, but I guess I'm relieved, too. You could bave been severely injured. My baby..." Diana trialed off, crying tears of joy and sadness, as she stroked Taylor's blond, sunstreaked hair.
"I'm ok, mom. Do you want to...sit and talk?" Tay asked, knowingly.
"Yes, come let's sit. I maded you some milk and cookies. I...just want to let you know, if you don't remember, it's ok. You will soon," she said, comforting her son.
Taylor took the seat across from his mother and groaned. "More food?? Man, Zac just delivered lunch for two weeks," but he still grabbed a cookie and put it in the center of his plate. " I think I need to get some stuff off my chest. I want to remember so bad, mom. You can't imagine. I wish I could find words to describe how I feel. It's so frustrating. I can't remember my own family; I can't remember my own life! The more I try to remember, the more confused I get. Everyone is just so great to me, and I feel like I'm letting you all down."
"No! Don't say that! You were unconscious for three days and you've only been home for two. We don't expect you to remember everything right away. It will take time," she told him.
"I want you to tell me something. I need to know. What happened to me?" Tay said, as a million emotions flooded his heart like an avalanche tumbling down the side of a mountain.
Diana hesitated and shifted uncomfortably in her seat. That terrible pause. Taylor could feel a rock sink to the very bottom of his stomach.
"Well?" he asked with slight regret posessing his voice.
"You...were in a car accident. You were driving." Diana said uncomfortably.
"I know that. I mean...I want to hear the detaills. What about the other driver? Was it...was it my fault?" Tay asked, unsure if he wanted the answer or not.
"Taylor, honey, I think we should wait for the whole family to answer your questions. I also think we should wait until you are a little more stable. Those were the doctor's instructions," Diana answered.
"It was my fault, wasn't it?" Taylor felt a huge knife pierce through his heart.
"No, dear. I want you to know it wasn't your fault. There are witnesses. Please don't blame yourself. I'm not sure if you'd be able to take it." Diana said, grasping his nervous, sweaty hands.
Taylor wanted to ask so much more, but he could see his mother was hiding something. If she was hiding something from him, he knew he probably didn't want to hear it, so he let things be. "I'm going to go explore the house, if that's ok, I want to get reaquainted with this place."
"Absolutely. I'm here if you need anything at all," she said, touching his arm lightly.
Taylor walked toward down a hall and toward a closed door. He hadn't been feeling well and stayed in bed most of the time, so it felt good to get up and walk around. "I wonder where this goes...I do need to use the bathroom..." he said quietly. He grasped the doorknob and slowly turned it to the right. When he opened it completely, his mouth completely dropped to the carpet. He only had enough time to say "Oh...my...God..." before disaster fell upon him.