"Tay?" August looked out into the hallway. He came in, rubbing his hand and cursing. She looked at him strangely, and he answered her unspoken question.
"I just slugged your dad in the nose."
August put a hand to her mouth to capture the giggles that were spilling out of her, despite the intravenous tube snaking out the back of her hand. He looked up.
"And why do you find that amusing?"
She finally regrouped, and mumbled,
"I've been wanting to do that for a long time," she replied. He smiled warmly, sitting down on the edge of the bed and touching her shoulder lightly. She looked down, suddenly quiet...
"August...um...about what you said before, the night before..."
She suddenly took his hand in hers and kissed the back of it, then looked right in his eyes.
"Tay...I talked to one of the nurses...and...and..." she trailed off, her lower lip quivering. He pulled himself up beside her and put an arm around her shoulders.
"And?"
She looked up.
"And...they did a test, and they said that I was pregnant, but...the accident...oh, shit..." she put a hand over her eyes and sighed raggedly. Taylor was ready for it, allowing her to bury her face in his hair.
"Shhh...don't bother; I think I know the rest."
It was, in essence, a road marker. They both realized that their life would never quite be the same, and they never really would be able to go back to what they'd had before. They'd seen too much, knew too many things...that was the price to pay.