Zac and Kate had just barely gotten home themselves when the cab pulled up to
the house, and Taylor got out of the car with his family. They looked at them
curiously. " What happened to your car, man?" Zac asked them as they were
getting out of their own car.
" I'll explain later. First, I want to meet.." Taylor saw her get out of the
car, and saw how much she looked like her mom. She had her mom's dark blonde
hair and she resembled her so much, except for the blue eyes the two of them
shared. He could see how little she resembled him as well.
She took one look at him, and tears came to her eyes. She couldn't believe
she was finally standing in front of her father, the one who should have raised
her from the beginning.
" Arielle, this is my brother and your father." Zac looked from her to
Taylor. " And..."
" We met earlier." Natalie snapped, annoyed with the situation. " This never
should have come to..."
" Natalie! I understand why you are so upset, but like it or not, this is my
daughter. My... my little girl." Taylor looked from her to Arielle. " You...
your so pretty. Like your mother." He told her.
She smiled, wiping at her tears. " Thank you."
He stepped towards her, and held out his arms. " Can I get a hug?" He
asked.
She nodded, and ran into his arms. Throwing her arms around him, she gave him
a big hug. " I'm glad I ran into my uncle Zac at The Cheesecake Factory tonight.
I... I wanted so much to meet you when... when she told me my father was someone
else."
He hugged her back, and kissed her cheek. " I'm just sorry I didn't know
about you sooner, Arielle. If I had known, I... I would have come for you. I
really would have. I swear."
" I believe you, dad." She gave him a quick kiss back. " Did everyone survive
the tornado okay?"
" Well, physically we are all fine. But... I'm afraid our home is no more.
The tornado ripped right through it." Taylor told her, as they pulled out of the
hug. " But we are going to be staying..."
" Right here with us. Your not going to a hotel, Tay. There is plenty of room
here, and you know it." Kate interrupted him. " As far as Arielle goes, she
needs to call her mom and..."
" No! I am not going back to her. She lied to me all my life."
Taylor looked at her. " I am going to call her if you like it or not,
Arielle. I ran into her the other day, and she gave her number to me. She needs
to know that you are safe, through all this storm and tornado business. Now go
inside and I will be right there. I mean it."
She tried to fight with him on it, but he held his hand up to her, and waved
for her to follow everyone inside the house. With a sigh she followed, and left
him to call her mom.
________________________________________________________
Ashley was in the emergency room. Christopher was in getting stitches right
now, as the cuts on his forehead were deep. He had been tossed around so much
during the tornado, and while he was stable, he was not doing well. He kept
going in and out of consciousness, which scared her half to death. She was so
afraid of losing him.
The doctor came out of the room minutes later to explain the full extent of
Christopher's injuries, and told her he wanted to give her an exam as well. She
had been tossed around some herself, and needed some looking at as well to make
sure she was okay. But her cell phone rang then. She told the doctor to hold on
when she noticed it was Taylor.
" Taylor, I am so glad your calling. I..."
" You should have told me we had a daughter together, Ashley. You had no damn
right keeping her from me all of this time." He snapped at her. " She is with me
right now over at Zac's. Get your butt over here now so we can discuss
this."
" I can't right now, Taylor. I have a son in the hospital, and the doctor
wants to look at me too. We were both hurt in the tornado tonight."
" A son? Please don't tell me..."
" No! He is my son with another father. Now if you want to talk to me get
your butt over here because I am not going anywhere anytime soon." She
interrupted him, and hung up.
The doctor admitted her, and was giving her a good check over when Taylor
showed up with Arielle. Everyone else had stayed behind to wait for news on how
her brother and mother were. They walked straight up to the nurses desk, and
Arielle gave them her mother's and brothers names. She was told the doctor was
in with her mom, but that she could see her brother.
They led them to her brother's room, and Taylor went in with her to give her
his support. The minute she saw her brother, she couldn't help but gasp. His
injuries looked so bad. " Hey Christopher." She gave him a little smile. " How
are you feeling?"
" Terrible. I hurt all over, Arielle." He looked up at her, and over at her
dad. " Who is..."
" This is my dad, Christopher." She introduced them, and watched as the two
shook hands.
" It's nice to meet you, Christopher." Taylor smiled. " Arielle was telling
me all about you on the way here."
They were still in visiting with Christopher when Ashley was wheeled into the
room twenty minutes later. She looked from one to the other, not even knowing
what to say now that Taylor was there. But she could tell by the look on his
face just how mad that Taylor was at her.
Arielle was the one to break the long silence between them. " I can't believe
I'm asking right now, but did the doctor find anything wrong with you?"
Ashely nodded. " I have a broken wrist and some bruised ribs. Nothing too
serious, but I am hurting right now."
Taylor looked at her. " Me and you really need to have a talk. Let's leave
these two to visit."
" This isn't the time or place to argue right now, Taylor. My son is..."
" I'm fine, mom. Especially with Arielle watching over me. Go fight with him
somewhere else." Christopher told her.
She sighed, and Taylor grabbed hold of the wheelchair. He pushed her to a
corner where they could discuss things.
_________________________________________________
As soon as they were done eating and cleaning up from dinner, Isaac and Nikki
drove over to to Zac's house. They had already explained to their kids the
situation Taylor and Natalie were in as far as their house went, and that they
no longer had a home. Monroe had started to cry when he heard the news, scared
that his family had been hurt. Isaac had to assure him that everyone was fine,
and there was nothing to worry about.
When they got to Zac's, they saw the kids playing in the front yard. They
were getting full of mud, but seemed to be having fun. Isaac laughed as he
pulled into the driveway. " Why don't you two join them and let us adults talk,
okay?" He suggested to Monroe and Everett.
The two nodded their heads, and did as he suggested. Him and Nikki went
inside. They noticed Taylor wasn't there. " Where is..."
" At the hospital." Zac interrupted Nikki. " Arielle's half brother was hurt
in the tornado. Not to mention Taylor wanted to have a word with Ashley. He is
pretty pissed off."
" I would be too." Isaac shook his head at the situation, and took a seat on
the couch. " I can't believe this. I met with her the other day to discuss the
fact that Tay had a life, and not once did she mention that she had a daughter.
Only a son."
" I ran into them at the park earlier today when Penny took off on me to feed
the ducks by the river. Lucky for me they found and brought Penny back to me,
but then when I found out who they were... I told her to leave it alone, and...
not mention a word to Taylor if she could keep it from him after all this time.
I know that's wrong of me, but she can just waltz back into his life and expect
him to be a father to her after all the time that has passed!" Natalie said,
feeling angry again.
" I agree, Natalie. It's just not right for her to expect anything of him."
Nikki sat by her, and put a hand on her shoulder to comfort her. " But he
deserves the right to know Arielle. She is a part of him, if we like it or
not."
Tears came to Natalie's eyes. " I just... what if this ruins everything we
have? I can't stand the thought of losing him."
Zac gave her a little hug. " Your not going to lose our brother to Ashley,
Natalie. What they have is in the past. It is no more. I promise you that."