|
|
When she opened her eyes she could not figure out where she was. As she looked around, and saw the white walls, sterile environment, and another bed identical to hers, she figured out that she was in the hospital. She tried to get up, but she felt like, she had been hit by a Mack truck or something. All her muscles ached and her head was killing her. She lay there awake for a few more minutes before she drifted off to sleep again.
Kevin felt uncomfortable about the visits they made to the hospital, but he had seen how their visits helped so many children. Most of the children were terminally ill, which was really difficult for Kevin to deal with since he lost his father to Cancer. But he pushed the pain aside today as he walked through the front door of the hospital. He walked up towards Kathleen at the front reception to find out where he was needed that day. "Just here by yourself today Kevin?" Kathleen asked as she reached for the familiar green folder.
"Yah I am the only one that isn't working in the studio today, so here I am." Kevin said as he leaned against the counter. He always hoped that there wouldn't be any sick kids for him to visit, but of course that was never the case.
"Well I have a different case for you today Kevin. It is pretty much the same kids in the Children's wing, but they know they would love a visit from you. But more importantly, they brought in a young lady a few days ago who I am told has just regained consciousness earlier today. It may be a difficult case, since she is a victim of sexual assault. But a few friends came to visit the other day and I over heard them talking about you guys. So I am assuming she is a fan of your group. Here is her room number. Good luck." Kathleen said as she handed Kevin a card. He looked down at it and it read Floor 4, Room 446. He stopped off in the flower shop and bought some flowers this time instead of his usual balloons.
Kevin walked off of the elevator on the 4th floor and walked in the direction of room 446. He stopped in front of the room and the sign on the door read Taylor Jones. He took a deep breath and entered the room. He saw a thin figure in the bed closest to the window. From where he was standing, he could tell that she had been beaten pretty badly. Her face was covered with bruises. Her face was facing the window so he walked in and placed the flowers by the window.
He heard a faint voice say, "Are you a doctor?"
He turned around to see Taylor looking up at him. He pulled up the chair and sat down beside her. He went to take her hand in his, but she flinched away from him. "No Taylor. I am not a doctor. My name is Kevin and I am a volunteer here at the hospital. I normally visit with the Children here, but they told me about your case when I got here, so I decided to come and see you."
"I don't want any visitors." She said in a very quiet voice again.
"Come on Taylor. It must get pretty lonely here in this room all by your self. I see they have some Nintendo here in the room. Why don't we challenge each other to a game." Kevin said trying to get her to open up to him a bit. When he looked in her eyes all he saw was sadness, fear and pain. He wanted to change that.
"I can't." she said as she revealed her right arm which was in a cast.
"Where else are you hurt?" Kevin asked almost afraid to hear the answer.
"What do you care." Taylor said with hostility in her voice.
"I care Taylor. I wouldn't come here on a regular basis if I didn't care about people. " Kevin said as he tried to take her hand again, but she refused him again.
At that moment they both looked towards the door as a nurse came into the room. Kevin didn't recognize her, since he never usually visited patients on this floor. He moved back and allowed the nurse to do her job. She offered to hold a mirror for Taylor so she could brush her hair with her left hand. He looked out the window, trying to come up with a way to get through to her. That was when he heard her cry and heard the mirror hit the wall.
"Why did he do this to me." She cried as the nurse started to clean up the broken glass. Then she hurried out of the room without saying a word.
"Who did this to you Taylor?" Kevin asked hoping that she was feeling vulnerable enough to talk now.
"My ex-boyfriend. We broke up with each other a few weeks ago and he got pretty pissed off at me." Taylor said as she started to cry.
"You know the physical bruises will heal with time Taylor. You may need more time to heal emotionally, but that will come with time too." Kevin said as he sat down on the side of the bed. This time she allowed him to take her hand. He placed it on his leg and slowly stroked it to help her calm down.
"How can I face anyone looking like this Kevin? I can't go back to my normal life looking like this." She said. She was now looking out the window again as tears started to roll down her face.
Kevin wanted to reach out and wipe them away, but her bruises looked painful and he didn't want to hurt her. "You can do it Taylor. This is not your fault, and everyone will understand that. You can find the strength to beat this and move on with your life." Kevin said hoping that he was right.
Kevin spent the rest of the afternoon with Taylor. He didn't have any other plans for that afternoon, and he could tell that Taylor was starting to feel more comfortable around him. She had told him about her job, friends, and what had happened with her ex-boyfriend. When he left at 4pm that afternoon, he had promised Taylor that he would stop by and visit with her the next day.
Taylor was sitting in bed the next day watching television feeling disappointed and she was sure that Kevin wasn't coming back to see her. So she turned off the television and tried to get comfortable. Just as she was drifting off to sleep, she heard the door open, but she just assumed it was another nurse and continued to look like she was sleeping. Then she heard a chair being moved. She opened her eyes and even in the dark she could make out Kevin's figure.
"Hey there Taylor, I hope I didn't wake you." Kevin said as he turned on the light.
"No, I had just turned the television off and hadn't gotten to sleep yet." Then it hit her all of a sudden. She sat there looking at Kevin and it finally struck her where she had seen him before. "Oh my god, I just realized something. Your Kevin Richardson from The Backstreet Boys aren't you?" Taylor asked with excitement in her voice, which Kevin had never heard before.
"Yes I am Taylor. I was wondering if you would recognize me. The girl at reception said she overheard your friends talking about us, so she assumed you were a fan as well." Kevin said, kind of saddened that she had recognized him. But that was a fact of life for him now.
"Well yes, I have many friends that are fans. I thought I recognized you yesterday, but I guess I was out of it." Taylor said.
"So how are you feeling today?" Kevin asked as he noticed that Taylor was able to sit up on her own now.
"A little better I suppose. Everything still hurts and I haven't been sleeping very well. They had to give me something to help me sleep last night, and I wish they would do the same for tonight." Taylor said as she looked out the window.
"Well you look a little better today, if that makes you feel any better." Kevin said.
"Thanks Kevin, but I am not sure that anything could make me feel better right now." Taylor said as she lowered herself in the bed and rested her head on the pillow.
"It will get better Taylor. You have to believe me when I say that." Kevin said. He felt like he was involved now. She had confided in him yesterday afternoon, and he wanted to do everything possible to try and help Taylor get back to her normal life. Kevin was saddened to see, that the excitement, he saw in her eyes just moments earlier, was now replaced by fear and pain again.
Taylor wanted to ask Kevin to help her through, but she knew that Kevin would never have to time to do something like that. So she just lay there without saying a word and continued to look out the window.
Without saying a word, Kevin reached out and brushed the hair off of Taylor's forehead. He felt her tense up at first, but relaxed as he continued to run his fingers through her hair.
Taylor could feel herself falling asleep as Kevin lightly brushed his fingers through her hair. She closed her eyes and could feel herself drifting off to sleep. She felt safe with Kevin in the room, she imagined feeling even safer in his arms.
Kevin sat back in the chair when he was sure that Taylor had drifted off to sleep. He had thought about leaving, but something willed him to stay for another while longer. He turned on the television and turned the volume down and decided to stay for a while. He wanted to make sure that Taylor got some, much needed rest. Just as "Friends" was ending he was startled, by Taylor's screaming. She sat straight up on bed and he saw her wince as pain shot through her body. Before she really knew what was happening, Kevin sat down on the bed and put his arms around her fragile body. He could feel some tension leave her body as she leaned into his chest.
Taylor started crying as she let Kevin hold her. "Oh god Kevin, every time I close my eyes, he is there. Will this fear ever go away?" Taylor asked.
Kevin carefully took Taylor's face in his hands and looked her straight in the eyes and said, "I promise you Taylor, that I will do whatever it takes to make the fear and pain go away. Please let me help you."
She just nodded her head and leaned into his chest once again. Did he really mean what he was saying she thought to herself. He seemed sincere and she was shocked that Kevin was still there when she woke up. As he continued to hold her, she asked, "Do you really mean what you just said?"
Again Kevin gently took her face in his hands and said, "I never make promises I can't keep." He was not sure why he felt compelled to help Taylor, but he was determined to help her out.
