“Jeb, I didn’t know you were coming.” Brett looked up, surprised to see him.
“I thought you might need some support.” Brett hung her head in shame as she realized why he was there. “Taylor told you I got drunk.”
“Yes, are you okay?”
“I don’t know why I drank. It just happened.”
“Honey, losing a mother is a very hard thing to deal with.”
“I wasn’t here for her.”
“Oh Brett, you’ve been with her every single day. She loved you without reservation. Do you think she would be upset with you for not being here?” Jeb placed an arm around Brett’s shoulders when she started to cry. “I just feel so lost right now.”
“I know, baby. But Taylor loves you and will be by your side, and Rex and I will always be here for you. You’re not alone. We’re all family.” Taylor watched as Brett allowed Jeb to console her. She needed someone who understood her grief and her weakness, and right now that someone was Jeb.
They stayed out on the back deck for over an hour talking quietly. Then they came inside with an unexpected announcement.
“Taylor, Jeb and I are going out for an hour or so.” Brett reached up and touched Taylor’s forearm lightly. “We’re going to an AA meeting.” Taylor knew how hard that statement was to make, and she masked her surprise. “Do you need company?”
“Not tonight, thanks, but maybe you can go with me some other time.” Brett smiled as she spoke. She loved Taylor for her unqualified support.
“Okay, sweetie.”
“I love you Taylor, and I promise I’ll take care of this.” Brett wrapped her arms around Taylor’s neck and hugged her.
“I know you will.” Taylor’s gaze stayed on both Jeb and Brett as they exited the house. Taylor knew Brett would be just fine. Her resolve was firm, and Jeb was there to support and understand her.
Brett managed to get through the funeral with the support of Taylor and Jeb.
She attended AA meetings every day for a week straight before she started to feel like she had a handle on things. Her mother had taken care of all the arrangements for her death, leaving all her worldly possessions to her only daughter. She had also left a letter to be read by Brett. It was that letter that strengthened Brett’s resolve to deal with her problems with alcohol. She had read the letter with Taylor by her side.
“Brett, there has never been a mother as proud as I am. I watched you recover from your injuries and get your life together. You are an amazing woman with talent and heart. I leave this world knowing that you will garner many Olympic Gold medals for your efforts. I will be watching as you show the world how talented you really are.
I will also be watching as you and Taylor have my grandchildren. I know you will raise them with love and compassion, teaching them everything they will need to know about life.
Please do not grieve over my passing. I have had a full and wonderful life and I have no regrets. Take care of Taylor. I know she will take care of you and know that I love you dearly.
Your mother.”
Brett cried as she finished reading the letter and then turned to Taylor. “I miss her so much.”
“I know you do, honey but as she told you, she’ll be watching over you.”
“She always had such faith in me.”
“That’s because she knew you. There is nothing you can’t do if you put your mind to it.
Brett smiled despite her sorrow and gathered Taylor closer to her. “Then I guess I better work to get you pregnant. She wanted grandchildren.”
“I think that’s a wonderful idea.”
CHAPTER 23
Three Years later …
“How are you feeling, Taylor?” Rex asked as he bent over her hospital bed where she lay serenely looking back at him.
“Pretty good, my labor pains aren’t too bad yet. The doctor says it’s going to be another couple of hours.” Taylor was telling the truth. She looked radiant as she lay back against the pillows. The worst of her discomfort were the pains that arrived every thirty minutes or so, along with a lower back ache. Considering that she was soon going to deliver twin girls, she was feeling fairly calm. Her room was a private suite in the birthing center at the Boulder Hospital. The room was painted a soothing pale yellow, and soft background music wafted through the room. The bed covers were pale yellow to match the walls; there were no sterile hospital linens in this section of the hospital. The ambience was meant to keep expectant mothers comfortable as they prepared to bring new life into the world.
“Jeb’s parking the car. He’ll be up in a minute. Where are Helen and Fran?”
“They’re down in the cafeteria getting a bite to eat. They brought me to the hospital and have been here for hours. They won’t leave.”
“Of course they won’t. Have you talked to Brett?”
“No, I haven’t been able to get through. It’s hard to get her on the telephone lines in Torino. The hotel was swamped with incoming calls. I left a message at her hotel. She’ll call me as soon as she’s able to.”
“She’s going to be pissed that she’s missing the delivery,” Rex remarked with a grin as he sat in the chair next to her bed.
“Yeah, our timing could have been better but we talked about this possibility.
Twins tend to arrive early.” Taylor smiled happily up at Rex. She had found her pregnancy to be heavenly up to this point. Even with all that was going on in their lives, Taylor’s being pregnant had been a joy to both of them. Brett had been joyous when Taylor became pregnant, and she loved it as her body changed with their growing children. Everything about the pregnancy excited and intrigued Brett. Finding out that they were having twin girls had almost overwhelmed her. She spent weeks getting the nursery ready before she had to leave for Italy and the Olympics. She had argued many a night that Taylor should reduce her workload at the spa and clinic. Taylor had stalwartly refused, driving Brett crazy. She had been working early that morning when her water broke, causing pandemonium at the spa.
“I can’t believe how well you look! Pregnancy becomes you.” Rex exclaimed as he gazed at Taylor. She positively glowed with health and happiness.
“Hah, you big flirt! I gained almost forty pounds!” Taylor laughed as she patted her protruding stomach. Thank God Brett thought her pregnant body was sexy. She had made Taylor send pictures of her stomach the last six weeks that she had been in Italy. She hated missing the last months of Taylor’s pregnancy.
“Hey, beautiful, how goes it?” Jeb burst into the private birthing room, his arms full of flowers and two teddy bears.
“Good. It’s going to be a while before these two girls arrive. Helen has a key to the house for you two. Your room is ready.” Taylor and Brett had added on to the main floor of the house so the nursery would be connected to their bedroom.
They had also added an office instead of continuing to use a part of their bedroom for that purpose. The upstairs still had two guest bedrooms, one exclusively for Rex and Jeb’s visits.
“Hey, there’s your girl!” All eyes turned to the television as the local newscaster showed an earlier telecast from the Olympic Games broadcast from Italy.
The interview with Brett had been replayed all morning and afternoon. She was no longer just a local Boulder celebrity. She was now known worldwide as the charismatic and innovative coach for the U.S. Ski Team. Taylor’s eyes misted with tears as she watched her ecstatic partner express her happiness over the U.S. Ski Team’s complete sweep of the Winter Olympics. She had done it! Not only had the team taken more gold medals than ever before, Brett was being credited with turning the U.S. ski program around.
“She did it!” Taylor whispered her eyes full of pride and love for the woman who had overcome so much. “Her mother would be so proud.”
“Just like we all are. They’re saying that her unique program was the reason for their success. I wonder where she got all her advice about mind and body athletics,” Jeb commented with a grin. Everyone knew that Taylor
was as much a part of Brett’s program as she was herself. They had collaborated on the develop-ment of her strength training and her physical therapy for the ski program.
“She knows what it takes. She’s been through it all,” Taylor responded, taking Jeb’s hand and gasping as a labor pain caught her unawares.
“How’re you doing, sweetie?” Jeb bent over and kissed her cheek. They were as close as ever. He and Rex spent many of their vacations over the last three years visiting Brett and Taylor in Boulder.
“Good, excited, nervous. I miss Brett,” Taylor admitted as she breathed deeply to get through the pains.
“Honey, she would love to be here with you. You know you are her heart.” Jeb held tightly to her hand as she closed her eyes. “It’s killing her not to be with you.”
“I know, it’s been over a month and I miss her so much. God, I just need to hold her for minute. It’s been so hard with the time difference and her grueling schedule. She barely gets any time to sleep.”
“I know, sweetie, but she’ll be home before you know it.” He was aware that Brett had argued with Taylor for weeks about staying home from Torino to be with her for the births. Brett thought that Taylor and their children should come first. Taylor wouldn’t hear of Brett missing her first Olympics and demanded that she go and fulfill her destiny. Jeb was keeping a secret for now. Brett was winging her way back home after receiving his telephone call. He had promised her he would call if Taylor went into labor. Brett wouldn’t miss this occasion if she had anything at all to say about it. She had sworn him to secrecy, not wanting to get Taylor’s hopes up if she didn’t arrive in time. He knew she was about seven hours from landing in Boulder, and he was hoping Taylor wouldn’t deliver before then. Six and a half hours later, Brett threw some cash at the driver and ran from the taxi, her small shoulder bag flapping behind her. She had left everything else in her hotel to be packed up by her assistant and sent home with all of the rest of their equipment. She hit the stairway at a gallop knowing that Taylor was on the third floor in the maternity wing. People jumped out of her way as she raced down the corridor. The message Jeb left on her cell phone had said that Taylor’s delivery was imminent. She was breathing heavily as she burst into Taylor’s room. She was delighted to find it filled with family and friends. Helen and Fran were on one side of the bed, and Rex and Jeb were on the other. Taylor lay in bed looking radiant as she relaxed between labor pains that were now about five minutes apart. Taylor had insisted on natural childbirth, and she and Brett had taken classes to prepare. Brett was scared to death.
“Brett, how, what …” Taylor sputtered, looking at her frantic partner.
“I told you I wanted to be here.” Brett grinned as she bent over the bed and kissed Taylor slowly, her hand grasping Taylor’s as she felt the familiar heat and emotion fill her up. “God, I missed you.”
“But I saw your interview earlier.” Taylor was more than stunned as she hugged Brett tightly.
“They taped it yesterday so that I could get home quickly if I had to. I told them nothing would keep me away from the birth of our children. They understood,” Brett whispered as she bent and kissed Taylor again.
“I’m so glad you’re here.” Taylor pulled Brett into another hug as she began to cry.
“So am I.” Brett wiped her own face free of tears. “How are you feeling? Are the labor pains very close? What does the doctor have to say? What am I sup-posed to do?” Brett panicked as she realized how close the birth of her children was.
“Brett, honey, relax. Everything is fine. The pains are manageable. The doctor has been to see me several times, and I’m right on schedule. Sit here on the bed next to me. There’s nothing to do until they decide to be born.”
“What can I do?”
“Get ready to help me breathe. We’ll be getting to the hard stuff soon enough.”
Taylor couldn’t have been more right. Within the hour Taylor was a minute apart with full-blown contractions as the babies demanded delivery. The room was cleared except for the doctor, Brett, and two nurses as Taylor prepared to deliver her twin girls. Brett leaned against Taylor’s back, giving her support while she pressed down. The doctor guided the first child’s head. She came out with a startled cry that announced her birth. While another nurse took the little girl and cleaned her up, the doctor assisted as the second little girl, fussing with outrage, slid out into his waiting arms.
Taylor was too busy to do anything but laugh and cry at the same time as she watched Brett cut both cords. Brett bent over both girls and then returned to Taylor’s bedside, her face awash with tears. “I can’t believe how perfect they are. I love you so much. God, Taylor, you are amazing.” Brett burst into fresh tears as she hugged Taylor tightly in her arms. The two women held each other for a short time before the doctor interrupted them.
“Taylor, we need to take the babies and have them weighed, measured, and checked out. We also need to take care of you. I suggest that Brett go out and let everyone know about your beautiful children. We’ll get you cleaned up and then let you sleep for a little bit. This will probably be the last sleep you get for many months.”
“Okay, Doctor, is Taylor okay?”
“She’s fine, Brett. So are your girls.”
“Thanks so much.”
“You’re very welcome.”
“Honey, go. I’ll be fine.” Taylor kissed Brett and then gently pushed her toward the door. Her eyes stayed on Brett until the door shut behind her and then she lay back on the bed, exhausted from the long labor and delivery. It had been a long twenty hours, and she was terribly tired.
“Taylor, how are you doing?”
“Tired, more than anything.”
“I used a local so you won’t feel any pain. I need to put in a couple of stitches, and then we’ll clean you up and let you sleep. Your children will be brought back in an hour or so.”
“Are they really okay?”
“They looked perfect to me, a little small but very feisty.”
“Will you tell Brett to come back inside when you’re done?”
“I will.”
CHAPTER 24
An hour later, Taylor’s eyes fluttered open to find Brett sitting quietly beside her bed watching her sleep. “Honey, how are the babies?”
“Excellent, the nurses say they’re in good health. Rose is six pounds two ounces, and Jane is five pounds eight ounces.” Taylor and Brett had decided to name their girls after both of their mothers. “How are you doing?”
“Good—I feel pretty good right now. Can I see the babies?”
“Sure. The nurse brought a wheelchair for you, and I can wheel you over to the nursery. They were sleeping when I visited them a little while ago.”
“Has everyone else seen them?”
“Yep, Jeb cried and so did Fran. I finally convinced all of them to go home and get some sleep.”
“How are you, honey?”
Brett smiled and bent over placing her face close to Taylor’s. “I can’t remember ever feeling this good. My life just keeps getting better and better. I love you and our babies. They’re so damn beautiful, with a little bit of dark red hair the same color as their mother’s.”
“I love you, Brett. I’m so proud of you. You showed everyone in Italy what it takes to be a world-class athlete. Your mother would be so proud.”
“She would be been even prouder of our children.”
“Her grandchildren.”
“Yes, she would have been a fantastic grandmother.”
“We’ve got Helen and Fran.”
“You’re forgetting Jeb and Rex.”
“Our family, it’s so perfect, so magical. I love you.”
“I love you.” Are you ready to see our girls?”
“One more thing and then I will be.”
“What’s that honey?”
“Will you kiss me? I’ve missed you so much I just need you to hold me for a minute.”
Brett crawled up on the bed next to Taylor
bed and wrapped her arms around her. Then she bent her head and kissed Taylor gently, slowly, her heart bursting with love. She held Taylor for quite a while because Taylor slid back into a contented sleep with Brett’s arms wrapped securely around her.
Their girls were brought back to the room in bassinets before Taylor woke up.
Brett was still next to her, her eyes on the two sleeping children.
“Mom, you were right. There’s nothing that can compare with having your own child. I wish you were here to see how beautiful they are. I miss you every day, but I feel you watching over us. I finally got you a gold medal. Thank you for your friendship. I hope I’m half the mother you were to me.” Taylor had awoken in time to hear Brett speak to her mother, and she couldn’t keep from crying as she responded. “You’re going to be a wonderful mother for our girls. You’ll teach them how to love, how to work toward a goal, and how to be a good person. I’m so proud of you, Brett.”
“I think you having our children is so much more important than any medal.
Do you want to see your girls?” Brett kissed Taylor gently.
“Can we hold them?”
“The nurse said we could. She said you could start breastfeeding them when you felt comfortable.”
“No time like the present.” Taylor moved to sit up as Brett slid off of the bed.
“Why don’t you bring me one of them and you hold the other one?”
“Okay, but I’ve never picked up a baby before.” Brett looked scared to death as she slowly slid her hands underneath Rose. “Hey, Rose, are you ready to meet your mother?”
After placing Rose in Taylor’s arms, she went back for Jane who was fussing in her bassinet. “Hello Jane, welcome to our family.” Brett turned and her smile was from ear to ear as she looked at Taylor with Rose in her arms. “Well, I guess we won’t be getting any sleep for awhile.”
“Probably not for eighteen years or so,” Taylor laughed as she prepared to feed her little girl.
“I love you, Taylor.”
Magic in Our Hearts Page 18