hits different - Taylor Swift and Travis kelce

Christmas

-Taylors Pov-

I really hate hospitals. I've always hated them, especially after my mom got sick and I spent a lot of time by her bedside holding her hand. The smell of antiseptic, the white coats, and sterile walls give me the chills. When I close my eyes I see my mom's fragile body in a bed, and the beeping of the machines infiltrates my ears. It haunts me, and I think It always will. It's not something you can ever truly move on from, at least I don't think I can.

She is better now, but she will always be living with cancer. It's managed, but they couldn't get it completely removed from her brain without causing permanent lifelong damage. So now she receives treatments to keep it under control and can live a long life with it. but it makes my heart speed up when she calls me, just in case it's her saying that the cancer has grown again. I have all the money in the world, but there is no amount I can pay to make my mom healthy again because I would give every penny to fix it.

Thankfully they discharged us early Christmas morning and we walk into our house which smells of Christmas spices and is toasty warm. I was determined to not spend Christmas day in the hospital, and I think they were annoyed with me for insisting so much that they just let me go home. I'm safe, I'm taking my treatments, so it should be safe to be home anyway. The best place for me to heal is in my own house surrounded by our own things, not a hospital room with stuffy air and antiseptic smell lingering all around us.

"There they are!" comes from the living room and I furrow my eyebrows. That sounds like my mom.

"Mom?" I call out and quickly walk to the living room with Travis right behind me. sure enough, my parents, brother, and Travis family are all here.

"guys what are you doing here?" he laughs and brings his mom in for a hug as I hug my own mother.

"When you told us Taylor was in the hospital, we got on an earlier flight" Donna explains like it's the most natural thing in the world. Even his brother, Kylie, and their three kids flew in from Philly.

"I'm Kylie, it's so nice to meet you in person" Kylie comes over and gives me a hug I gladly return. "we were so scared that something would happen."

"It's nice to meet in person as well" I like her hugs, they are warm. I've only talked with her over the phone so meeting her in person has been something I've been looking forward to. from what Travis tells me she is a genuinely good person who lifts their family with her spirits. Even though she is apparently sassy as hell. I think we will get along great.

"presents?" Wyatt, the oldest of Jason and Kylie's kids says and everyone chuckles. Of course, the toddlers don't know what's going on. "in a minute baby. Come say hi to Taylor and Uncle Travvy."

"Uncle Travvy!" the toddler dramatically announces and runs into her uncle's arms. Travis has three nieces Wyatt, elliotte, and Bennett, where Bennett is the newest addition to the family who arrived right around Superbowl time this year. The Superbowl was so close to Kylie's due date that they brought their OB with them to the games just in case she went into labor while away.

"Wyatt, this is my girlfriend, Taylor. She has your cousins in her belly" Travis crouches down next to Wyatt and points towards my belly. "cousins?"

"yes cousins" he confirms, and the toddler eyes me suspiciously before coming over and laying her head against my belly. "hello babies, I'm Wyatt," she says in her adorable little way and my heart melts. I'm sure the three of them are going to be wonderful cousins to my two little munchkins.

Everyone mingles for a little before the kids get restless and we settle around the tree to open presents. Thankfully we knew they were coming later tonight anyway for Christmas dinner, so we already had their presents here since we wanted to open them together. it makes me so happy that even Jason's little family wanted to fly in for the holiday even though they need to leave early tomorrow because of a game. The fact that they took the time so they could meet me in person means the world to me. Travis's whole family has welcomed me in with open arms and I couldn't be happier about it.

The kids go first and get showered in toys and clothes, and I get giddy when there are a few presents for the unborn as well. They get matching outfits with a slight difference for a girl and a boy, which I'm differently bringing to the hospital for their going home outfit.

**

Everyone is mingling and having fun when my phone goes off, and I see its tree. Not today, fuck I don't want anything to go wrong today. "I need to take this, it's tree," I say and half the people in the room know that probably means bad news.

I excuse myself into the kitchen and pick up her call. "Merry Christmas Taylor," she says cheerfully, and I return the greeting before the tone turns more somber. "I hate to do this today of all days, especially after you've had a... intense 24 hours. But there are pictures of you at the hospital being circulated online. The headlines... they're bad, to say the least, at least some of them are."

I should have expected that this is why she would be calling. We were in a public hospital, with plenty of other patients. It would be a miracle if no one caught a picture of me. but I also hate that someone is taking advantage of two terrified parents in a vulnerable moment just to earn a quick buck. It's disgusting to me but it's a reality of my job.

Apparently, the main message is that I apparently lost the baby and that they have an exclusive from the hospital. But that's obviously not true, and they don't even know that it's two babies for god's sake. It's all bullshit news to sell magazines and I hate this part of my job. The fact that I even need to react to something like this makes me sick to my stomach, can't I just have one day with my family that's uncomplicated?

"I just need to know if you want to do something about it. make a statement or just keep quiet" she asks, and I rest my head in my palm while keeping my phone still against my ear. "not really. I don't want to dignify it with an answer if I'm being honest. But at the same time, I don't want the false narrative about the babies out there either. It's a catch-22."

Do I speak out and make it clear that I resent the way it has been presented to the public, or do I keep my mouth shut and let it blow over? Decisions decisions. I don't know what the right thing is to do all the time. but I need to make a decision, decide to speak up or shut up.

"There are going to be times when I need to speak up. But I don't think I'm going to dignify this with an answer at all. at least not directly. I don't owe anyone my private medical information, and I'm stressed enough about It. I can't deal with a media thing on top of it" I decide.

"If that's what you want, I will support you in it. and for what it's worth I think it's the right thing right now" Tree agrees, and we decide to just do nothing, keep our mouths shut for now. Sometimes that's the best thing you can do, not say anything at all because saying something will feed into it and create more money for the greedy gossip magazines that don't have common decency.

I hang up with tree and go to join everyone again. I get some looks, but I walk straight into Travis's arms. The place where I feel the most at home, the safest. Quickly I whisper to him what's going on and he agrees with my decision which solidifies that I did the right thing. I don't want to focus on that today tho, I want to spend the day having fun with my family and my new family. We don't get the chance to meet up like this often, so when we do I want to make the most out of it.