evermore [taylor swift adoption]

three

After a couple hours, the nurse called them to come into the back room for examination as it had been four hours. While Arden started to sob, Taylor knew she had no other choice and led the girl to the examination room. As they stepped into the examination room, Taylor felt the tremble of Arden's fingers as they clung desperately to hers. 

Arden pressed herself against Taylor, her small frame seeking comfort in the older woman's embrace. "Taylor, I don't want them to touch me," she whispered, her voice barely audible above the noise of the machines and doctor's talking.

Taylor pulled the small girl in her lap and sighed, brushing through Arden's blonde straight hair. "It's okay, sweetheart. The doctors are here to help you feel better," she murmured, her voice soft and soothing as she brushed a stray strand of hair away from Arden's face.

Dr. Michaels, a kind-faced woman with gentle eyes, approached them with a warm smile. "Hello there, Arden. I'm Dr. Michaels. You're very brave to be here today," she said, her voice calm and very gentle.

Arden peeked out from behind Taylor's embrace, moving her head from Taylor's chest to look at the woman. "But it's going to hurt, isn't it? You're going to touch the boo-boo," she states, her voice quavering with fear.

Dr. Michaels crouched down to Arden's eye level, her expression filled with sorrow and empathy. "I'll do everything I can to make sure it doesn't hurt too much, okay? And Ms. Swift, you can stay with her the whole time," she promised, her tone gentle and soothing.

Taylor nodded reassuringly, offering Arden a warm and soothing smile. "I'll be right here, holding your hand, sweetheart. You're not alone," she said, her voice filled with love and encouragement. With hesitant nods, Arden allowed Dr. Michaels to begin her examination. As the doctor gently probed Arden's bruises, the young girl winced in pain, tears welling up in her eyes. She started to kick and cry while trying to squirm off of Taylor's lap and run from the pain.

"It's okay, baby. You're doing great," Taylor whispered, rubbing Arden's back while holding onto the small girl tightly but still gentle.

"We'll need to put a cast on your arm, Arden," she explained gently, her voice infused with sorrow.

Arden's eyes widened in fear, her grip on Taylor tightening. "I don't want a cast! It's going to hurt!" she protested, her voice trembling with betrayal and fear.

"It's okay, sweetheart. Lots of kids have casts when they hurt themselves. And you know what? You can even decorate it and make it look cool," Taylor replies, trying to soothe Arden with positivity during the situation.

With Taylor's comforting presence by her side, Arden reluctantly agreed to the cast. As Dr. Michaels carefully applied it, Arden squeezed her eyes shut, trying to block out the discomfort. The cold bandage wrapped against her arm made her want to scream and cry but Taylor promised she could draw on it once it was done and she really wanted to try that.

"It's almost done, Arden. You're being so brave," Taylor murmured, sensing the small girl's impatience and fear.

Finally, the cast was in place, and Arden let out a shaky breath of relief. Taylor enveloped her in a tight embrace, feeling the weight of the moment lift from her shoulders. The doctor came back with a Sharpie and handed it to Arden. As Taylor carried her out the room, Arden attempted to draw a butterfly, which look like a bunch of lines tangled together forming nothing but a mess. As Taylor brought her back into the previous room, Arden excitedly shows the rest of the Swift's her artwork, forgetting about her worry from a minute ago. 

Right when Arden was getting bored of the hospital and starting to get cranky, Tree messaged Taylor that they could come out but warned them there were still paparazzi and fans but they were backed away. Taylor pulled Arden into her embrace and covered the girl's face with one of her hands. Luckily Andrea filled out the paperwork so they were ready to leave immediately. Screams, clicks, questions, and comments filled the air for the quick five seconds it took Taylor to run into the car with the small girl in her arms. After everyone got in, the driver quickly drove past the crowd by the hospital and Taylor let out a sigh of relief as well as the tense feeling in her stomach.