What This Could Be- Joe Jonas Fanfic

Chapter 38: Christmas Blues

*Joe's POV*

A few weeks had passed. The bruising from the seatbelt had diminished, as well as the cuts on my hands. Kevin had some bruising, whiplash, and a concussion just like me. Nick, on the other hand, got the brunt of it. Along with everything Kevin and I had, he also had a bruised tailbone and a few fractured ribs. Our driver, thankfully, was stable and awake the last time I heard anything, which was the day after the incident when I was able to finally make my police statement. That's also when I learned that the person that hit us was driving under the influence three times the legal limit. He didn't make it.

We were lucky to say the least.

I had a home to go back to, thanks to Taylor. Willa and Delphine flew to their new home a few days after I had gotten back for my two weeks with them. They both were aware something had happened by the fact that I could only pick up one at a time and hold them on the side that wasn't bruised. Willa liked to play doctor by helping me plaster the cuts on my hands, kissing each one once they were covered. She said it would help them heal faster, something I had always done to her and her sister whenever they injured themselves.

Because I wasn't going to have them on Christmas, Taylor and I celebrated early with them. We baked cookies, decorated a Christmas tree together, almost always had Christmas music playing where we would dance and sing along, and let them open half of their presents. The other half was after they came back, which wouldn't have been until next year.

I hated holidays without them.

"Hey Babe?" I poked her side with my foot as she sat on the other side of the couch scrolling on her phone, "Can we fly to your family this Christmas?"

"Huh?" she raised her eyebrows, lowering her phone down to look at me as if that that would have helped her hear me better.

"Can we fly to your family this Christmas?" I asked again, "I know it's last minute, but I wanna meet them in person."

"Absolutely not," she replied, bringing her attention back to her phone.

"Why not?" I sat up, "I've only ever had three very short phone calls with your parents, and I've yet to meet your sister and brother-in-law at all."

She sighed, setting her phone down on the table to face me, "Because like you said, it's too last minute. And no offense, but I don't really want to. I moved to get out, not go back."

"So you're telling me you've never gone back to visit them since moving here to New York?"

"Yes," she answered, "My family isn't like yours, Babe. They don't really celebrate holidays and haven't in a long time. I think I was like, twelve the last time I truly remembering us celebrating Christmas as a whole."

"That's perfect then," I quipped, "because I don't really feel like celebrating Christmas this year either."

She snorted, taking full offense, "I'm sorry. Is it not worth celebrating if it's just us?"

"Don't put words into my mouth," I asserted, "I want to be a part of your family just as much as you are with mine. Is that wrong of me to want that?"

"Is it wrong of me to not want to go back to Missouri?" she argued back, "All that would do is bum me the fuck out and put me in a bad mental state."

"Taylor," I scooted closer to her, "Are you listening to anything I'm saying right now? Because it doesn't feel like it."

"Yes, Joe, I am," she replied, "And I'm saying no. My parents wouldn't like company to just show up last second, and I don't even talk to my sister or brother-in-law, or anyone on that side of the family for that matter."

I swear it felt like I was still feeling the effects of my concussion intensely, trying to gather my thoughts that were jumbled together, "Okay, hang on. First it's you guys are close. Then it's you're not as close as you once told me. Now it's you don't even talk at all. Why?"

"Why does it matter?" her voice rose, "I don't have to tell you why!"

"I never said you have to tell me why!" I yelled back, "I've told you in full detail, my personal experience, as to why I didn't speak to my brothers for years, so why can't you do the same? Shit, do you even have a sister?"

"You've seen pictures, Joe!" she stood up, "I'm sorry I wasn't specific enough for you, but you also know it's something I hate fucking talking about! I don't want to see her this Christmas, okay? Can you get that through your head?"

"What if I can help though?" at this point, we weren't just talking with our mouths, but with our hands as well, "There's always a way to fix a sibling bond, I know that first-hand!"

"You wanna help?" she grabbed her phone from off the table and tossed it to me, "Fucking call her then."

I sat there stunned, her phone in my hand that held all the answers.

"Well?" she gestured towards me, "You gonna do it or not?"

It felt wrong to go through her phone, even with her permission, but I knew I had to. Just this once.