The Third Sister

8 - The Best Friend

Taylor took her phone, and looked at the message she just received. She smiled when she saw who sent it and started to respond.
"Lily" someone said behind her.
Taylor turned around and looked at her friend who was staring at the phone.
"If you have a new best friend" Selena continued with a playful smile, "you can just tell me"
It has been a month since the Dark One has escaped, and Taylor was back in her house in Los Angeles. It was a day off, and Taylor was spending it with Selena at her home. Selena was very special to her. First of all, Taylor didn't really have much friends when she was younger, especially under the Dark Curse. When Regina had cast it, she made it possible for Taylor to leave the town and live her life outside, but it hasn't worked immediately. She had to wait seventeen years to be able to leave the town with Regina, who was her legal guardian, and becoming a singer. But she really loved Storybrooke, so she came back frequently. It was the only place in this world where she could walk in the street or eat in Granny's without a group of paparazzi waiting for her. She loved her home town so much she has brought Selena a lot of time, until that day when everything has changed.

Taylor was sitting on a seat, totally broken. Her cheeks wet because of the tears, she was crying so hard her vision was blurry. Selena was sitting next to her in the hospital's corridor, her arms wrapped around her best friend. She wasn't trying to comfort her, the pain was too strong. There were no way to stop the tears. Not yet anyway. She was also crying, starring at the glass in front of her. And there he was, on the other side of the window. The lifeless body of the almost eleven years old boy Taylor saw growing up. The son of the woman who raised her since she was twelve. Taylor used to comfort him sometimes at night since he was a baby, or play with him in the garden, before she left Storybrooke for her career. He was like her little brother. But now he was gone. Forever. Taylor looked aside, still crying, when she heard some footsteps. The doctor Whale and Mother Superior, the head nun of Storybrooke Covent, were leaving the room where Henry was, at the exact moment when the sheriff Emma Swan and the mayor Regina Mills, Henry's mothers, were arriving.
"We did everything we could" Doctor Whale said with sorrow in his voice, looking at the women. "I'm sorry"
"No !" Regina exclaimed with pain, while tears were escaping from her eyes.
This was like a dagger in Taylor's heart, and more sods escaped from her.
Like if it was in slow motion, Emma entered the room, her cheeks now wet because of the tears. She had abandoned him after his birth, because she was too young to raise him. But since the day when he knocked at her door, introducing himself as her ten years old son, she couldn't help but love him, and she wanted to be in his life. Even if Regina, his adoptive mother, was trying everything to make her leave the town. She slowly approached the bed, still crying, while Regina was sobbing against Doctor Whale's chest. Emma slowly put her hand on her son's forehead, to put his hair aside, while a teardrop was falling from the end of her nose.
"I love you, Henry." She whispered, and put her lips on the boy's forehead to kiss him.
At this moment the strangest thing happened. A strange wind hit everyone, and suddenly Taylor raised her head that was on Selena's shoulder, and sat straight on her seat staring at the room through the glass, while Henry was taking a deep breath, opening his eyes. Then he looked at his biological mother and smiled.
"I love you, too." Henry said with a big smile. "You saved me"
"You did it" Regina said looking at Emma, her eyes full of tears.
Emma looked at her and smiled, while Taylor was slowly entering the room, followed by her best friend.
"He's alive" Selena exclaimed with a big smile.
"Yeah" Taylor said with emotion in her voice. But she was also totally lost.
"Taylor?" Selena called.
Taylor turned her head and looked at her friend, then couldn't help but stared at Regina, while some nurses were entering the room.
"Henry what's going on?" Emma asked, voicing Selena's thoughts.
"No." Regina exclaimed, and looked worriedly around her.
"The curse" Henry said, sitting up on the hospital's bed. "I think you broke it"
"That was true love's kiss" Mother Superior said.
"No no" Regina repeated worriedly.
"If I were you, your majesty, I'd find a place to hide." Mother Superior said, glaring at the mayor.
But Regina ran toward her son's bed, and put her hands on his legs, staring at Henry with her eyes full of tears.
"Henry no matter what you think, no matter what anyone tells you, I do love you." She said, and an other tear rolled on her cheek.
Then she hurried toward the door, passing some glares coming from the nurses and Doctor Whale, and suddenly stopped when she noticed the tall blonde standing next to the door. She looked at her straight in her eyes, and discover what she wished to never see in the singer's eyes. Sorrow, betrayal, and fear.
"Taylor..." Regina whispered, and took a step toward her.
But Taylor took a step backwards, bumping in her friend who was standing behind her.
"No please ..." Regina begged in a low voice.
But Taylor took an other step backwards, still glaring at the mayor. As her tears were still rolling down on her cheeks, Regina turned around and ran toward the stair case.
"Taylor? What's going on?" Selena asked worriedly, totally lost.
Taylor looked at her friend, her eyes still full of tears.
"I'll tell you everything" Taylor promised.
Then she ran toward the hospital's bed.
"Henry!" She called, a big smile on her lips.
She wrapped her arms around him, and they hugged tightly.