Hate is a strong word, but I still hate you.

Chapter fourteen, Happy Birthday

*Taylor's POV*

   I tried. I caught her and went down as she landed.

   The ambulance arrived and wrapped Rayne in blankets. I sat next to her as the ambulance drove to the hospital and had to wait in the waiting area. They checked me over and I'd sprained my left wrist.

After two hours I was allowed to see her.
She was sat up and had her colour back.
"Hey." I sat in the chair besides her and stroked her hair. She turned her head away. "What's wrong?"
"I'm fine. What happened to your wrist?"
"I'm fine." I smirked. She raised her eyebrows. "I tried to catch you and I did." I flicked my hair sarcastically. "When you landed we both went down and you sprained my wrist." She smiled.
"Sorry." She looked away.
A doctor asked me outside. As I stepped out a nurse went in with a plate of lamb.
"Eh-" I tried to stop the nurse but the doctor took me to one side.
"Your daughter is very lucky miss Swift. Without you she would have died. You cushioned her fall." I heard Rayne yell.
"Excuse me." I ran back into the room and saw the nurse trying to force food into Rayne's mouth.
"I don't eat meat." She whimpered.
"You will eat whatever the hell I give you you spoilt little brat. I don't care who your mother is. She's a whore. Now eat it." I tapped the nurse on the shoulder. She turned around and her face flushed red.
"You heard her. She doesn't eat meat. Now you will eat whatever I give you." I threw the food into her face then punched her.
"I'm sorry." The doctor came back in. "She must not have taken her medication." I picked Rayne up and looked at the doctor.
"You let unstable doctors look after my daughter! I can look after her myself." I walked from the room and to the main office. I signed her release papers then carried Rayne home.
I laid her on the sofa and stroked her hair. Wyatt appeared besides me and held my hand.
"I'm still in these clothes." She pulled at her leggings. I picked her up and carried her to our room. I sat her on her bed and picked out some pyjamas. It took her about an hour to peel off her top. Whenever I tried to help she said no.
"Please." She tugged off her top and tears streamed from her eyes.
"Okay. Don't look at me though." I laughed at her and held a blanket out she held it over her chest then turned around. I unfastened her bra and slid it off her shoulders then tugged her top on. I helped her wriggle from her leggings then she then held the blanket around her waist and slipped off her underwear. Whilst she held her blanket I helped her pull up her pyjama bottoms.
Her arms snaked around my neck and her legs around my waist. Her head slid under my short hair and she cried.
"I'm sorry I fell out of a tree." She mumbled.
"It's not your fault. I shouldn't have said Wyatt told me about ... It."
"I shouldn't have overreacted."
"That's not your fault either." Her arms tightened around my neck.
"I don't want to ever have to let go." She whispered.
"Okay." I stood up laid on our bed. Rayne was already falling asleep but I didn't realise how tired I was until my head touched the pillow. My eyes closed and I slipped into dreams of emptiness.

"Wake up." Rayne was whispering in my ear and was shaking my shoulder.
"What?" She'd let go then.
"Come on. Get up, it's almost midday." I opened my eyes and sat up. Balloons and banners and streamers were hung everywhere. "HAPPY BIRTHDAY!" She dragged me out of bed and ran downstairs.
We sat on the sofa and Rayne was tired already. She took a moment to rest then grabbed one of the elegantly wrapped boxes from the table and handed it to me.
"Open it." I peeled back the paper and put it to one side. A smallish black box, about the size of my palm, had my name written across the top in golden loopy writing. I popped open the lid and in the box sat a golden chain.
I held it up then Rayne clipped it around my wrist.
As I unwrapped the rest of the presents Wyatt came down the stairs.
"Taylor, honey, I just got a call." He said.
"For what?" I asked.
"They apologise for it being such short notice but Ellen wants you and Rayne on her show, tomorrow."
"Okay." I looked at Rayne and she was smiling. Good. She handed me a tiny package.
I took off the wrapping-paper, popped it open and shook out the contents. There were five charms for my bracelet.
"They each symbolise something important that happen in our time together." An infinity symbol went on first, then, right next to the first, was a tiny pice of silver that said adoption across the top the mine and Rayne's names. When Rayne was legally allowed to live with me. Even though I didn't adopt her, we made everything legal.
The third charm was of a building, along the top it said interviews and I laughed.
"That's when everybody found out." She said. Right next to that was a baby charm, then one of a tree.
"A tree?" I asked.
"Yeah. Apparently I fell out of one and sprained your wrist." She laughed and I tried to be serious. I ended up laughed too.
"Thank you." I gave her a hug and kissed the top of her head.
"You're twenty-seven now, that's so old." Rayne joked.
My first ever song started playing in the background, 'Your Song' and Rayne began to dance.
   She pulled me up and we danced, slowly, around the room.
   "I feel so egotistical." I said as the song ended.
   "It's fine. It's all part of the plan." She began to drag me towards my recording room. "I have something I need to show you."
   She sat me on a chair and walked over to my guitar. I stood up in protest as she picked it up and I glared at her.
   "I know what I'm doing." She smiled and I sat back down, worried about my guitar. I've had it since forever. Teardrops have soaked that guitar, pun intended.
   Rayne sat down at the opposite side of the room. Whilst I'd been worrying she had set up a microphone.
   She strummed the guitar and began to sing.
   "We were both young when I first saw you.
I close my eyes and the flashback starts:
I'm standing there on a balcony in summer air.
   See the lights, see the party, the ball gowns.
See you make your way through the crowd
And say, 'Hello,'
   Little did I know...
   That you were Romeo, you were throwing pebbles,
And my daddy said, 'Stay away from Juliet'
And I was crying on the staircase
Begging you, 'Please don't go'
And I said...
   Romeo, take me somewhere we can be alone.
I'll be waiting; all that's left to do is run.
You'll be the prince and I'll be the princess,
It's a love story, baby, just say, 'Yes'.
   So I sneak out to the garden to see you.
We keep quiet 'cause we're dead if they knew
So close your eyes... escape this town for a little while.
Oh, oh.
   'Cause you were Romeo - I was a scarlet letter,
And my daddy said, 'Stay away from Juliet'
But you were everything to me,
I was begging you, 'Please don't go'
And I said...
   Romeo, take me somewhere we can be alone.
I'll be waiting; all that's left to do is run.
You'll be the prince and I'll be the princess.
It's a love story, baby, just say, 'Yes'.
   Romeo, save me, they're trying to tell me how to feel.
This love is difficult but it's real.
Don't be afraid, we'll make it out of this mess.
It's a love story, baby, just say, 'Yes'.
   Oh, oh, oh.
   I got tired of waiting
Wondering if you were ever coming around.
My faith in you was fading
When I met you on the outskirts of town.
And I said...
   Romeo, save me, I've been feeling so alone.
I keep waiting for you but you never come.
Is this in my head? I don't know what to think.
He knelt to the ground and pulled out a ring and said...
   Marry me, Juliet, you'll never have to be alone.
I love you, and that's all I really know.
I talked to your dad - go pick out a white dress
It's a love story, baby, just say, 'Yes'.
   Oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh.
   'Cause we were both young when I first saw you."
   She carefully put the guitar back and put the microphone away.
   She came over and brushed away the tears from my face.
   "Don't cry." I hadn't even realised I had. She held my hands and dragged me to the kitchen. It was all dark except twenty-seven candles.
   "Make a wish." Rayne whispered. I blew out the candles and the lights came on. Wyatt kissed me and Rayne gave me a quick hug. She handed me a knife and gestured at the cake. It was a three tiered cake and all purple, my favourite colour.
   The bottom tier had musical related things all over such as guitars and music notes. The second tier had hundreds of swirls of gold patterning on it and the top had candles at the top and along the sides had millions of number thirteens, my lucky number.
   I started crying again. I held out the knife and began to cut the cake.
   Memories flooded back of me that night in England, blood.
   I dropped the knife and hid in Wyatt's chest.
   "You're okay." I felt my knees give way and he held me up. I looked at the faint white lines on my wrists. Wyatt sat me on a stool and cut the cake. He handed me a slice on a plate and a fork. I didn't want it but my stomach suddenly did. It craved the sweetness of the frosting and I ate a small bite and watched as Rayne took an even smaller bite.
   Wyatt ate his in four bites and got a second slice.
   "Come on. Eat something honey. Our baby likes cake." He put his hand to my stomach. Our baby? But it's not even his. My hand sat on top of his and he pulled away. "Eww. It moved."
   "She did?" I smiled.
   "It's a girl?" He asked. I shrugged.
   "It might be. It might be a boy." He kissed me and held the cake up, feeding me it.
   "You're my baby, did you know that?" He scooped me up and spun me around. "I love you."
   "I love you too." That wasn't supposed to come out. That doesn't mean I didn't mean it though. We kissed again and he sat me down. Rayne had eaten half of her slice and pushed it away.
   "You two are gross." She said. I stuck my tongue out and she stuck hers out at me.
   "It's a love story." I sang. She rolled her eyes.
   I heard Rayne leave.
   I followed her.
   "Rayne. What's wrong?" I asked.
   "You two are gross. You make me feel sick." She laughed. "I'm happy for you though." She gave me a huge hug and I threw up all down her back.