One Chance: a Ted Sweeran fanfic

Ch 14

Taylor's POV

I had met my best friend Abigail at a quaint café a few blocks down from my apartment. She had flown into London as soon as she had heard the news, and she had gotten in last night.  Even though she clearly was still suffering from jetlag, she had insisted on coming with me on my normal coffee run, though I had switched to smoothies since the baby had come.

"So, how's Ed doing? I mean, forgetting then remembering everything from your life must be pretty shocking," Abigail asked a we sat down at a small table for two. Ed and her had become great friends the moment they had met, instantly bonding over the color of their hair, so she too had been seriously worried for Ed when she had heard the news.

"Well, he hasn't really left the flat, he's keeping it low key and getting plenty of rest. The doctor said an instance of overwhelming stress, especially from the paps, is exactly what he doesn't need, so he's been at home watching Graham and my season 3 collection of Law and Order."

Abigail couldn't help but laugh, "You two really are the perfect couple."

I smiled that soft, sad smile, that had occupied my face for the past month, the smile that refused to go away even through all the pain. I was imagining what would have happened if Ed had never remembered, doomed to wander the world among the many lost souls; a ghost of his former self, never aware of how much pain he was in yet not aware of how happy he should be either.

There was no way I could have ever survived without my husband, the Ed I had fallen in love with, who had been my strength through all the hate I had gotten. He had been there for me when I had finally broke, and I truly owed my life to him. Plus, the new addition to our family would be coming soon, and that child would need there father.

It was so nice to see Abigail again, I hadn't realized how much I had missed the effortless laughter and cheery conversations that came with her until now.  She truly had been my best friend since I walked through the doors of little Henderson High school, and had been there for me ever since. I had been so grateful when she had offered to come to London to help out until everything was settled in again. Seeing her brought back a state of normality, which I was desperate for.

After we finished our drinks we left the little café to go shopping, We watched the people of London move fast through the busy streets, not stopping to so much as glance at their surroundings. For once, I wasn't lost in the crowd. Abigail and I were swimming against the crowd, enjoying the rare London sunny day, going into shops and trying on ridiculous clothing, then being total tourists while visiting the Tower of London, the London Eye, and Buckingham Palace. The amazing thing was that the whole day went by without a single paparazzi. It was almost too good to be true. For awhile I lost my worries in the events of the day, next to my best friend, and it was almost as if I was fifteen again.

But, as the poet Robert Frost once said, "Nothing gold can stay", and as the sun set on one of the best days I had had in awhile, everything changed.

Abigail and I were turning a corner, when all of a sudden at least a dozen paps stormed us all at once, cameras flashing, blinding us, while questions were thrown at us.

I normally paid no attention to what they were saying, but one earth-shattering statement reached my ears, and demanded to be heard: "How do you feel on Harry's arrest on the charge of trying to murder your husband?"

The cameras caught my reaction, and I could see the headlines now:

Click: Taylor Swift's Shock Over Harry's Betrayal

Click: Tears Shed Over Emotional Realization

Click: Mrs. Sheeran Cracks

Click: How Much More Can Taylor Take?

I saw it all in my mind as those horrific flashes kept going on, invading me, suffocating me. I had a stale taste in my mouth and tears were already streaming down my face in shock.

I probably would have stood there dumbfounded forever, completely exposed to the bullet wounds that each click of the camera gave me, if Abigail hadn't dragged me past them and started running. I ran with her, I ran as fast as my legs could take me. I ran and ran to the one thing I knew would be there for me, the one secure thing I had left: Ed.

We reached the apartment sooner than I had realized, and I was out of breath from the exertion. What little energy adrenaline had provided me had left me, and I was again completely exhausted. I said goodbye to Abigail and promised her I would meet her in the morning at the hotel she was staying at after promising I would be fine to get to my room alone. I pushed out all thoughts of Harry as I rode the elevator up to my apartment. When I opened the door to my flat, I saw most of the lights off as Ed was sleeping. I quickly got into my pajamas while watching Ed sleep, seemingly oblivious to the tragic news, at least while in the sweet refuge sleep provided. I crawled into bed and cuddled up to Ed, slowly breathing in his scent, letting his breathing sing me to sleep, and his shirt catch my tears as they fell down, down, down.