Jaylor One Shots

Tumour

The phone call ends, Taylor drops her phone and buries herself further under the sheets, unable to properly process the information she'd just been given. Her entire body feels heavy and the only thing going through her head is her fear for her mom. After years of fighting cancer, her mom had gone in for a checkup to make sure she was still in remission but they'd found another tumour. In her brain this time. Taylor squeezes her eyes shut, unable to even consider getting out of bed so she doesn't. She just lies there, trying to stop thinking about it. She can't lose her mom, she just can't. She knows it'll fully tear her apart. 

Over the rest of the day, Taylor doesn't move. She can't. She just lays there, tangled up in the sheets, trying to pull herself together. Her phone buzzes a few times but she ignores it, not caring what anyone was wanting from her right now. She doesn't have the strength to care. She has no idea how much time has passed since she picked up her mom's call but soon enough she hears the front door unlock. It must be Joe home from work. They're still in the early stages of their relationship, having only been dating 7 months but he practically lives with her at this point. Taylor isn't sure she wants him to see her like this, isn't sure if she wants to tell him what's happened. Her whole entire body feels weak and defeated, so she just continues to lie there, unable to do much else. 

After a few minutes of movement downstairs, Taylor hears Joe ascending the stairs. She squeezes her eyes shut, tries to take a few deep breaths before he sees her. She hears him knock on the door and call out to her,

"Taylor? Are you okay in there? You haven't answered my calls or texts all day" His voice is laced with concern, she can hear that clearly, even through the door. She opens her mouth to answer him but it's almost as if her voice has been snatched away from her.

"Taylor? If you don't answer me I'm coming in!" She can hear the panic rising in his voice and tears begin slipping out of her eyes, she needs him right now. She didn't realise how much she needed his comfort until she heard his voice. Sure enough, due to her lack of response, the door swings open slowly. Taylor can feel Joe's presence in the room and her tears seem to come faster.

"Taylor?" He asks softly, walking closer to the bed. She buries her face in her pillow, gripping it tightly, trying so hard to not start ugly sobbing right now, her back still turned to him.

"Oh baby, what's happened?" Joe's soft voice reaches her ears and it just makes her cry harder, the pain she's feeling is only growing, it feels like her chest is being crushed. The fear of losing her mom has completely taken over her entire body. She feels the mattress dip slightly as he gets onto the bed and suddenly she feels Joe slide his body in behind her so they're spooning, pulling her close against his chest, his arm wrapped firmly around her body. Being in his arms makes her feel safe enough that she truly just breaks down. Taylor grasps his arm as sobs wrack her entire body. She feels Joe press kisses to her head as he whispers gentle words into her ear while she works on calming down. 

After a few minutes, her sobs have slowed to gently tears streaming down her face. She's still pressed firmly against Joe, he's showing no signs of letting go anytime soon and it brings a tiny amount of warmth to her heart knowing she's found someone who really cares about her. 

"Do you want to talk about it, love?" He asks her gently, she grips his arm a little tighter before finally opening her mouth,

"I...I got a call from my mom." She practically whispers, Taylor tries to swallow the lump in her throat but it doesn't do a whole lot. 

"She went in for a checkup...um" Taylor stops, trying to even out her shaky voice, tears still falling from her eyes. She can feel Joe's arms tighten around her body and she takes comfort in being wrapped up in his strong arms.

"They found a tumour in her brain" She manages to choke out before dissolving into tears again. 

"Oh love, c'mere." He turns her around, pulling her body into his chest. She buries her face into him, trying to get as close to him as possible, really needing his comfort right now. She feels him rubbing her back. She knows he doesn't know what to say. Who would? It isn't something you deal with until you have to. Taylor doesn't even know what to say herself and it's happening to her. But she's just grateful to have him by her side, holding her close when she's hurting like this. 

"I hate seeing you in pain, how can I fix this?" He asks, she can hear the pain in his voice and it breaks her heart.

"You can't, no one can...that's the worst part. No matter how many doctors I can pay for, I just have to sit here and hope for the fucking best! It's so unfair." She says amongst her sobs, she has all this money but it honestly feels completely useless if she can't save her mothers life.

"I know love, I know. But I promise to stand by you through all of this, I swear, no matter what." His arms tighten around her and Taylor clings to his shirt before lifting her head up to look at him. She can see tears shining in his eyes and it hurts her to know that her pain is becoming his.

"Don't cry..." She murmurs, wiping his cheeks gently. Joe presses his lips against her forehead, they linger there for a moment and Taylor lets her eyes flutter shut, finally feeling a sense of peace wash over her. When his lips leave her forehead, she opens her eyes and looks right into his. 

"I love you Taylor, never forget that I'm here for you. Okay?" She gives him a small smile.

"I know...I love you too. I'm just scared, I can't lose her." Taylor murmurs, averting her eyes slightly.

"I know, god I wish there was something I could do babe." His voice is gentle and soothing, he gets it, she knows he does. 

"Me too" She says in a small voice before leaning her head against his chest again and letting out a sigh. She's not crying anymore, she's had her breakdown and now she needs to work on how she's going to live with this and how she can be there for her mother, despite her crazy schedule. Joe holds her close for a few more moments, rubbing her back.

"Have you eaten today?" He asks her gently, Taylor shakes her head against his chest.

"I haven't been able to get out of bed yet." She mumbles, her words muffled by his body. 

"Okay, how about this? I'll go order some food. We can eat in here if you want, I don't mind. Then we can go take a long bath and just relax. I think you could use some time to just do nothing." Taylor nods,

"That actually sounds nice. Um, thank you for being so understanding." She feels another kiss get pressed to the top of her head, calming her even further.

"Of course love, you know I'm here for you." Taylor smiles into his chest, so so happy to have Joe in her life. 

They spend the rest of the evening doing exactly what Joe had suggested and by the time they're snuggled up in bed again, ready for sleep, Taylor's feeling much more at ease. There's still some worry of course, but she's feeling less helpless and depressed, all thanks to the wonderful man she gets to call hers. 

"I love you." She mumbles before drifting off to sleep, firmly wrapped up in his arms. 

"I love you too babe." Is the last thing she hears before fully falling into a deep sleep.