This choice: Your secret crush, Taylor Madison. • Go Back...Chapter #3Your secret crush, Taylor Madison. by: Wassel "...a young woman who'd died on the operating table just minutes after you and your family were brought in. A young woman by the name of Taylor. Taylor Madison."
"Oh my God," you yelped, on hearing this name. Recognizing it instantly. "She's in my year at school!" Taylor in fact being a girl you'd had somewhat of a crush on for the past two years. Not being at all like the rest of the girls in your year. The bimbo cheerleaders that were always preening themselves and cared only of what other people thought of them. Nor the geeky nerd girls who forever had their heads buried in a book or a personal computer. No, Taylor was more into the whole punk/goth/alternative scene. Her hair being almost always a different color every week. That, along with her numerous piercings, as well as (you were pretty sure) a tattoo or two, very much made her stand out amongst the crowd. Not that she seemed to care. Not being at all interested in the social politics that went along with high school. Hanging instead with the skaters and the punk kids, on the fringes, and not really mixing with anyone else. Being somewhat of an enigma truth be told. This perhaps being one of the reasons you found yourself so enamored with her, because of the mystery. Well, that and the fact that she was also pretty damn hot. Having a heck of a body underneath her seemingly never ending collection of predominately black clothes. Very much wanting to get to know her a little better, but never having had the nerv to approach. The company she kept, as well as just her general vibe, being admittedly rather intimidating indeed.
Now though, from what Dr. Saunders was telling you, you'd never get the chance to. She was dead and your mother's brain was inhabiting her body. This news being virtually impossible for you to actually process.
"Yes, that's right," the elderly doctor continued. Looking a little forlorn. "She came into the hospital with her mother about an hour before you did, complaining of a severe headache, and ended up collapsing on the waiting room floor. Turns out she had a brain aneurysm. Which is essentially when a part of the brain swells and then bursts. Resulting, in the case, in death. There unfortunately being nothing that could be done. She was simply beyond saving."
Jesus... you thought. Hearing this had happened to her being somewhat of a blow. Even though, admittedly, you didn't really know her all that well, other than sharing a few of the same classes and frequently checking her out in the hall, it still wasn't right that she had died. Especially so suddenly and so young. Of all the people they could have picked, it had to be her. Realizing of course, that this now meant your mother was technically the same age as you. This being yet another mind fuck.
Reading this on your face, Saunders was quick to justify their actions. "Believe you me, son, if there had been anyone else more suitable at the time we would have used them." A flash of guilt evident in his deep brown eyes. "But due to the nature of her death and the close time frame, she was by far the best chance your mom had for survival. If Dr. Kerry hadn't acted as quickly as he did..."
"...Then I'm sure you can guess the outcome," Kerry then interjected, letting go of the handles of your wheel chair and stepping out from behind. "Miss. Madison's brain might have been beyond repair, but her body was still in perfect working order. There really was no better match."
As insane as all this was, and as difficult an idea as it was to get your head around; that your mother's brain was now inside Taylor's body, you still, above all else, desperately wanted to see her. To make sure she was alright. Asking the doctors impatiently then, "Can... Can I see her now? Can we go in?"
"Yes, of course. Dr. Saunders just wanted to prepare you first, that's all," he replied with a smile, grabbing at the back of your chair again and indicating for his colleague to get the door, "Dr. Saunders..."
Doing as he was told, Saunders pushed open the door, and you were soon wheeled inside. Spotting, as soon as you had entered, a figure lying peacefully asleep on the hospital bed. A figure that you did indeed recognize as Taylor Madison. Complete with nose and eyebrow piercing. Her short, dark hair being mostly black in color, merging into a reddy-orange at the front. Mussed up as it was from the surgery. Looking every bit like the girl you knew from school, and not one bit like your actual mother. It being almost impossible to believe that she was actually in there. That this was really your mom.
"This is her?" you asked them. Needing some sort of proof. "This is my mom?"
"It is. I know it might be difficult to believe, what with her looking like this, but it really is," Saunders told you. "This is your mother now, Tim. And she's going to need all of our support when she wakes up. Remember, this will be even harder for her than it is for you."
You didn't doubt that. Not even being able to imagine her reaction to realizing that she had lost a quarter of a century and was now the exact same age as her son.
"Especially because of what this will now mean," the doctor continued, sounding rather nervous again. Pulling your attention away from the girl on the bed, and back towards his pale, gray face.
"What do you mean?"
"Well, unfortunately its not just a simple matter of your mother now having Miss. Madison's body. I'm afraid there's a little more to it than that."
"Like what?"
"Like the fact that, due to the operation not being strictly legal, as well as the overwhelming media attention this will bring, everything that happened will have to be kept strictly confidential," he explained, rubbing at his temple. "Nobody else can know about any of this."
You were shocked. More so than you were already. This sounding utterly insane. "You mean... You mean I'm going to have to pretend that Mom really is Taylor? That she died instead?"
Saunders nodded. "Thats it exactly. For the good of everyone involved, your mother will have to pretend to be her. ...At least in public."
"No way! You... We can't!" you protested. Assuming that there had to be some other way. This seeming almost as bad as if she really had died. Having to pretend to be someone else. Your secret crush at that!
According the doctor though, there really wasn't any other option. Your father, as well as Taylor's parents having agreed to this already, much to your surprise. Not really being able to understand how they could have done that. It basically being as if they'd just written her off. Like she really was dead. This whole thing becoming far too much for you to take. Between being told that, and looking at Taylor's body laying there, peacefully asleep, trying to wrap your head around the fact that it was actually your mother inside, you suddenly started to feel a little feint.
Realizing this, Dr. Kerry suggested that it was probably best they take you back to your room again. Telling you that you'd had "more than enough excitement for one day".
And so, wheeling you back through, the two doctors helped you into bed, before giving you something to "help you sleep". Finding yourself drifting off less than a minute later. The last thought on your mind being, Why Mom? Why did this have to happen to her? It all being so ridiculously unfair.
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