Free Magic in Our Hearts by Jeanne Mccann Page A

call it an early night.”
    “You go right ahead. I’ll take care of this. Do you want a cup of tea to take with you?”
    “No thanks. Goodnight Helen.”
    “Goodnight Taylor.” Helen watched as Taylor wearily climbed the stairs to her bedroom. Then she turned and quickly washed the dishes and put them away. Finally, she gratefully headed for her own rooms and a good night’s sleep.
    She was certainly glad that Taylor had arrived. No one had to tell Helen that Taylor loved Brett. Seeing Taylor gently feed Brett was all that Helen needed to see.

 
    CHAPTER 8
    “I’m going to kill her!” Taylor fumed, as she flew down the stairs heading towards Brett’s room. She didn’t announce herself but simply ripped the door open and strode into the room. Brett was sitting in a recliner, and a young woman was hanging over her, glasses in both their hands.
    The young woman was a playmate of Brett’s who had showed up with two bottles of Scotch. Helen had tattled to Taylor who was livid. It was only nine o’clock in the morning!
    “Brett, tell your friend to leave,” Taylor demanded, her voice strident.
    Brett looked up at Taylor with a lazy smile while her visitor snuggled up to her. Brett wouldn’t let Taylor know that she had never done anything more than drink with this woman. “She just arrived,” responded Brett, a petulant whine in her voice.
    “She’s also just leaving and taking the alcohol with her.” Taylor was furious as she grabbed the woman’s arm with one hand and the two bottles of Scotch with the other. In one continuous motion, she moved with her out of the room.
    “Hey, let me go!”
    “Shut up! Shame on you! If you cared about Brett you wouldn’t be bringing her alcohol and drinking with her at nine in the morning or any other hour, for that matter!” Taylor was relieved to see Fran holding the front door open. “Get out of here! I don’t want to see your face again as long as I’m here!” Fran and Helen chortled with laughter as Taylor shoved the startled young woman toward her car. Taylor was a good two sizes smaller than the unwelcome guest, but at that moment she was a giant. Taylor tossed the Scotch bottles onto the passenger’s seat and, as the woman’s car shot down the driveway, Taylor whirled back toward the front door. She wasn’t quite finished cleaning house.
    She flew by Fran and Helen and startled Brett, who was sitting quietly in her chair looking out of the window. She had awakened with the draperies open for the first time in a couple of years. She hadn’t yet touched the glass of Scotch that sat next to her hand. She was just sitting and enjoying the fact that she was clean and almost sober for the first time in many months.
    “As long as I’m here you will not destroy yourself with alcohol or drugs! I’m not going to watch you waste away to nothing. If you don’t care about yourself, think of your mother. She wants to spend her remaining time with a daughter who’s sober!” Taylor hissed, snatching the full glass off the table.
    This was the second time Brett had witnessed Taylor’s temper, and she found it fascinating. Her blue eyes were snapping and her face was flushed. She was so beautiful. “I haven’t had anything to drink this morning.”
    “I, I, okay, um, that’s good.” Taylor couldn’t help but notice the glass was still full.
    Brett smiled up at Taylor, surprised that Taylor would believe her. “So I think I remember you saying you wanted to work on a schedule?”
    “Yes, is now a good time?”
    “Sure, I have a heavy schedule, so now would be good.” Brett’s teasing caught Taylor off guard.
    Taylor sat down on a chair next to Brett. “I thought this week that I could assess where you are with your therapy, what you can and can’t do, and then we can make a plan. I’ll need your permission to talk to all of your doctors in order to find out what restrictions you might have.” Brett remained silent as Taylor spoke. She could have sat