Free Out at Home by JL Paul Page B

feeding tube but he kept trying to remove it. He constantly ripped his IV’s out until the nurses had to restrain him. Taylor, not able to bear seeing her father strapped down to the bed, finally broke down and told them to stop. Defeated, she told them to just leave him be; it’s what he wanted anyway.
    In order to keep her mind busy, she took Luther’s advice and tentatively started working on a book. The idea came to her as she was driving home after an afternoon visit with her father. As soon as she’d walked in the door, she sat on the couch; feet tucked under her, and opened her laptop. After a few moments of indecision, the words had started flowing through her fingertips and onto the monitor.
    After she emailed her mall story to Luther, she settled in and started working on her new project. She’d been typing furiously for over an hour when her land line rang. She answered the phone, listening carefully, asking only a few questions, before hanging up without a goodbye. She saved her work on her laptop, closed it, and picked up her cell to call her brother.
     
    ***
     
    Brushing at imaginary lint on her black skirt, she absently listened to the minister’s words. Teddy, sitting stoically next to her, took her hand and squeezed it gently. She looked up into his hazel eyes, so like her own, and smiled. He’d seemingly grown taller in the months since she’d seen him last and his messy dark hair longer.
    Josh and his wife, Lacy, sat on her other side. Josh casually draped his arm behind Taylor on the pew and every now and then he would give her shoulder a reassuring squeeze.
    The minister’s words didn’t seem to penetrate her ears as she kept her mind blank and her eyes firmly on the lighted cross just over his shoulder. Exhaustion from the last three days crept up on her, but she held it at bay. Only a few more hours and she could succumb totally to it and collapse on her bed.
    Teddy had taken the news harder than she’d imagined. She’d done her best to keep him informed, but the death of their father shook him to the core. He’d driven home the morning after she’d called and when he’d reached her house, he held her tightly as he sobbed on her shoulder. She’d comforted him the best she could before feeding him and insisting he use her bedroom to take a nap. There had still been decisions to make and as much as she wanted to shield him from them, she knew he’d want to have some kind of say in the matter.
    So she had allowed him to accompany her to the funeral home to make arrangements for their father’s cremation and to the church to plan a memorial service. They both decided things should be done in Somersville, because even though they weren’t originally from the little town, it had been their home for the past seven years.
    “ Taylor, are you okay?” Teddy asked. She looked up to find the minister standing before her, offering his hand. Smiling, she stood, accepting his condolences. Teddy draped his arm around her shoulders and turned her to face the many mourners who’d come to express their sympathies. Taylor forced a smile upon her face as she greeted each person, surprised at the number of people who’d come. She listened carefully as nearly everyone had some story or anecdote to share with her.
    She was genuinely touched when Tabby Hays and Zoey Martin appeared in front of her.
    Tabby’s eyes watered as hugged Taylor. “I’m so sorry about your dad.”
    She smiled and thanked her as Zoey embraced her next. “Um, how did you two find out?”
    “ I ran into Tia yesterday downtown. She told me what happened,” Zoey explained. “I called Tabby last night.”
    Tabby nodded in agreement, taking hold of Taylor’s hands. “I was able to catch an early flight this morning, but the guys had an important team meeting that their manager wouldn’t let them miss. Brady was extremely mad but there wasn’t much he could do about it. Anyway, their plane should have landed already and they