The Reason (12 page)

He politely takes my hand in his larger one and pumps up and down. "Pleasure, Kendall. I've heard a lot of good things about you from Jason."

Slipping into the role of Southern hostess, Mom begins to fuss over her guests. "Here, Russ." She motions to the armchair in the corner. "Please have a seat. What can I get you? Coffee? A soda pop, maybe? Or some sweet tea?"

He smiles weakly—not at Mom but over his disappointment in his daughter—and says, "Tea would be great, Sarah. Thanks." Russ Tillson lowers his six-foot frame into the chair and leans forward, his hands on his knees. "So, no hug for your old man, Taylor?"

She wets her lips quickly and shrugs her shoulders. "I think I've grown out of that, Daddy."

Mom nearly shoves the glass of iced tea at Mr. Tillson. "Here you go. Taylor? Anything for you, dear?"

"No, ma'am,
merci.
"

The front doorbell sounds out. Mom turns to get it. A moment later, Russ Tillson's younger doppelgänger enters the room. Unlike his sister, Jason goes to hug his father, who stands when his son enters the room. It's quick contact. Sort of like football players who do the obligatory team chest bump and stuff when they score. Taylor knits her brows together and sighs.

"Good to see you, son," Mr. Tillson says. He ruffles Jason's shaggy blond mess. "You need a haircut."

Jason sloughs off the comment. "Whatever. When did you get in?"

"Really late last night. I didn't want to bother you kids, knowing you had school today. So I went to the hospital and stayed with your mom."

"How is she?" I ask, knowing Taylor wanted to inquire about Rachel Tillson's status today.

"Maybe you'd like to go into the living room," Mom suggests. "So you can have some privacy with your children."

Taylor balks, though. "It doesn't matter, Miss Sarah. We can stay right here. Besides, Kendall's psychic, so either she'll figure it out or Jason will share the information with her. We might as well all stay right here."

There's so much pain in her beautiful face. The resentment toward her father emanates from her like heat from the pavement on a hot summer day. I close my eyes momentarily and take a deep breath. I send some Reiki energy to her and add a quick prayer asking God to open her ears and heart to her father, who has traveled so far to be with her, despite the problems he and his wife are going through. Whether she knows it or not, Taylor needs her dad.

"Very well, then," Mr. Tillson says. He drains the iced tea and returns the glass to the kitchen counter. "Jason, sit, son."

Jason obeys, pulling me to his side and taking my hand. I squeeze his fingers to let him know I'm here for him—anything he needs.

With an awkward throat clear, Mr. Tillson says, "Kids, your mom has taken a turn for the worse."

Taylor's eyes immediately become glassy with fresh tears. "Wh-wh-what's wrong now? I saw her last night and she was getting better. We watched CNN together."

Mom crosses the room and places her hand on Taylor's trembling shoulder for support. My friend reaches out for comfort.

Mr. Tillson continues. "Her vitals are good and her blood pressure has leveled out. However, she's still slipping into unconsciousness for extended periods of time and that has the doctors quite concerned. It seems that the combination of pills she took was quite powerful, and the doctors can't be sure at this point of the extent of her neurological damage. She'll need a lot more tests and more than likely some serious rehabilitation, almost as if she's a stroke victim."

"Oh, Mom..." Taylor no longer holds back her sobs. My mom hands her a checkered napkin from the basket on the lazy Susan to help out.

A tremor travels through Jason, vibrating my hand. "What does that mean?"

"It means that we're going to have to find a place to move her."

"Move her? Where?"Taylor asks.

Mr. Tillson sighs hard. "An institution, possibly."

Taylor bolts up. "You can't have my mama institutionalized! I won't let you!"

"Taylor, would you just calm down and—"

"No, Dad! I won't." Her eyes darken and dilate as her unusual fury boils over. She grabs her homework and crams it into her backpack. "You haven't been here. You don't know. You left us. And now you want to take her away from us?"

"Sweetie, I don't want to take her away—"

"Taylor, quit acting like a baby," Jason says.

"Stop telling me what to do. I have yearbook stuff to work on. I'll be at school." She storms out the door.

"Let her go," their father says. "She needs time."

Jason rubs his head. "Whatever. Drama queen."

I elbow him hard. "She's dealing with this the only way she knows how. Be nice."

His eyes soften and he nods. "Sorry."

Russ Tillson addresses my mom. "Sarah, if you and David don't mind looking after Taylor for a few more days, I would appreciate it. I need to talk to the doctors and check with our insurance to see what arrangements can be made to make Rachel comfortable for as long as necessary."

"Of course, Russ," Mom states. "We consider Taylor family. Anything you need." She turns to my boyfriend. "You too, Jason."

"Thanks, Miss Sarah," he says politely.

Taylor needs me now more than ever, so I reach for my purse and excuse myself. "I should go see what I can do to help with the yearbook too."

Jason is well aware that I'm following after Taylor. He kisses me on the head to thank me.

"Stay and talk to your dad," I whisper.

"I will."

"I'll take care of Tay."

I slip out to my car and head in the direction of RHS. As much as Taylor's been here for me through my awakening and dealings with Courtney Langdon last semester when she was jealous of my psychic abilities, I'm here for her now.

It's not every day that a girl stands to lose her mother ... forever.

Two days later, everything changes.

I'm at Loreen's store after a successful afternoon going around the Radisson Square stores hawking ads for the
Rambler
with Shelby-Nichole—scored seven ads, thankyou-verymuch!—when a sallow-faced Taylor tromps in with news that rocks my world.

And not in a good way.

"I'm moving to freaking Alaska."

I hear the words leave her mouth, but I don't believe what she's saying.

"You're ... what?" Shelby-Nichole says, voicing my own surprise. "We can't lose you on yearbook!"

I eyeball her. "Not the time..."

Shelby-Nichole winces and steps aside.

Taylor collapses to the couch and puts her head in her hands. I'm unsure exactly how to spin this. She might as well tell me that she's moving to Mongolia, or the moon.

"And Jason too?"

Her nod is like a bullet to my chest.

She lifts her eyes and sadness outlines her pretty face. "Dad talked to my Aunt Pamela, Mom's sister. They're moving my mom into a home north of Atlanta to monitor her. Dad talked to his lawyer and is filing an injunction for temporary custody of Jason and me while Mom is incapacitated."

"Does Jason know this?" I ask, my mouth arid as the Mojave Desert.

"Oh, yeah. He's heartbroken," she says. "He disappeared. No idea where he is."

I touch my fingers to the hematite bracelet Jason gave me. The one that is exactly like the one I gave him. The stones are smooth, yet cold to my touch. They sing a vibration to my soul, and for some unknown reason, I know where my guy is.

I reach for my car keys. "I'll find him."

Tears pour from Taylor's eyes, and Shelby-Nichole moves to comfort her. "I'm just a kid. I shouldn't have to deal with this. It's not fair. To leave school, my friends, the ghost hunting, the yearbook ... and Ryan." She sniffs hard and runs her fist underneath her nose.

"We'll dedicate the
Rambler
to you, Taylor," Shelby-Nichole says, trying to help.

Taylor smiles, then purses her lips into a pout. "I'm so not trying to be a tart about this, but this is all Mom's fault! Why did she have to do what she did? It was so selfish. And it's ruining everything for Jason and me." She sniffles again. "I had plans. A life course. A curriculum I was following for my future. What am I going to do in Alaska? Catch salmon? Chip ice? Duke will never admit me now."

Shelby-Nichole holds her tighter. "Oh, sweetie. Don't think like that."

I have no idea how to make this better for anyone. Still, I say, "Your mom obviously had a lot of issues that she needed to sort out. Therapy isn't always enough for some people. But her weakness in attempting to take her own life doesn't reflect on you, Taylor. And it doesn't have to alter your life plan, either. You're smart and talented and beautiful, and no matter where you end up, your future is bright." Hello, when did Dr. Phil walk in the room? Maybe I'm channeling
him
now. Oy vey!

Taylor smirks at me through her tears. "You're such a grownup sometimes."

"Yeah, well ... comes with the territory of being psychic and knowing everyone's business."

"Why don't I drive you over to the hospital," Shelby-Nichole offers to Taylor.

"That's a good idea," I chime in. I wink at Shelby-Nichole and she smiles back.

I have to get to Jason.

And for once, I am connected psychically to him. His heart is heavy with doubt and sorrow. But mostly, he's concerned about ... leaving me.

I pull my Fit into the empty parking lot of Town Lake. Well, empty save for a black Jeep. Jason's Jeep. He's sitting at the end of the short pier bouncing a fishing pole in the murky green water.

"Practicing for life in Alaska?" I ask, trying to lighten the air.

He squints into the sun to see me. "I guess you've heard, huh?"

"Yeah, Taylor's beside herself."

Jason fidgets with the lure, reeling it in and then tossing it back out twenty feet in front of him. "She's not the only one."

He turns to me and slides his hand against my cheek. I rub into it much like Eleanor, Buckley, and Natalie do when it's dinnertime and they give thanks against my calf muscle.

"I don't want to leave you, Kendall," Jason says softly.

I kiss him tenderly. "I don't want you to either, but what can you do?"

"I told Dad that I could live with Roachie so I can finish school. He won't have it, though. Says I'm too young to be on my own."

I thread my fingers through the fingers of his left hand. "Well, you are."

Jason pulls away. "I can take care of myself. I've been doing it since he left for Alaska to start with. Now he wants to drag me into his world."

I gaze into his troubled eyes. I have no earthly clue what to say to him. Instead, I clink our hematite bracelets together; the magnets reach out to each other. "We'll always be together, Jason. Distance is nothing for us. We can e-mail and call and visit each other."

"You know that's not going to happen. You're going to move on. You'll forget me. Hell, maybe I should forget you."

Ummm ... hold the phone! What did he just say?

The hairs on the back of my neck rise up. "
Excuse
me?"

Jason drops my hand and wipes his palm against his jeans as if my touch were poisonous. "Ever since you came into my life, nothing has been the same. Instead of concentrating on taking care of Mom and Taylor, I've been worrying about you."

"Wait just a damn minute now—"

He points his index finger in my face. "No!You wait!You've possessed me, Kendall Moorehead. With your psychic awakening and ghost hunting and being so different from the other girls here in Radisson. I don't know what you've done, but all I think about is you and if you're all right or in danger. You! To the detriment of my own family. Taylor's changed right before my eyes, and Mom ... well, Mom's a friggin' mess!"

"Jason! This isn't my—"

He stands now, pacing on the pier. "If I hadn't been so consumed with you, with the dreams I constantly have about something hurting you, I would have been there for my mom. I could take better care of my sister. I could keep my family together and not have to move to freakin' Alaska with the moose and polar bears!"

I stand too and fist my hands at my sides. "How
dare
you, Jason Tillson! I come here to tell you how much I love you and will miss you and how we can keep in touch, and you try to lay this all on me?" I want to cry, but the tears just won't form yet. I think my tear ducts are as horrified as I am.

Jason's not himself. Not at all. But what do I expect, considering the turn of events? Still, he lashes out at me. "I can't get you out of my head, Kendall. I think it's love, but mostly it's this obsession with keeping you safe. I, too, have dreams of you hurt and dying. And I can't stop it." He pounds his chest. "Do you know what kind of responsibility that is? I can't help my sister, I couldn't help my mom, so how the hell am I supposed to help you?"

"Jason, nothing's going to—"

"You don't know that, K!"

No, I don't know that. He's right.

His hands return to his hair and he scrubs at his scalp. "I can't explain any of this. Just that you've been a distraction."

"We're connected, Jason. Cosmically. We were meant to be together." I know this with every fiber of my being.

"God, you're just losing it now," he says. "Everyone is. I can't save everyone."

I put my hand on his arm. "No one is asking you to. Especially not me."

A smirk crosses his face. "Oh, that's just great. Go out there and channel unknown spirits and flop around the floor like a fish out of the tank. Right. That's healthy. That's normal."

I nearly growl. "It's normal for
me
and you know that!"

He stops for a minute, his chest rising and falling emphatically with every breath. Then he musters up more verbal ammunition. "I forbid you to ghost hunt anymore."

I have to laugh. A bubble of near-psychotic amusement pops out of me. "I don't
think
so!"

"Seriously, Kendall. If I'm gone to Alaska and not here to protect you, then I don't want you ghost hunting anymore."

Hands on hips, I step back. "That's absurd, Jason. You know this is my calling."

"Then don't answer the phone," he says sarcastically.

I know he's only lashing out at me because of everything going on, but damnit, he's pissing me off big-time. The strong-willed little animal inside of me rears up on its hind legs, and I feel myself about to give the I Am Woman, Hear Me Roar speech.