Read Online Magic in Our Hearts by Jeanne Mccann - Free Book Online Page A

woman. “Brett, honey, wake up.”
    “What … what,” Brett mumbled as Taylor gently shook her, the smell of alcohol and unwashed body almost overwhelming her.
    “Get up, honey. You’re going to take a shower and get cleaned up, and then you’re going to eat a decent meal.”
    The alcohol had taken its toll, along with the medications Brett took to manage her pain. Her words were slurred, and she was almost incoherent. “Why, Taylor, why?”
    “Why what?” Taylor helped Brett to her feet and wrapped her arm tightly around her waist. She was shocked at how bony Brett felt.
    “Why are you here? Why you?”
    “Because I want to help you.” Brett’s eyes were barely open, and she leaned heavily against Taylor as they moved slowly to the bathroom.
    “Why you?”
    “Because I care about you.”
    “I love you, you know.” The words were so soft Taylor barely heard them as she moved Brett into the shower. But Taylor’s heart leaped at the quietly uttered pledge. There was a shower chair in the large open shower and she gently sat Brett down in it.
    Taylor wanted to wrap her arms around the inebriated woman and just hold her, but she didn’t. Her heart was too raw with emotion and she needed to get Brett cleaned up. “Stay here, honey, I’ll be right back.” Taylor flew out of the bathroom and ran for the kitchen, startling Fran and Helen when she burst through the door. “I need both of you to help me. Fran, can you change the bed in Brett’s room and clear out some of the dust? Helen, I need you to make some hot soup and toast. I’m going to get her cleaned up and get some food into her.”
    “We’ll do it!” Helen responded, surprised at how quickly Taylor was taking charge.
    “Thanks. I’m going to help Brett take a shower. If you could change the bed first, it would really help. I’m going to put her in bed as soon as she’s clean.” Taylor ran back into Brett’s room, fearful of leaving her unattended in her current drunken state for long, but Brett was still slumped in the chair, her chin resting on her chest as she slept.
    “Okay, honey, let’s get these filthy clothes off.” Taylor started to remove Brett’s tee shirt.
    “Hey, leave my shirt alone!” Brett snarled, as she began to fight with Taylor.
    “You can’t take a shower in your clothes.”
    “Leave me alone! I just want to sleep.”
    Taylor put her hands on her hips and glared at the very intoxicated woman.
    “You’re taking a shower! You stink! Now, you can keep the clothes on if you want, but you are showering!” Taylor’s voice bounced off the marble walls.
    “Shit, quit screaming.” Brett put her hands over her ears.
    Taylor glared at Brett and then reached out and turned the shower on spray-ing Brett’s face and chest with water. Her clothes were soaked as she shivered under the icy spray.
    “Jesus! God damn it! What are you trying to do, drown me?” Brett sputtered, as Taylor calmly turned the shower up to full power.
    “Remove those filthy clothes.”
    Brett looked up through her bloodshot eyes and wet, matted hair and recognized the look on Taylor’s face. She wasn’t going away. “Okay, you get the hell out and I’ll take them off.”
    “No.”
    “Yes, God damn it!”
    “You will take everything off and scrub every inch of your body.” 
    “Get the hell out!” Brett snarled as she started to stand up. “I can do this by myself.”
    “I’ll be right outside if you need me.” Taylor smiled sweetly at the ill-tempered woman.
    Brett swore and mumbled under her breath, but she stood up and took her clothes off. She couldn’t let Taylor look at her scarred, disfigured body. That would kill her. She slowly stepped out of her things, adjusted the temperature of the water, reached for the shower soap and began to scrub her body and her hair.
    It had been a long while since she had taken a full shower.
    Taylor smiled as she stepped out of the bathroom and saw that Helen and Fran had opened the