| |
[Apr. 19th, 2010|09:44 pm] |
 Linden Nicole Taylor was born on a cold morning in January 1984. It wasn't a very remarkable day, aside from the cold- it was a Tuesday ("Tuesday's child is full of grace" Nana always reminded her); everyone in the family was in their "place" - her older sister Norah was in kindergarten, her father Aaron was in his office at the bank- when her mother went into labor. Even then the Taylor family was big on formality: everyone and everything in their places at all times. She had a happy childhood, nothing too out of the ordinary. Her father worked at the bank and her mother worked as a secretary for their pediatrician. Both she and Norah did well at school, they took classes (Norah was a tap dancer while Linden played piano and oboe), they played sports (lacrosse and cheerleading respectively). Their parents were stern, but fair - affectionate in small doses when appropriate and always supportive of their daughters choices, at least most of them.
From the outside, everything seemed so perfect. Linden had accomplished just about everything she'd ever set out to do. In high school, she was able to balance academics with a social life. She played oboe in the school orchestra. She was a cheerleader. She dated Marcus Daniels - nothing serious, they were both too young for that- but they were mostly happy together. She was popular- not as popular as some, but comfortably popular.
And then the accident happened.
To be honest, she doesn't remember much about what happened. She remembers that she and Marc had been arguing earlier in the day (well, more like she finally broke down and called so she could yell and cry at him), because he pulled a bonehead move and kissed some random girl at the New Years Eve party they were at. Linden was pissed - rightfully so, she thought - you just don't do that to people, especially people you're supposed to care about. People you care about are supposed to matter. She was supposed to matter. She remembers getting in his truck and going to eat at Luigi's, because she loved their subs. They were almost back to normal, keyword being almost. Marc was cute and wiped a smudge off her face and she kissed the heel of his hand. It was almost back to normal. They got back in the car, planning on driving to the beach- despite the cold, since there was something about watching the waves crash that just worked for them.
And that's it. That's all she remembers. She woke up in the hospital a few days later unable to move her legs, despite the constant pin-pricky feeling in her toes. Her right arm was in a sling, her shoulder dislocated in the crash. There was a burn going from her chin to her cheek from the airbag deploying. Her father was by her side, he explained what happened: that she and Marcus were in an accident (which was, in her dad's words "entirely that boy's fault"), that she'd had several surgeries to set her shoulder and try and repair the damage in her legs, that during the accident there was damage done to her spinal cord. That's when she tuned him out. Damage to her spinal cord... she couldn't handle the idea quite yet.
It didn't get any easier when she found out she'd likely walk with a cane of some sort for the rest of forever. She wouldn't get to dance at prom. She wouldn't walk to get her diploma. When and if she got married there would be no stately march down the aisle, no dance with her Daddy, no first dance with her husband. And all because of Marcus Daniels. Marcus Daniels who broke her and ruined all of that for her. Of course on some level Linden knew it wasn't Marc’s fault- accidents are accidents for reasons no one can explain. And what happened had been just that- an accident, but that didn't mean Linden could forgive him. All she heard when she woke up is "he did this to you, it's all his fault" from everyone: her mother and father, her older sister, her close friends. So Linden did the only thing she could, she shut him off and avoided him like the plague when she was out in public. Right before graduation, Linden realized that she needed some sort of closure, so she again did the only thing she did. She called him and asked him to come see her, only to turn around and tell him to leave her alone, to never talk to her- hell, to never look at her if he could avoid it. He ceased to exist in her world. Everything Marc had given her, which admittedly wasn't much as they were 17 and silly, was mailed back to him.
It was one of the hardest things she'd ever had to do.
Linden saw him at graduation, but she couldn't look at him. She couldn't face him. She'd moved on... she needed to move on. She needed to get past this. Since the accident something changed. Music didn't really make her happy anymore. So instead of following her initial plan to apply at Berklee to play oboe and focus on music education, Linden applied to Emerson College. She wanted to see more, to do more, to be more. After she received her acceptance letter, Linden convinced her parents that she would be just fine living with Norah in Boston, since they were both bent on her staying home after graduation- for a little while they said, so she could adjust to her new life- but she pushed until they let her move.
Emerson offered her all opportunities she'd hoped for. She made friends, became active on campus, dated casually. When Linden finally decided on a major it was in Communication Sciences & Disorders, and when she was finished with undergrad she decided to stay at Emerson to get her Masters. It was during her masters program that Linden was able to work at Franciscan Children’s Hospital- she did the bulk of her practicum there. Working at FCH solidified that change in her; there she was working with kids with special needs, showing them that just because they're differently abled doesn't stop them for doing things. She wanted to share with them something she'd taken almost five years to learn- that it would be okay.
When grad school was over, Linden made the decision to go to medical school. She was accepted to NYMC – New York Medical College. She’s currently doing her residency, living on her own in a small rental house in Dobbs Ferry NY. Right now Linden loves what she does, and looks forward to helping change lives. |
|
|