Baby Doll(22)

Her other injuries were from the “games” they’d played, when Rick got “carried away.” He’d always apologize, bathing her, gently setting her wounds in splints, bandaging them with the intimate care of a physician, and promising he’d be more careful next time, promising that once she went along with his demands, he wouldn’t have to be so rough (a promise he never kept).

Lily had forced herself to forget each wound that was inflicted, especially once she had Sky. But now she could see that her body was a road map of Rick’s insanity, each scar and impairment revealing his depraved proclivities. Her body was officially evidence.

Cataloging that evidence was an entire fleet of medical personnel. Dr. Lashlee, an attractive resident in her early thirties with a genuine smile and an easy manner, kept Lily calm. Even when she began trembling uncontrollably as they asked her to undress, or when she sobbed through the pelvic exam, Dr. Lashlee’s voice remained measured, her words reassuring. The old-school RN, Carol, a wrinkled woman with smoker’s lines and tired eyes, held Lily’s hand, letting go only to jot notes in her chart. In the corner, a female detective took photos and made notations into a tape recorder.

Another doctor arrived shortly after the exam began, a statuesque Middle Eastern woman in starched khakis and a silk shirt, who introduced herself as Dr. Amari.

“I’m chief of psychiatry here at Lancaster General. I know you were asking about Abby. I was with her and she’s stable now. If you don’t mind, I’d like to spend some time with you and Sky.”

Lily shrugged. “That’s fine,” she said.

“If this examination becomes too invasive, please speak up. We want to make you as comfortable as possible.”

Lily wanted to tell this woman—this clueless woman—that nothing they could do to her could possibly be too invasive, but she refrained. It was easier to simply block out what was going on now in this warm, well-lit room, with everyone acting so polite and accommodating.

Lily had initially resisted the physical exam. Sky was terrified, and Lily was so tired and overwhelmed by everything that had unfolded. Plus she didn’t want to leave Abby. But Abby was still in a drug-induced haze, and Sheriff Rogers made it clear that Lily’s work wasn’t done.

“We have to nail this son of a bitch to the wall. That means documenting your injuries, running DNA tests, and getting your statement on the record. We can’t screw this up.”

Her doubts about Sheriff Rogers vanished instantly. They shared a mutual goal: Rick’s complete and total destruction. She reluctantly agreed to the exam. But first she’d had to deal with her mother. Lily knew the truth would come out, but she hoped that she could spare Mom the trauma as long as possible.

“Please, go with Abby. Sky and I will be fine here.”

Mom resisted, but Lily insisted.

“Please. I need to know Abby’s not alone.”

After a few more minutes of negotiation, Mom had caved, heading off to see Abby while the nurses whisked Lily into a room and went to work. Drawing blood, taking X-rays and photographs, and on and on and on. Lily’s exam was exceptionally arduous, but it was nowhere near as painful as watching Sky’s exam.

Sky wailed the minute the doctors’ hands touched her tiny frame, and she never stopped crying. She was horrified by their alien touch, not to mention the bright lights, the noise, and the cold metal instruments. Lily knew how she felt, and she’d experienced life outside that cold, dark basement. She could only imagine how overwhelming this amount of stimulus was for a child who, until today, had spent her entire life in isolation.

“No, Mommy! Make them stop. I wanna go home. Take me home, Mommy.”

Lily’s purpose over the last six years was keeping her child safe. But she accepted that she was powerless right now. This exam had to be done. There was no medical care in Rick’s world. No vaccinations. No annual checkups. The only preventive measures Lily had for keeping Sky well were daily prayers. But this was the real world now, a world where children needed medical attention. Not only that, but Lily wanted confirmation that Sky was healthy—or as healthy as a child raised in captivity could possibly be. She endured Sky’s wails and pleas to stop, knowing this was in her best interests.

“It’s okay. It’ll all be over soon. Be Mommy’s brave little girl.”

When the doctors finished with the poking and prodding, Lily and Sky were relocated to a private room in the back wing of the hospital. VIPs, her mother always called patients who stayed there. Police officers were promptly stationed at the entrance. “A security precaution,” one of the nurses said reassuringly when Lily inquired about it. She figured it was better safe than sorry where Rick was concerned.

The nurses delivered warm bowls of vegetable soup and toast. Sky was starving and she devoured the food, her tears finally beginning to subside. After they ate, Lily curled up in bed with Sky, the two of them wrapped in warm blankets, and Sky finally drifted off to sleep.

An IV dripped fluid into both their arms, medications to treat their dehydration, lack of vitamin D, and all the other nutrients they’d been denied. Lily was dozing when Mom and Sheriff Rogers returned. She sat up, careful not to wake Sky.

“How’s Abby?” Lily asked her mom.

“She’s asking about you. She’s worried you’re mad at her.”

“That’s crazy. I’m not… Why would I be mad at her?”