Baby Doll(63)

She raced into the bathroom. Lily didn’t need tests or doctors to tell her that the baby was gone. She wanted to mourn the loss, but this baby had never been real to her. It couldn’t be. Lily stared down at her thin, angular frame, surveying the scars, the souvenirs he’d left. Her body was hers again. All hers. Lily began to cry, deep, heavy, heart-wrenching sobs. Rick no longer controlled her emotions. She collapsed onto the bathroom rug, her crying growing louder and louder. Lily didn’t know how long she lay there. She heard yelling, saw Mom and Abby staring down at her.

Mom grabbed a towel and moved beside Lily, ordering Abby to get help.

“Call 911. Right now.”

But Lily stopped her.

“No. Don’t. Please. Just wait.”

She reached out for Abby and Mom, and they held Lily until her tears were all cried out. When she was finally able to speak again, Abby brushed Lily’s hair aside.

“Lil, you tell us, what do you want us to do? What do you need?”

Lily thought about Sky, about the sharpness of the memories that were seeping in day by day, and she forced herself to say the words she’d been so afraid to say since she’d returned home.

“I need… I need help.”





CHAPTER THIRTY-FOUR


EVE


Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas” wafted from the speakers of Dr. Amari’s private practice, a plush office located a few miles from Lancaster Medical Center. Eve sat beside Lily, waiting for her appointment to begin.

“I haven’t heard you sing in so long. I forgot how pretty your voice was,” Lily said softly.

“Good Lord, I must be losing it. I didn’t even know I was singing,” Eve said.

“You’ll have to teach Sky all your favorite carols.”

“I can’t wait. She’ll be our little Christmas songbird in no time.”

Lily squeezed Eve’s hand just as Dr. Amari appeared at the door.

“Lily, are you ready?” Dr. Amari asked.

Lily nodded, putting on a brave face. Eve knew that it was difficult for Lily to come here, to discuss all that she’d endured. But Dr. Amari had been a lifesaver. There was a part of Eve that actually believed one day they might all be whole again. Lily reached out to Eve for a hug. There were always hugs now. Eve hoped that wouldn’t change.

“Abby will pick you up, but if you need something, you have my cell.”

Eve watched as Lily disappeared into Dr. Amari’s office. Over the last few weeks, they’d settled into a comfortable routine. Eve would bring Lily to therapy while Abby looked after Sky. Then Eve would do whatever errands she had, following up on her hospital lawsuit or stopping by to visit with Bree Whitaker’s family. She’d been lucky to get Lily back but the Whitakers’ daughter was never coming home. Eve would sometimes drop off food, but most days she’d just sit and listen. Listen to Mrs. Whitaker talk about Bree, who she was, who she might have been. While Eve was busy, Abby and Sky would pick Lily up from therapy. Some nights they’d go out to dinner; other nights they’d all meet back at the house and Eve would whip up one of her specialty dishes.

It was still early days, but Lily was making progress. She spent less and less time in her room, instead choosing to hang in the den with Eve or Abby. Sometimes she’d slip out the back door with Abby and Sky and take a walk around the neighborhood. Eve would never be able to thank Dr. Amari enough. She’d been there with Lily, Abby, and Eve every step of the way, dealing with the press and the protestors. Eve had been convinced that news of Lily’s miscarriage would be met with skepticism, but Dr. Amari took charge. After consulting with the police, she’d been able to release Lily’s medical records, which contained explicit details of the abuse Lily had suffered at Rick’s hands. It was easy to assume that those injuries had led to her pregnancy complications. Even if the public hadn’t believed her, a mass shooting at a middle school in Texas resulted in the death of six children, and just like that Lily’s sorrows were old news.

Eve tried not to think about Rick Hanson, his other victims, all the damage he’d wrought. She was determined to put him out of her mind and focus on the future. In just three days, they’d celebrate their first Christmas together. For Eve, holidays had always been the personification of everything she’d lost. But now, they would build new traditions. Her parents and Meme were returning. Abby had even called a truce (or so it seemed) and invited Wes for Christmas dinner. Eve was cooking a turkey, and Lily and Abby were making enough desserts to open a bakery. And if Eve had her way, there would be so many presents in the house she’d give Santa a run for his money. It was safe to say that all her Christmas wishes had come true.

Of course, she still had a million things to do before she headed to the mall. Eve pulled into the motel and quickly made her way up the stairs. She’d seen Tommy’s car in the parking lot and quickly picked up her pace, knowing they didn’t have a lot of time. She’d told him they’d wait to see each other until after the holidays, but he’d insisted on one last night together before he went to Boston with his family.

Eve slipped the key in the door, pushed it open, and gasped. Inside were dozens of red poinsettias, her favorite holiday plant. White lights hung from every conceivable surface, and a miniature Christmas tree was proudly displayed on the makeshift desk. But the biggest surprise was Tommy, sitting on the bed wearing a ridiculous green Christmas sweater with a fuzzy kitten on it, holding a sprig of mistletoe.