CHAPTER TWELVE #2
Lily hugged her, appreciating the effort she'd made to not ask her if she was okay. "Yep. See you in the morning."
She headed to the stairs but then veered to the right toward the library.
It wasn't to see if Nate was there, she told herself.
But that didn't explain why her heartbeat kicked up a notch when she saw him sitting at the desk.
She was about to step back out of the doorway when he looked up and spotted her.
He stared for a moment, almost as if not sure she was really there. Then he smiled and said, "How was the visit with Jessa and the baby?"
"It was good." Lily ventured to the chairs on the near side of the desk. He moved the laptop over which gave her a clear view of him. "We didn't get to see the baby, but Lance had pictures. Jessa seemed a bit weepy, which isn't really like her, but completely understandable, of course."
Nate nodded. "Must be nice to have a baby in the family again."
Lily looked away from Nate. If things had gone as they'd planned, they would have had a child of their own by now.
She pressed a hand to her stomach then clenched it into a fist. Though she knew many women went on to have babies after being diagnosed with MS, Lily didn't think that was a path she could take. It wasn’t the pregnancy that concerned her.
In fact, it seemed that being pregnant actually reduced the number of relapses.
But what if she couldn't take care of a child the way it needed?
What if the child ended up needing to care for her?
"Lily?" Nate's voice pulled her back from her dour thoughts. "Will mentioned the other day that you might be looking for a car."
A car? Right then, Lily wasn't sure she was capable of driving.
Even though she'd had every intention of driving when she'd arrived back, she wasn't as confident anymore.
If she recovered enough to be physically what she'd been like in London, she'd consider it more seriously. She just hoped that she didn’t need to make any trips into Minneapolis any time soon, because she was going to have to prevail upon someone to take her if she couldn't drive.
"I had thought about it. Not sure now," Lily admitted.
Nate nodded. "Well, let me know if you decide to. I have some contacts at the dealerships around here. I can keep an eye out for something."
Lily wanted to protest that she could take care of it herself, but Nate was a car man.
It would be stupid to refuse his help just because.
"Thank you. I was thinking something along the lines of a smaller SUV.
I want something good for winter driving, but that's not too difficult to get in and out of. "
"So no monster trucks?"
Lily felt a smile lift the corners of her lips before she could stop it. "Yeah. Gonna have to say no to the monster trucks."
"I'll see if anything comes up and will let you know."
Gripping her purse, Lily stood. "I think I'm going to call it a day. See you tomorrow."
"Good night. Sleep well." Nate's words followed her as she left the library.
Too tired to do anything but undress and brush her teeth, Lily crawled into her bed. Knowing she didn't even have the energy to lift her Bible, she spent time in prayer and then began to recite the verses she'd memorized until sleep finally claimed her.
"Lily?" She felt a touch on her shoulder. "Lily?"
Rolling to her back, Lily suppressed a groan. "What's wrong?"
Cami was sitting at the edge of her bed. "That's what I'm checking on."
Lily lifted an arm and covered her eyes. "Why?"
"It's almost noon."
She lowered her arm and peered at Cami. "Really? Noon?" The sudden pressure of her bladder made her realize that Cami was likely telling the truth. She held a hand out to her sister. "Help me up?"
Cami quickly grasped her hand and pulled her to a sitting position. "Are you...okay?"
"I won't be if I don't get to the bathroom," Lily said, giving her a quick grin. "Be right back."
Surprised that her legs didn't give out beneath her, Lily made her way to the bathroom and then back to the bed a few minutes later. As she sat down next to Cami, she spotted a tray on the nightstand.
"I didn't know if you were planning to get up today, so I brought you something to eat."
"Honestly, I think it may do me well to spend the day in bed. But I am starving."
"Well, why don't you eat a bit and then lie back down again. There's nothing pressing going on today."
Lily settled back against her pillows and reached for the plate with a sandwich on it. "I really should try and do a little more work on Nate's stuff."
"Good luck with that," Cami said. "He took the laptop with him."
After swallowing her first bite, Lily frowned at Cami. "He took it?" Why would he need the laptop?
Cami smiled. "I think he took it so you wouldn't work. Although he didn't actually come out and say that."
Lily fought the urge to be upset with him, but then let it go. "Oh well. His loss."
"There really is nothing going on around here.
Lance is at the hospital with Jessa. She will likely come home later today or tomorrow.
Baby is doing good. Jessa is nursing as well as pumping.
He's struggling a bit with his latch, but drinking well from a bottle so we're hoping for weight gain soon. "
She was thankful to hear the good news about the baby. "I'm sure it will be very hard for Jessa to leave him at the hospital."
"Yes," Cami agreed. "But hopefully it won't be for too long."
Cami stayed in the room, chatting with her until she'd finished eating. Though a part of her felt guilty for staying in bed, Lily knew if she wanted to get over the struggles of the past few days, she had to give her body the reprieve it needed.
"I think we're planning on a barbecue for dinner if you feel up to being outside. It's been a nice day. Warm, but not too hot."
Lily nodded. "I'll try to get up for that."
"If not, no problem. Take all the rest you need."
Once alone in the room, Lily got up again and went to take her medication.
She really needed to make an appointment with the doctor who had originally diagnosed her.
Though she was set for medication for the next month or so, after the past couple of days, it was a clear reminder that she needed to have her health care team in place.
~*~*~
Nate fought the frustration that dogged his steps as he walked into the manor.
He'd spent most the day in Sanford. First talking with the police and fire inspector there then meeting with his employees.
He'd taken them all out for a late lunch and had to break the news to them that he wouldn't be rebuilding.
It had been a difficult decision, but in the end he knew it was the right one.
The decision to expand had been his dad's.
And though he knew that his dad would have rebuilt in a heartbeat, Nate's heart wasn't in it.
He was content to just focus on the garage in Collingsworth.
Besides, even if he did rebuild, he would have had to hire all new staff.
The guys wouldn't be able to wait around for him to be able to pay them.
After the meal, he'd given them each a bonus check.
It hadn't been much, but he hoped that it would help them in some way.
But even though he knew it had been the right thing to do, it still weighed heavily on him. He wished he could just go back to working on cars. It was what he enjoyed the most. The administration side of things sucked the life out of him sometimes.
"Hey there, Nate."
Nate turned to see Will walking out of the kitchen toward him. "Hey, Will."
"Did you have supper?"
"Not yet." He supposed he should have stopped for something when he'd come through Collingsworth, but he wasn't really hungry.
"Well, come out back. We had a barbecue, and there's plenty of food left."
Nate wasn't sure he would be good company, but the thought of seeing Lily was enticing. "Okay. Just let me put this in the library." He took the laptop bag and set it on the desk before heading out the back door.
The shrieks of the children greeted him as he stepped onto the porch.
The idyllic scene set off conflicting emotions within him.
Though he was drawn to it, Nate finally accepted that he had no place there.
He appreciated the effort the family made to include him, but he knew that he needed to move on soon.
Having made the decision about the garage in Sanford, Nate knew he needed to make a few other ones, too.
He spotted Lily right away. She was reclined on a chaise lounge, legs bent with her bare feet planted on the cushion.
Laurel's Rose was seated in a chair next to her, and they appeared to be in deep discussion.
She didn't look his way, but he didn't know if that was because she was ignoring him or because she didn't know he was there.