Chapter 9
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Lily
I wake in one of the softest beds on Earth. It’s not my bed. I bolt upright the moment my eyes pop open. This is not my apartment in LA. This isn’t a hotel room. This is someone’s house.
As the fog from sleep fades, my breathing slowly returns to normal. I’m alone. No one is going to shove me out of bed today. Nina got me out of my horrible situation. The nightmare from it will haunt me forever. I can’t call what I had a life. I had dreams in high school and college of what my life would be. I no longer know what a life is. Not a real one, anyway.
I spent five days traveling across the country with three strangers. Each of them holds a different meaning in my heart. I’m used to talking to strangers. As an ER nurse, seeing the people we meet again is rare. After a while, their faces faded away. As much as I care for each of my patients while they are in my care, I let them slip into just another medical case in my mind once they leave the hospital. Each of us in the ER had our own way of handling overwhelming shifts. Mine was letting everything disappear inside a foggy mist.
Taking a deep breath, I push the soft comforter aside and let my legs drop over the side of the bed. My thoughts go back to last night. If I weren’t living this, I’d laugh and swear it was a dream or some kind of drama movie. Of all the places I could end up in, I’m at the weirdest on the list. It’s so weird, in fact, that it shouldn’t even be on the list.
“Thanks, Nina. A motorcycle club? Really?” I say to absolutely no one. Again, I’m alone, and Nina is on the other side of the country.
I raise my head and stare at the bedroom door. I’m not actually alone, though. On the other side of the door are two sweet ladies. Two strangers I met yesterday. They’re trying so hard to help me. I need their help. I’ve needed every person I’ve met along this journey. At times, I struggle to accept their kindness.
It’s different from this side. It feels wrong. I want to be the one helping. My need to help others is why I became a nurse. I’m not the helper here. My position in this is not okay. I was never supposed to need someone pulling me out of the darkness. Dignity, pride, and happiness have been ripped from me. I’m not sure either of those can ever be restored. I failed, plain and simple.
A young girl’s laughter pulls me from my depressing thoughts. Everly is awake. Her laughter is so sweet and soothing. The sound is infectious. Hearing her has me laughing, too. I don’t even know what she’s laughing about. It doesn’t matter. She’s just one big ball of sunshine. The need to see her and be within the warmth surrounding her pulls me to my feet. I have to see her.
Thankfully, this room has an adjoining bathroom. I grab a pair of jeans and a long-sleeved black T-shirt from the suitcase Nanny brought last night. I was firmly told to call her Mom or Nanny, never Evelyn or Mrs. McLeod. Everly said nearly everyone here and in town calls her grandmother Nanny. It’s the safest choice and the one I’m going with.
After getting dressed, I force myself to examine my face. The black eye and bruising on my right cheek are fading. It’s not enough to forgo the sunglasses, though. I grab the glasses from the nightstand and slide them on. I’m no fool. The glasses hide the visual, but everyone knows I have a black eye.
Letting it all fade away, I leave the room, searching for the warmth calling me. I find Everly and Nanny in the kitchen right where I expected them to be. The scene before me is from a Hallmark or Lifetime movie. The two ladies happily move around the kitchen, preparing breakfast.
“Lily, you’re up.” Everly’s smile widens when she sees me. She lifts a hand and twirls it like a queen or princess. “Coffee first.”
I instantly smile. Sweet girl. Smart, too. Coffee is always first. Nanny beats me to the coffee maker and pours a cup. She sets it on the counter next to the sugar bowl and creamer.
“Good morning, dear.” Nanny grabs two containers of flavored creamer from the fridge.
I sigh happily and take the caramel macchiato from her. “Thank you, Nanny, and good morning.”
The smell of bacon gets stronger when Everly opens the oven door. I’ve never seen bacon cooked in the oven before. Everly’s practically vibrating with excitement, trying to hold back her laughter.
“What’s so funny?” I take a sip of coffee and close my eyes. A good cup of coffee is so underrated. I need to find out what brand they use.
“Uncle Jack’s mad.” Everly drops her head back and bursts out laughing.
That’s alarming.
“What? Why?” What happened while I was sleeping?
“Oh, it’s nothing to worry about, dear. He’s fine.” Nanny slides a pan of homemade biscuits into the oven after Everly removes the bacon.
“Why is he mad?” How can this be funny and fine? I don’t ask the last part.
“Nanny wouldn’t let him in the house.” Everly has to sit down from laughing so hard.
“What?” This gets weirder by the minute.
Nanny flips her hand like it’s no big deal. “Don’t worry, hon. He really is fine. He’s probably still sitting on the steps.”
This is insane. I quickly set my mug on the counter and rush to the front door. I place my hands on the glass, too afraid to open the door and draw his attention. Jack isn’t on the steps. He’s stomping down the path away from the house. Everly and Nanny follow and watch over my shoulders. Even from here, it’s clear he’s fussing or complaining. Hopefully, the trees are listening because he’s alone. I can’t hear him without opening the door, which I’m not about to. I don’t want him to know I’m watching. He tosses his arms up just before disappearing into the trees. It sends Everly to the floor in a fit of laughter.
“See.” Nanny pats my arm. “He’s fine.”
“That’s fine?” With eyes wide, I point toward the door.
“Yeah.” Nanny shrugs. “Sometimes, he rants and raves, but he’ll be back when he calms down.”
I step over Everly, who’s catching her breath, and follow Jack’s mother into the kitchen. “Why couldn’t he come inside?”
She turns and gives me a sympathetic look. “My son is one of the best men you’ll ever meet.” She sighs deeply. “He’s also just like his father, overbearing at times. You don’t need that today.”
Fear creeps up my spine. “What’s today?”
Except for the unexpected layover in Texas, I’ve been moving for six days. They still haven’t explained how all this works to me. From the little meeting with Jacob last night, they obviously follow a set of rules and steps. They’re an organization rescuing battered women. Of course, something would happen today. It’s a lot to take in, and I’m not sure what to do. This seems to be my life now. Where do I go from here? Will I constantly have to keep moving to be free? That doesn’t sound like a good life to me.
“Today, you rest. If you feel like it later, we can talk about your next step. If not, it can wait until tomorrow.” Nanny turns to take the bread from the oven when the timer goes off.
A day of rest sounds amazing. The unknown terrifies me, though. Nanny plates up eggs, bacon, and biscuits for each of us and sets them on the table.
“What is my next step?”
“We help you start over.” Everly join us at the table. Fits of laughter are gone.
“How do I do that?” I push the scrambled eggs around on my plate with a fork.
“Well.” Nanny glances at Everly. She doesn’t want to have this conversation in front of her. “When you’re ready, we’ll go to the office and talk about where you’d like to go. Your training as a nurse will allow you to start over just about anywhere. Once you’ve decided, we'll help you get there.”
Wow. She didn’t explain things in detail, but I understand. It’s a bit overwhelming, and I’m greatly relieved. They’re really offering me a new life somewhere far away from Joel. But can I do it? Can I really start over and never live another day in fear?
Everly looks from me to her grandmother. “Can’t she stay here? Uncle Jack…”
“Sweetie.” Nanny lays her hand flat on the table, interrupting the young girl. “Don’t you have to work on the website for the bakery today?”
“Oh, yeah.” Everly springs to her feet. “I promised them it would be ready by Wednesday.” She hurries around the table to hug her grandmother.
“You’ll do a fine job, dear. Now, go straight home.”
“Yes, ma’am.” Everly surprisingly hugs me, too. “I’m sorry, Lily. I forgot about the website. Hopefully, I’ll see you at the party later.”
I release her with my mouth hanging open. “You go to club parties?”
She’s a minor. That’s not a good idea. The party I heard last night was way too lively for children.
“Yeah.” She nods. “All the kids have to leave by nine. Grandpa makes them show their manners while we’re there.”
I snap my head toward Nanny. “Is that safe?”
“Don’t worry. No one would touch us,” Everly assures me. “They’d die in the middle of the clubhouse floor if they did. Grandpa would then string their bodies up out front as an example.”
I choke on air. This can’t be real. She’s sixteen. She shouldn’t be talking this way.
Nanny quickly stands and nudges Everly out the door. “Sweetie, hurry on home. Maybe you’ll see Lily later.”
“Bye,” Everly calls out as she hurries out the front door.
Nanny cautiously returns to the table. It takes her a few minutes to compose herself. Trust me. I’m struggling to do so, too.
“Lily?”
I remove the sunglasses and slowly meet her eyes. “That wouldn’t really happen. Would it?”
“It never has.” She looks away and quickly back. “No one is stupid enough to test it.”
“Would your family actually do it?”
She’s quiet for a moment and chooses her words carefully.
“Let’s hope no one ever becomes that stupid.”
I cover my mouth with my hand and tremble a little. Oh, it most definitely would happen if someone tried to hurt one of their children.
“Look.” Nanny reaches across the table and covers my hand with hers. “I know we’re a lot to handle most days. Bad things happened to us, but we aren’t bad people. You don’t have to go to the party. Just stay here and rest. Let us help you. We’ll figure out your next step tomorrow.”
There’s not really much else I can say. They’ve helped me for six days and haven’t asked for anything in return. I’ve come too far to walk away now. I have no choice but to let them help me. I nod, easing her mind. Tomorrow, I’ll decide where I want to go next. At least I get a say in my next step.