“You know I will.”
Abby slowly made her way out of bed as Dr. Amari arrived, carrying a giant white teddy bear, a lopsided purple bow tied around its neck. Abby motioned for Lily to help her into the waiting wheelchair. As Lily stepped closer, Abby spoke in a whisper, obviously not wanting Dr. Amari or Carol to hear.
“Watch out. That woman wants to interrogate you. To make sure you’re not crazy.”
“And if I am?”
“You’ll be in good company,” Abby said, contorting her face.
Lily laughed loudly, and the sound surprised her yet again. After all she’d endured, how was it possible that laughter could come this easily?
“I won’t be long. Isn’t that right, Carol?” Abby asked again as if to reassure them both.
“Trust me, Lily, your sister will chew those docs a new one if they try to dillydally. We’ll be back before you know it.”
They left and now it was just Lily and Dr. Amari. Sky, thumb in her mouth, was still sleeping peacefully.
“They need to draw some more blood,” Dr. Amari said, gesturing to the teddy bear she’d brought as a bargaining chip. Lily wasn’t sure if it was the surprise of waking up in a new location, or the prospect of more tests, but the instant Lily woke her, Sky began to wail. Luckily for Lily, Dr. Amari came prepared. “I thought Sky might like this.”
Sky surveyed the bear’s bright eyes and lopsided smile. A grin slowly spread across Sky’s face as she pulled the bear close to her.
“Mommy, can I keep this one?” Sky asked hopefully.
“Of course, Chicken.”
Lily smiled at Dr. Amari. It seemed even a child raised in captivity wasn’t immune to bribery.
“What do you say, Sky?”
Sky appeared to be thinking hard, her brow wrinkling. She finally stared right at Dr. Amari.
“Thank you very much.”
Dr. Amari smiled, and Lily knew without a doubt that she had raised her child well, in spite of Rick. As Sky clutched the bear, the nurses went to work, poking them both. Staring at the stuffed animal, Lily realized Sky could have anything she wanted now. Rick didn’t believe in spending money on frivolities. His money had to stretch—something he’d told her over and over again when she requested anything that wasn’t on his approved list. There were no limits now. Lily was in charge of their destiny. There were so many things she wanted. Music. Movies. Clothing. Her own clothes and underwear. She imagined what it might be like to buy whatever she wanted. She was both excited and overwhelmed at the prospect.
After breakfast, eggs and toast, simple, basic things since they weren’t used to rich foods, Lily and Sky both dozed off. Lily woke to her mother returning, loaded down with bags from the local Walmart, bags filled with jeans, T-shirts, underwear, and brand-new sneakers.
“I’m sorry I left, but I wanted to get you and Sky a few things.”
Lily smiled with gratitude. It was like her mother had read her mind. Lily ushered Sky into the bathroom and dressed her in a pair of jeans and a bright pink fuzzy sweater that Sky vowed never to take off.
Lily dressed herself, loving the bagginess of the black V-neck sweater that hung over her small frame, and the comfort of the dark blue jeans. Lily threw her hair up in a bun and headed back to the room with her family.
Abby had returned by then as well. She also wore fresh clothes—a gray maternity dress and leggings with knee boots. She’d combed her hair, and her lips were stained with pink gloss. Lily thought she’d never seen her sister look so confident and strong. Her full, round cheeks glowed, and her eyes shined brightly. Yesterday, Lily had been struck by Abby’s weight gain, but today, her sister reminded her of a Botticelli painting. All glorious curves and round edges.
Abby took out her iPhone and started snapping photos of Lily and Sky. Mom requested a group photo, so they called Carol in. Everyone gathered around looking at Abby’s phone, inspecting the photos, which continued to get sillier and sillier. Lily couldn’t believe how small and compact the phone was.
“We’ll get you one, Lily,” Eve offered up. The thought made Lily uncomfortable. Who in the world was she going to call?
Sky was fascinated by the phone too. She couldn’t stop staring at it, touching its buttons, looking at herself on the camera screen. She kept on posing and smiling and saying cheese. Lily was almost able to forget where she was, until Sheriff Rogers arrived.
“Morning. Sorry to interrupt.”
Eve jumped up quickly. “It’s okay, Sheriff. Come on in.”