“What do you say? Can we go home now?”
Before they were discharged, Lily and Sky had a final exam with Dr. Lashlee, the general practitioner who had treated them both last night in the ER. She ran through a litany of medical issues due to their malnutrition and prolonged lack of sunlight and vitamin D. Dr. Lashlee gave Lily and Sky sunglasses to protect their eyesight from the harsh UV rays. She also urged them to visit a dentist and ophthalmologist to see what additional damage had been done. Then she signed the discharge papers, and Lily and Sky were finally free.
Hospital rules stated that a patient must be taken out of the building in a wheelchair. Carol wheeled Lily, with Sky curled up on her lap. Mom wheeled Abby out (she’d fought that battle and lost) while Sheriff Rogers led them toward the hospital’s employee entrance, which would shield them from the media frenzy that had descended outside.
Something was gnawing at Abby, something that was telling her things weren’t quite right. And then it hit her. Wes. Lily knew about Wes. That was the only explanation.
Abby was convinced that her mother had opened her trap, but Mom was too busy trying to buckle Sky into the car seat the hospital had provided. Abby watched as Lily climbed into the backseat beside Sky, her expression revealing nothing. Once Lily and Sky were buckled up in the back, Sheriff Rogers motioned to Mom.
“I’ll lead the way. Stay close to me and we’ll do everything we can to keep you away from the circus.”
Abby tried to ignore the moony-eyed gaze her mother gave the sheriff. She didn’t have time for the Days of Mom’s Lives. Instead she climbed into the front seat, glancing back at Lily and Sky. Her mother navigated the SUV onto the highway, carefully following Sheriff Rogers. Mom prattled on to Lily about new construction and the town’s massive expansion project. As if Lily gave two shits about any of that. Sky and Lily were busy staring out at the passing landscape, like aliens on their first visit to Earth. Sky was fascinated by the Amish horses and buggies, peppering Lily with a flurry of questions. Lily answered, but Abby could sense the muted quality in her delivery.
Ten minutes later, their SUV slowly turned into the subdivision and onto their street, and for an instant, Abby forgot about Lily’s sudden mood shift. She was too overwhelmed by what she was seeing. It was fucking incredible. There were hundreds of people standing in their yards, in her neighbors’ yards, and hundreds more spilling onto the streets. Townspeople of all ages waved signs of support: WELCOME HOME, LILY. GOD ANSWERS PRAYERS. TWIN POWERS ACTIVATE.
“Holy shit. Can you believe this, Lil?” Abby asked.
Lily appeared shell-shocked, her eyes drawn to the massive crowd.
“They can’t be here for me. They can’t…”
“Of course they are, Lil.”
Lily scanned the crowd, and Abby knew she was searching for familiar faces. Maybe even Wes?
“Is that Mrs. Marshall? And the Bakers?”
Abby nodded as they passed Mrs. Marshall, who was waving, tears streaming down as she clutched Mr. Marshall’s arm. The kindly elderly couple used to invite them over every Sunday, always armed with their homemade oatmeal spice cookies and teaching the girls “Chopsticks” on their baby grand.
The SUV inched its way through the crowd, several uniformed cops directing them into the driveway as dozens of other officers strained to keep well-wishers back. Abby was scanning the crowd when she saw him. What the fuck? There was Wes standing on the sidewalk, one of hundreds in the throng of people. Abby couldn’t believe this. Why would he do this to her? Why would he put her in this position? How goddamn selfish could you get?
“It’s amazing, isn’t it, Abs?” Mom said.
Abby did her best to keep her breathing under control, hoping no one would notice anything was wrong. She couldn’t stop staring at Wes, wondering if Lily would recognize him. He had filled out since high school, but he still kept his hair neatly shorn and was always stylish. Abby shook her head. She couldn’t let things go down like this. Even if Lily already knew about them, about the baby, she needed to explain everything. She had to buy time. She turned to Mom, keeping her voice low.
“This is too much. We should go. We can get a hotel room. Get away from everything,” Abby said.
To Abby’s relief, Mom agreed.
“You’re right. I’ll drop you both off and get you settled, and then I’ll come back and pick up Mother and Daddy and Meme. There’s a Holiday Inn over on—”
“No.” Lily spoke up, leaning forward, gripping the armrest. “I want to stay here.”
“Lily, you’ll have to walk through all these people. Their questions. The cameras,” Mom said.