"Can we see Jessa?" Violet asked.
"Yes. Once she's settled." Lance rubbed a hand over his face. "I'm going to go back to her now. I'll come get you when she's ready for visitors."
Laurel hugged him. "Tell her we love her."
"I will." Lance smiled. "Thanks, guys."
The time between when Lance left and when they were able to go see Jessa seemed to drag on forever. They didn't stay long when they were finally able to see her. Jessa's exhaustion was evident on her face, and Lily knew that she probably needed rest with everything they were likely to face in the coming days. They assured her of their prayers and promised to be back later.
The heat of the day hit Lily like a punch as they walked out of the hospital. That was the last thing she wanted to deal with on top of everything. Thankfully Will's SUV cooled quickly as he drove her and Amy to the manor. Josh and Cami were going to Laurel's and would pick up Isabella along with their two girls.
Once at the manor Lily excused herself and slowly climbed the stairs to her room. She took her medicine and then lay down, sighing with relief to be in the cool of her room and finally able to relax her body.
Jessa was okay.
The baby was okay.
Thank you, God.
Tension flowed out of her as she closed her eyes and let the control she'd been desperately hanging on to disappear. It no longer mattered if her legs didn't respond to her needs.It no longer mattered if they trembled. It no longer mattered if the tears she’d held in finally slid down her cheeks. No one was there to see and ask if she was okay. And right at that moment, she was fine with that.
~*~*~
As Nate walked into the manor, muscles he hadn’t used in ages screamed at him. He tried his best not to limp, but it was a challenge. There was the pulsing coming from his temple, and he wouldn’t be surprised if his nose was broken. But overriding it all was a strange sense of satisfaction.
Before heading upstairs, he went into the library to check something on his laptop. He pulled up short when he spotted Lily sitting behind the desk. For some reason, he'd figured she'd be in bed the rest of the day.
"Hey."
She looked up as he approached the desk, her green eyes large behind her glasses. "Hi. I was just trying to get a little bit more done on your stuff..." Her eyes widened. “What happened to your face?”
“Had a run-in with an arsonist.”
“Your arsonist?”
“Yep. Punk decided to revisit the crime scene for some reason. I took off after him when I recognized who he was. He gave me a bit of a run, but I knew the neighborhood better than he did and caught him in a dead end back lane.” Nate touched the side of his head then his nose. “He got a couple good licks in, but the cops were quick on the scene and took him off my hands.”
Lily stood up and came around the desk. She looked at him closely. “You should probably get that looked at.”
She reached out toward his face, her expression unreadable. Nate grabbed her wrist before she made contact. He stared at her, willing her to give him something—anything—to show that she still cared. He rubbed his thumb along the inside of her wrist, the smoothness of her skin areminder of times past. She tugged her arm, and immediately he released her. “It’ll be fine.”
She stared at him for a moment before turning away and returning to her seat.
Nate moved to lean against the corner of the desk and studied her. He didn't like the pallor of her face nor the dark skin beneath her eyes. "There's no rush to finish this. You've had quite an eventful day. You should probably be resting." He saw her lips tighten and knew he'd said the wrong thing.
She turned her head back to the screens in front of her. "I did lie down for a while. This work isn't really taxing for me. Plus, Cami and Amy wouldn't let me do anything to help with supper."
He heard the thread of frustration in her voice. "I'm sure they're just concerned for you. Don't want you to overdo things."
Lily shot him a look that he couldn't read, but figured it was probably a good guess that she was frustrated with him as well. Perhaps keeping his mouth shut would be the better course of action at this point.
"I understand that. But it's already getting old being asked if I'm okay all the time." She lowered her hands from the keyboard to her lap. "The reality is that I'm not okay. I willneverbe okay. I have a disease that will slowly lay waste to my body as the years go by. Some days will be better than others. Some weeks or months will be better than others. But usually, when push comes to shove, in situations like I faced today, my body is more likely than not going to fail me."
Her words struck at Nate's heart like a sledgehammer. "So what are we supposed to do? When we are concerned and worried. What are we supposed to say?"
"You don't have to say anything," she said, her voice low. "I'm not your responsibility."
"That doesn't stop me from being concerned," Nate replied, trying to keep his voice normal even though herwords once again wounded him. Aching from the inside out, he waited until she looked at him. "It doesn't stop me from caring."
