"It took long enough, but we're finally going to get our boy."
Lily rested her head on Jessa's shoulder. "I'm so happyfor you." It seemed like life had been good for her siblings. Will had found love. Jessa was pregnant. Part of her didn't want to share what had been happening with her, she really didn't want to bring them down.
Once again, Lily felt tiredness tugging at her and tried to stifle a yawn. She pushed herself to a sitting position. "It's been a super long day, and if I stay here on this bed much longer, Lance will have to find someplace else to sleep. I've been up since about two o'clock in the morning your time."
Jessa brushed a hand over her hair. "We'll talk later. I'm not going anywhere. Come find me when you're up and about tomorrow."
"I will." Lily pressed a kiss to her cheek. "Love you."
Lily spotted Lance as she walked out of the bedroom. He sat on a chair in their sitting room, arms propped on his thighs, head bent down.
He looked up and smiled. "Ready to go back downstairs?"
"Yes, for a few minutes. To say goodnight."
Lance once again supported her as they slowly walked down to the main floor. As they moved off the last step, he turned toward her. His gaze was serious as he looked down at her. "It's MS, isn't it?"
Though his voice was low, the words were clear. Lily stared at him in shock. "How did you know?"
Lance's head tipped as sadness spread across his face. "I had a friend in high school whose mom had it. Something about how you moved threw me back in time."
"It's usually not this bad. I've been busy preparing for the move back, and the long day has just made it worse than it normally would be. A good night's sleep and some low activity days will help me out."
Lance nodded. "Well, most of us will be off to church in the morning, but don't feel you need to come. Jessa stays home, and I usually stay with her. Tomorrow night Cami and Josh will be giving a concert at the church, so you're back intime for that."
"I'd love to go." Lily moved toward the kitchen with Lance. The other family members were still gathered there in deep conversation, but they all looked up as Lily and Lance walked in. "I hate to show up and then crash, but it's been one very long day, and I'm beat."
She quickly gave hugs to everyone before heading back upstairs. Lance went with her once again, promising that he wouldn't say anything about her diagnosis until she had a chance to share it herself.
"We're here for you," Lance assured her. "Don't go running off again."
Lily gave him a tired smile. "No chance of that. I'm home for good now."
Knowing she probably wouldn't have the energy to unpack her suitcases when she arrived, Lily had packed the things she needed for the night in her carry-on. It didn't take long to get ready for bed, and this time no thoughts were strong enough to keep her awake.
~*~*~
Nate pulled to a stop in front of the manor. He was very grateful for the Collingsworths’ generous offer of a place to stay given the current condition of his home. The sheriff, who also happened to be Violet’s husband, had extended the invitation to stay at the manor after he'd gotten back to Collingsworth the day after the fires. He could have gone to a motel, but he was certain the isolation would have done a number on his mind. Instead, he was surrounded by people sympathetic to his situation, but who still gave him the space he needed.
He took the front steps two at a time, eager to put the day behind him. He'd had to go back to Sanford to meet with the man who was leading the investigation into the fire. After that meeting, he'd stayed to have dinner with Marty and his family. He was concerned about his employees. He didn'twant them to be out of work, but there was no way he could continue to pay them without the garage there being functional. It weighed heavily on him even though Marty had assured him thatGod's got this. Nate wished he shared his employee's confidence.
Staying at the manor had freed up some of his money since they refused to take any pay from him. So the money he'd have had to spend on a motel, he planned to give to Marty to help him and his family out until the man could find another job.
"Evening," Nate said as he rounded the corner to the kitchen to find most the Collingsworths gathered around the table there.
"How's it going?" the sheriff—or Dean, as he'd requested Nate call him—asked.
"Well, as expected, all signs point to arson, but they haven't been able to find the guys responsible yet."
"They'll show up eventually." Dean spoke with more confidence than Nate felt about the situation. He hoped the sheriff was right. "Those types of guys can't stay hidden very long. They're not smart enough."
As Dean spoke, Nate caught Laurel and Violet exchanging glances before looking at him. "Everything okay here?"
Again, they looked at each briefly, but this time Violet spoke. "Um, we had no idea this was going to happen, but Lily arrived home tonight."
Feeling as if he'd just been kicked in the gut, Nate braced a hand on the wall beside him. "Lily? She's here?"
Laurel nodded. "She arrived an hour ago, but she's already gone up to her room."
