Sweet Love on the Cove Page 2

  “I’m so confused,” Jeannie said through clenched teeth, on the verge of tears. “Where’s Lily? What is happening? I can’t understand anything. I thought searching the woods would distract me from my vivid, horrible imagination, but now all I can think of is one thousand things that could have happened to Lily here in the woods. I am so confused, Cathy. I don’t know what I should be doing.”

  Cathy closed the gap between them and patted Jeannie on the back. “Of course. None of this makes any sense. Your daughter is missing, and possibly injured. It’s only right that you’re confused and you’re panicking. But I think you’re right. We should probably wait to hear from the police. Walking around these trees for hours is only going to tire you out. Who knows? Lily might be in a hospital somewhere receiving treatment for minor injuries and you’re here, wandering in the woods.”

  “But what if she’s not?” Jeannie asked, massaging her temple. “What if the worst-case scenario turns out to be our reality? What if—”

  “I thought we were going to remain optimistic?” Cathy asked, tilting her head to the side. “What happened to the positive spirit you had a minute ago? Where did that Jeannie go?”

  “That’s what I’m saying, I don’t know what to do,” Jeannie said and paced. “We should be doing something.”

  Aaron appeared from nowhere and blocked Jeannie’s path. He sighed at seeing the look on her face and held her still by the shoulders.

  “We’ve been over this,” he whispered, lowering his head to her eye level. “No pacing. Stop overthinking. We don’t know anything yet. I think we should go back home. There’s nothing here in the woods. We’ve been walking for a long time, and I’m pretty sure Lily didn’t come this far.”

  “He’s right,” Derek chimed in. He walked over to Cathy’s side and put his arm around her. “Cathy must have told you I love to hike and hunt a lot with my friends, so I’m a fair enough tracker. I’m almost certain that Lily didn’t come here. Plus, I checked the scene of the accident. I can’t really be a hundred percent sure, because they have towed away the car from the road, but I’m almost certain that Lily wasn’t kidnapped.”

  Jeannie diverted her attention to Derek. “Why do you think so?”

  “Well, from the look of things, the car that caused the accident skidded and rammed into Lily. I can tell from the skid marks on the other side of the road. So, it might have been a drunk driver, someone that lost control of the car, or a car that lost its brakes. Whatever happened, Lily was in an accident. It wasn’t planned or premeditated. I’m sure of it. No one has taken her. With that much damage to Lily’s car, the perpetrator must have been badly injured, too.”

  “We don’t think you should worry about Lily being taken…again,” Aaron said to Jeannie.

  “If she hasn’t been taken, then where is she?” Jeannie asked. “That’s the only thing that makes sense. Lily can’t just disappear into thin air.”

  “She might still be trying to prove a point, you know,” Cathy added. “I mean, it’s Lily. I know her, too. You said she stormed off from your house, right?”

  Jeannie nodded. “She did.”

  “What if she staggered out of the wrecked car with minor injuries, get a cab, and continue her journey? That is also a possibility.”

  Jeannie shook her head. “It’s not. Like I told Aaron, Lily is not brave.”

  Cathy snapped her fingers. “Right. She’s terrified at the sight of blood. Even her own.”

  “Exactly,” Jeannie said and let out a frustrated sigh. “If she sustained injuries, she’d come home. Immediately.”

  “You’re sure she hasn’t outgrown her fear of blood?” Derek asked. “I mean, Lily has tried to kill herself before, hasn’t she? That’s how impulsive she is.”

  “Right, but the first time she tried to was the time we found out the sight of blood terrified her. She cut her wrist and then she started yelling for help. I’m sure. If Lily was conscious after the accident, she would be in my arms by now. That’s why I’m paranoid. I know my child.”

  Aaron blew raspberries. “Well, then this is getting even more complex. Hours have passed. If she was in a hospital, they would have called Jeannie by now.”

  Jeannie felt tears sting her eyes. “That’s why I think—”

  “She hasn’t been kidnapped,” Aaron said, cutting her off. “That it has happened before doesn’t mean it’s happening again. Calm down, Jeannie. Right now, I think we should go to the police station.”

  “I agree,” Derek said. “They should have answers for us.”

  “No, I think we should go to Jeannie’s house,” Cathy argued. “I mean, think about it. Lily could go back there in search of her mother.”

  “She was in an accident, honey,” Derek pointed out. “I don’t think she went home.”

  “Well, you never know.”

  While the three of them squabbled about the best course of action, Jeannie felt her phone buzz in her pocket. She stepped aside and pulled it out, hoping to God that it was Lily calling.

  “You guys,” Jeannie said with a quaking voice as she stared at the caller ID. “I don’t—I don’t know this number. It could be Lily.”

  “Well, answer it,” Cathy said. “Quickly.”

  Jeannie slid the button on the screen and slapped the phone to her ear. “Lily? Lily, is that you?”

  “It’s me. My phone died, so I’m calling you with someone else’s.”

  The sound of the all-too-familiar voice irked Jeannie. She could feel the irritation deep in her bones. “What do you want, Luka?”

  “Before you cut the call on me, you’d be glad to know that I found our daughter,” Luka answered. “I found her in the wrecked car the night before, and I brought her to Chickadee Cove Memorial Hospital.”

  “What?” was all Jeannie could say.

  “Lily has been in surgery for over three hours, Jeannie.”

  As Jeannie scurried into the hospital, followed by her pack of friends, mixed emotions coursed through her body, but one overshadowed the rest. It wasn’t the relief that Lily had been found, it wasn’t gratitude that she was getting treated, and it wasn’t joy that someone hadn’t taken her daughter from her.

  It was anger.

  “How dare you?” Jeannie barked at Luka as she stormed down the hallway.

  Luka rose to his feet quickly and put his arm up to shield himself. “Calm yourself, Jeannie. Our daughter is in surgery.”

  “You are a vile man, Luka Smith,” she roared and shoved Luka into the wall.

  Aaron stood in front of Jeannie, blocking her from attacking Luka again. “Jeannie, you need to breathe.”

  “He knew,” Jeannie told Aaron. “He took her. He knew where she was hours ago and he let me suffer. How dare you?”

  “What happened, Luka?” Cathy asked, crossing her arms. “Tell us exactly what happened.”

  Luka quietly scanned their faces then let out a loud exhale. “I did not expect this reaction from any of you. Shouldn’t you be relieved that I found Lily? Why are you all attacking me?”

  “You said she has been in surgery for three hours!” Jeannie rasped. “Three hours. And you’re just calling me? When did you get here? When did you find Lily? What time did you find her and take her from the scene?”

  “Look—”

  “When, Luka?” Jeannie asked sternly.

  Luka stuffed his hands in his pocket and looked away. “If I remember correctly, it was a little past one in the morning.”

  Jeannie, Aaron, Cathy, and Derek scoffed simultaneously.

  “1 a.m.?” Jeannie repeated. “You took Lily from the car at one in the morning?”

  “We were still searching for her at one in the morning,” Aaron said, facing Luka. “A ton of us were out in the woods, in the streets, my employees were searching the highways, the bus stations…everyone was searching at 1 a.m. You’re saying you found Lily, brought her to this hospital, and didn’t think to inform anyone for about eight hours? It never crossed your mind?”

  “I needed to make sure she was alright,” Luka said.

  “No, don’t lie, Luka,” Jeannie chimed in. “You thought Lily would wake up so you could feed her with your lies before I arrived. But then she had to have surgery, and you realized you couldn’t put it off any longer.”

  “You’re making it sound like I’m a monster.”

  “You are a monster!” Jeannie retorted. She turned around, fighting back both the rage and the tears. Aaron took her into his arms and caressed her back, giving her the warmth she needed to gather herself.

  After a long pause, Jeannie broke the hug and turned back to Luka. “How is she? What did the doctor say?”

  “I’m not sure of anything yet,” Luka said. “They were running some tests, checked for injuries, took an MRI, then suddenly the dang machine started beeping and they rushed her into the emergency room.”

  “Didn’t the doctors say anything else?” Jeannie asked, throwing her hands in the air.

  “Not yet,” he answered. “I was hoping to get answers after the surgery, but I didn’t think it would take this long.”

  “I bet you didn’t,” Jeannie retorted. She walked to the other side of the hallway, sat on the bench, and dropped her head in her palm.

  Her anger seemed to have subsided as relief washed over her. Lily was safe. That was all that mattered in the end. Jeannie shut her eyes, thankful that all the horrible things she had imagined had not turned into reality. There were a lot of different directions the situation could have gone. Although a part of Jeannie badly wanted to lash out at Luka for being selfish, even when her daughter’s life was at stake, Jeannie didn’t want to dwell on him. He craved attention, and the more she gave it to him, the more infuriated she was going to be with herself.

 
Aaron took his seat by Jeannie’s side, and before his back touched the chair, Jeannie sunk into his arms. He responded instinctively, stroking her arms to calm her down.

  “Let’s wait for the doctor before you draw conclusions, Jeannie,” Aaron said to her softly. “Alright?”

  Jeannie nodded. “At least she’s safe. We can deal with anything else that comes our way.”

  “Yes, we can. Don’t let him get to you. At the very least, he brought Lily to safety. His reasoning or logic doesn’t matter to you. The bottom line is that Lily is out of harm’s way.”

  “He was being selfish, even when Lily’s life was at stake,” Jeannie rasped. “What kind of person thinks only of his own benefit all the time? The police have started building a case, people have been out searching for Lily since last night, too. Emily, Mason, and Sarah are all worried sick, and he didn’t think to call until after eight hours. That’s not a human thing to do. He’s sick.”

  Aaron continued stroking Jeannie’s arm. “Don’t let it get to you. Remember, your focus here is Lily. Only her.”

  Jeannie placed her head on Aaron’s shoulder and let out a heavy sigh. “You’re right. I’m sorry.”

  “Don’t be.”

  Time went by slowly. Jeannie could hear the ticking of the clock in her head. Her mind had no rest. Two hours went by, but it felt as though they had been seated all day. Then another hour went by before the doors of the ER finally opened. Jeannie sprung to her feet instantly and stood in the doctor’s path with her hands clasped together.

  “Good morning, doctor,” she managed to say, peeking into the emergency room. “Where’s…how is Lily, please? I’m Jeannie. I’m her mother and legal guardian.”

  The doctor took off his face mask and eyeglasses. “Well, we ran a series of tests prior to the emergency surgery we just did on Miss Lily. We discovered a couple of things. She suffered a cracked skull because of trauma to the head caused by the accident. She also suffered hairline fracture on her humerus, and some internal injuries in her chest area. She was taken into surgery to stop the bleeding, and we have got the situation under control. Lily is stabilized now and is currently in an induced coma.”

  Jeannie blinked rapidly. “Induced coma?”

  “That’s correct.” The doctor nodded. “I’m afraid she will be unconscious for a couple of days till her body starts to recuperate properly.”

  “What—what do I do now?” Jeannie stammered, unable to grasp the situation fully. “I can’t see Lily?”

  “You can,” he answered. “She will be checked into a room and set up. All we can do now is wait for her to wake up.”

  Jeannie staggered back and hyperventilated. “You said the surgery went well?” she breathed.

  “It did,” the doctor said. “I assure you.”

  “Then why is she in an induced coma?”

  “Jeannie,” Aaron said, spinning her around. “She needs to heal. That’s what the doctor is saying. Her body needs to repair itself. To do that, she needs to be asleep. But the surgery was a success. She’ll be fine.”

  “She’ll be fine?”

  “She will.” Aaron nodded. “I’ll get Lily into one of the best rooms here in the hospital and make sure that she is well taken care of. Don’t worry.”

  Jeannie couldn’t control the tears. She broke down completely, wailing as if the doctor hadn’t just delivered some good news. It was the relief, coupled with the fact that Jeannie was scared to bits just a few hours ago. Her emotions were all over the place.

  “She’ll be fine,” Jeannie cried. “Lily’s fine.”

  Chapter Three

  “Has she even moved a finger?”

  Three days had passed since the incident. Three days since Jeannie had seen the inside of her own house, her bakery, or even the exit of the hospital. Lily had not moved since she came out of the emergency room, and Jeannie had not moved an inch from her side.

  “Wait. Hang on a minute,” Jeannie said. She struggled with her camera, trying different angles so her three other children could see Lily’s face. “Can you see her well?”

  “Mum, just turn the back camera on and point it at Lily,” Mason suggested. “It looks like you’re trying to take a selfie like this.”

  “Oh, right. Sorry. Back camera. Why didn’t I think of it?”

  Jeannie lowered the phone and tapped the screen. Once the camera flipped, she turned it to face Lily on the bed. “Can you see her clearly now?”

  Emily clicked her tongue. “She has lost even more weight. At this rate, Lily will become a skeleton if she doesn’t wake up soon and eat some solid food,” she joked.

  “Why does she have dark circles on her eyes?” Sarah asked. “I mean, she’s sleeping. Why would a sleeping person have dark circles?”

  “Well, for several reasons,” Emily answered. “It could be because of the constricted blood vessels under the eyes, causing hyperpigmentation, or thinning of the skin, also around the eyes. In Lily’s case, I’m guessing it’s just racoon eyes.”

  “We get it, professor,” Sarah said and sighed dramatically. “I know Lily and I fight sometimes, but—”

  “Sometimes?” Mason chipped in. “You both are practically cat and mouse.”

  “That doesn’t matter,” Sarah said. “What I’m trying to say is, seeing her like this is just…it hurts. I mean, Lily might be a pain in the backside, but I hate seeing her like this.”

  “Yeah. Me, too,” Emily mumbled. “It’s weird seeing her this calm.”

  “I can’t get used to it for the life of me. Lily needs to wake up as soon as possible,” Mason said. “What is the doctor saying, mum?”

  Jeannie turned the camera to face her. “Nothing,” Jeannie answered. “He says I need to be patient. That this is normal, and Lily will wake up at her own time. No one seems to be worried, so I’m trying not to be. From the look of things, Lily seems stable. The doctors haven’t found the need to come rushing into the room to treat her, the machines haven’t malfunctioned, and the nurses come in twice a day to change her IV bag.”

  “What about you?” Sarah asked. “You haven’t gone home since that day, mum. I mean, if Lily’s condition is stable as you claim, then you don’t have to be by her side every second of the day. When was the last time you slept on an actual bed?”

  Jeannie forced a smile. Everyone had suggested that she go home at one point or another. But Jeannie couldn’t bring herself to leave Lily’s side. She feared that the moment she stepped out of the hospital, Lily would regain consciousness and be all alone. Given the severity of the accident, Jeannie figured it was best to stay by Lily’s side and be there to explain what happened to her when she eventually opened her eyes.

  “Oh, you don’t need to worry about me at all,” Jeannie told them. “I’m perfectly fine. Aaron put Lily in one of the best rooms here at the hospital. This place is practically a mini suite. There’s a bathroom here, a nice sofa, cable television. Everything I need is here. What reason do I have to leave?”

  “To go home and sleep on an actual bed, mum,” Mason said. “You have been sleeping on the sofa for three days straight. That’s not healthy. You’re going to develop back problems.”

  “We’re not asking you not to be there for Lily,” Emily chimed in. “But you can spend the entire day at the hospital and go home at night to rest and freshen up. Then come back in the morning.”

  “What if Lily wakes up during the night and I’m not here?”

  “I’m sure you’ll be called,” Emily answered.

  “You three know how Lily is,” Jeannie said, staring at Lily’s face. “Remember the last time she was admitted into the hospital and was unconscious for an entire day? When she woke up, she threw a fit. She yanked out the IV from her arm and was too confused to settle down. It took both you and me, Emily, to calm her down and explain to her that her attempt to end her life didn’t work. What if she wakes up like that again?”

  “I highly doubt the same thing will happen again this time, mum,” Emily said. “She has been in a coma for three days. She won’t have any energy left in her body to throw a fit. Trust me.”