Chapter 15
The light in the room had changed. It wasn't the gray-blue from the window at night or the sharp white from the ceiling anymore. It was yellow and warm and it came in low across the sheets. I could feel Mommy's shirt against my cheek. She smelled like the hospital soap and like herself underneath it. My rabbit was still in my hands. His ear was damp where I'd been holding him.
Mommy didn't let go of me. Her arm stayed around my shoulders and her other hand rested over mine on the rabbit. I could feel her breathing. It was slow, like she was trying not to move too fast and hurt something.
There was a soft knock on the door. It opened and Deputy Harris stepped in. He had his hat in his hands and his uniform looked tired. Andrea was right behind him.
"Morning, Lily," he said. His voice was quiet. "How you doing?"
I nodded against Mommy. My throat felt dry.
He looked at Mommy, then at Marcus where he was still by the bed. Marcus had stood up to make room but he hadn't gone far. His vest was over the back of the chair now. His hands were on the bed rail.
Deputy Harris cleared his throat. "Wanted you to hear it straight from me," he said to Mommy. He looked at me too when he talked. "Ray is in custody. County picked him up before dawn in the diner parking lot. He's being held on assault and extortion. The state investigators have the USB from the envelope your girl kept safe. They're reviewing everything on it now. He's not getting out before a judge sees him, and that won't be today. You and Lily are safe."
Mommy closed her eyes for a second. I felt her shoulders drop a little. She squeezed my hand tighter.
"Thank you," she whispered.
Andrea stepped closer to the bed. She had a folder, but she didn't open it right away. She crouched so her eyes were level with mine.
"Lily, you did such a good job holding on to that rabbit," she said. "And Mommy did a brave thing hiding what she hid so you would be safe."
She turned to Mommy. "We have a safe place ready for you both when the doctor clears Lily to leave. It's an apartment the county uses, with a victim advocate who stays with you for the first few days. No one knows the address except us and the sheriff." She glanced at Marcus. "And I've listed Marcus as approved support. That means he can visit, he can help with rides and check-ins, but the legal guardianship stays with you, Sarah. That's how you wanted it, right?"
Mommy nodded. "Yes."
Marcus gave a short nod. "Whatever you need," he said. His voice was rough. "I'm not going anywhere unless you tell me to."
Later, after Deputy Harris left and a nurse brought in more water and checked the monitor, the room got quiet again. The sun was higher now. I could hear carts rolling down the hall and someone laughing far away.
Mommy shifted a little so she could see my face. She brushed my hair back with her hand. Her fingers shook a little.
"Baby," she said. "Do you remember when I put the key in your rabbit's pocket?"
I nodded. I remembered her hands and the zipper. She'd done it fast in our kitchen while I was eating cereal. The light had been gray then too, before school.
"I hid those pictures and that little stick because the bad man said he'd come back if I told anyone," she said. Her voice was soft and she stopped every few words to breathe. "I didn't want him to find them. I thought if I hid them at home and gave you the key, only you could tell someone who was safe. I told you to tell someone if I didn't come back. You did exactly what I asked."
My eyes filled up again. I pressed the rabbit to my chest.
"I held him all night," I said.
"I know you did," she said. "You kept your promise."
Marcus made a small sound, like he was breathing out. Andrea put her hand on the foot of the bed.
I looked at the window. The sky was light blue now. No more dark. Sunrise had come. The bad man hadn't come back before it like Mommy had worried. Mommy was back. Her arm was warm around me.
May you like
I held my rabbit with both hands the way I had all night. His pink nose was faded in one spot where I'd rubbed it. The room smelled like clean sheets and Mommy's hair. I didn't feel scared the same way anymore. I felt tired and safe at the same time, like after a long car ride when you finally get home.
Mommy kissed the top of my head. Marcus stayed by the bed rail. Andrea sat in the chair by the door with her folder closed on her lap. Outside the window, the sun kept coming up.
