A Home for Lily
Authors: Elizabeth Kelly
A HOME FOR LILY
By Elizabeth Kelly
Copyright 2014 Elizabeth Kelly
This book is the copyrighted property of
the author, and may not be reproduced, scanned or distributed for commercial or
non-commercial purposes. Quotes used in reviews are the exception. No
alteration of content is allowed.
Your support and respect for the property
of this author is appreciated.
This book is a work of fiction and any
resemblance to persons, living or dead, or places, events or locales is purely
coincidental. The characters are productions of the author’s imagination and
used fictitiously.
Adult Reading Material
Cover art by: PDP Exclusives
“You embarrassed me tonight.”
She sighed. “What did I do this time,
Barry?”
He frowned at her. “Don’t smart mouth me,
Lily. You know I hate it when you smart mouth me.”
She pressed her lips together and stared
out the windshield at the darkness and the rain. “Sorry.”
“You always are.” He replied.
“Tell me how I embarrassed you.” She
didn’t look at him. “I hardly said a word.”
“That’s my point, Lily. How do you think
it makes me look to have my wife standing there like an uneducated lump in
front of my boss? Christ, you’re home all goddamn day – you can’t turn the TV
on and get caught up on current events?”
She stayed silent. It did no good to argue
when he was in this type of mood. She knew perfectly well that she could be
sitting here being chastised like a small child for speaking too much at the
office party. With Barry you never knew what was going to set him off.
The wipers made a thin squealing noise as
they swiped across the windshield and Barry cursed under his breath.
“Goddammit. I paid forty thousand dollars for this car. You’d think it would
have better goddamn wipers.”
The rain poured down and Lily cleared her
throat nervously. “You should slow down, Barry. It’s been raining all evening
and the roads are wet.”
“Shut up, Lily.” Barry said with
exasperation. He glanced over and looked her up and down. “What have you been
eating lately? That dress barely fits you now. I won’t have a fat wife. Do
you hear me?”
“Yes. I hear you.” She replied softly.
She rested her hand briefly on the round curve of her belly. The evening had
started out promising. Barry had been in a good mood when he got home from
work and he had been excited about the party. She knew he was angling for a
promotion and his new boss, Fred Gibson, seemed to think her husband was the
bees’ knees.
“If I get this promotion, babe,” Barry had
said as they dressed for the party, “we’ll never have to worry about money
again.”
Lily had smiled encouragingly, although
secretly she wondered why they needed more money. They were wealthy, very
wealthy at least by her standards, and she thought it was stupid of Barry to
constantly be comparing them to their friends. She continued to rub the gentle
swell of her belly as a small, bitter smile crossed her face. They were no
more her friends than the money was hers.
“You’re going on a diet, starting
tomorrow.” Barry suddenly barked. “Jesus, we’ve been married seven years and
you’re already starting to let yourself go? My father warned me this would
happen.”
She shook her head. “Barry, I’m not
getting fat.”
“It’s probably your cooking. Do you know
how to cook anything that isn’t swimming in butter and oil?”
“Barry, I’m not getting fat.“ She
repeated.
He ignored her and she sighed and nodded
off and on as he began his tirade of abuse. She stared blankly out the windshield.
A month ago, when she had stared at the small pink plus sign on the pregnancy
test she had, for the first time, acknowledged to herself that something needed
to change.
Barry had provided for her, had taken care
of her after her parents died and she had been left floundering like a fish out
of water, but that didn’t mean he was good for her. A man didn’t need to use
his fists to be abusive. Barry may have never hit her but after years of
emotional and mental abuse, she had a hard time not believing the things he
said about her. Did she want their child to witness the way he berated her?
Or worse – what if he spoke to their child the way he spoke to her?
She made a sudden, rash decision as Barry
snorted impatiently. “Are you listening to me, Lily?”
“No.”
“You know, the – “
He stopped and looked at her, his mouth
dropping open. “What did you just say?”
She took a deep breath, filling her lungs
with the smell of his aftershave, before clasping her hands together tightly in
her lap. “I said no, I wasn’t listening to you. It’s all the same shit coming
out of your mouth and I’m tired of hearing it.”
“Nice mouth on you!” He snapped at her.
“Christ! Maybe you could try being like Mr. Gibson’s wife. She’s a real
classy lady. I bet you’d never hear her cursing like a common whore.”
Her stomach was rolling and churning with
nausea and her hands were ice cold but she made herself continue. “I want a
divorce, Barry.”
“What?” He gasped.
“I want a divorce. I’m done with you and
your abuse.”
“Abuse? You silly little twit! When have
I ever fucking laid a hand on you? I’ve treated you like a queen for our
entire marriage!” Barry shouted.
“I don’t care. I’m leaving you.”
“And where are you going to go? Huh? You
have no money, you’re too stupid to get a job and you have no family or
friends. You need me, Lily.” Barry spat at her.
She could feel herself weakening. He was
right. He was always right. Her sudden burst of independence was fading and she
clung to it with a grim determination. She had to think about the baby. The
baby that she had been so surprised to discover growing inside of her. In the
last two years, Barry had rarely touched her. She suspected that he was
sleeping around on her. His shirts smelled of cheap perfume and there were too
many unexplained late nights.
She hadn’t needed a calendar to know that she
had become pregnant the night of her birthday. Barry had been unexpectedly
sweet to her that day, surprising her with flowers and taking her out for
dinner. They had drunk too much wine and later, when they had gone to bed, the
combination of the wine and Barry’s sweetness had brought on a genuine
enjoyment for his touch for the first time in a very long time.
Barry, his hands gripping the steering
wheel tightly, glared at her again. “I will never give you up, Lily. Do you
hear me? Our marriage ends when, and only when, I say it does. Do you get
that? Or are you too goddamn stupid to even – “
“Barry!” Lily screamed. “Watch out!”
She threw her hands up to shield her face
as Barry shouted in surprise. He jerked the steering wheel to the right in a
last minute attempt to avoid the car that had swerved into their lane. Their front
bumpers kissed with an unearthly squealing sound and Lily screamed again as the
car rolled twice. Her seat belt locked painfully across her chest and the air
bag burst with a muffled thump.
Glass shattered and metal squealed and she
gave a thin, wavering shriek as there was a sudden crushing pain in her leg.
The car landed right side up in the ditch with a teeth-jarring thud. Her head
snapped back like a flower on a stalk and she moaned as the cold rain splashed
against her face. The windshield had shattered, showering her with small
jagged pieces of glass, and she could feel blood trickling down the side of her
head.
Her ears ringing, she lifted one shaking
hand to her head and touched it gingerly. Her fingers came away bloody and she
stared at them disinterestedly before looking down at her lap. The front of
the car had crumpled and she felt a moment of bright panic when she tried to
move her legs and realized they were trapped in the twisted metal.
“Barry,” she moaned, “I can’t get out. I’m
trapped. Barry, please…”
The words died in her throat as she turned
her head to the left. Barry’s head was turned toward her and she made a
choked, gasping moan at the emptiness in his light, blue eyes.
“Barry?” She whispered. “Barry?”
Dimly she could hear people shouting, and
Barry’s horrifyingly empty eyes were lit up by the bright splash of car
headlights. She moaned and tried to move her left leg. It sent an agonizing
bolt of pain up her entire body and she screamed hoarsely before falling
unconscious.
* * *
“Ma’am? Ma’am, can you hear me?”
Lily groaned and tried to lift her hand to
her head. Her head was throbbing and her legs were hurting and she was so
cold. She screamed thinly when her hand was swallowed in a large, firm grip
and her eyes flew open.
“Please! Help me! Please!” She gasped at
the bear of a man who was leaning over her.
“You’re alright, ma’am. Just stay still,
alright?”
She tried to turn her head to look at Barry
but there was something around her neck and she couldn’t twist her head.
“Don’t do that. Try not to move.” The man
leaning over her said soothingly. He had a deep voice, warm and raspy, and she
clung to his hand and gave him a wide-eyed look of panic.
“My legs! I can’t feel my legs!”
“It’s alright. Your legs are trapped by
the car but we’re going to get you out of this car in just a few minutes. I
promise. What’s your name, sweetheart?”
“Lily.” She whispered.
“Lily. Like the flower?”
“Yes.” She stared into his warm brown eyes
and squeezed his hand tightly.
“Well, Lily like the flower, my name is
Logan. I’m a firefighter and we’re here to help you. Okay?”
“O-okay.” Her teeth were chattering with
the cold and Logan frowned before starting to lean back.
“Don’t leave me!” Her voice was bright
with panic.
He squeezed her hand. “I’m not going
anywhere, Lily. I promise.”
“Rob! Bring me a blanket!” He turned his
head and shouted out the broken windshield before turning back to her. “The
paramedics are going to be here really soon. We’ll get you to the hospital and
they’ll fix you up.”
He smiled down at her and she studied the
short, dark beard on his face. “Logan?”
“Yeah?”
“My husband.” She tried again to turn her
head and he rested his free hand against the side of her head.
“Don’t move your head, Lily. We have your
neck and head stabilized and it’s better if you don’t move it until the doctor
can check you for spinal injuries.”
“Alright.” She whispered. “My husband.
Is he – “
“Don’t worry about anything but staying
completely still.” He interrupted her. She moaned at the look in his dark
brown eyes and tears slipped down her cheeks.
“He’s dead, isn’t he?” She whispered.
“Lily, don’t – “
“Tell me!” She cried. “Is he dead?”
Logan stared down at the small dark-haired
woman. Blood was trickling down her face in a steady stream and he could see
the dark bruising already beginning to rise on her pale face. Her eyes were a
dark blue and her pupils were large in the dim light. She stared up at him
pleadingly and he squeezed her hand tightly.
“Yes, he’s dead. I’m sorry, Lily.”
He blinked in surprise. In the faint light
it almost seemed like there was a look of relief on the small woman’s face. He
blinked again and it was gone. In its place was sorrow and he watched as tears
began to course down her face.
“Oh God.” She moaned quietly.
“I’m sorry.” He brushed back a strand of
her dark hair that was caught on her mouth. “I’m so sorry, Lily.”
“Please get me out of here.” She
whispered.
“We will. We’re working on it right now.”
He said soothingly. “Just stay calm and try not to move.”
A man appeared, he was short but broad, and
he gave Lily a reassuring smile before handing a blanket to Logan. He
disappeared into the darkness as Logan covered her with the blanket. She
smiled weakly at him and he stroked her hair again.
“I’m so scared.”
“I know, sweetheart. It’ll be okay.” He
glanced out the broken windshield. “The paramedics are here. They’re going to
– “
He was interrupted by Lily’s loud gasp.
“Logan! I – I can’t breathe. My chest – it hurts and I – I can’t breathe.
Help me!”
Lily clutched at his hand frantically as
she began to gasp for air. “Logan, don’t leave me! Don’t – “
There was another sharp stabbing pain in
her chest and she yelped loudly before her eyes rolled up in her head and she
slipped into unconsciousness once more.