Rachael was in the living room with her daughter, Daisy when she heard Tony’s car drive in. She checked her time and saw that it was still six in the evening.
“Why are they back so early?” She wondered. Earlier in the day, Tony had let her know that he would be taking Lily to see a movie at night and even asked her for recommendations so, she was shocked to see that they had returned already.
A few minutes later, the door opened and Lily walked in with Tony by her side.
“Uncle Tony!” Daisy screamed and ran to welcome him with a hug while Rachael made her way towards them. As she neared them, she noticed that Lily’s countenance was down which was unlike her, especially after a date.
She quietly walked to Lily’s side, held her hands, and led her upstairs to her room. Lily’s eyes were swollen like she had been crying and her body was tense. Worry immediately filled Rachael and she now wanted to know what had happened during the date.
“What’s wrong, Lily? What happened?” Rachael asked calmly.
Lily took a deep breath, calming herself before speaking. “The waiter at the restaurant where I and Tony visited turned out to be a close friend of Louis, my Ex-boyfriend,” Lily explained in a weak tone.
Lily never fully explained her situation with Louis to Rachael but, she was sure Rachael already knew. It was no secret that Tony kept nothing from his sister.
“Oh, Lily.” Rachael pulled her in for a hug. “You shouldn’t be scared of that monster, Lily. Tony promised that he was going to keep you safe and I know my brother. He will keep you safe even if he has to hire a thousand bodyguards to be at your side at all times.” Rachael assured her and Lily nodded slowly.
“Thank you, Rachael. Thank you so much.” Lily said genuinely.
She knew that it wouldn’t be so easy to get over Louis and the trauma but, she was going to try.
They both pulled out of the hug after a few minutes and Rachael decided to leave so Lily could freshen up. As she walked to the door, she suddenly turned to Lily with determination on her face.
“The next time he comes close to you, he’ll be going to prison,” Rachael said before she left.
Lily felt tears brim in her eyes once again as Rachael left but it wasn’t from sadness this time around. They were happy tears. The last time she had people around her who loved and cared about her was when she was still in college. Her life was great until Louis came in and ruined it.
Now, she didn’t even know where her family and friends were or if they were even still alive. She hoped they were still alive.
*
*
The next day, Tony decided to drive Lily to the hospital for her shift even though she begged him not to.
“What if one of the nurses sees? It will confirm their suspicions, Tony. I don’t want to be the topic of discussion.” Lily said in a pleading tone but Tony wasn’t going to let her go to the hospital alone. Not when her crazy ex was still on the loose.
“Let them think whatever they want, Anna. I don’t care. You shouldn’t too.” Tony said and pulled her by the arm before forcing her into the car. Lily sighed and bit her nails nervously as she waited for him to enter the car. As soon as he entered, she turned to him and continued to beg.
“Tony, please. You can ride in my taxi if you’re so worried about me. At least, that way, you would be sure that I am perfectly fine.” She suggested but Tony shook his head and ignited the car engine. As the car roared to life, he turned to her and held her face with his palm.
“You will be fine, Lily. Now, put on your seatbelt before I do it for you.” He said with a wink, referring to what happened the previous day. Lily’s cheek reddened immediately as she realized what he meant and she quickly put on her seatbelt and focused on the road.
Fifteen minutes later, they arrived at the hospital. Unlike the other workers who usually parked at the parking lot, Tony parked in front of the hospital and then gave the key to his secretary who then parked it at the parking lot.
“You can’t possibly expect me to walk out of this car with all these eyes around,” Lily said as soon as he turned the engine off.
Tony looked around and then back at her. “I don’t see why you can’t.” He said with his hands on his chin.
“Tony! I work here!” Lily exclaimed, pointing to the hospital. She had never appreciated a tinted glass as much as she did at that moment.
“So do I.” He said nonchalantly and Lily narrowed her eyes at him.
“Tony, please.” She said, looking around with fear on her face. Tony knew the reason for her worry and he understood but, he wanted her to get used to attention as she was going to be his girlfriend soon.
“Come, Lily.” He said and left the car before she could stop him. Lily buried her face in her palm and swore silently. A few seconds later, Tony was in front of her door and before she knew it, the door flung open.
“Let’s not cause a scene now, Lily.” He said with a smile as he held out his hand and Lily groaned loudly.
“Whatever happens, I’m calling your name.” She said before taking his hand and walking out of the car. As soon as she got out, she immediately withdrew her hands and shifted away. She didn’t want to give people the wrong impression.
Tony found her behavior funny and laughed before walking into the hospital with her by his side. The hospital was lively, as usual, and some of the doctors were taking their rounds with their nurses behind them.
Unfortunately for Lily, Doctor Aurelie was taking her last round before leaving for the day with a few nurses from her department.
Doctor Aurelie noticed Tony and stopped to greet him. The other nurses looked like they saw a ghost as they saw Lily beside him. But, they kept quiet and waited for Doctor Aurelie to finish.
“Good morning, Doctor Lorey.” Lily greeted with her head lowered. She was too embarrassed to face the other nurses.
“Morning, Lily. How was the move? I heard about it from Doctor Harrison.” Doctor Aurelie Lorey said and Lily lifted her head to answer.
“I-it was okay.” She stuttered and decided that it was time for her to leave. “Please, excuse me.” She said and ran before anyone could stop her.
She got to her desk, sat down, and breathed out. A few seconds later, she went into the dressing room to get ready for the day. As she entered the dressing room, three nurses who were already in there stopped talking and stared at her. It was obvious that they were talking about them but, Lily didn’t blame them. It was expected.
“Hi.” She greeted and walked to her locker, ignoring the glares from the nurses. One of them cleared her throat and walked up to Lily.
“I see you now ride with Doctor Martinez. Are you guys an item now?” She asked with a harsh glare and the others listened in to hear Lily’a reply but, she said nothing.
“You know, we’ve known for a while that you got this Job through connections. It’s now pretty obvious. You took a leave two days after resuming. Now, you’re getting out of Doctor Martinez’s car, and in the morning? Just admit it. You’re fucking him, aren’t you?”