Later that day, Lily and Tony finally clocked out of the hospital after what was the most stressful day for Lily since she resumed. Her emotions were on a rollercoaster and so were her hands and feet as she was assigned to a doctor to help with the massive inflow of critical patients.
A large number of nurses and doctors were staying through the night to watch the patients but, Tony knew that Lily wasn’t in the right state of mind to have an all-nighter at the hospital so, he spoke to Dr. Lorey and had another nurse take her place.
“She isn’t feeling well, Lorey, and the last thing I’d want is for her health to deteriorate. I am sorry that I’m doing this when the hospital needs all the hands it can get.” He apologized.
“I understand, Tony. I saw her at the emergency ward and she looked like she would fall at any minute. I was going to tell you to take her home. I’m sure the others will understand.” Dr Lorey said with a warm smile and Tony thanked her before leaving to get Lily who was waiting at her desk.
“Come.” He held out his hand and helped her walk to the car. Neither Tony nor Lily cared about the watchful eyes anymore. Everyone at the hospital was bound to find out about their relationship sooner or later.
After a fifteen-minute drive, thanks to the clear road on the streets of Paris, they finally arrived at the house. Tony unlocked the door and allowed Lily to step into the quiet house first.
Once they were both in, they sighted Rachael waiting for them, curled up on the couch with an iPad in her hand. There was a look of pity on her face as she saw them walk in tiredly.
“Oh my goodness.” She dropped her device on the couch and hurried to them. “I heard about what happened on the news.” She revealed, her eyes filled with sadness.
“I can’t imagine how tired you both are.” She added and they both gave her a tired smile. Rachael noticed that Lily was leaning on Tony for support and it dawned on her that something else was going on.
“Do you want to sit first or would you both take a shower and come back down for dinner?” She asked and they both nodded, going with the second option.
“We’re too tired to sit for dinner right now. I think a shower will make us feel better.” Tony added.
“I’ll set the table then,” Rachael said and gave way for them to head upstairs.
As they arrived before Lily’s door, Tony contemplated asking her if she would need his help since he wasn’t sure she was strong enough to take care of herself.
“Thank you, Tony. I’ll take it from here.” Lily’s voice pulled him out of his thoughts.
“Are you sure? I don’t think you’d be able to move around.” He said, voicing out his worries. Lily chuckled and shook her head in disbelief.
“I didn’t get hit by a truck, Tony.” She joked tiredly. “Don’t worry about me. You should freshen up too. I’ll be down in a few minutes.” She promised and smiled briefly before going into her room.
As promised, Lily arrived at the dining table thirty minutes later and was met with Tony and Rachael already seated.
“You should have started without me.” She said with a pout, feeling bad for making them wait for her.
“Nonsense, Lily. It’s not a family dinner if everyone isn’t present.” Rachael said with a cheerful grin, hoping to lighten the mood.
‘Family?’ Lily thought silently.
‘I have a family now.’ She held back the tears and only returned Rachael’s smile before whispering a ‘thank you.’
A few minutes into dinner, Tony cleared his throat, deciding that it was finally time to tell Rachael about the new development.
“There’s uhh…there’s something I need to tell you, Rachael.” He said, his tone suddenly serious.
Sensing the tension, Rachael sat straight.
“It’s about Lily’s ex-boyfriend, Louis.” He began. “He has been threatening Lily for a while now.” He revealed and Rachael’s eyes widened in shock.
“There’s a lot involved with this case but for your safety, we cannot tell you more than this. I just want you to be aware of what is going on. I will be going to meet him and try to use myself as bait to catch him. He belongs to a wanted gang so it might not be so easy. While I am gone, no matter how long, you have to take care of Lily.” He finished in a low tone.
Rachael blinked as if she hadn’t heard him right.
“What? What are you talking about, Tony?” She asked with wide eyes.
“This is the only way to ensure that Lily is safe and no, this isn’t her fault. I was the one who brought her here and forced her to leave him so, I am completely responsible for everything and he knows that which is why he has decided to hunt me down. But, I can beat him at his own game and have him and his gang members arrested.” He added with the hope that it would make her understand better but, all Rachael heard was that her only sibling was going to get himself killed to protect Lily.
Rachael stood up, her face flushed with fear and anger. “No! No, Tony! You can’t do that! There has to be another way! You just said he belongs to a dangerous gang, what if something goes wrong? What if he kills you?” Her lips trembled and her voice was unstable as fear shot through her veins.
“Why can’t you inform the police about this and let them handle it? You don’t have to risk your life like this! This is insane!” She screamed, shaking her head profusely.
Rachael glanced at Lily who had been listening with her head glued to the table. Her soft sniffs could be heard amidst the noise in the room.
“And what about her? Have you thought about what would happen to her if anything goes wrong and you are killed by him? She will fall right back into his arms!” She hissed.
Tony’s heart clenched at the last part of her sentence. He looked at Lily who met his gaze with a pained expression, her eyes glistening with tears.
“I have to try, Rachael. It’s better than sitting with my hands folded.” He said softly. “What if I am successful? It would mean she’ll never see him again. Isn’t that better than just not doing anything?”
Tears started to spill down Rachael’s cheek and she shook her head sadly. “I don’t understand why you always have to be like this. You are a doctor, Tony, not some vigilante! How are you going to save lives if you are dead?”
The tension in the room lingered as Tony and Rachael shared a long, silent look. One that made Lily’s heart ache.
She never wanted this. It pained her to know that Tony was doing all of this for her. He was willing to sacrifice himself for her.
If that wasn’t love then, Lily didn’t know what else was.