“Is that so?” I’m about to say something else when Shirley comes in.
“Did I just hear someone laughing?” Shirley walks into the room holding a tray in her hand, looking at me and then Willow, who has a smile on her face. “I don’t think I’ve ever heard you laugh before.”
“I don’t usually have anything to laugh about,” Willow says, looking over at her. “Is that my breakfast?”
“It is.” Shirley sets the hospital tray down on the table. “Now, don’t get your hopes up too high,” Shirley says. “We have to wean you into solid foods.”
“I know,” she says. “Besides, I had two bites of blueberry pie.”
“Did you now?” She smiles at her. “Well, eat up because I have to draw your blood, and then we have a CT scan and an MRI.”
“Why?” she asks.
“We want to make sure that the swelling in your brain went down,” Shirley says. “Make sure you are healing. They are totally normal.”
“Okay,” she answers softly, her head going back on the pillow as she closes her eyes.
“Are you hungry?” I ask, and she shakes her head.
“Not really.” She closes her eyes a touch more.
“Rest, sweet girl,” Shirley says, and Willow’s eyes close and don’t open again. Shirley motions with her head for me to follow her out of the room.
“Is she okay?” I ask, worried. Looking over my shoulder, I make sure she is still sleeping.
“She is fine,” she says. “Does she know about this afternoon?”
I shake my head. “I haven’t told her yet,” I say, running my hand through my hair. “She was light and laughing, and I didn’t want to.”
“You better get your balls ready because in less than five hours, that woman is going to be raked over the coals.” She points at the room. “And there is nothing that anyone can do about it.”
She turns to walk away, leaving me with a nagging feeling in my stomach. The burning takes over, and it moves up my neck, my mouth getting drier. My legs feel like I have concrete in my shoes as I walk back into the room and sit in the chair by her bed.
Her face has gained color in the past couple of days, and the circles around her eyes have gotten lighter. The swelling on one side has gone down just a touch. The sound of her laughter echoes in my ears, and I want to hear it again. Over and over again.
I take my phone out and send my father a text.
Me: What time is everyone coming?
I watch as the bubble with three dots comes up and see that it’s just after seven. It doesn’t surprise me that he’s awake. My father might sit behind a desk most of the day, but he always starts his day at five thirty with a walk to the barn.
Dad: We are going to be there at one.
Me: Can you bring blueberry pie?
Dad: Yeah, I’ll get one on my way there. Are you okay?
Me: No. Not even close.
Dad: It’ll be fine. Have faith.
I put the phone down and roll my eyes. My phone beeps again.
Dad: Don’t roll your eyes at me. I can still kick your ass.
I laugh, and it wakes her up. She jumps, gasping out for air. “It’s fine,” I say, grabbing her hand that is shaking in mine. “It’s fine.” Her chest rises and falls, and the machine shows her heart going higher than before but coming down just a touch. “It was a nightmare.” I rub my thumb over the top of her hand. “It’s just a nightmare.”
“Sometimes, your nightmares are reality,” she says, licking her lips. “I’ve found that out way too many times.”
“Not anymore.” I wait for her to look at me. “Nothing will ever hurt you again.”
Her eyes drop to look at our hands, and I can feel her trying to come up with something else. “Willow, look at me.” Her eyes come back to me. “You never ever have to feel fear again.” My thumb rubs across her hand softly. Her eyes go from my eyes to my hand on her and then up to the ceiling, and I know I have to tell her. “Um,” I start to say, and she looks at me. “I’m sorry to have to do this to you.” Her eyes never leave mine. “But they need to come and get a statement.” I swallow. “I tried to push it off as long as I could, but …”
“It’s fine,” she says, moving her hand away from mine. “It’s been long enough.”
“Do you want me to get a lawyer for you?” I ask, and I hold my breath.
“No,” she says. “I did nothing wrong.”
“I’ll be here the whole time,” I tell her, and Shirley enters.
“Okay, you ready to go?” she asks Willow, who avoids our eyes by closing hers. “It should be a couple of hours.” She looks at me, and I just nod.