Chapter 6 - The Longest Night
PATIENT CHART: LILY VANCE
Admittance: 19:15 PM, Dec 24
Diagnosis: Second-degree burns to left shoulder, upper arm, and neck.
Treatment: Debridement, sterile silver-sulfadiazine dressings, IV pain management.
Status: Stable, under observation.
The hospital smelled of antiseptic and cold air.
I spent the rest of Christmas Eve holding Lily’s right hand while she slept, her tiny body sedated by pain medication. The doctors had been incredibly kind, but the process of cleaning the burns—debridement—had been agonizing to watch. I had cried silently, my tears soaking into the hospital sheets, while David held me from behind, his strength the only thing keeping me upright.
"She’s going to be okay, Elena," David whispered, kissing the top of my head. "The doctor said because we got cold water on it so fast, and because her dress absorbed the worst of it, she won't need skin grafts. There will be scarring, but with proper care, it will heal beautifully over time."
"I should have never brought her here," I choked out, the guilt clawing at my chest. "I wanted a mother so badly that I risked my daughter's safety. I did this to her."
"Hey," David said, gently turning my face to look at him. "Stop that. You did not do this. Meredith did this. Chloe did this. You are a loving daughter who hoped for a miracle, but you are an even better mother who fought for her child. You got the footage. You got them arrested. You saved Lily."
I looked at my sleeping daughter. Her left arm was heavily bandaged, but her breathing was steady. She looked so small in that big hospital bed, but she was alive, and she was safe.
On Christmas morning, the sun rose over a blanket of fresh, white snow, casting a soft golden light through the pediatric ward window.
Lily slowly blinked her eyes open. "Mommy?"
"I'm here, baby," I smiled, squeezing her hand.
"Is the bad lady gone?" she whispered.
"She’s gone, sweetheart," I said, my voice firm and clear. "She and Chloe are with the police. They are never, ever going to hurt you or see you again. I promise."
Lily let out a tiny, soft sigh of relief. "Can we go home soon?"
May you like
"Very soon, my love," David said, leaning over to kiss her cheek. "And we are going to have the biggest, best Christmas celebration you've ever seen, right in our own living room."
But our battle with Meredith and Chloe was far from over. As we would soon discover, their cruelty was matched only by their desperation.
