A burst of static.
Lily awoke to darkness, lying on her side, her mind in a fog.
Did the power go out?
Her eyes adjusted. She was facing an unfamiliar wall. There was an end table. A lamp. Pictures. A door. No, two doors. She didn't recognize any of it.
...Where was she?
A massive weight stuck to her, holding her down. She groaned, her arm moving out, flopping numbly to the soft, smooth surface below. She tried to grip, to pull herself forward, but each attempt was unsuccessful. Her fingers wouldn't move right and she couldn't get a hold on anything. She was too tired.
Wait, why did she feel so tired?
No, she could figure that out later. She wanted to get up. So she tried again.
And again.
And again.
Where was she?
It hurt to move.
She had to go.
Go where?
It was so hot.
She tried again.
Something from behind wrapped around her, pinning her arms, pulling her back, holding her against something different.
Something soft.
Something warm.
A heartbeat.
A person.
Lily gasped, her mind blanking and instinct taking over. She tried to kick and scratch. Her muscles ached, crying out, begging for her to stop. Her struggling only encouraged her captor, their strength seeming to grow. So she tried to whine, yell, scream. Each caught in her throat, coming out as a groan.
A hand appeared. Were they going to muffle her? She readied to bite down.
It continued past her face, to the top of her head, the fingers gently running through her hair.
A voice.
"Shhh... It's okay, Lily. Mommy's here. Everything's okay."
The last of the fight drained from Lily's body. She went limp, her hands coming to rest against the one Mom kept around her. "Mm-"
"Mommy's here, sweetie." Mom. Mom's voice. Right? Yeah, that was hers. Yes. Good. Her fingers never slowed. A few strands of hair fell, burning against Lily's face. "I'm right here. I've got you. It's okay. Everything's okay."
Her words soothed the panic away, and Lily's heart slowed. "Wh- Where..."
"Shhh... It's okay. We're at home. We're in bed in my and your father's room."
"Oh." She paused. "Why?"
"You don't remember?"
"N-" The world tilted, images flooding her mind. Rain. Wind. A man and a boy. Dr. Lopez. Mom and Dad and... a baby? Lily couldn't make sense of any of it, and she didn't want to, her attempts only making things worse. So she buried her face in a pillow with a whine. "My head hurts..."
"Oh, I'm sorry, baby." Mom brushed the hair away from Lily's face, tucking it behind her ears. The cool air felt good. "Do you want me to get you an aspirin?"
With another whine, Lily shook her head.
"Okay, no aspirin." Mom held her closer, kissing the back of her head. "Don't push yourself. We'll just lie here, okay?"
They did.
The pain evened out. Lily pulled her face out of the stifling pillow, specks of light and colour dancing through her vision. Time seemed nonexistent there in the dark as she listened. To Mom's breathing. Her own. The vents humming. She didn't hear any moaning this time. She hated when she heard the moaning.
Exhale. "...Do we still have to go to Dr. Lopez's today?"
Mom hesitated. "We already went, sweetie."
"Oh. We did?"
"We did."
"Oh." She stared at nothing, her hand warming the cool, empty space next to her. An inhale, and her nose filled with the smells of Mom and- "...Dad?"
"What was that, sweetie?"
"Dad," she repeated.
Mom started to stroke her hair again, and Lily felt her eyelids get heavy. "He's sleeping on the couch. He didn't want his coughing to wake you up."
"Oh." The couch, the living room, the- "Is the front door locked?"
"Yes. You checked it before-" Mom hesitated. "You checked it. It was locked."
Something about Mom's reply didn't sound right, but Lily's doubts fell back into the soupy mess that was her thoughts. "Okay," she managed. A pause. "And the backdoor?"
"Locked, too." Lily could hear the smile in her voice. "And before we went to bed, your father checked again, and I checked behind him."
"...Were they locked?"
"They were locked."
"Okay."
…
Mom swallowed. "I love you, Lily."
"I love you, too, Mommy," she managed. Mom's heart skipped a beat, and Lily barely realized what she had said. When was the last time she called her 'Mommy?' She couldn't really remember, and didn't want to. Remembering hurt too much. It didn't matter anyway, did it?
"And even though your father isn't here to say it, he loves you, too."
"I know."
…
…
…
Exhale. "Is the front door locked?"
"It's locked, honey."
"And the back door?"
"It's locked, too." Another kiss, this one lingering. Mom inhaled, letting it out slowly. "Try to get some sleep, okay?"
"Okay."
The night dragged on, the silence exerting it's pressure. Mom's hand eventually stopped. Her breathing evened out and her soft snores followed. Lily tightened her grip on her as best she could, moving their hands to her own chest. She felt safe. At ease.
They loved her, she reassured herself. They would never leave her. Everything was okay, and everything would be okay. They would never abandon her. They would never get rid of her. They would do anything for her.
They loved her.
She loved them.
…
But she couldn't help thinking something was her fault.