I finally decided to get this chapter written and updated. I think this is quite a happy chapter in this story, I mean nothing really terrible happens. So you know, that's always good. And some people are happy, others are maybe really happy. Well I don't know when I'll update this again - I won't be coming home again until probably October 27th, so I doubt I'll have it written before then. I prefer to write this one at home. It feels more comfortable to write in my own room, in my own house. If that makes any bit of sense. Anyway here it is, enjoy! Please leave reviews to let me know what you think. Thanks :)
Chapter Fourteen
Early the next morning, Nicky is woken to the sound of her name being called. She opens her eyes immediately and stares over at her girlfriend - deep bouts of worry embedded in her facial expression. When she notices that Lorna isn't in distress, but has a cheerful grin on her face, the worry washes away and replaced with her own smile. She hasn't seen the other smile in weeks now, so this made her heart fill with warmth.
The brunette lovingly reaches over to wrap her arms around Nicky in an embrace. "While you were asleep, your sister's doctor stopped by," she says, a glowing smile on her face as she stare warmly up in her brown eyes, "She's doing very well, and they're gonna send her home this afternoon." Hearing that her girlfriend's sister - who also happens to be her friend - is finally able to leave the hospital brings a bout of happiness and relief to her. She knows how much it hurt Nicky to watch her sister suffer for so long, and now it would finally end.
Pulling Lorna closer to her body, Nicky smiles and presses a kiss to her head. Finally, it seemed life was starting to get back to normal, she thinks. She's glad to hear how well her younger sister is doing - she's been through enough pain for one lifetime. "That's wonderful news - Lilly's had enough suffering for one life; she deserves to finally get to move on with it. I wish you had the same good luck as her right now, though, kid," Nicky looks softly down at Lorna, cupping her face in her hands and kissing her warmly on the lips. She gently runs her hand through the smaller woman's hair, smiling lovingly. "Guess that means I'll have to leave you by yourself for a few hours... Not something I want to do, but I need to make sure Lilly gets home and settled in okay. You understand right, kid?" Receiving a nod in response, she presses another tender kiss to the brunette's lips.
"Of course I do, Nicky," Lorna smiles reassuringly, running her hand gently through the long red locks of hair that belongs to her girlfriend. "She's your sister; she needs you! Besides, I might see if Franny can come down with my nephew. So it all works out." She cups Nicky's face in her hands while stroking her jawline lightly with the tips of her fingers. Slowly their faces inch closer and their lips crash together in a deep, loving kiss.
Nicky wraps her arms tighter around her waist, pulling her as close to her as she can get her. Lovingly her hands run down the brunette's body - their kiss only getting deeper and deeper, so much so that the two are now lying down on Lorna's bed in the midst of a full-on make-out session. The redhead continues to run her hands up and down her girlfriend's body, not able to contain herself but makes sure not to go too far - she knows that a hospital isn't the best place to have sex with the woman she loves.
Suddenly, out of the blue, a sharp pain streaks through Lorna's body - almost near where her legs would be. She grabs onto Nicky's shirt, squeezing tightly as she screams out in agony. "Make it stop! Please make it stop!" Her eyes fill with tears, she holds tighter onto the taller woman - hoping that will somehow take the pain away. Unfortunately, it doesn't and all she can do is cry out. She's never felt such a horrific sensation as this.
Immediately, Nicky wraps her in a soothing embrace. She lovingly places Lorna's head against her chest and presses a warm kiss to the top of her head. Staring softly down at her, she begins to worry, "What hurts, kid? Tell me what's hurting you and I'll see what I can do to stop it. Shhh, try to calm down - I'm right here; I've got ya, baby." She peers down at her, her brown eyes soft with empathy as she strokes her forehead tenderly.
Barely able to speak from how hard she's crying, Lorna points to where her legs used to be and squeezes her eyes shut. "It-it feels like - like my -my legs are on fire! Please - Please make it stop, Nicky...It hurts so much," tears are streaming down her cheeks as she looks up at her girlfriend with fear in her dark eyes. Why is she feeling pain in a spot where there's nothing there? She doesn't have her legs anymore, so why does it feel like someone poured gasoline on them?
Tears form in the redhead's eyes as she sense the amount of pain Lorna is in. She pulls her closer, kissing the top of her head as tenderly as she can. "I'm so sorry, kid - You don't deserve to be hurting like this...You don't deserve to be hurting at all!" She looks down at her, running her hand lovingly across her forehead. "Close your eyes and try to sleep, baby. I'm right here, I'm not gonna leave you. But I think the only thing that can take your pain away is to get some rest, kid. If you're still in this much pain when you wake up, we'll get the doctor to give you something. Okay?" She traces her hand lovingly down Lorna's cheek, giving her a soothing kiss on the head, "I love you so much - You're gonna be okay; I promise, sweetie." It breaks her heart to see the woman she loves in such an agonizing amount of pain, and more than anything does she wish she could take it all away from her. If she could flip back time, to right before they left on the road trip, she would and also would have never suggested they go on it. Yet now there's nothing she can do but wait and hope that her girlfriend heals from this - that she is able to regain her ability to walk, and her pain lessens each and every day.
Several hours passed, the morning slowly moving into early afternoon. That meant it was nearly time for Nicky to go get her sister and bring her home. The thought of finally having her sister out of the hospital definitely brought a strong feeling of relief to wash over her - she loathed to watch any of the people she loved suffer. Yet, it also made her sad to have to leave her girlfriend for the next few hours. She especially hated to leave her after the severe amount of pain she witnessed her suffer not too long ago. Hopefully, though, Lorna's older sister would come and look after her for the afternoon. At least that's what Nicky had hoped for; she refused to allow her girlfriend to suffer alone.
After saying goodbye to Lorna - and making sure to remind her to call no matter what the problem is - Nicky heads out of her room and down the hallway. The doctor informed her that they would have her sister waiting near the entrance of the hospital, in a wheelchair, and that she needs to pull her car up as to make it easier for the nurse to help Lilly into it. That's just what the redhead does; her eyes eagerly scanning for where her sister is once she finally parks her car near the entrance. And when she sees her, she's beyond shocked to see how much her stomach has grown - blatantly obvious to know that she's pregnant.
"Happy to be finally goin' home, kid?" Nicky asks, once her younger sister is situated in the seat across from her. She starts the car, slowly pulling out of the parking lot and glances gently over at the blonde. A comforting smile spreads on her face; she's grateful to see things are finally starting to go right for her baby sister. "You look good pregnant, Lil," she states, reaching over to pat her hand.
Turning her head to peer across at the older woman, Lilly nods in response. She's beyond thankful to finally be getting the heck out of the hospital and happy to get back to living her life again. At least now she has nothing to worry about - no evil father, no neglectful mother, just herself...and the tiny human that's growing inside her. "Well, I've only got four more months until he's due," she blurts out, a small smile forming on her face. When the doctor performed her last ultrasound she was informed that she'll be giving birth to a baby boy - and as far as anyone can tell, he doesn't seem to have any apparent abnormalities.
Her mouth gaped open a tiny bit, Nicky tries to think of something to say to that. She's not sure having a boy is really going to help her sister cope - he'll probably resemble Paolo, and she hates what that will do to Lilly. Staring across at the younger woman, a worried expression covers Nicky face, "Are you happy you're having a son, Lil? You're not worried that he might look like Paolo?" She gently reaches her free hand over to grab a hold of her sister's and squeezes it softly in her own.
Sure, Lilly would have preferred to be carrying a girl - as to not be constantly reminded of how her child was conceived - but there's nothing she can do about it now; all she can do is accept him and hope for the best. "I mean I'm not thrilled over it, but he's a baby. An innocent baby who didn't ask for any of this! I'm terrified of how he'll look when he's born, and that he'll have some terrible genetic disorder...but he's my baby and I want him to be loved. I want to be a mother to him - a real and true mother; one who actually takes care of their children, who loves their children unconditionally, and who would never put any other person before them." She looks down at her rounded baby bump, and sighs sadly. Most people would consider a baby such as hers a mistake, an abomination, something that shouldn't be allowed to live. Not Lilly, though, all she saw was an innocent child who would bring so much love to the world.
"You're a strong woman, my sweet sister," Nicky gently speaks out, giving a warm smile over towards her. No matter what obstacles or hardships that are thrown at her sister, she always manages to pull through them and with such a positive outlook too. "You will be a great mother to him, kid. So much better than Marka could ever even dream to be. You are a kind, loving young woman; you have a heart of gold, Lilly. And please don't think that you have to do any of this alone...I'm here for you, I'll help you. I mean he'll be my nephew, after all, so whatever I can do to help you with him, all you have to do is let me know."
"Auntie Lona, Auntie Lona!" Lorna awakens to the sound of her nephew's squeaky voice calling for her. She immediately opens her eyes and smiles when she sees him come running to her. He jumps up on the bed and wraps his arms tightly around her neck, looking up at her with his big, innocent eyes. "Why you hewe, auntie Lona? Mommy says you got huwt! Whewe's youw owie?!" He observantly stares at her face, trying to find any scratches - thinking she fell down, and that's how she hurt herself.
Wrapping her own arms around the little boy, Lorna laughs lightly while pressing a soft kiss to the top of his head. "Well, buddy, I don't really have an owie - or at least one that you can see. I hurt my legs really bad, and the only way I could get them fixed was to have a doctor remove them," she tries to explain it in a way that her three-year-old nephew can understand. She strokes his thick, dark curls, staring down at him with a loving smile. It brings her heart so much joy to finally be able to see him again - he's always been such a positive influence in her life and what's kept their family from completely falling apart.
Julian's brown eyes go wide with confusion as he holds on tighter to her neck. In his young mind he can't even begin to understand what it means to have one's legs removed. "Doctow took legs? Whewe he put them, aunt Lona?" He innocently asks, his dark eyes peering into her own.
Running a hand through his hair, the Italian woman smiles gently at him. "He had to throw them out, buddy. They weren't working anymore so I couldn't use them, and that's why I don't have them now." Lorna peers down at the little boy, her heart swelling with how precious and sweet her nephew is. She couldn't have asked for a better one - he's got such a big heart for a child his age.
Franny - who's been sitting in the chair beside her bed - watches the heartwarming moment between the two with a warm smile on her face. She knows how much her son adores his aunt Lorna, and how much she adores him - making this moment even more precious for her to watch. She's pleased that her relationship with her younger sister is finally improving, and hopes that one day it will be the same as it was when they were younger. "Julian, be gentle with aunt Lorna. I know you're excited to see her, she is too, but she just had an operation a few days ago - she's in a good amount of pain, sweetheart. You need to be careful around her," Franny firmly speaks to him, making her way towards the bed and staring lovingly down at her sister.
"Oh it's okay, Fran," Lorna softly says, giving a reassuring smile to the older woman. "I'm not in too much pain right now." And just as she says that she feels another strong pain shoot through where her legs used to be. Her hands grip tightly onto the sides of her bed while she squeezes her eyes shut, desperately trying not to scream out in pain. It's proving to be difficult to hold in her cries - she feels as if someone has rolled her body in scorching hot water and then poured a pitcher of hot coffee on her.
Concern very evident on the older woman's face, she quickly pulls Julian off of her, placing him on the floor, and reaches her hand down to softly caress her sister's forehead. "What's wrong, Lorna? Are you okay?" Franny worriedly questions, feeling her heart break at the amount of pain Lorna seems to be in. Gently she scoops the petite woman into her arms, rubbing her back in soothing circles. "It's okay, Lorna. You don't have to hold in your pain! Let it out, sweetheart; your big sister is here to take care of you."
Finally home Lilly can't help but smile as she walks into the kitchen to start a pot of coffee. She gets a mug out from one of the cabinets, setting it down beside the brewing coffee, and goes to have a seat on the couch while she waits. Looking down at her stomach, she reaches her hand to stroke it and feels something flutter underneath her touch. Her smile grows, "Hello there, little guy. You really are growing in there, aren't you?" She's never felt anything quite like the kicking of her unborn child.
Nicky silently stands in the kitchen, observing her with an astonished expression on her face. She's always had a sense that her younger sister would be a mother one day, but never imagined it would be due to such a tragic circumstance. And what surprises her even more is how well Lilly's handled the situation - how she's overcome the horrific abuse her father has repeatedly caused her. How her baby sister is content on birthing her own father's child, and spending the next eighteen years raising him - it all overwhelms Nicky with deep admiration and love for her.
When the blonde lifts her head and notices her, Nicky smiles softly while making her way to sit beside her on the couch. "You feel him movin' around in there, kid?" She gently wraps an arm around her sister's shoulder, giving her a comforting embrace.
"I do - he's moving around like a fish in there. He might be a future swimmer," Lilly lightly laughs, stroking her stomach as she feels the fluttering of her baby all around it. Seconds later her facial expression turns serious as she looks up at her older sister and frowns slightly. "Is Lorna doing okay? I haven't seen her in so long - the last time I saw her was when that Christopher guy came here and tried to kill her. He kept saying how she wouldn't leave him alone and all this insane stuff... I mean, those two were dating weren't they? That's what Lorna always told me at work."
The redhead is a bit taken aback to hear her sister ask about her, but also feels her heart fill warmth. Of course Lilly would ask - she's always been such a compassionate human being. Her eyes soften as she peer down at her sister, pulling her into a protective embrace. "Well, Lil... She's in the hospital, he tried to kill her again a couple of weeks ago. He wrecked into us while we were in the middle of going on a road trip. And the two of them were never really dating, kid. Lorna has a mental illness and it causes her to create these elaborate fantasies, which she full-heartedly believes in. She apparently had been stalking him for the past few years - though she stopped right after she and I became friends. That's the reason he's tried so hard to kill her, but he will never succeed - not if I have anything to do about it," she softly says, pressing a motherly kiss to the top of her sister's head. She hates having to be the one to tell her this, but doesn't want her sister to be lied to any longer - even though it was completely unintentional.
Shocked, Lilly stares up at the older woman with her mouth slightly hanging open. How could she not have seen the signs of such an illness in her friend - whom she'd worked with for the past two years? "She - What? How bad was she hurt in the accident? What about you, Nicky? Were you hurt? Oh God - I'm sorry to hear all this! I mean I should have just stuck that knife right through him when I had the chance, then he wouldn't have had the chance at another attempt...He must be a horrible person to want to kill her! I mean Lorna's always been such a nice and friendly person to talk to. I can't believe I never noticed anything wrong with her. I should have been a better friend to her..." She can fill her eyes already starting to tear up at the thought. Sympathy pours over her at how much this woman has had to suffer, and wonders what more has been brought to her due to the car accident she was in.
Nicky shakes her head, lifting Lilly's chin so that their eyes are met with one another, "No, Lil - don't even think to put any of the blame on yourself. There was absolutely no way for you to know that Lorna was suffering with a mental condition! She's very well at hiding it from people, and besides, you have had you're own share of problems to deal with. And don't try to make what happened with the car crashing your fault - he fucking hurt you, kid! He made you fall so hard that you hit your head and had to be fucking put in an induced coma. This is all Christopher's fault - he is the reason the two most important people in my life have had to suffer through so much fucking pain. But instead of his being blamed, you and Lorna choose to blame yourselves. I'm not letting you do that anymore - either of you. This is all on fucking Christopher and he's the one who should feel like shit about himself - he's the one who should have a brain bleed and have his damn legs cut off. Not my baby sister and my precious girlfriend." She lovingly kisses the top of the younger woman's head, pulling her close. "Lorna's gonna be okay, she just had to have her legs amputated. And it's difficult for her, but she's so strong - just like you are - I know she'll get through it, I'll be with her through all of it. I'm fine though, kid. Don't worry about me, Lil." She smiles reassuringly down at her sister, giving her a gentle squeeze. The last thing the blonde needs is to be worrying and stressing over things that she doesn't need to.
"They cut her legs off? Both of them? That's horrible! Must have been a pretty terrible accident for she to have to lose both her legs," Lilly says, shaking her head sadly. She can hardly imagine how awful it must be for anyone to have deal with such a tragic outcome. Sighing quietly, the blonde gets up from her seat and makes her way back into the kitchen to fix herself a much needed cup of coffee. As she holds the steaming mug in her hands, she stares over at her older sister. She knows how much the other woman cares for Lorna and that she's going to need to spend the majority of her time looking after her, which is why Lilly's made the decision to start searching for own place. "I think it's time I start looking into buying my own apartment - You have Lorna to take care of and I'm going to be having a baby soon. This place would be extremely cramped with three adults and a baby, so it's for the best. Besides, I can't live with my sister forever; I need to start working on my own life so I can be a mother to my son."
Hearing the younger woman say that brings a few tears to Nicky's eyes. She can't believe how strong of a person her sister has become - never did she imagine her to come this far, not after the severe amount of abuse she was put through for nearly all of her life. Wrapping her in a loving embrace, she presses a kiss to the top of her head, "If that's really what you want, then go for it. But you don't need to rush into anything, kid. I'll still be here to help you with whatever you need. Don't think that I'm gonna forget about you just because I've got a girlfriend now. You're still my baby sister and I'll never stop caring about you, Lil. This is your home; you can stay for as long as you need." Her brown eyes peer softly, yet firmly, into Lilly's blue. She's glad to see her sister doing so well, but doesn't want her to feel she has to do this all on her own.
It's late evening when Lorna hears the door of her room slowly creak open. For a minute, her heart starts to race and she pulls the covers up to hide her face - she fears that Christopher has come to kill her once and for all. So when it's Nicky who enters the room, making her way over, she breathes a sigh of relief. A smile slowly spreads across her face as she reaches out to pull the taller woman in for a much awaited embrace.
Wrapping her arms tight around Nicky's neck, Lorna softly presses a kiss to her lips. She lightly traces her hands across her girlfriend's soft cheeks, giving her a loving smile. "How's your sister? She must be happy to finally be outta the hospital, right?" When she sees a tiny flicker of sadness cross Nicky's big brown eyes, she looks at her with concern while stroking her hair lovingly. "Nicky - what's the matter? You look like you're about to cry," her voice soft as she cups the redhead's face in her hands, drawing comforting circles around her cheeks.
"Nothing's the matter, kid," Nicky immediately replies, pulling the smaller woman close to her. She presses a loving kiss to her head and places a soft smile on her face. "Lilly seems to be doing really well, and is very pregnant. She's having a boy and seems to be fine with that, but I'm not too sure how that'll work out for her. He's most likely going to very closely resemble that sickening father of hers, and remind her every day how he was created. And she'll end up suffering in silence, cause' God-forbid she let out any of her damn pain. On top of that she's decided she wants to move out, which means she really will be suffering silently. Don't get me wrong - I'm grateful that she's grown to be such a strong, independent person, but she's still my baby sister and I don't want her to feel that she has to move out in an effort to not be a burden... Because that's how she's always felt, she's always felt that she's been a burden to me and that's nothing but a bunch of nonsense." A bit embarrassed to feel a few tears trickling down her cheeks, she quickly wipes them away.
To see Nicky nearly break down in front of her - something that's hardly ever happened - Lorna can feel her heart breaking inside of her. She looks up at her, her brown eyes filled with compassion and love, as she uses her thumb to lovingly wipe away her tears, "Sounds to me that you're sad to see your baby sister growing into such a mature young woman. And that's perfectly okay, Nicky - you're allowed to be sad; she's your sister that you've basically taken care of for her entire life. You're not ready for her to live on her own, are you? Lilly's ready but you're not." Her eyes glaze over in sympathy for her beloved girlfriend; she wraps her arms tighter around her, giving her a comforting squeeze.
Nicky sighs; maybe that's what she's feeling. She has pretty much spent all of her life raising her own sister - so it makes sense that she's a bit upset to hear that the young woman is ready to live on her own. "I - I guess you're kinda right, kid. I mean I've basically been the one who's raised her - my own fucking sister, and I had to be a damn mother to her because our own couldn't give a shit," she says a bit harshly and instantly tries to wash away her anger - she's not in the mood to think about how terrible of a person that woman was to them. Instead she pulls Lorna closer to her, so close that she's now lying beside her and running her hand through her hair. Her hands trace lovingly down the smaller woman's body, her eyes peer warmly down at hers. "Let's talk about something happier - How was getting to see your nephew?"
Still concerned for the redhead, Lorna stares up at her firmly, "Hey - this is a two-sided relationship, Nicky. You don't have to hide any of your emotions from me; I want to be here for you just as much as you do for me. So you're hiding things from me isn't going to work. I know you're not big into sharing your own problems with others, but I'm your girlfriend for fuck's sake - I love you more than anyone and I want to be able to help you, the same as you've done for me. But how can I help you when you hide things from me?" She lets out a sad sigh, hoping she doesn't cause a fight between them. She just wants to make sure that Nicky knows she doesn't always have to be so tough. Her eyes pour into the other's, love very evident within them.
"You're right, kid; you are. But right now, I just wanna lay here and hold you. We'll talk about heavy stuff tomorrow - right now, let's just enjoy each other," Nicky softly brushes her lips over Lorna's, pulling her on top of her and running her hands tenderly down her sides. She looks lovingly into the brunette's sparkling eyes, smiling happily at her. Her hands continue to stroke her girlfriend's frail body, leaving her feeling tingly and warm inside. "I love you more than anyone, too, Lorna. You're my soulmate - something I never actually believed in until I met you."
Concern fades away into compassion as Lorna beams up at her beautiful girlfriend. She cups her cheeks, pressing their lips together in a tender kiss. "I've always known I had a soulmate waiting for me, and I am so happy it's you," her lips press against the soft skin of Nicky's forehead while she reaches her hands to trace tiny circles around on her stomach. "You're a beautiful, loving woman, Nicky, and you have such a big heart - even though you try to hide it most of the time. I couldn't see my life ever going back to a time where you're not in it." She wraps her arms tighter around her girlfriend's neck, resting her head in the crook of it as she lovingly stares up at her - her finger tips lightly stroking the side of her neck.
Nicky feels her heart melting inside of her; she pulls Lorna closer to her body, giving her a soft peck on the lips. She runs her hand lovingly through the short waves of her lover's hair, staring tenderly down into her eyes. A glowing smile forms on her face as she continues to pull her closer, "We should get married some day, don't ya think? I mean I know I can't see myself spending the rest of my life with anyone but you, kid. You're my heart and soul - I want to spend forever with you, Lorna. I love you so fucking much!" She can feel Lorna's head enthusiastically nodding against her chest, and her smile grows bigger. Kissing the top of her head warmly, Nicky beams softly down at the woman she loves. "My sweet, precious Lorna - you make my heart melt with love for you, baby."