"Lil."
"What?"
"Maybe I should drive."
"Why?" But it didn't really matter; she was already digging in her bag for the keys.
"You're shaking."
She located her keys and handed them to Scotty without saying a word just as they walked up to her car. He took them from her and as he did, patted her hand, noticing that she didn't pull away. "It'll be okay," he said quietly as they got in the car. "It'll all be okay."
The drive back to Lilly's house was so deafeningly quiet that Scotty flipped on the radio, humming along with the familiar song to calm his own nerves. At a stoplight, he turned to Lilly and noticed that she had fallen asleep. Sighing, he turned the radio down and felt guilty for what felt like the hundredth time in a month.
Lilly was still asleep when they pulled up to her house. Scotty left the keys in the ignition and didn't bother to wake her up.
"Christina." He pulled the door open without ringing the bell. "Christina! Where are you?"
"Down here." He followed the sound of her voice to the basement.
"Where's Lilly?"
"Asleep in the car. C'mon."
"I don't know if…"
"If…?"
"I can get up."
Scotty sighed and pulled on her hand. "You have a hospital bag?"
She held one up.
"Good. Now come on."
"Scotty?"
"What?"
"Are you mad at me?"
"No. Just come on." He opened the car doors and helped Christina get in.
"Lil, wake up. We're there." Scotty shook Lilly's shoulder gently. She stirred, but didn't wake. He turned to Christina. "Chris, I'll come back for Lilly. Come on. Are you okay?" his panic mode was kicking in. He had a sudden, painful yearning for his previous life, for Elisa and organization and nothing toxic in his life, but he pushed it aside. He helped Christina out of the car and kissed her hair lightly, wondering again why he felt so damn guilty.
"I hate this." Lilly stood up and paced for the millionth time in four hours. "I've never been so tense." She sat down heavily. "I hate hospitals."
Scotty said nothing, just offered her a drink.
"This must be how my mother felt," she said quietly, taking a sip.
"What?"
"Never mind." She leafed through a Parents magazine and tapped her foot nervously.
A tall doctor came down the hallway and stood gravely in front of Lilly and Scotty.
"Christina is out of surgery," he said.
"And the baby?"
"A girl. She's very sick, and was rushed to the neo-natal intensive care unit immediately following birth. She's going to be there awhile."
"But she's alive?"
"Yes, and within a few months, she should be just fine."
"What's her name?"
"I'm not sure."
"Can we see Christina?"
"Of course." The doctor led Lilly and Scotty down a long, clean hallway, into a room marked 69-M. Christina smiled when they walked in. "Hi."
"You have a daughter," Lilly said seriously.
"I know. I named her Sunshine."
"Sunshine?"
Christina shrugged. "The sun was shining."
"Maybe you should think this through."
"No. She's Sunshine."
Lilly shook her head. "She's very sick."
"She'll get better."
"You don't get it, do you?" Lilly snapped. "She's going to be sick forever. Even if she does make it out of the hospital, she's going to be sick for the rest of her life, and it's your fault." She left the room, shutting the door heavily behind her.
Christina started to cry, and Scotty stood silently, trying to decide whether to follow Lilly or comfort Christina.