Chapter One Hundred Two
Mr. and Mrs. Chapman stood bickering over the pristine marble island in their kitchen while Lorna watched uncomfortably from the archway. To have been taken away from a nice afternoon drinking coffee in the hospital cafeteria with her siblings to this, she couldn't display enough how infuriated she felt. What a waste of a day, she shook her head and rolled her eyes. Clearly she wasn't wanted here any longer and yet, she couldn't do anything about that unless she desired to be sent to a juvenile center. Hell, she thought, maybe going there wouldn't be that bad. At least she wouldn't be living with people who only took her in to up their reputation in whatever group they were in.
Impatiently waiting for the two stop arguing long enough to acknowledge her existence, Lorna walked fully into the room and settled onto one of the chairs facing the counter of the island. Neither paid her any mind which she was grateful for. She wasn't any fonder of being there than they were of having her there. Maybe choosing to donate her liver to her father wouldn't be such a terrible idea after all. At least then she would get away from the Chapman's and hopefully their custody of her would also be rescinded.
The sound of Lorna's fingers tapping against the countertop surface eventually tore the husband and wife from their argument and over onto her. A disdain expression was instantly fixed on Mrs. Chapman's face upon seeing who she deemed as the delinquent teenager sitting a few feet away. She huffed an exaggerated sigh, slowly folding her arms in over her chest. "You finally decided to show your face in this house, have you?"
It wasn't difficult for Lorna to pick up on the obvious distaste inflecting through Carol's voice. She shrugged her shoulders nonchalantly and momentarily shifted her eyes up on the ceiling before returning them onto the blonde woman standing across from her. Carol's eyes narrowed darkly on her brown ones which instinctively had her scooting her chair slightly back from the counter to put more distance between them. She swallowed uneasily and felt any confidence she once had rapidly dissolve from her body while she slumped into the seat.
"I mean why are ya so bothered by me not being here? You don't even like me, ya said so yourself," Lorna muttered with another a shrug of her shoulders. Her eyes averted onto the marble pattern of the island's surface. She lifted a hand to it and traced a thumb from one side to the other.
Carol scoffed at the tone in the teenager's voice. Some nerve she had to speaking to her with that kind of an attitude. That was all Lorna Morello had was some damn nerve. Her head shook in contempt; eyes gazing at the young girl in a disapproving manner. All Lorna had done since they'd taken her in was cause one problem after the other. She had just about enough out of her. No, her mind corrected, she had beyond enough of Lorna and her attitude. It was time to get her out of their damn house.
A cup of tea she busied herself with preparing, a mundane task she usually left for one of their butler's to do. She was too distraught to call one of the butler's in to fix it for her anyway. The revelation the CPS worker had shared with she and her husband a half hour earlier played through her mind as she steeped the teabag in her mug of boiling hot water. It wasn't a decision she needed to contemplate one bit—if they signed off on allowing Lorna to donate a portion of her liver to her father then she'd be out of their hair soon enough. She didn't need to think that over at all; she was more than ready to go to whoever's office she needed and sign the paperwork right then and there.
It took not more than three minutes for her tea to finish steeping. With her hand nursing the mug, Carol walked back over to where she'd previously stood and her gaze fixed itself right back onto Lorna. She sipped the tea slowly as she watched Lorna's every move from right above the rim of the mug. "I don't like you, you're right on that. And it's clear as day you don't like me either or being here. So, Bill and I are going to fix that for you," she started off between sips of her tea.
The cup was set down on the counter before she picked up where she left off. "Tomorrow morning we're going to the medical center and signing the consent forms so you can give your poor father the transplant he deserves. It'll take care of two things at once. We get our family back and you get yours."
Mr. Chapman stood shaking his head the entire time she spoke. Hands framed around his face as he looked at his wife in disbelief. Clearly nothing he said was taken into any amount of consideration. He was growing rather fatigued of Carol and her antics, the energy surrounding her. The way she belittled a teenager who was obviously going through a rough time. He shook his head once more the only thing he found himself able to do since the disbelief coursing through him left him momentarily tongue-tied.
Brown eyes widened vastly as what Carol said was absorbed in Lorna's ears then into her mind. Since when was that a decision for anyone to make but herself? Even her two older siblings hadn't been allowed to decide anything on her behalf. Yet, now, all of a sudden the Chapmans had a damn interest in her well-being? Lorna couldn't believe her ears. None of it made sense. It was her body, her fucking liver—why the fuck was a person unrelated to her, who obviously had a vendetta against her, the one choosing what she did with her damn organ?
"Excuse me? It's my choice whether or not I donate anything to my dad, why are ya tellin' me you're signing consent forms for it? I-I haven't even made up my mind yet," the more she spoke the more distressed she became. Her words fumbled together from the intense emotions spilling out of her voice. She could barely keep her composure. Anger, betrayal, disbelief—all dominated her, overpowered her to an extent that made even thinking the hardest task imaginable. Her mind couldn't wrap around how the Chapmans' knew of the situation to begin with; that certainly hadn't been a topic she disclosed and it had to have been some form of privacy violation for the CPS lady to share it with them if that was what happened.
Yet another scoff had been produced by Carol's windpipe. She shook her head and reached for her tea once again. Bringing it up to her mouth, she drew in a long sip while lifting her shoulders right up towards her cheeks. "That's where you're wrong, Lorna. You're under eighteen and therefore you have no say in the matter. A shame truly but I think it'll do you good to go through with the donation. Maybe then you'll learn to be more appreciative of things. I don't understand how your father put up with you, God, you're so draining on my mental physique."
The distress continued to escalate. Lorna couldn't stay in that room, that house—she didn't care if she got in trouble for running away from that place, she'd risk that over having to sit there and keep listening to Mrs. Chapman's continuous speech about how a decision that should be her own was not one. Breathing hadn't even been an action she could easily do. It was overwhelmingly stuffy in there, the air, the atmosphere…the fucking aura.
Her body acted on autopilot; she didn't hesitate a second longer as she swiftly jolted up from the chair and began frisking her way back through the archway in leu of the front door. She ran out of it faster than she'd ever run before—faster than she thought was possible for herself to do. By the time the running caught up to her and she had to stop to catch her breath, she was halfway down the street. Or more likely a half a mile down the street. From where she currently stood, her hands making binoculars around her eyes, she could just barely make out the Chapmans' house. The distance between she and the house was so much that she had to squint to get a clearer picture of it.
A sigh came out of her and once she felt her heart slow back to normal, she turned around continuing to run further from their estate. There was no stopping until she knew for certain she was a good portion away from them that she wouldn't have to worry about them coming after her. She was too upset, too pissed off to deal with either of them right now.
The farther she walked the closer to a nature trail she was. Once she came to what appeared to be the entrance of it, she turned into it and traveled along the path until a beautifully crafted wooden bench caught her eye. Innately she found herself walking towards the bench, plopping down on it once she was able to. Lorna sat there for a good while watching as a few birds flew around the surrounding area. One landed on a tree branch directly in front of her while another landed on the ground next to it. A small smile formed from the corners of her lips as she watched the two little creatures.
Birds sure had a simple and happy life she thought to herself. What she would give to be a bird right now. To have the ability to fly—she could only dream of such a life. The sound of a beak hitting over and over into the bark of the tree was what brought Lorna out of her thoughts. Air sadly escaped her lungs knowing she was stuck in the reality of having to cough up her liver, or at least part of it.
Her hand crawled into the pocket of her jacket and felt her phone coldly press into her palm the second she had. She took it out immediately, flipping the screen open so she could scroll through her contacts for Nicky. Maybe Nicky could help her think of a way out of this situation. Or, even if she couldn't, at least Nicky would find a way to calm her fraying nerves as she always so easily seemed to do.
The call was started by her thumb clicking on the call button right beside Nicky's name. Several rings sounded through Lorna's ear before she heard the line finally pick up. Already a calming breath exhaled out of her. "Hey, Nicky," she murmured, eyes still staring out at the two birds frolicking about the tree and grass across from the bench she'd sat on. "I, um, I could use a little help. I kinda got myself into a bit of a pickle."
Having been sitting with a coffee at a table in the coffee shop with Alex, Nicky instantaneously grew concerned and sat up straighter in her chair with the phone pressed securely to her ear. "What kind of a pickle are we talkin' about, kid? You okay? Do I need to come get ya?" Questions whirled right out of her mouth after swirling around her mind the second she saw the caller ID pop up on her phone.
"Well, it's a real long story," Lorna said, swallowing thickly. Her hands rested on either side of the bench. The grittiness of it hit both palms instantly upon contact. "I was with Fran and Mikey and then that mean ole' CPS lady found us and well now I'm back with the Chapmans…well, not exactly right at this minute, I'm sitting in the woods—erm, I think this would be considered the woods—and I'm probably gonna be sent to juvie because a this."
The words were hard for Nicky to understand from how fast Lorna was speaking. She held the phone tighter to her ear but that didn't help much. Her heart began to crack from how worked-up her girlfriend seemed to be getting. "Babe," she softly murmured, stroking her thumb along the edge of the phone's surface. However, she could still hear Lorna obliviously trying to explain where she was—what she was doing. A sigh sounded through her windpipe. "Babe," Nicky repeated louder, a bit firmer.
Finally Lorna stopped talking long enough to take in a few breaths, eyes still staring straight ahead at the same tree branch. "Erm, what was that Nicky?"
"I don't know, doll, I couldn't understand what all you were saying. You're talking so fast and I can hear ya sniffling, what's the matter? Tell me but please talk slower, yeah?"
A sigh sounded through the phone's receiver. Clear as day Nicky heard it. That only strengthened the cracking in her chest. The fast—and heaviness—of Lorna's breathing into the phone made Nicky wonder what could possibly be going on with her. "Are you okay Lorna? You're breathing so hard sounds like ya just ran a marathon or somethin', kid. What's going on, huh? You're worrying me," her voice inflected sharply with a heaping amount of concern.
The branch Lorna had her eyes on suddenly broke off from the tree—once the bird had flown away—and fell onto the ground, crinkling against the leaves beneath it. She sighed and moved her stare down onto her lap where her free hand rested atop of. Fingers busied themselves with the zipper of her jacket that had lain right above the start of her thighs. "I did kinda just run downa street, hon. I found a little trail in the woods like, erm, I'm not sure how far from the Chapmans' house it is but I just…I couldn't stand to be in that house any longer."
An audible gasp was heard tumbling from Nicky's airway. Without a moment more of hesitation she jumped up from her chair—motioned a hand at Alex across from her to do the same—and started making her way briskly towards the entrance of the coffee shop, phone held to her ear by one of her puffed up shoulders. "A trail in the woods?" The statement she repeated in the form of a question. "What're ya doin' in the woods, babe? What the hell happened at the Chapmans that ya felt the need to hide out in the woods, huh?"
"It's a real long story, Nicky. It really is—"
"You can tell me while I'm driving there to get you," Nicky firmly interrupted as she walked across the street from the shop she had just exited out of. Alex was quickly behind her and gestured toward her car that was parked a few feet away near a parking meter. Nicky nodded to her, walking in said direction and climbing inside the passenger's side of the vehicle.
After buckling herself into the seat, Nicky turned her head towards the window and looked outside of it. "You said somethin' about the CPS lady? What happened with that?"
Lorna exhaled heavily, crossing one leg over the other while switching which ear she held the phone over. This conversation was much better suited in person than over the phone Lorna thought to herself. Yet, of course, Nicky was too impatient to wait until she arrived there to have it—a fact Lorna also knew to be quite true. She lifted her free hand and placed it on a cheek, rubbing it roughly against it. Another deep breath escaped from her lungs. There was no use trying to argue with Nicky—it was too exhausting to argue anyway.
"I think she was stalkin' me or somethin', Nicky. I was with Franny and Mikey havin' coffee in the hospital cafeteria earlier," she started retelling, peering out onto the tree next to the one she had previously had her eyes on upon hearing the branches swaying from the wind. "And then she just kinda showed up outta nowhere. I don't know," her voice slightly trailed off the second her ears picked up on the sound of one of those same swaying branches violently hitting the ground beneath it.
The noise was loud enough Nicky heard the thump through the receiver of her phone. Instantly her concern intensified and she gestured a hand towards Alex, mentally telling her to pick up the speed. Alex complied, flooring the gas, and Nicky sat up straighter in her seat. "What was that sound? Are you okay, doll? Are ya safe? How far from the Chapman's house are ya?" Eyebrows knit ponderously above her eyes which remained looking out the window.
Wind picked up slightly, the branches left on the tree swaying faster and harder. Lorna bit down on her tongue and pushed herself up from the bench. She walked further along the trail until she was at a safe distance from the tree, sitting down on the ground once she came across a secluded spot out of the way. Her hand raised up to her head slicking back her messy brown waves that had been tussled by the wind. Air whistled through her windpipe. "Just a tree branch fell, it's a little windy. I'm fine, though. I moved away from it. I don't know how far exactly I am, I didn't pay attention—I was too mad to," she mumbled, brushing her fingers along the grass surrounding her.
Shaking her head, Nicky turned her head so that it was facing straight on from the windshield. The car came to a small stop at a stop sign before making a right onto the next street. "You better be far away from that tree and any other tree, doll, I don't want ya turnin' into a tree sandwich or anything."
A snicker sounded through Lorna's throat upon hearing the comment made by her girlfriend. The rather unexpected comment she didn't think would be made. "I moved from it but I don't think any a these trees are gonna fall down, hon. The wind ain't that bad—"
"Yeah, well, I ain't taking any chances when it comes to you," Nicky rapidly interjected before Lorna had the chance to even finish the sentence she had started. "I don't want anything to happen to you, doll. So ya better make sure you're not close to any of those trees. Got it, kid?"
"Fine, fine—I'm not near any a those trees, hon."
Nicky nodded her relief even though she knew Lorna had likely been right—that the chances the wind would have the power to knock any of the trees fully over were slim to none. Regardless, she'd never stop worrying when it came to Lorna no matter how ridiculous the reason may have possibly been. Losing Lorna was never an option she deemed. Her lips twitched into a smile then a frown and then back to a dimming smile. Fingers tapped rhythmically along the rim of the car window she'd been leaning against. "We'll be there in a few, kid. Try not to become a tree sandwich or anything, yeah?"
By the time anyone had showed up at the entrance of the trail, Lorna had long wandered farther into it. Too impatient to sit where she was and wait for her girlfriend. Plus she could do with the exercise after all the food she had been forced to consume in the past few days. The wind still blew every once in a while but certainly hadn't been as fierce as it had when it knocked down the branch earlier during her phone call with Nicky. She sighed as a chill ran down along her spine. With the sun starting its descent into the horizon, the warmth morphed into a rather chillier temperature.
Birds had long flown away for the evening. All that was left to be heard while she followed the dirt path was the crinkling of leaves under her shoes or the whistling of wind when it decided to whirl through. It remained light out, enough for Lorna to clearly see where she was headed, but without the sun's fully in the sky she had to squint more than usual to make out smaller things on her journey. A shadow caught her eye, seemingly right behind her, and out of fear from not knowing who it was she immediately began running farther down the path.
Nicky ran after her, breath untamable as she realized how damn out of shape she was. Jesus, she thought to herself, Lorna ran faster than a cat pounced for a mouse. She could hardly keep up with her. It took several minutes before she finally did. Lorna was standing a few feet away, her hand holding onto the bark of a tree as she stood catching her breath. Nicky cautiously walked nearer to her hoping not to scare her this time. She made sure she was within Lorna's line of view when approaching her and once she made it to the spot right beside her, she placed a hand softly on Lorna's shoulder.
"Where did ya learn to run so fast, kid?" The first thing that came out of her mouth, a light-hearted chuckle was quick to follow. She tried to give a comforting stroke to the shoulder she had a grasp on but felt Lorna slightly flinch away from her touch. The playful demeanor instantly dissolved and in its place a concerned mien morphed to her face.
It was a shocking movement to Lorna as well but her body had a mind of its own. She found herself backing a few inches away from where Nicky stood. Her arms naturally lifting up and crossing around her chest. Fear had set in the second she saw the unfamiliar shadow and, now, all of her movements were driven by that same fear. She felt as though she was running on autopilot—kind of like her sister's car did from being as old as it was. "I thought you were a murderer, Nicky," her voice low and somewhat shaky. She kept herself out of reach from the redhead, still not keen on being touched by anyone. "I saw a shadow and heard loud footsteps—I fucking thought my life was over. You—ya shoulda said something. I don't, erm, I don't like being snuck up on, Nicky."
Nicky craved to take Lorna in her arms right then and there but did her best to refrain seeing how upset Lorna was. It was a challenge to not wrap her in a tight embrace but she couldn't risk causing any more distress to her girlfriend. Rather, she tilted her head and let out a sigh. Her jaw slightly sucked inward from the uneasy swallowing of saliva. "Lorna, baby, I'm so sorry I scared ya," her voice lovingly started out, lips twitching into a frown as she felt shameful of her actions. She should have known not to do that, should have known Lorna was still struggling so much from what was done to her that she wouldn't take lightly to being followed the way Nicky had followed her.
But she didn't think about any of that when she chased Lorna down the dirt trail. None of that crossed her mind until she felt Lorna flinch against her touch. If she'd have thought of that all sooner the two might not be in this predicament now. She wanted to facepalm herself but didn't. Instead she kept her stare softly on Lorna, holding her arms out for her to walk into. "Come here, doll, let me make this up to ya with a hug yeah? I didn't mean to scare ya like that, Lorna. I wasn't tryna purposefully scare you. I would never do that to you. I'm so sorry," she softly murmured, arms remained open awaiting Lorna's petite frame in them.
A sigh tumbled up and out from Lorna's lungs. Despite the lingering trepidation, Lorna abided and made her way back to Nicky happily allowing her body to mold against the taller girl's. She let her head naturally fall back onto Nicky's shoulder, wrapping her own arms securely around her neck. "It's okay, hon, I know ya didn't mean to. I just…I guess I just—maybe from everything that happened today it made think the worst thing. But I mean, um, I'm good at thinking the worst no matter what anyway. I feel like a pessimist anymore. Which is real funny because I used to always be real positive and optimistic about everything—I kinda miss that."
Having Lorna finally in her arms, Nicky gave her a warm and affectionate squeeze before pressing a tender kiss to the top of her head. Arms secured themselves protectively around her waist pulling her closer and closer. "Hey, hey," she soothingly hushed, drawing a comforting heart around her back where her arms were resting. "You don't have to explain yourself to me, doll. Okay? I understand why ya'd think the worst—you've been through so much trauma that certain things like being snuck up on make ya react in a specific way. That's just your way of protecting yourself is all." Nicky carefully, and lovingly, reassured the younger teen; fingertips delicately brushed up and down the length of her spine.
Eyebrows knit interestedly over her big brown eyes. She leaned her face closer to Lorna's and pressed a small kiss to the tip of her nose. "What all did happen today, doll? Ya still haven't told me the whole story, yeah?" One arm was released from around Lorna's waist and instead she lifted it up so she could frame her hand compassionately around her cheek. A loose strand of brown hair fell on her forehead which Nicky lovingly stroked away with her thumb.
"Can we, uh, can we maybe find somewhere less chilly and wet to talk about it please? I've been sitting on the grass for a long time and now my pants are soaked from the mud and stuff. It's a little uncomfortable," a sheepish beam melded to her face and then dissipated away seconds later.
Nodding her head, Nicky softly chuckled and turned around so that they were facing the correct way that would lead them back out of the trail. "Course', kid. Vause is with me, she's waitin' in the car so we'll head to her place and I'm sure she'll let you clean off in her shower or somethin'. Probably fix some tea too because ya know she's an old lady now since she's twenty and not a cool, hip, teenager like the two of us are," a smirk transformed onto her face as she made the comment. The comment that earned her a heavenly giggle from Lorna.
"Wait, what the hell would the or somethin' be, hon? Have me hose off in the backyard like a dog?" A matching smirk formed on her face as well as she questioned the older teen. The two shared another round of playful chuckles before they finally came to the entrance of the trail again.
Nicky's arm tightened around her, pulling her closer the second she felt Lorna's body shiver from the windchill. Her lips remained in a smirk though as she shook her head at the question. "I wouldn't let that happen, babe, you're too cold to be hosin' off outside. Nah, ya need a hot shower and maybe a little cuddle too, hmm?"
"Ya wanna join me in the shower in Alex's house? Hmm, I don't know hon—seems a bit raunchy if ya ask me," Lorna said, wagging her eyebrows slightly. "But I do like the sound of it."
Pressing her lips onto Lorna's, Nicky nodded her head agreeably. "I like the sound of a shower with you, too, doll. Vause would think it's hot of you and me to shower together, believe me. She may be a tea-making old lady in her twenties but she's still a lesbian and would be happy for us to comfort each other in the shower."
"Here's two towels," Alex informed the teens after setting them on the counter of the bathroom sink. She looked the two over with a chuckle escaping her. "Have fun, ladies, but not too much. I don't want any damage to the tile, my mom put a lotta work into it. Oh, and Lorna, I brought you a pair of pajamas to change into since your clothes are a mess."
"Thanks," the brunette murmured and watched as Alex exited the room. Out of paranoia, she went over to the bathroom door and secured the lock so that the two were not interrupted for the duration of their shower. Not that she thought they would be but rather to appease her natural-born anxiety.
Both quickly undressed themselves and entered the tub. Nicky reached for the knob, turning it so the water poured out. The button was pushed down by her thumb and the water came through the showerhead now rather than the faucet. Her focus was immediately switched back onto Lorna, who she saw shivering against the tiled wall a couple of inches away from her. Within a matter of seconds Nicky's arms were engulfing warmly around Lorna's body, pulling her into the front of her own.
Lips found their way onto the flesh of Lorna's forehead. "Stay right here with me, doll. I'll keep ya warm," her voice hummed, mouth now resting over her ear, "and safe," she added shortly after.
A smile widened onto Lorna's face as she did exactly that. Maneuvered herself closer against Nicky's naked body, relishing in the warmth of it. The softness, the tenderness. Eyes closed and she threw her own arms around Nicky's shoulders. "Ya don't gotta tell me twice, hon. Could stand in your arms for eternity."