"Bye-bye beautiful girl!" Marlowe said, scooping her baby into a hug before watching her run off to play with her preschool friends.
She watched Lily through the door for a minute to make sure she was okay before turning back to her car to get ready for work. That little girl was her entire world. She was her hope. While she spent eighteen long months in prison, thinking about getting out and being with Carlton and starting a family got her through the long days and lonely nights. She couldn't imagine where she would be without them.
And now she had been with Carlton for seven years. It had been seven years to the night since their first date. And even if it went poorly and she had been arrested by the end of it, it was still the start of them. Which was why Carlton made sure they went to dinner to celebrate every year.
She loved him so much it hurt sometimes. More than she thought was possible. And he loved her too. He stuck with her while she was away and supported her every day since she got out. Every time she would lose out on a job as soon as the company looked at her background check, he would wrap her in his arms and tell her he loved her.
"For all eternity."
"But I can't get a job. You have to support me. I can't do anything right."
"Marlowe Lassiter. I love you now and I will love you forever. You are my princess, and I will never stop sweeping you away on a white horse."
"I love you too."
She would tuck her head into his chest and feel safe and warm and protected. It was a new feeling, one that she had never really had before. Growing up with a sick brother, she always came in second. She was expected to help out. And be strong. She was never the one being loved or protected. Being with Carlton felt different. For the first time, she felt like she belonged somewhere.
And now she had Lily. Her little four-year-old who had the spit-fire attitude and determination of her father, but was the spitting image of herself at that age. She was her whole heart.
They were a family. She loved being part of a family. A real one, in a house full of love and caring and parents who love each other and their child. With family dinners nearly every night and weekend outings to the park where she could just sit in the grass and watch Carlton run around with their baby. She loved watching them, hearing them laugh and play.
She pulled into the driveway of their home and ran inside to get ready for work. She finally got a job. It was a small retail job, but they had accepted her explanation for her past and now she had somewhere to go during the day. It wasn't great all the time, but she was always home for dinner and could come in after dropping Lily off at preschool every day. It worked. It worked for her and it worked for her family.
She was in the kitchen putting together a lunch when there was a loud knock at the door.
"Marlowe?" She heard Shawn calling through the door.
"Hi Shawn," she yelled back. "It's open, come in!"
The door opened slowly and Shawn took a step into the front door but stopped and just looked at her. He was usually comfortable in her home. After all, it had been his childhood home before Henry had sold it to them when Lily was born.
"Shawn, what's wrong?" She tilted her head and watched him carefully. She watched him wring his hands together and pull a hand through his hair.
"Shawn, you're scaring me." She took a step towards him, a sinking feeling beginning to wrap itself around her heart before he had even opened his mouth. "What happened?"
"Marlowe, something happened… to Carlton," His voice trailed off.
"Something… what?" She could feel her heart start beating quickly, skipping every other beat. "Shawn, what happened?"
"He didn't get shot or anything!" Shawn said quickly. "They think he had a stroke. He was with Juliet this morning and he started acting weird. They took him to the hospital. He's okay, I think. I don't know. I haven't seen him yet. I-"
Marlowe felt tears run down her cheeks before she could process that she was crying. "He what?" She was in shock. Carlton, her Carlton, had a stroke? He was at the hospital? But how? He's healthy. He's young. How could he have a stroke?
"I'm so sorry, Marlowe," Shawn said, taking a step toward her.
"No, no, no, no," She wrapped her arms tightly around her stomach. "That's not possible. It can't be."
"Marlowe, he's going to be okay. He has to be. He's Lassie. He's so stubborn, nothi-"
"You don't know that!" Marlowe cried. She covered her face and let herself fall to the ground. Please be okay, Carlton, she prayed. You have to be okay.
She felt Shawn come sit next to her and put a hand on her back. "I came to take you to the hospital. Would you like to go now?"
She nodded. She couldn't form words. They refused to come. Her mouth felt dry and she couldn't swallow. It felt like her vocal cords wouldn't touch even if she tried.
"Juliet is waiting at the hospital now," Shawn said as he helped Marlowe to her feet. "But I haven't heard anything from her since I left, so maybe that's a good sign? No news is good news or whatever the saying is."
She walked out of the house slowly and got into the car. The drive to the hospital wasn't long- only ten minutes or so, but it felt like forever. Marlowe stared out the window and let her eyes blur over as trees quickly passed. She could feel her heart beating quicker and quicker the closer they got to the hospital. It felt like a horse was running the Kentucky Derby across her chest. She just wanted to see her husband. There had to be some sort of mistake, right? It couldn't be true. Her Carlton didn't have a stroke. It was impossible. Please be okay. You have to be okay. She repeated over and over in her head. Wherever you are- really are, you have to be okay. I need you. I can't do this alone.
They finally pulled into the hospital parking lot and Shawn led Marlowe through the sliding glass doors. Juliet was sitting in a chair against the wall but jumped up when they walked in and ran to wrap Marlowe in a hug.
Feeling Juliet's desperate arms around her made her feel more uneasy. This was not the hug of someone who thought everything was going to be fine. This was the hug of someone who thought she was about to be alone for the rest of her life. Someone who had already started mourning for her. Please be okay. She prayed again.
"What happened?" Marlowe asked, letting Juliet pull her to a chair in the waiting room.
"I don't really know. We were just questioning some witnesses and he just kind of fell down. He was slurring his words and he didn't seem like he could really tell what was happening. They just told me they took him to get a CT scan. And then I guess we'll have to wait and see." Juliet's voice trailed off. The two women sat quietly for a minute, absorbing their surroundings and the gravity of how quickly everything had changed.
"O'Hara?" They turned their heads and saw Chief Vick walking quickly into the waiting room.
"Chief!" Juliet jumped up. "What are you doing here?"
"What am I doing here?" Karen said, crossing her arms. "I get a phone call that my head detective gets carted out of a non-violent robbery in an ambulance, I need to see what happened."
"I'm sorry I didn't call you," Juliet said quietly, but the chief had moved on.
"Marlow, how are you?" She said, walking over to sit down next to Marlow.
"I… I don't know," Marlowe said quietly, looking down at her hands, watching her wedding ring reflect the bright hospital lights.
"That's okay," Karen said, putting her hands on Marlowe's and catching her eyes. "Waiting is the hardest part."
Marlowe nodded and felt the tears sting her eyes before they fell onto the Chief's hands that were covering her own.
"Oh Marlowe," she felt arms wrap around her again.
"What if-" she started to say but was quickly cut off.
"Don't even say it," Karen said, pulling away from the hug for a moment to look directly at her. "You can't get ahead of yourself. Let's just think about today. We'll make it through today. And then tomorrow we'll make it through tomorrow. And then the day after that. But you'll get through this and we will be here to help you. You are not alone.