Lilies

by Addyson Thompson

  I’m awake. I’m really awake. I’m panting and breathless, coated in sweat. I look at the clock on my nightstand and it reads 1:15 AM. My room is pitch black accept for a sliver of light shining through the crack in the curtains from a street lamp outside my window. I scrub my hands over my face trying to calm down from the nightmare. The same foul smell still assaults my nostrils. Flipping on the bedside lamp I feel movement behind me. A cold hand snakes around my waist and up my bare chest as an unfamiliar cold body presses against my back. Light kisses brush across my shoulder blade. I momentarily freeze before I grab my cell off the nightstand, ripping the charger from the wall with it and jump to my feet.“Kat,”my words are seething from me.“What the fuck are you doing here?”Shit, my nightmare is invading real life.

  “I’m where I belong. I’m with you.”She says. Her body is naked only a pair of underwear covering her. Her body is filthy like she hasn’t bathed in weeks. Her hair is dirty and stuck to her head. I can see the track marks from the needle she uses to inject heroin, though, I know that isn’t the only drug she uses. She’s frail and pathetic looking. If she wasn’t making Hayden and my life so miserable I might actually feel sorry for her.

  “You do not belong with me.”I tell her trying to control myself. She looks to be in a full blown mental breakdown. She has a crazed look to her eyes. Ok I have to regroup. Approach this from a different angle.“Kat, you need help. Let me help you.”

  “Help me? You don’t want to help me. You want to get rid of me so you and the whore can be together.”She said. Her words laced with disgust.“She’s always fucking things up between us.”

  Slowly I reach for a t-shirt sitting on the chair I have in my room and drag it on so I’m not standing in only my boxer briefs. I take a slow step toward the walk-in closet I’m standing next to and slowly turn the knob. She’s eyeing my every step.“What are you doing?”She asked confusion on her face.

  “I’m just going to get you a shirt to put on. You look cold.”I step inside and quickly send Jeff a text: CALL ME NOW! Grabbing a t-shirt for Kat I step back out and close the door. I toss her the shirt and she puts it on.“Sit Kat, we can talk. What is it you want from me?”

  “The only thing I’ve ever wanted. You. You were mine. She's always gotten in the way.”She says so quietly it’s almost hard to hear her.

  “Kat, what happened to getting cleaned up? What happened in Rehab?”

  “Nothing happened.”She shrugs it off like it was nothing.

  Fuck, what is taking Jeff so long?“Kat, I can’t help you if you don’t talk to me.”

  “They expected me to live the way they thought was right. I disagreed.”Again she shrugged it off as it was nothing.

  She’s really losing it. I’m not sure- just then my cell phone rings cutting off my thoughts. I look at my hand and see Jeff’s name. Thank you.“Look, Kat, it’s the hospital. I’m on-call tonight. I have to answer it.”It might be a complete lie but she doesn’t know that. She shakes her head no.“If I don’t answer they will keep calling. If they don’t get an answer they will send someone to find me. I have to answer.”She doesn’t say anything. After the fourth ring I answer the phone,“Dr. Hudson.”

  A very sleepy voice comes across the line.“Gav, what’s up man? It’s like 1:30 in the morning.”

  “What’s the patient’s name?”I ask hoping he will pick up something isn’t right.

  “What the hell are you talking about? You told me to call you.”Damn he’s not awake enough to pick up what’s going on.

  Still holding the phone to my ear I look directly at Kat and say,“Kat, if you’ll excuse me for a minute I have to step into the hall. It’s about a patient.”I step into the hall closing the door so she can’t hear me talking to Jeff.

  “FUCK, you’re with Kat?”He practically yelled into the phone. He’s clearly awake now.

  “Yes, she broke into my loft.”I whisper into the phone.

  “Amy, call the cops Kat broke into Gavin’s place and is there now!”Seconds later I hear my sister relay the information to the 911 operator.“Is she still there?”Jeff asks.

  “Yes, she’s in my room and I’m in the hall.”I whispered into the phone. My heart is in my throat and my blood is pounding in my ears. This is our chance to get her and stop all this shit. Protect Hayden and rid our lives of Kat for good.

  “Ok, cops are on their way and so am I.”

  “Tell them to break my goddamned door down. I have to go back in or she’ll be suspicious.”

  “Ok, leave your phone on so I can listen.”

  I agree and open my bedroom door. She’s gone. The room is empty. My bedroom window is open. She must have gone out it and climbed down the fire escape. I quickly check the closet and out the window before telling Jeff she’s gone. I grab a pair of basketball shorts and pull them on. Moments later the cops are at my door and I let them in. After giving them her description they send officers to search the area. My sister and Jeff arrive about 20 minutes later. I recount the events to a second officer, Detective Beston, who is taking my statement.

  They were able to lift plenty of her finger prints and get a statement from each of my neighbors on my floor when they came out to see what the commotion was about. Apparently, she has been hanging out in my loft most of the week while I’ve been at Hayden’s. While you can’t see in through the glass wall that each loft has you can see out. This has given her the perfect spot to watch us come and go and our time spent on the balcony without being detected. It looks like she picked the lock to enter my loft but we still do not know how she gained access to the building in the first place. This bothers me because you have to have an access code or be buzzed into the building. My neighbors said they didn’t grant her access. The police are going to request a copy of the security footage. Hopefully that will give us some answers.

  I started looking around my loft and found she has destroyed all the pictures of Hayden and me, I have in frames. I didn’t notice it last night because I was focused on changing to go run and clear my head and then too tired when I returned home and went to bed. I actually didn’t even turn on any lights in the loft when I returned. The pendant light over my sink was enough for me to move through the loft without turning on lights.

  It’s now almost 2:30 in the morning and I’ve decided not to stay here tonight. I’m going to go home with Jeff and my sister and stay until Hayden gets home later this evening. The officers are about to leave when I hear a call come across the radio,“We have the suspect in custody.”A wave of relieve washes over me. I drop my head to my chest as I send out a silent thanks. Amy comes up and hugs me tight.“Thank God! It’s over.”She said. I hugged my sister back and just stood there in complete relief. Detective Beston comes and tells me I’m going to have to go to the station to make a positive I.D.“Not a problem. Where did they find her?”

  “In an alley a few blocks away. She had a syringe filled with heroin stuck in her arm getting ready to inject it but the arresting officer got to her and stopped her in time.”

  “Yeah, I saw a lot of track marks. She needs serious help. I’ve told you her history. We know she is the one threatening Hayden. She’s repeatedly broke into my loft and now there was tonight’s events. Will this be enough to put her into a forced rehab and jail?”I’m at my breaking point. They have to do something about her and keep her away from us.

  “Don’t worry Dr. Hudson. We have plenty on her now and coupled with her past history she’ll go away for a long while.”The officer assured me.

  After stopping at the hospital, where they took Kat to get her checked out, and positively identifying her I followed Jeff and Amy back to their house. It is after 3:00 in the morning and all I want is a solid eight hours of sleep. I do not need to be back at Hayden’s place until 6:30ish tomorrow night. When she calls me tomorrow I’m going to tell her that it was Kat and she’s been arrested but I’m going to wait until she’s home for the details. For now though, sleep. I undress down to my boxer briefs and
crawl into bed. It doesn’t take long this time for me to fall asleep and all my dreams are of Hayden, no nightmares.

  CHAPTER 19

  Hayden

  Iwas so happy when I called Gavin this morning. He informed Kat was the one behind the threatening notes. She is now in police custody. What I didn’t expect is when he told me how it happened. I about lost the contents of my stomach. I can’t stand the thought that she was able to get so close to him. The officer last night assured him she’d be gone for a while and we will be notified of any change in her status, but part of me is still scared. She’s really messed up and apparently still holding a grudge against us or at least me.

  I am now snuggled into Gavin’s side in bed. He is holding on to me so tightly. I wouldn’t want it any other way. He told me tonight he was serious about living together but I’m just not ready for it to be a permanent situation. I don’t want him to want to live with me because he doesn’t want to stay at his place or because he thinks that is what he needs to do to prove he’s here to stay, which is why I think he’s doing it. Or maybe Brooklyn is right. Maybe it’s me. Maybe I’m the one standing in our way. Maybe I don’t fully trust him yet. Is that such a ridiculous thought? I’ve lived my entire adult life not trusting the smooth words that come out of a guy’s mouth just so they can get what they want.

  I protected myself for 15 years from being hurt. Is it so ridiculous to think I might have a hard time putting that kind of blind faith in someone? It’s a hard concept for me. I love Gavin with my whole heart. I do trust him not to hurt me but I’m just not ready to blindly jump in such a short time frame. He’s just going to have to give me time. We can go back to staying the night together when he doesn’t have to work the next morning, which is actually more nights than not since he usually works three 12-hour shifts a week. It will be fine. Let me get past this Kat business and get back to life and we’ll go from there. I told him all this earlier when he brought up living together. I know it isn’t what he wants but he was ok with it,“for now.”He tried to be so stern but he just came across playful.

  Tomorrow some of our family is coming here before the game. I’m so excited to celebrate our birthdays in peace, no worries of some psycho stalker hunting us down.

  “You’re being awfully quiet. You ok?”Gavin asked me as he squeezed me a little tighter. We are lying in my bed getting ready to go to sleep. I've missed lying in his arms.

  I look up at him and smile.“Yeah, I’m just processing everything from the last week and today.”

  “Just try to relax, baby. We’re good. We’re safe. We just need a good night of sleep with the other by our side. Besides, tomorrow we celebrate my girls’birthdays.”

  “You know, I’ve notice you’ve been referring to us as‘your girls’lately. You aren’t getting kinky sister-wife ideas, are you?”I say cocking my eyebrow at him.

  Gavin let out a loud, full belly laugh. He hugged me tightly and kissed my forehead.“I love you, you know that? Of course not.”He paused and pressed his finger to his lip like he was in deep thought.“Though, now you mention it, it would be kinda hot, right?”He waggled his eyebrows at me.

  I slap his stomach.“You’re an ass. I’m serious. You seem to have taken to Brooklyn and she to you. Which is all kinds of crazy because B never lets anyone in. She’s a very controlled person and protects herself through that control. The fact you two have grown so close and she trusts you is something to be seen.”

  “I don’t know. I think we initially bonded over our love for you and it’s grown into a real friendship. She’s just like a little sister; fun to taunt, tease and harass but take a step near her and I’ll punch your face in, kind of thing. She’s always so strong and controlled but yet there is something about her that seems fragile, too.”He shrugs and sighs.“I don’t know. I just feel a brotherly protectiveness over her.”

  “I get that. I know she feels the same about you. She was as nervous about leaving you here as I was. She gets after me if she thinks I’m giving you too much shit. I know she’s doing it because she wants to see me happy but I think she’s doing it because she wants to see you happy, too.

  “Alright, enough talking tonight. We need our sleep. We have two very special women’s birthdays to celebrate tomorrow.”

  “I like the‘my girls’better.”

  “Me, too, baby. Me, too. Sweet dreams baby.”

  ~~~

  Hmm, morning my favorite time sleepy sex is awesome. My eyes are still closed so I reach over for Gavin. What the hell, where is he. He is not in bed and I panic.“Gavin!”I yell. I jump and run to the bathroom but he’s not in there. I ran to the main part of the loft but he’s not there, either.“Gavin”I yell again. Oh my God, where is he? Is Kat free? Did she come for him? I look out on the balcony but he’s not there.“Gavin!”I’m yelling repeatedly, freaking out. Think Hayden, freaking out isn’t going to help you. Maybe he’s checking on B. I run to the door but as I’m reaching for the door knob the door opens. I screamed in surprise. Gavin step through the door looking confused.“Oh you’re here. Thank God you’re ok.”I pant out as I throw my arms around his neck and bury my face in his chest. My body trembles. So much has happened.

  Wrapping his arms around me tightly he tries to calm me down.“I’m here, baby. I’m ok. We’re ok.”He stands and holds me for what seems like hours but is probably only minutes. He rests his chin on my head as he slowly rubs my back.“What’s going on, baby?”

  “I woke up and you…you weren’t there…and…and I thought…I thought maybe she was back.”I could barely get it out through my sobs. Gavin bent down and scooped me up into his arms. He held me tight to his chest as he walked us over to the couch. Sitting on the couch with me on his lap, his chin resting on my head he continued to hold me tightly to him.“I’m sorry.”I said through my sobs.

  He pulled me away from his chest, took my face in both of his hands and looked directly into my eyes.“Baby, you have nothing to be sorry about. This was a lot to take in. Please don’t be sorry. I’m sorry you’ve had to deal with this bullshit. I’m surprised you didn’t break down last night. To be honest, I was kind of concerned when you didn’t. I’m here baby. I’m not going anywhere. I. Love. You. Only. You.”

  I nod my head still firmly planted in his hands. Gavin lowers his hands and rest them on my hips.“I know. I just kind of freaked out because I woke up and you weren’t there. Where’d you go?”

  A huge self-satisfied grin spreads across his face.“I went to grab the newspaper and wake up B. She’ll be over here in a minute.”

  “Umm, you woke up Brooklyn? Are you an idiot?”I stare in disbelief. He clearly had no idea what he was walking into doing that. She’s not very pleasant in the mornings.

  Laughing,“No, babe she was up, but I’ve spent plenty of nights here and seen you both in the morning when you have to leave early. Neither of you are pleasant.”

  “Hey!”I try to act offended but let’s be realistic, he’s right. We are unpleasant until we’ve had time to wake up which usually takes an hour easy.“So why did you go get B?”

  “I have a birthday surprise for you girls.”He says as he stands and deposits me on my feet.

  I narrow my eyes at him.“Surprise?”

  He doesn’t answer just walks to the kitchen. Rolling my eyes, I turn and head to the bathroom to brush my teeth and wash my face. I stand staring at my reflection. Nothing has changed though I still look a little tired. I brushed my teeth and washed my face before running a brush through my hair. Oh well I’ll shower in a little bit before everyone arrives.

  As I return to the main area Brooklyn walks in. I’m stopped in my tracks as I step up to the island. Gavin has a breakfast feast spread across the island. He’s made pancakes, bacon, hash browns, and set out a fruit tray, coffee and juice. I think Brooklyn and I see it at the same time. Our mouths drop open and we look at each other before looking back at Gavin standing at the end of the island beaming a huge smile.

  “Happy birt
hday ladies.”He stands holding out two envelopes, each with an oversized purple bow, and onefor each of us.“There’s been a slight change in plans for today’s events. Open up your envelopes. We do as he asks, pulling out the contents inside. There is a paper and some kind of brochure for a spa. When I open up the paper I realized it’s a gift certificate for a spa day at a local spa I pointed out to Gavin once when we were wandering down one of the streets in the market district. I can’t believe he remembered. A while back, I told him Brooklyn and I wanted to do a full spa day treatment but never made it happen. The words on the paper start to blur from the tears welling up in my eyes. I glance over at Brooklyn and she is just staring at the paper. I look closer. Her eyes are glistening? Holy shit, Brooklyn never cries. I walk over to Gavin without a word and reach up and pull his face to mine.“Thank you”I whisper just before I kiss him a long slow heartfelt kiss.

  “I don’t understand. Why?”Brooklyn looks up at Gavin perplexed.

  “Well, I figured you girls could use a break. We’ve all been through a lot this last week. Plus, every girl should be spoiled on her birthday. This means a change of plans, though. We will no longer meet everyone here. We’ll just have to wait until the game and after to celebrate. Now sit down and eat. You lovely ladies have an appointment to get your spa on in an hour.”