Beautifully Unfinished

by Beverley Hollowed

  Lucy closed her eyes and listened to his gentle breathing. She didn’t know why, but she always found listening to him sleeping, very calming. She suddenly felt exhausted and slowly she could feel herself drifting off.

  Lucy woke suddenly, and for a moment, she had no idea where she was. She froze when she felt someone move next to her, but the moment she heard her father’s croaky voice, she remembered exactly where she was and why she was here.

  “Hey,” she said as she turned to him and smiled as she brushed back her hair from her face. “You’re awake. I must have drifted off, I’m sorry. How are you feeling?”

  “Like I have been run over by a steamroller,” he groaned, and he took her hand and held it tighter. “But I will be okay. You shouldn’t have come.”

  “Of course, I was going to come,” Lucy sighed, as she reached for his hand. “You’re my dad, and you are hurt.”

  “But I know how hard it is for you to be here,” he said as he squeezed her hand. Even in the dim early morning light, Lucy could see how tired her father looked.

  “I’m okay, Dad,” she said and forced a smile. “It was a long time ago now. I need to get over it.”

  “Just promise me you will be careful,” her father said, and Lucy could see the worry in his eyes.

  “I will be just fine,” she replied as she placed her other hand over his hand. “Now tell me, how did this happen?”

  “I was in the bank,” Tom began with a sigh. “And this dumb kid came in waving a gun around the damn place. There were women with little ones in there. I had to do something.”

  “Of course, you did,” Lucy sighed, knowing exactly what her father was like.

  “I nearly had the kid talked down too,” he continued angrily. “When some stupid rent-a-cop security guard pulled his gun. The kid panicked and began shooting.”

  “Oh God!” Lucy exclaimed as she closed her eyes and thanked God for not letting her father die.

  “He was just a kid,” her father continued. “No more than sixteen. The security guard killed him.”

  “He died!” Lucy exclaimed.

  “I could have talked him down,” her father said, and Lucy could see the sadness in his eyes.

  “You tried your best, Dad,” Lucy said, giving her dad a reassuring smile. “You can’t save them all.”

  “And that’s something I know all too well,” he sighed, regretfully. “Now tell me, how are you doing?”

  “I’m good,” Lucy said with a smile. “Business is good, busy.”

  “That’s not what I meant,” Tom quickly replied.

  “I know what you meant, Dad,” Lucy sighed. “And I promise, I am fine.”

  “Are you going to stay at the hotel?” Tom asked, and surprised his daughter.

  “No!” She replied, confused why he would even suggest this. “Why would I want to do that?”

  “Because it would be safer,” Tom explained. “There will be more people around.”

  “Dad, I live in New York,” Lucy laughed. “I know how to look after myself. Now please, stop worrying.”

  “I can’t help it,” he said with a sad smile. “I don’t want to let you down, not again.”

  “Daddy, you never let me down,” Lucy said, sad her dad would even feel this way. She knew he had always felt guilty, that as the Chief of Police, he couldn’t bring Trent McAlister to justice for what he had done to her, but Lucy never blamed him for that. “Please don’t say things like that.”

  “I can’t help how I feel, Peanut,” Tom said. “I am your dad; it was my job to keep you safe.”

  “Stop,” Lucy said as the tears welled up in her eyes. “I don’t want this. I don’t want you blaming yourself for what…what he did.”

  She stood up and walked to the window of her father’s room and looked out over the town as the sun slowly rose in the sky. She remembered when she loved everything about this town. Now, it just filled her with sadness.

  “Lucy, Sweetheart,” Tom said, as he watched his daughter closely. “The last thing I want to do is upset you. I am grateful that you have come, but I don’t what you hurt again.”

  “Dad,” she said as she turned to him and walked back to him slowly. “I am done with letting him ruin my life. It’s time I came home. You need me, and I want to do this. Please don’t fight me on this.”

  “Okay,” he smiled. “I won’t lie; it’s good to have you here. I miss having you around.”

  “Good,” Lucy replied as she took her seat next to her father’s bed. “I will be here as long as you need me.”

  “Thanks, Peanut,” Tom said, just as a nurse walked into his room.

  “Good morning,” she said as she walked up to the far side of Tom’s bed. “How are you feeling this morning, Chief?”

  “A bit sore,” he said with a smiled that made Lucy smile too. No matter how bad things were, she knew her dad would always try to put on a brave front. “Nothing I can’t handle.”

  “Well, maybe we will give you something to make sure the pain doesn’t get worse,” she said with a knowing grin and winked at Lucy. “I just want to check your dressings first.”

  “I think I will grab a coffee,” Lucy said as she stood up and grabbed her handbag. “And give you some privacy.”

  “Okay, Sweetheart,” Tom said, but his expression instantly changed to one of concern.

  “I won’t be long, Dad,” Lucy said as she bent down and kissed her father’s cheek. “Please don’t worry.”

  She smiled once more before she turned and headed towards the door. Stepping outside, her smile instantly fell. She wished she felt as confident and unfazed as she tried to appear to her father.

  She needed to find a vending machine as soon as possible then return to the safety of her father’s room.

  “Good morning,” she said to a nurse that was sitting behind the desk at the nurse’s station. “Can you point me to a vending machine, please?”

  “Sure,” the nurse replied as she stood up and pointed down the corridor. “Down the hallway, and turn left. There is a machine across from the elevators.”

  “Thanks,” Lucy said and smiled gratefully before she turned and headed down the hallway, keeping her head down.

  When she reached the machine, she dug into her pocket for some change and slotted it into the machine before she made her selection.

  Just as she reached down to pick up her coffee, a familiar voice spoke from behind her.

  “Lucy,” the voice said. “Is that you?”

  Lucy stood up and took a deep breath before she turned to come face to face with her past.

  “Tucker!” She exclaimed.

  Chapter 3

  “I can’t believe it’s you,” Tucker said as a broad smile filtered across his face. “How have you been?”

  “I’m good, thanks,” Lucy said as she slowly let her eyes meet the eyes that had looked at her with such kindness that night, nine years earlier. “How have you been?”

  “I’ve been good,” he smiled, his eyes never leaving Lucy’s. “I was just stopping by to see your dad actually. We are already missing him at the station already.”

  “At the station?” Lucy asked, surprised by what Tucker said. “You work with my dad?”

  “Yeah,” Tucker replied giving her a strange look. “I am a deputy. I have been working with the chief for almost four years now. I thought he might have said.”

  “No,” Lucy shook her head. “But then he doesn’t really talk about anything to do with this place.”

  “I see,” Tucker nodded. “Well, he talks about you all the time. I heard you were doing very well for yourself in New York. You have your own photography studio, and it’s very successful.”

  “I don’t know about that,” Lucy shrugged and smiled. “I guess it pays the bills.”

  Lucy turned and walked slowly back towards her father’s hospital room, followed closely by Tucker. Neither of them said anything for a moment as Lucy tried to get her head around the fact she was actually there i
n the hospital, talking to Tucker.

  “So, how is the Chief?” He asked as they walked slowly back to Lucy’s dad’s room. “Really.”

  “He is awake,” Lucy replied. “The nurse was just in checking his dressings.”

  She hesitated before she continued. She wasn’t sure if she should mention what the nurse had said about her father’s hip. She knew her dad was a private man, and she didn’t really know how close he was to Tucker. Would he want him to know the truth?

  She glanced up at him, and he was watching her closely, but quickly turned away when her eyes met his. Lucy could feel her face instantly burn with embarrassment.

  “It’s not good news, is it?” He finally asked as he stole another glance at her. “About the Chief, I mean.”

  “They don’t know if he will make a full recovery,” Lucy replied honestly. “The damage to his hip is quite extensive. They don’t know if he will get back the full power or use of his leg.”

  “But this is the Chief they are talking about,” Tucker laughed like the doctors clearly didn’t know who they were dealing with. “It will take more than a bullet to slow him down. You wait and see. He will be right as rain in no time.”

  They reached Lucy’s father’s room, and she took a deep breath before she opened the door.

  “Look who I found,” Lucy said, as she tried to sound as natural as she could when she stepped through the door into the room.

  “Hey Chief,” Tucker said as he stepped into the room behind Lucy. He walked to the bed and shook Tom’s hand. “How are you feeling?”

  “It’s just a scratch,” Tom said dismissively, and tried to push himself up in the bed, but he winced and slumped back on his pillows. Lucy felt her heart ache. She knew her father hated this. He was a proud man, looking weak or vulnerable was not something he would ever want.

  “Hey,” Tucker said as he hurried forward and instantly helped Tom. “We all know you are as tough as old boots Chief, but popping a stitch just to prove it to these nurses, is not a good idea. You need to take it easy; we want you back at the station.”

  “I’m okay,” Tom grumbled, and Lucy knew he was embarrassed.

  “I know you are,” Tucker replied with a smile. “But taking it easy for a day or two never hurt anyone.” Then he leaned closer to Tom and added in a hushed voice. “Besides, you play this right; you will get Lucy to stay here a little bit longer.”

  “Thanks, Son,” Tom said as he patted Tucker’s hand and gave him a grateful nod. “And thanks for coming by to see me.”

  “Of course, I was going to come,” Tucker replied. “We’re family.”

  Lucy was surprised how close these two men seemed to be, but she was glad her dad had someone like Tucker.

  Still, she was surprised her dad had never mentioned him to her before today. She knew her dad didn’t like talking about anything to do with River Springs, but Tucker was obviously important to him, and her dad was clearly important to Tucker.

  She sat quietly in the chair next to her father’s bed and listened to the conversation going on between her father and Tucker.

  As she sat there, her mind wandered back nine years, to the morning after the party.

  Lucy had woken up and found her father asleep on a chair next to her bed. The moment she moved, he bolted up straight in the chair and looked at her, protectively.

  “Hey, Peanut,” he whispered with a sad smile, as he reached for her hand but she pulled it back. “You are okay; you’re safe. I am right here.”

  “Daddy,” she said as the tears instantly trickled down her face. “I’m so sorry.”

  “Lucy,” Tom said quickly. “You have done nothing to be sorry for, Sweetheart. This is not your fault.”

  “I should have never gone upstairs,” she whispered and closed her eyes as flashes of the night before filled her mind, but she couldn’t look at the sadness etched on her father’s face anymore. “I was just trying to find Riley.”

  “Lucy,” Tom said, as he took his daughter by the hand. “What happened was not your fault. This was all that animals fault, and I am going to make him pay for what he has done to you.”

  Lucy pulled her hand free, turned her head into her pillow and silently sobbed.

  “Everything is going to be okay,” her father reassured her, but she could hear the doubt in his voice. “I will never let anyone hurt you again.”

  Lucy lay in the bed curled in a ball and cried until there were no more tears left. She lay there in silence, staring into space, lost in her thoughts. She wondered where Riley was? If he would come by to see her. Would he ever want to see her again?

  There was a soft tap on the door, and Lucy held her breath. She wasn’t sure she was ready to see anyone, not even Riley.

  When the door opened, a nurse put her head around the door and smiled. Then looked at Tom.

  “Chief,” the nurse said, and Lucy wondered if she knew her father. “That boy is back again, and is asking to see Lucy.”

  “Okay Maggie,” Tom nodded and smiled before he looked at Lucy. He reached for her hand again but once again, Lucy pulled it back.

  “I DON’T WANT TO SEE ANYONE!” She cried out, and she pulled herself up in bed. “Not even Riley.”

  “It’s not Riley,” Tom replied, and Lucy could hear an edge in his voice. “It’s a boy called Tucker. The boy that was here when I got here last night. He said he was the one who brought you here. He sat outside for hours before the nurses made him go home.”

  “Tucker?” Lucy asked in surprise. She thought back to the night before, some of it was foggy, but she remembered his eyes.

  She remembered how he held her and protected her. He was the only one that did.

  “He said he promised that he would stay and keep you safe,” her dad continued. “I haven’t seen Riley though; he was gone by the time I reached here last night.”

  “He…he left?” Lucy asked as her eyes glazed over with tears again and she couldn’t hold them back. “I don’t want to see anyone.”

  “Lucy,” Tom began to protest. “He just wants to…”

  “NO!” She snapped angrily through her tears. “I don’t want to talk to anyone.” She curled up into a ball in the bed once again, then closed her eyes and covered her ears with her hands, as once again she tried to shut the world out.

  “Lucy!” Tom called weakly, pulling her from her thoughts. “Sweetheart, you look tired. Maybe you should go home and try to get some rest.”

  “I’m okay Dad,” Lucy replied and reached out to take his hand.

  “Please, Sweetheart,” Tom pushed giving her a pleading look. “I don’t want you getting sick from exhaustion.”

  “Okay,” Lucy said with a sigh as she reached for her bag and stood up. She bent down and kissed her dad on the forehead.

  “Tucker,” Tom said, turning his attention from Lucy to him. “Would you do me a huge favour, and make sure Lucy gets home for…”

  “Dad!” Lucy exclaimed, cutting him off mid-sentence. “I can get myself home.”

  “I don’t mind at all, Lucy,” Tucker quickly said as he stood up and looked at Lucy.

  “But there is no need,” Lucy replied, giving him a grateful smile. She didn’t want to seem rude or ungrateful, but she didn’t want to have to spend more time with Tucker than she had to.

  “Lucy,” Tom said, and winced as he tried to sit up. “I don’t want you on your own. Not here, and you know why.”

  “Dad,” she sighed again. “He doesn’t scare me. What happened was a long time ago. I have moved on.”

  Even as she said the words, she knew in her heart she was lying. She hadn’t moved on. If she was honest, she wasn’t sure if she ever would. She couldn’t bear to be touched, couldn’t bear to let anyone close to her, and being back in River Springs just made her feel weak and vulnerable again.

  Yes, she had dated over the years, but every time her date tried to get close to her, she would back off, keeping them at a safe distance. On the couple of occasions that
she really liked someone, she would push herself to try and let her walls down. She would let the guy kiss her and touch her, but every time it would end the same, with her having a panic attack and the evening would come to an abrupt end.

  Lucy had really liked Steve. She had even got used to him holding her hand and kissing her. She thought he would be the one she could let her guard down for.

  The night they had tried to take the next step in their relationship, Lucy fought against every urge she had to run, to allow him to do more than kiss her.

  Her heart was almost beating out of her chest as he reached for her blouse and slowly began to unfasten her buttons. She could barely breathe as he slowly pushed her blouse down off her shoulder, but then he stopped.

  She could still remember the look on his face when he saw the scars on her body from where Trent had bitten her. There were three in total, one on her shoulder, one on the top of her arm and finally, one on the curve of her breast.

  Steve tried to mask his reaction, but it was too late. Lucy could feel the same old feeling, building in the pit of her stomach. As she gasped for air, Steve reached out and touched her. It was what finally sent her over the edge.

  Steve tried to calm her down, but it was no good, she just lost it and screamed at him to leave.

  Lucy felt horrible about what had happened, but when Steve called her the next day, she couldn’t face talking to him. So she did what she always did, buried her head in her work and pretended everything was okay in her world.

  Lucy looked up, and her eyes met Tuckers. He had been watching her closely and gave her a small smile when she looked up at him.

  She knew she had no choice; she didn’t want her father upset or worrying. She looked at him lying in the bed and smiled.

  “Please, Lucy,” he said, giving her a pleading look. “I just want to be sure you’re okay while I am in here.”

  “If it will make you happy, Dad,” she leaned down and kissed him again. “I will let Tucker follow me home, as long as he doesn’t mind.”

  She looked back at Tucker and his smile widened.

  “It would be my pleasure,” he replied as he walked to the door and opened it, then stopped and turned back to Tom and grinned. “I will be back this evening, just to make sure you’re behaving.”