“I know you won’t,” Lucy said with a smile.
He kissed her again, then gave her another smile.
“I will leave you to get ready,” Tucker said, as he reluctantly released Lucy from his arms, but quickly took her hands instead. “I will drop you at the hospital before I head to the station, then I will come back later to collect you.”
“You really don’t have to,” Lucy said, but secretly she hoped he would insist and not just because she was terrified to face the hospital alone, but because she wanted to spend more time with him.
“I know I don’t have to; I want to,” Tucker replied before he added, “I was also hoping that maybe tonight, we could finally have that date we never got to have.”
Lucy’s face dropped, there was nothing she would have loved more than to go on a date with Tucker, but River Springs was such a small town and after the night before, she didn’t really fancy a repeat performance.
“What?” Tucker said, and Lucy could see the worry on his face. “What’s wrong?”
“Tucker, it’s not that I don’t want to go out with you,” Lucy replied. “There is nothing I would love to do more.”
“But,” Tucker said, sensing there was one coming.
“But, after what happened last night…” she began to say but stopped as a knowing smile lit up Tuckers face. “What is so funny?”
“Lucy, I know the last thing you want to do it go to another noisy, crowded bar,” Tucker replied. “Especially after what happened last night, but I am asking you to trust me. Please.”
She looked at him for a moment and considered his request, as slowly, a smile appeared on her lips.
“Okay,” she finally said. “I trust you, and I will trust you on this one.”
“Good,” he said, and kissed her forehead. “Now get your ass dressed. We are leaving in fifteen minutes.”
“Yes, Sir,” Lucy said with a giggle.
“It’s lovely to see you happy,” Tucker said giving her one last kiss before he walked towards the door. “I plan on keeping you this way.”
He blew her one more kiss before he disappeared out the door. Lucy just smiled as she returned to her dressing table. She felt happy.
Fifteen minutes later they were in the truck and heading to the hospital. As they got closer to the hospital, Lucy grew quieter and quieter. By the time they reached the hospital, the happy, carefree Lucy that had been in the house less than half an hour earlier was replaced with the old, scared, closed off Lucy.
Tucker pulled into a parking space, switched off the engine and turned to look at Lucy.
“Talk to me,” he said, surprising Lucy.
“What is there to say?” She asked with a shrug.
“What is it you are afraid of?” Tucker asked, knowing exactly what she was worried about.
“I am afraid that Riley will come looking for me,” Lucy replied, deciding that she needed, to be honest with him. “I think he will feel the need to come check on me, and I don’t want to have to talk to him. Also, I am worried my dad will find out what happened last night, and he will go postal.”
“I can call into the station if you want me to, tell them I am not coming in” Tucker replied. “I will stay here with you.”
“No,” Lucy replied quickly. The last thing she wanted was Tucker feeling like he was responsible for her. She needed to be strong and show him that she could do it. “I think I need to do this alone. I am not letting this town or the people that live in it, beat me down again.”
“That’s my girl,” he said with a bright smile.
His girl, Lucy thought to herself and smiled. She liked the sound of that.
“Are you ready to do this?” Tucker asked.
“Yes,” she nodded and tried to sound positive.
“I will walk you into your dad,” Tucker said, as he removed his seatbelt. He climbed out before she had a chance to respond.
When she stepped out of the truck, he took hold of her hand just like he had two days earlier and led her into the hospital.
As they rode up in the elevator together, Tucker gave her hand a tight, reassuring squeeze, and Lucy tried her best to appear calm, but inside, she was anything but.
When they reached Tom’s room, Tucker hesitated. He turned back to Lucy and pulled her to him and softly pressed his lips to hers.
“What was that for?” Lucy asked.
“Because I wanted to kiss you one last time before I head to work,” Tucker replied. “But I don’t want to kiss you in front of Tom.”
“Why not?” Lucy asked, surprised by what he said.
“I would like a chance to talk to your dad before he finds out about us,” Tucker explained.
“Okay,” Lucy said confused.”
“Lucy, there is so much you don’t know about me yet,” Tucker said, knowing he needed to explain himself. “I have done things; I am not necessarily proud of, and I don’t know what would have happened to me if it weren’t for your dad. I think I owe it to him.”
“Your secret is safe with me,” Lucy assured him.
She leaned up and kissed his cheek one last time and turned back to the door.
“Lucy,” Riley’s voice came from behind Tucker and stopped Lucy in her tracks. She could feel Tucker tense behind her.
She closed her eyes and took a deep breath. This was going to happen now, whether she liked it or not.
Chapter 13
Lucy turned around slowly and came face to face with a battered looking Riley. His eye was swollen and black, and there was a cut just below it on his cheek bone.
Before she could say a word, Tucker stepped in front of her, and Riley stepped back and quickly shot Lucy a pleading look.
“What part of stay away don’t you get?” Tucker asked angrily.
“I just wanted to make sure she was okay,” Riley replied as Lucy became aware they were gaining an audience.
“Of course, she is not okay,” Tucker snapped angrily. “How could she be?”
“Tucker it’s okay,” Lucy said, knowing she needed to quickly defuse the situation. “Why don’t you go into my dad? I will be right in.”
Tucker turned quickly to Lucy and gave her a questioning look, but she gave him a reassuring smile.
“I’ll be okay,” she said, as she pressed her hand to his chest.
“Okay,” Tucker replied, but she knew he was far from happy. He gave Riley one last look before he turned and walked into Tom’s room.
“There is a room down the hall where we can talk privately,” Riley said, and Lucy knew he wasn’t sure how she would take that suggestion. She just nodded and let him lead the way.
“So,” he said once they were alone in the small office. He held his hand out to a chair, offering it to Lucy, but she chose to remain standing. “Are you okay?”
“I’m fine,” she replied flatly, and Riley gave her the same old look he used to give all those years before whenever he was in her bad books. She knew he was using it to try to win her over, just like he used to in the past, but this time, it wasn’t going to work. She turned around and reached for the handle of the door. “If that’s all you wanted, I should be going back to my dad.”
“Lucy, I am sorry for what happened last night,” Riley said in a sudden rush of words, stopping her in her tracks. “I swear, I had no idea Trent would be there.”
“I don’t want your apology,” Lucy said as she turned to face the boy she once loved with all her heart. “I wanted you to stand up for me. Like you used to, all those years ago. Like I thought you would after that night, but you didn’t. You just disappeared.”
“Don’t you think I regret how I behaved back then?” He said, as he gave her a pleading look. “I wanted to be there for you.”
“Then why weren’t you?” Lucy asked. “Do you have any idea what I went through? What I still do? That night he held me down and forced himself into me, but that wasn’t enough for him. He bit me, over and over, leaving me with scars that serve as daily reminde
rs of what he did to me. For years it was like he was raping me over and over again, every time I looked into a mirror. And as if that wasn’t enough, I had to get tested to see if he got me pregnant. I was also tested to make sure he hadn’t given me some kind of disease. Do you know how humiliating it was to sit in a clinic for STDs and have people judge you, thinking you are some pathetic girl that sleeps around.”
She stopped and looked at him. She waited for him to say something, but all he did was stare at her with a look of guilt written all over his face.
“For Christ sake, Riley, I can’t even bare to be touched by anyone,” she said as she fought back the tears. “So I can’t even have a proper relationship. Do you know how lonely I am?”
“Then let me help you,” he said, taking a step towards her, but he stopped as she backed away from him.
“I can’t,” she said, as the tears she was holding back, finally broke free. “I can’t trust you.”
“You can,” he replied quickly.
“I CAN’T!” She shouted angrily. “You are still friends with him, after everything he did to me, you still talk to him, like nothing happened. You sat there and watched as he…he touched me again.”
“I’m sorry, Lucy,” Riley pleaded.
“Well I don’t forgive you,” she cried. “You were meant to love me, but you picked your team and a rapist over me. So no Riley, I don’t forgive you.”
Before Riley could reply, the door opened, and Tucker came storming in. Riley instantly backed away from Lucy as she quickly stepped in front of Tucker, stopping him in his tracks before he hit Riley again.
“Lucy, are you okay?” Tucker asked, as he looked at her with concern. She looked up at him and gave him a smile as she wiped the tears.
“Yes,” she replied, as she reached for his hand, and took it in hers. “I am now. I just want to go see my dad.”
He stared at her for a moment, before he gave her a smile and headed for the door. As Lucy walked out behind him, she glanced back at Riley, and she realised at that moment that she was finally letting go.
When they reached Tom’s room, her dad watched Lucy closely, and she knew he was suspicious.
“Hey, Dad,” she said, as she kissed his cheek before she took a seat next to him.
“What’s happened?” He asked without missing a beat.
“Nothing,” Lucy lied. She hated lying to him.
“Then why have you been crying?” He said, looking from her to Tucker.
“Everything is okay,” Lucy assured him, but he didn’t buy it. He reached for the call button and pressed it. Lucy looked at him in confusion. “Dad, what’s the matter? Why are you calling the nurse?”
“I am getting out of here!” He said as he tried to pull himself up further in the bed.
“You’re what?” Lucy asked in disbelief. “Why?”
“Because something is going on,” Tom replied as he pressed the call button again. “And I am not lying in this bed any longer while you need me.”
“Dad, don’t be ridiculous,” Lucy said, as the nurse appeared in the doorway. “You can’t even sit up on your own, how would you cope at home? There is nothing wrong, I promise. Please just calm down.”
“Lucy, I am not stupid,” Tom snapped. “Now either you tell me what’s happened, or I am going to demand that this nurse go and get me whatever the hell papers I need to sign myself out of this place.”
“Is everything okay?” The nurse asked looking confused, as she appeared in the doorway, as she looked from Tom to Lucy.
“Fine,” Lucy sighed, looking at her father before she turned to the nurse and smiled. “I’m sorry, everything is okay. I promise.”
She nodded and smiled before she turned and left them alone again. Lucy gave Tucker a nervous look before she began to speak.
“It’s nothing, it’s just…” she hesitated. “I ran into Riley, and we had words.”
“I KNEW IT!” Tom exclaimed, as he quickly reached for the call button again, but Lucy got to it first. “Lucy, I am getting out of here. That’s the end of it.”
“Dad, calm down,” Lucy pleaded, but it fell on deaf ears. He pushed back the bedclothes and reached for the IV line in his arm, but Lucy quickly grabbed his hand.
“I knew you coming back here was a mistake,” Tom said. He tried to yank his arm free from Lucy’s grasp as he continued to rant, “I knew the minute you set foot into this damn hospital, that asshole would be back, sniffing around. I told the nurse to tell you I was fine…”
“FINE!” Lucy snapped. She had heard enough.
Tom and Tucker both looked at her in unison.
“If that’s how you really feel,” Lucy said, as she stood up and picked up her handbag. “I will go back to New York. I came here to help, I came because you needed me, but I won’t stay where I am not wanted. So you can stay here because I am done.”
She walked to the door but stopped before she opened it and turned back to look at her dad.
“You know I was beyond terrified to come back here,” Lucy said honestly. “I always knew when I did, I would have to face what happened to me that night, and I wasn’t sure I would be able to deal with it. But if I am honest, part of the reason I didn’t come back is I knew you wouldn’t be able to deal with it either. You were shot, they said you might never walk properly again, but all you’re worried about is getting out of here, so I don’t have to be here anymore, and you don’t have to worry.”
“Lucy, that’s not true…” Tom began to argue, but Lucy cut him off.
“It is Dad!” Lucy said quickly. “You told the nurse to tell me not to come.”
“Lucy,” Tucker said, but stopped when she gave him a look that told him not to get involved.
“I did it was because I was worried about you.” Tom tried to explain.
“You were worried about me?” Lucy said as she tried to keep the hurt from her voice. “Or worried how it will make the Chief of Police look if he can’t even keep his own daughter safe.”
“Lucy…” Tom began but stopped, and Lucy knew that he knew what she was talking about. He looked like he was going to be sick.
Lucy didn’t wait for him to reply, she just turned and walked out the door and headed straight for the elevator, each step she took, her heart broke a little bit more.
She stepped into the elevator and hit the button for the ground floor. As the doors closed, she looked up and saw Tucker hurrying along the corridor towards her, but she didn’t stop the doors from closing. She needed a few moments alone before she could face anyone, including Tucker.
When she stepped out into the mid-morning sun, she could feel her whole body shake. She couldn’t believe what had just happened with her dad. All these years, she had held this inside, but finally, it was out there, and she couldn’t take it back.
She walked over to a bench outside the hospital entrance and sat down, trying to calm herself. She closed her eyes as the memories of the morning she arrived in her Aunt Jenny’s place filled her mind.
“This is your room,” Jenny, who was her mom’s twin sister, said, giving her a sad smile. Lucy was happy that her dad agreed to let her come to Nebraska to stay with Jenny. She missed her mom so much, especially now, and Jenny was like the next best thing.
“It’s lovely,” Lucy said, as she took in her surroundings.
“We can decorate it if you want,” Jenny added, and Lucy knew she would have agreed to anything to try make her happy.
“I think it’s perfect as it is,” Lucy replied, as she turned back to her aunt and smiled. “Besides, I will only be here a couple of months anyways.”
“I know,” Jenny said. “But I want you to feel at home.”
“Thanks, Jenny,” Lucy replied, before she looked at her Dad.
“Are you sure this is what you want, Peanut?” Tom asked, but his face was completely unreadable.
“Yeah, I’m sure, Dad,” Lucy said, and tried her hardest to look like her heart wasn’t breaking.
; “Maybe we should leave you to settle in a little,” Jenny said, sensing Lucy needed a little space. “We will be right downstairs if you need anything. Dinner won’t be long. I’ll call you when it’s ready.”
“Thanks, Jenny,” Lucy replied and smiled, before her dad and her aunt walked out of the room, leaving her alone. Once she was alone, she sat on the bed and stared out the window, trying to understand how her life had come to this.
When she had unpacked one of her bags, she realised she had left some of her belongings in the car. She headed down the stairs to ask her dad to help her bring them up. As she got closer to the kitchen, she could hear her dad and Jenny talking, and his words stopped her in her tracks.
“I know it’s terrible of me to say, but I was relieved when she asked to come here,” Tom said with a sigh. “These last couple of weeks have been a complete nightmare.”
“I can only imagine,” Jenny said, and Lucy could hear the sadness in her voice.
“I know she never asked for this, Jen,” Tom continued. “But do you know how hard it is to be the chief of police and have people think I can’t even keep my own daughter safe. It makes me look weak like I shouldn’t even be in the job. That’s why she is better off here. It’s better for everyone.”
Lucy had heard enough, she turned and made her way back to her room and the little piece of her heart she had left, shattered into a million pieces.
“Lucy,” Tucked said suddenly. She turned and was surprised to see him sitting there next to her.
He didn’t need to say a word. Instead, he just wrapped his arms around her and held her close to him. As she gave in to the tears once more.
Chapter 14
“Lucy,” Tucker finally said after what seemed like forever. “I don’t know what you think your dad has done, but…”
“It’s not what he has done, Tucker,” Lucy said as she sat up straight and looked Tucker in the eye. “It’s what he said, what I heard with my own two ears.”
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