What seemed like hours ago (but wasn’t), back at Lily and Nate’s house, Laura, trying to find her opening to intervene (but failing) in the highly escalated situation, had vaguely heard Lily’s attorney call the police. The police, upon arrival, didn’t seem to care one bit that the girl wrestling around on the floor with Danielle was supposed to be getting married in an hour. They’d carted the lot of them off to the police station and didn’t allow them to use the phone.
Lily, to Laura’s dismay, had seemed completely at ease with this.
Her dress remarkably had survived the wrestling match although, to Laura’s despair, her bracelet had been ripped off and her hair was in complete disarray.
Danielle had come out the worse for wear, however.
Alistair and Jeffrey had managed to pull Maxine out of the fray but it took both of them to control her as she tried to dive back in, all the while shouting encouragement to Lily who was in what appeared to be a struggle to the death with Danielle on the floor.
In the final moments of the battle, Mrs. Gunderson decided she’d had enough of sitting on the back of the couch and watching with feigned cat disinterest. She threw herself, hissing and claws bared, into action and scratched Danielle’s arms and legs viciously but, surprisingly, or perhaps not surprisingly, the cat didn’t touch Lily.
As they were sitting in the police station waiting for their chance to use the phones, Lily had smiled at Laura and said, “Don’t worry, as soon as I can I’ll call Nate and he’ll get this all sorted out.”
This, Laura had to admit, did make her feel a little bit better. However it didn’t change the fact that Laura’s two rotten, horrible children had again spoiled things for Nathaniel and Lily and it was Laura’s fault because she had wanted to hear what they had to say hoping, stupidly, that it was going to be an apology.
Lily wasn’t wrong about Nate.
Ten minutes after Lily phoned Nate, an official-looking person came to them looking embarrassed and casting accusing glances at the officers who had arrived at Lily’s home and taken them away without regard to the celebratory circumstances, then didn’t offer them a bathroom or the use of the phone for what seemed like ages.
Upon arrival, the officer smiled consolingly at Lily.
“Ms. Jacobs, I’ve had a call,” he explained. “Please accept my deepest apologies. Your fiancé is on his way. In the meantime, let’s get you some tea and a place to tidy up.”
“Well!” Maxine stated grandly, standing and shaking out her flowing, lavender caftan that was liberally sprinkled with sequins around the collar and hem. Maxine’s outfit hadn’t fared so well in the struggle, there was a big rip rent from knee to hem. “He offers tea. I never,” she snapped.
“Could I please have some first aid?” Danielle asked snottily from her place down the hall, luckily far down the hall from where Lily, Laura and Maxine were sitting.
“And you would be?” the policeman asked.
“I’m Danielle Roberts,” Danielle stated as if she was saying, “I am Queen of the Universe”.
Laura closed her eyes in despair then opened them to see the man’s back straightening.
“We’ll get to you in a minute,” he said dismissively and somewhat threateningly. Laura noted Danielle’s face registering deep affront but she tore her gaze away from her birth daughter and watched as the officer turned back to Lily and offered her his arm. In a tone that was nearly reverential, he said, “Ms. Jacobs.” He also nodded to Maxine and Laura and they knew they were to follow.
Lily took his arm and they walked away, passed an outwardly fuming Danielle, a surprisingly silent and guilt stricken looking Jeffrey and the glaring, pacing, unrepentant Alistair.
Laura tried very hard to ignore her children but Danielle was scratched and bleeding though she knew it wasn’t that bad, Laura was still a mother and she couldn’t help herself. Even though she vowed never to care, never even to think about her two children again, she opened her mouth to speak but Lily beat her to it.
In a whisper, Lily leaned into the policeman and suggested, “Maybe, before our tea, you could see to her scratches?”
At Lily’s kind words, Laura reached out and caught Maxine’s hand and felt Maxine’s close around her own and squeeze with assurance.
Then Laura bit her lip.
Yes, she thought, yes, my dearest Lily, you are perfect for my Nathaniel.
Now they were sitting in an untidy but not unsavoury office. They had tea and package biscuits although someone had run out and bought Lily a skinny latte, such was Nathaniel’s power, Laura was proud to note. Laura and Maxine had done their best to get Lily’s hair back to its former loveliness. It looked fine but not nearly as fine as Susan’s handiwork. And they waited for Nathaniel to arrive.
Laura felt her heart ache as she struggled to find the words yet again to apologise to Lily that her children ruined everything. She closed her eyes tight, feeling the tears clogging her throat as she sat in a police station, of all places, with Lily on her wedding day, of all days, when Laura heard a giggle.
Her eyes flew open and locked on Lily who was giggling harder, louder, her body beginning to shake with it.
“I can’t,” Lily breathed and then let out an unladylike snort of laughter. She tried for control and started again, “I can’t believe I wrestled on the floor of my sitting room in my wedding dress.” Then she threw herself bodily against the back of the chair and rocked with her laughter.
Maxine was laughing too, softly, as she got up and divested Lily of her latte. Lily’s dress had made it this far, even if they had to wait another month, or, Laura hoped not, two for an alternate date at the Registry Office, Lily could wear the dress again and she didn’t need coffee stains on it.
“I had my money on you,” Maxine said through her strengthening laughter. “You had her hair so tightly fisted, I thought you were going to yank it…” she stopped and gulped down laughter, her eyes swinging horrified to Laura, “Laura, I’m so sorry. She’s your daugh –”
“She’s nothing to me,” Laura declared firmly and both Lily and Maxine’s laughter died abruptly.
“Laura,” Lily said softly and she prepared to stand.
Laura brought her hand up.
“No.” Lily’s movement arrested at Laura’s word.
“But she’s –” Lily started.
Laura pinned Lily to the spot with her gaze and Lily’s mouth snapped shut. “No, she isn’t. I have a daughter, yes, I still have a daughter. And she’s sitting with me in this very room.”
“Laura,” Lily breathed and surged out of her chair. Laura rose as well and they found themselves in each other’s arms and both hugged tight.
“Mr. McAllister,” they heard in respectful voice coming from behind the closed door, “I can assure you…”
The door flew open and Nathaniel stood there, his tall body tense, his eyes sweeping the room then they stopped on Laura and Lily.
“That’ll do.” Nathaniel’s deep voice rang with authority, his gaze still on Lily and Laura but he was speaking to the police officer at his side.
“What I was saying is, I can assure –” the police officer began but stopped when Nate’s angry eyes cut to him. “Of course,” the officer went on, “I’ll, erm, leave you to it.” Then the officer backed out of the room.
Everyone stayed still and silent, the women staring at Nathaniel, Nathaniel staring at Lily.