THE GIFT
1614 Words
ALEXA POV
“Mommy! Look!”
“Baby, you scared me.”
For one horrible second, I had thought something has happened again.
Thats when I see Lily sitting in her hospital bed.
Her eyes are bright. Her cheeks have actual color again. There is no panic on her face and no tears. She’s tearing through one of the gift bags on the bed.
I stop beside her and let out the breath I didn’t realize I was holding, relief washes through me so quickly that my knees almost feel weak.
“Look what he got me!” she giggles.
She pulls out the stuffed animal first.
A unicorn.
It has a soft white body, a rainbow mane, and a little silver horn. I stared at it.
My heart skips.
It’s the exact one she’s been begging me for at the store for the past three months and every single time we walked past the toy aisle, she pointed at it with those hopeful eyes begging me to get them but I had to swallow the guilt burning inside me and tell her that I couldn’t get it there wasn't enough money.
I blink hard.
Of all the things Travis could have brought her, he somehow picked the one thing she wanted most.
Lily hugs the unicorn tightly against her chest.
“It’s my favorite!”
Something aches inside me, gratitude fills my chest so completely that for a moment, I don’t know what to do with it.
I look at Travis.
He gives me a small smile and rubs the back of his neck, looking almost awkward.
“I asked the nurse what she liked,” he explains. “She mentioned the unicorn.”
Lily’s eyes widen.
“You remembered!”
Travis’s smile softens.
“Of course I did.”
I stare at him, something inside me loosens. And somehow, that scares me.
Because I don't want to feel anything toward this man.
Not gratitude.
Not sympathy.
Not warmth.
Nothing.
He is the man who hit my daughter with his car, he is the reason she is lying in a hospital bed.
But for the first time since the accident, Lily looks truly happy.
She starts opening everything at once and showing Travis every single thing like he’s her favorite person in the world.
And I hate how quickly she is warming up to him.
This is something she would never do with Victor, ever.
Not this easily.
Victor is her father, but there is always a strange distance between them. Even when he is in the same room, Lily is usually looking for me.
But with Travis...
She doesn't seem afraid of him at all.
It has been what?
Just three hours since he hit her with his car.
And now she is laughing with the man who put her here.
Travis notices me staring.
His smile fades slightly,he shifts on his feet before looking from Lily to me.
“I’m really sorry,” he says quietly.
Then he looks at Lily.
“I’m really sorry I hurt you.”
Lily studies him for a moment.
Then she shrugs.
“It’s okay. Mommy said accidents happen.”
Travis looks genuinely surprised.
“Thank you, Lily.”
His voice is soft,I expected someone like him to be arrogant.
The kind of rich man who throws money at a problem and walks away.
Before I can say anything, the door suddenly swings open.
Victor.
My body stiffens.
His eyes immediately land on Travis.
The warmth in his expression disappears.
His entire face changes.
“Looks like you've made yourself comfortable, huh?”, he says coldly.
The room suddenly feels smaller.
Lily stops playing with her gifts.
Travis slowly straightens.
“I was just visiting Lily.”
Victor lets out a humorless laugh.
“Visiting?”, he says narrowing his eyes
“You hit my daughter with your car, and now you're sitting here like you belong in this room?”
“Victor.”
I step between them before this can escalate.
“We should focus on Lily, okay?”
Victor doesn’t look at me.
He keeps his eyes on Travis.
Anger flashes across his face.
Travis doesn't back down, but he doesn't provoke him either.
“I understand you're upset.”
“Upset?”
Victor takes one step forward.
“You have no idea what…”
“Victor!” I said raising my voice a little
Lily flinches.
The sight of her immediately stops me.
I lower my voice.
“Not here.”
Victor looks at me, then he turns and walks out.The door slams behind him.
Silence fills the room.
Lily looked down at her unicorn and I could clearly see the sadness in her eyes. Travis watches the door for a few seconds.
Then he looks at me.
“Is he… okay?”
“I don’t know.” I swallow
And I mean it.
Because something about Victor's reaction feels wrong.
Like his anger toward Travis isn't only about Lily.
Before I can think about it any further, the door opens again.
The nurse walks in to check Lily’s vitals.
She glances between us.
“I heard the commotion from the hallway,” she says firmly. “You need to keep it down. This is a hospital, not a battlefield.”
I force a small smile.
“I'm sorry.”
She checks Lily’s blood pressure, pulse, and oxygen level before writing something on her chart.
“She's doing better,” she says. “But she needs rest.”
Travis nods.
“Of course.”
Finally, he looks at me.
“I should go. Let you all rest.”
Lily’s face falls immediately.
“Are you coming back tomorrow?”
Travis pauses and looks at me.
“If your mommy lets me.”
Lily turns toward me with those big, hopeful eyes.
“Please, Mommy?”
My heart twists,I look at her.
Then toward the door Victor disappeared through.
My husband hates him.
My daughter likes him.
And somehow, I'm caught right in the middle.
“Let’s see how you’re feeling tomorrow, okay, baby?”
Lily nods.
But the disappointment on her face is obvious.
Travis gently squeezes her hand.
“I’ll check in. Okay?”
“Okay”, She smiles faintly.
He walks toward the door.
Just before he leaves, he glances back at me.
Our eyes meet, Then he gives me a small nod and leaves.
I watch the door close behind him.
I don't know why I keep staring at it.
I shouldn't care.
So why does the room suddenly feel emptier now that he's gone?
I push the thought away, I stay with Lily until her eyes grow heavy and she finally falls asleep, curled around that unicorn like it is the only safe thing in the world. I brush a strand of hair away from her forehead.
My chest aches, She looks so small.
Too small for all of this.
My phone suddenly rings.
Its Maya.
I answer immediately.
“How’s Lily?”
“She’s okay.”
My eyes stay on the bed.
Lily’s face still looks pale beneath the harsh hospital lights.
“Good. Because I’ve been trying to call you all afternoon.”
“Sorry. Everything’s been crazy.”
“I know.”
She pauses.
“But your boss doesn’t care that your daughter got hit by a car.”
I close my eyes.
“What happened?”
“He wants you back tomorrow.”
My stomach drops.
“Tomorrow?”
“Apparently the client’s presentation can’t wait.”
I sit up straighter.
“You're kidding.”
“I wish I was.”
My jaw tightens.
I want to scream.
My daughter is lying in a hospital bed, and somehow, work still expects me to show up tomorrow morning like nothing happened.
I open my mouth to argue, but Maya cuts me off.
“And before you say no, I already told him you're coming.”
“Maya!”
“You’re welcome.”
Despite everything, a short laugh slips out of me.
Maya can be crazy.
But she does help,sometimes more than I know how to admit.
I end the call and lower my phone.
That's when I notice a small paper bag sitting on the chair beside Lily’s bed.My brows pull together.
I reach for it, there is no name on it,I slowly open the bag, Inside is a folded note written in neat handwriting. I unfold it and it says
For Lily:. In case she needs a little more cheering up from Travis.
I stare at the words,a small smile spreads across my face before I can stop it. He had thought of her even after leaving,so I folded the note carefully and placed it back inside the bag.
Suddenly my phone buzzes,I glanced at the screen, it's a message from an Unknown number.My heart skips.
The message is from Travis.
I hope she’s sleeping comfortably. I didn’t want to disturb you.
I freeze.
How does he have my number? I became suspicious, then I remembered the accident paperwork.The hospital must have gotten my contact information from the records, and Travis could have seen it.
Still, something about receiving a message from him this late makes my stomach flutter strangely.I shake the feeling away.
He's just checking on Lily.
That's all.
I type a reply.
She's sleeping.
I stare at it for a moment before sending.
Almost immediately, three dots appear.
Then his reply comes through.
Good. You should sleep too
I stare at the message.
My heart feels warm for a second.
Then another notification lights up my screen.
Victor.
My smile disappears.
I open the message.
Where are you?
- Writer
- chap_listContents
- likeADD