Page 9 of Ours to Keep

I scrub my jaw, desperate for a shower and a shave, saying nothing in response.

“Why don't you go get some shut-eye, even if it's just a couple of hours, and then you can swap with Tommy at the hospital?”

I swallow down the lump in my throat. He’s right, of course, but I don't think I could sleep.

“When Lily's discharged, I don't want to bring her back here,” I state, taking a scalding sip of coffee—the burn welcome.

He arches an eyebrow and leans back against the counter while waiting for me to elaborate.

“I'll speak to her about it first. But I want her somewhere she'll be safe, somewhere no one will know about.”

He considers my words for a moment. “You mean like a safe house?”

I nod. “Yes, exactly that. I want it to look as though she's disappeared, keep her completely off-grid. Let her try to recover, at least physically.” I have no idea how much this has messed with her mentally. She was already holding back so much about her relationship with her stepfather. We've barely scratched the surface.

“You want me to see what I can sort out?” he asks, and I’m relieved that he's not questioning me over this.

“Yeah. One of us will need to stay with her around the clock, but I want everyone else here with me so we can work out the best course of action.”

He tilts his head in thought. “I think it should be Tommy,” he suggests, moving towards the fridge and pulling out a carton of orange juice.“She’s hardly spoken to me or River when she’s been awake. I think he’s who she needs right now.”

“I think so, too,” I agree, sipping on my coffee as Elliot pours himself a generous glass of juice.

“What's that?” River asks, his tone lacking humour and so at odds with his usual behaviour.

“That I think Lily should go off-grid, go to a safe house. Elliot suggested Tommy be the one to stay with her while we try to sort all this shit out.”

River’s eyes narrow briefly as he processes the information. “Yeah, that might be for the best,” he says, his voice laced with worry.

“He’s the only one Lily has spoken more than a few words to,” Elliot says as River walks towards him. “I think she needs him as much as he needs her.”

“Yeah, you’re probably right,” he acquiesces before gently cupping the back of Elliot's neck and pulling him in for a quick, chaste kiss.

I knew they'd been seeing each other, but they always kept it private. Seeing this small moment of affection has something in my chest loosening, just a fraction.

“You look good with each other,” I say when he reaches for Elliot's glass and takes a swig. “About fucking time, I might add.”

River lets out a small beat of laughter, but it quickly fades like he'd forgotten himself for a moment. “Yeah, well, you can't fight the inevitable,” he says, his gaze fixed on mine. “Just like we couldn't fight our feelings for Lily.” And I know what he's insinuating—me being with Lily. We've not discussed what happens going forward, but I know we can’t keep ignoring the elephant in the room.

“Do you want to talk about me and Lily?” I question, refusing to let this fester or to put a wedge between us—they're my closest friends, my family.

“What do you mean, you and Lily? Just because you fucked her doesn’t make you suddenly have some claim over her.”

I let out a heavy sigh. “That's not what I said. Don’t put words into my mouth.”

He raises his eyebrows. “Okay, so, what happens now?” he asks.

I shrug because, honestly, I have no idea. “I guess that all depends on Lily.”

“What do you mean? You want her to choose?”

I shake my head. “I don't want her to do anything she doesn't want to do. But what I do want is her safe and the cunt behind bars where he belongs, or better still, six feet under.”

“As do we, and just for the record, I'm not giving her up, and neither is Elliot,” he says resolute.

“She's not a fucking toy, River,” I state, my voice rising.

He lurches forward, and before I have time to process it, his fist collides with my jaw, catching my bottom lip and causing my head to snap back from the impact, my coffee spilling over the rim of my mug as I slam it onto the counter with more force than necessary. I wipe at the blood from my split lip with the back of my hand as Elliot holds River back against his chest in case he’s about to take another swing at me.

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