CHAPTER EIGHT

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It was the day after the second trial....
They were guilty and put to death.

Lyla's POV:

I exited off of the train, the smoke tangling metaphorically around my ankles. I giggled and entered the small, sleepy town of Maycomb, Alabama. I noticed that the town seemed to be gathered in the small center. I slipped past the crowd to notice two bodies exiting the jail. They seemed.....dead.

"Hey! What happened?"

"Where were--oh! Miss Lyla Mae!" Heck Tate greeted me with a handshake and a pat on the back, a smile blessing his features, "your mama will tell ya what happened." I nod, saying good evening, and take off to my childhood house. I see no one on the front porch, deciding to surprise them. I open the front door, peaking my head in the kitchen.

"Cal! Pss!" she jumps and looks my way, smiling brightly.

"Miss Lyla!" she hugs me tightly, hearing footsteps that probably belonged to Pop.

"What? Cal, what's going on?" my father's baritone voice entered the kitchen and spotted me, his eyes widening and a huge smile ignites his face.

"Pop!" I rush up and hug him, squeezing him tightly.

"Easy, Lyla Mae, I'm old." I giggle, looking around for my other siblings or Mama.

"Where's Mama?"

"She's sleeping. Wanna surprise her?" I nod, grinning mischievously. I grab a small plate of cakes and tiptoe to Mama's room. I open the door the slightest, hearing her tiny snores. I enter, sitting on the side of her bed. I brush a strand of hair from her face, her nose twitches because of the movement.

"Mama."

"What, Scout? You know I don't wanna climb trees right now."

"Mama, I don't wanna climb trees right now. Wake up." she opens her eyes, and tumbles out of the bad.

"WELL I'LL BE GODDAMNED! IT'S MY DAUGHTER!"

"Language, Addison Louise May Finch!" Pop reprimands from the kitchen, Mama giggling.

"Sorry, Romeo!"

"I--why Romeo? They both die." she purses her lips and gives me an annoyed look, which I deflect with a big smile.

"I'm so glad you're back, Lyla Mae. I missed you. By the way, Scout and Jem are playing with Dill." I nod, helping Mama up. She hugs me tightly, whispering into my ear, "hon, there's a lot you missed." she sighs and lets me go.

"Mama, what happened while I was gone?" she sighs, and puts her face in her hands, "Mama, don't cry!"

"Oh honey, I would have had a baby. A beautiful baby. Growing and going to become just like her sister." I look at her with uncertainty, her features distraught.

"Mama, what happened?"

"I--was assaulted. Sexually. I lost the baby." she absentmindedly places her hands on her womb, looking down.

"Who. Dares. Lay. Their. Fingers. On. My. Mom?"

"I--Ewells. Ethan and Dalton." I growl, pacing around the room suddenly.

"Wait. Are they the people that I saw taken away from the jailhouse?" she nods, Pop suddenly entering the room.

"Juliet? Adds?" he only called her Adds when she looked like on the brink of an anxiety attack. Or PTSD.

"I-I'm fine. Thank you, Atticus." he takes her in his arms, kissing the crown of her head.

"I'm so damn glad they're dead. Otherwise I would have killed them myself." I punch a fist into my semi-cupped hand.

"Mista Finch! Missus Finch!" they snap their heads in the direction of Cal's voice.

"Yes, Cal?"

"Mr. Ewell--" Pop marches outside, taking the rifle. I stifle my laughs and run out, Mama following close behind.

"Ewell. Get off my property." he spits in Pop's face, angering him and me. I walk up, and sock him right in the center of his face.

"Bitch!" he calls me as he grabs me.

"Get your hands off my daughter!!" Pops yells, his face turning red in anger. I knee him in his square and he falls to the ground, holding himself. Pops holds the gun up,

1......

2......

3......

BOOM!!!!

Ewell laid there, a clean bullet through his skull. Mama presses her hands to her mouth, running inside. I run after her, entering the room to discover her throwing up in the toilet. I groan, pulling her brown hair out of her face.

"Mama, I thought you didn't mind blood." she threw up some more.

Addison's POV:

I run inside, upchucking all of my insides. I hear steps and my oldest is pulling the hair from my face out of my face.

"Mama, I thought you didn't mind blood." more vomit came out, I hold my stomach and cough violently.

"Please--" I cough some more, "go get your father and then go get Scout and Dill." she runs out, screaming for Atticus. I then hear his footsteps, kneeling by me and rubbing my back.

"Honey, we better tell them before they find out themselves." I nod, sitting up and laying my head on Atticus' shoulder. I felt like I was dying. It hurt like hell.

"Mama?" I heard Scout's voice, and then three sets of footsteps.

"Kids. We have something we want to tell you." his face was solemn, as was mine. I wasn't sure I was going to make it much longer. Let alone to see my Lyla's marriage.

"Yes? Tell us, Mama." Jem rushes, wringing his hands anxiously.

"What your mother needs to tell you is that....."

"Is she dying??" I gulp, grabbing Atticus' hand.

"I--"

"No! Mama, don't die! You can't! You just won the case! It's not--fair!" Scout starts sobbing, making me start to sob.

"Don't c-cry Scout! C'mere honey!" she crawls over, sitting in my lap. She sobs into my chest, clinging onto me.

"I'm not dying kids, far from that." I look over to my husband, smiling. The kids look at each other with confusion.

"Then, what is is? What's goin' on?" Lyla asks, grabbing my hands and shaking them, like for answers.

"Honey, your mother isn't dying."

"The truth is,

I'm having a baby!"

Tons of cheers.

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