Forever lost

7

December 20th.

"I'm sorry, but I'm afraid there has been a misunderstanding with the results," a very nervous young doctor informs the family. Everything seemed to be going wonderfully. Lilly was feeling more and more comfortable with her family, even daring to ask questions and get to know them better.

But that bubble she was living in has been ruthlessly popped by reality.

A few minutes ago, everyone except Lilly was called out of the room to discuss a series of issues. It was there when reality hit them like a bucket of cold water. The girl lying on the bed is not their little one; it's all been a mix-up.

"What do you mean by a mix-up? Are you telling me that girl isn't my daughter?" Robert asks incredulously.

"I'm afraid not. I apologize for the trouble caused. If you need anything else, you can find me in my office," the doctor excuses himself, leaving the whole family bewildered.

Lilly has been able to catch every word of the conversation from her bed, where she now lies with sorrow. The whole family looks at her with pity, with mixed emotions on their faces. The tension of the situation could be cut with a knife, four pairs of eyes looking at Lilly and her own staring at the floor, trying to find the emotions to process the situation.

The moment's aura is interrupted when Jane runs down the hallway with a hand covering her tear-filled face. Alex runs after his mother, trying to provide comfort.

A solitary tear runs down Apollo's face. During the three days he has been able to spend with them, Apollo has always been the closest, always with a sincere smile on his face, trying to make Lilly feel included and comfortable. Ethan, on the other hand, hasn't gotten as close to her as his twin, but he has always been kind to her.

Slowly, Robert enters the room, looking sadly at the little girl on the bed. Lilly feels his gaze penetrating her and unconsciously shrinks into the bed.

"I suppose you've heard," he says to her.

Lilly nods in response, unable to find her voice.

"I suppose you understand that we're not going to proceed with the adoption," he says, a certain tone of anger in his voice.

Lilly nods again.

"You can stay in the hospital until you're healed, but then you must go back to the orphanage," he finishes. Then, he turns his body and leaves the room, gesturing for his children to follow him.

And there Lilly stays, alone again, without family, without hope.

—

A soft snore breaks the silence of the room, accompanied by the sound of the sofa springs creaking.

Lilly's eyes snap open, met with the darkness of the room. A pit forms in her stomach as she looks out the window and sees that it's late at night.

As she scans the room, her eyes settle on a figure sleeping on the sofa.

Alexander, her supposed older brother. Since the first day she woke up, every adult member of the family has spent the night beside her. Tonight was his turn.

It takes Lilly a few seconds to realize. It was all a dream, more like a nightmare.

Despite that, anxiety still fills Lilly's body. Her brother told her that if she needed anything during the night, she shouldn't hesitate to wake him up. But he seems so calm and serene that Lilly doesn't dare to disturb him. Unconsciously, she's glad that it's like this; solitude is something she longs for, she hasn't been alone for more than five minutes these days, always with someone around her.

Usually, when Lilly felt anxious about something, a nighttime walk always helped her clear her mind and sort out her thoughts.

Quickly, without much thought, she throws off the blankets covering her and swings her feet over the edge of the bed, using her arms to push herself up and jump off the bed.

With a silent landing, she touches the ground and as gently as she can, puts on some sneakers and a hoodie, both items new, bought by her parents.

Luckily, the security guard who is usually at the door seems to have gone to the bathroom, leaving Lilly facing the perfect opportunity to leave without attracting attention. All she plans is to take a walk and hopefully return before anyone misses her.

The hospital is quite large, and Lilly soon realizes it; hallway after hallway, the building seems endless, each one decorated differently.

A wall decorated with colorful lines catches Lilly's attention; the lines are very long and follow their path along the entire wall, creating waves. Lilly places her hand on one of these lines and enjoys sliding it along the trajectory it creates.

Carelessly, Lilly continues walking until the lines and the wall disappear, and instead, a glass window appears.

Behind that window, about twenty cribs are lined up, each with a baby inside. Lilly's eyes widen as she observes them, quickly pressing her hands against the glass and leaning as much as she can to see them as closely as possible.

Minutes pass, and Lilly continues to smile from ear to ear, observing the babies, each chubbier than the last, all sleeping peacefully.

"Oh my God, Lilly, you scared me so much," a hand rests on her shoulder, startling her and pulling her out of her perfect bubble.

"I'm sorry," Lilly whispers. "I was just looking at the babies," she points to the window.

Alexander smiles at the sight of the babies; they remind him of when his sister was little.

"They're very adorable, indeed," Alex admits before wrapping his arm around his sister and bringing her closer to rest on his chest.

Lilly is initially surprised and stiffens at her brother's touch, but she soon accepts it and relaxes against his chest.

Alex smiles, feeling his sister comfortable with him, and they both watch the babies while Alexander traces random patterns on his sister's arm.

A big yawn interrupts the peaceful aura they had created.

"Are you tired, Lils?" Alex asks.

Lilly just nods as she leans into her brother's comforting touch.

"I think it's time to go back to bed," Alexander says softly.

Upon hearing this, Lilly feels disappointed, as she would like to keep watching the babies for hours, but she doesn't oppose when her older brother picks her up and carries her on his hip.

Lazily, Lilly rests her cheek on Alex's shoulder, a gesture that fills the older brother with joy.

Just a tiny loving chapter

sorry for the wait 

click the ⭐️

                      rei :)