Not a City of Angels

Chapter Seven

Sept 13, 2014 6:07 AM

Eight months after the Particle Accelerator explosion

When Lily awoke, she became aware of an array of tubing around her ears and in her nose. It tickled, and she wondered why she hadn't woken up sooner. But as her eyes adjusted to the light in the room- which took awhile, considering that her eyelids felt heavier than any weight she had ever lifted- she heard the beeping of monitors, a chorus of sounds she was halfway convinced they were on the way to destroy her soul.

"Nurse! Nurse Kathy!"

She heard the spamming of a button, and Lily felt an oncoming headache. She whimpered.

"I know, sweetie, it's okay, don't move. Coop's here, he'll make you feel better."

All the while annoyingly spamming a button. Somehow, Lily wasn't convinced. She began to get frustrated, like the kind of frustrated you would get when you were sick, but you couldn't do anything about it. It started with a pull in her chest and tears pricking in her eyes, but she felt so weak and disconnected with the world that it didn't even matter.

"Oh, thank god."

"Lily, sweetie, don't pull at the cords. Just let them do their job, and you'll be fine."

"She's okay. She's okay."

Lily heard the smatterings of conversations that came with being woken up by people talking. Only two people came to mind, and it was her brothers.

"Coop," she attempted to whisper, but nothing came out. She saw Cooper and Blaine's faces above her, one kneeling, and the other repeatedly spamming the button by her bedside.

But the noise was alright, because she was alive. She's okay.

❦

Dec 14 2014 12:34 PM

One year after the Particle Accelerator explosion

"Hi, Lily. Was that...what are you drawing?" Cooper said, dropping a folder on the brown table, "I'm gonna need my chair back- Blaine's here, he's gonna- that's the Flash!"

Lily looked up dimly, silently putting her coloring supplies down to acknowledge her brothers. She could see her drawing had attracted their attention; perhaps that was the whole point. It was a good drawing, however. Lily shook her head, innocent hazel eyes widening inquisitively, "Not the Flash, Coop. The Flash doesn't wear yellow."

She continued to fill in the red eyes of the man in the picture. Cooper and Blaine exchanged a look, for Lily's drawing was quite realistic. Lily liked to draw when she was alone, and especially so after she had woken up from the coma. She knew it was because she could color fasterthan ever before.

Out of the corner of her eye, Lily could see Cooper's colleague, Joe, and another whom she hadn't yet met. He was tall; both of them. The stranger had light brown hair, but it was sandier (and darker) than Cooper's. Lily noticed them watching from the corner, eyes zeroed in on her drawing.

Meanwhile, Cooper had gently taken Lily from the large office chair, sat down, and moved the child to his lap.

"Lily," Cooper prodded his little sister gently, "Can you, er," There was a pause, and Blaine, who stood patiently beside the desk, was nodding vaguely.

"Can you tell me more about this drawing?"

Lily looked up from where she was carefully (and agonizingly slowly) coloring in the man's eyes. She sighed only once.

"That's him," She said simply, pointing to the center, "And...that's daddy."

Immediately, Cooper blinked. Lily knew her brothers had been walking on eggshells around her ever since the coma, where she had started to become more interested in what happened to her parents the night they died.

Blaine had a strained smile. "It's very good, Lily, but...maybe you should take a little break. Come have lunch with me while Coop does his thing."

Lily shrugged, moving to get up and follow her other older brother.

As she did, she saw Joe and the petrified stranger move to block the doorway.