Because of that Night (Book 2)

Chapter 27: Lila

When Lila had given birth to Dylan, she and Hunter had not really been on speaking terms. Despite how much he attempted to remain in contact with her to some extent, she had formed the largest barrier she could around herself to prevent him from getting too close. It had been weeks since Hunter and Lila had spoken. They were not on the same page about so many things, and because of that, Lila found it best to proceed with Hunter at a distance even farther than arm's length; if he couldn't be on board with Lila's wishes, than he couldn't be a part of Dylan's life the way he wanted to be. Lila had people she felt she needed to protect; Mr. Cooper, Michael and his memory, and now, Dylan. For Lila, she felt as though Hunter was attempting to prevent her from accomplishing this, and she had several pep talks with herself after the night she finally put her foot down about it all. She was right, her feelings were valid, this was not a drastic and outrageous decision she had made. She had a son now, and she wouldn't allow anyone to make life harder for either she or Dylan.

The day Dylan was born was one of the happiest days of Lila's life, but the sourness of Michael's absence and the estranged position she was in with Hunter also made it one of the most devasting too. Aunt Nova had been close by through the entirety of it all, as had Zooey before Lila finally persuaded her to go home and get some sleep. She had flown back from Chicago in preparation for Lila's due date just so that she could be with her through it all. She had been the only person besides Aunt Nova who she had allowed to see her up to that point. But the labor had been strenuous and long, and she could see Zooey's eyes struggling to remain opened as she sat in a chair by Lila's hospital room window. She must have been up for close to forty-eight hours straight at that point.

She didn't want to admit it to herself, but Lila knew that from here on out, everything would be different. Even before Dylan had arrived, Lila could sense the distance growing between her and Zooey, but even sitting there now with Zooey only a foot away, the separation might as well have been the distance from Chicago to Borne and back. Their lives were polar opposites now. They no longer shared every secret, as least that was true for Lila, and Zooey was off experiencing things the two of them had fantasized about all through high school, while Lila had no plan and no intention of leaving Borne anytime soon. Lila wasn't mad. She had made a decision, and she would have to stick to it. It simply was what it was. And when she gently called Zooey's name and stirred her out of her half-slumber, it was almost as though they shared a knowing look that yes, this was where their friendship would drastically change. In fact, it was where it would quietly begin nearing its inevitable ending.

She looked down at the small human that now lay on her chest and wondered how this had all possibly happened. She obviously knew the steps of it, but somehow as she pieced them together in her mind, the surrealness seemed unfathomable. She felt a familiar prickle of pure loneliness creep into her brain, causing her whole body to swell with a terrible ache. What had she just done? Had this all been a mistake? But more importantly, was there ever really another choice?

A light tap had sounded at her door, and Aunt Nova poked her head through the small crack of its opening. She fully entered after gazing over at Lila as Dylan's small body rose up and down on her chest. She walked slowly, quietly over to Lila's bed, pulling a chair close to the two of them. She laid a gentle hand on top of Dylan's head, combing at the small wisps of cinnamon brown locks. With her other hand, she did the same to Lila's dark brown hair. They held their gaze with each other, and Lila knew what her aunt would say before she would even form the words.

"They asked for me to check on you again," Aunt Nova said, her voice the softest Lila had ever heard it.

It didn't matter how gently she said the sentence, Lila felt her throat immediately tighten. Before she could even attempt to hold it back, her eyes welled with tears and her chest heaved in big, broken breaths. Aunt Nova had shushed her, still combing a hand through her hair as Dylan began to stir between them. It took some coaxing, but Lila finally allowed Aunt Nova to remove Dylan from her chest, resting him back in the bassinet beside the bed. Once Dylan was safely in the bassinet, Aunt Nova reached over and wiped away the tears that streamed down Lila's face.