Bailey clung to Lily as a nurse with brightly colored scrubs and pink dyed hair placed a child-sized breathing mask to her mouth. The girl’s tiny t-shirt had been cut open and her pants taken off. All that covered her tiny body was the toddler-sized hospital gowns the EMTs had placed on her when they had arrived moments earlier.
Bailey couldn’t take the nurse’s silence. She needed answers, and she needed them now, “Why does she need that? Is she not breathing? Should I be worried? What’s wrong with her?”
Bailey had gone from anxious to terrified as soon as the ambulance drivers unloaded Lily’s bed into the darkened room. The men screaming out instructions and Lily’s details to the small group of nurses had made the emergency of the situation more real to her. Her daughter was found, but that was only about half of the battle in front of them. And now, as Bailey half laid, half stood next to the miniature hospital bed, she had to face the idea that Lily may not come out of the Tucson Children’s Hospital the same girl, or at all.
Guilt washed over her as she considered how much her daughter must have wanted her mother for the month she was in the home and how scared and confused she was to see her father come pick her up. Bailey had done that to her, and she would spend her life trying to make that up to her.
The colorful nurse looked at the distraught mother sympathetically as she turned the oxygen tank on. She had seen many parents like Bailey break down to pieces when their son or daughter laid in one of these Emergency Room beds. But her answer was always the same, “I’m sorry honey. I can’t tell you what’s wrong. Hospital protocol and all, but the doctor will be in here any minute. He can give you the details.”
“I don’t understand…” The nurse exited the room without any further explanation. Bailey looked around the now empty room and shouted, “How could Joe do this? How could he do this to you?” Bailey sobbed into the white sheets of the bed as she grabbed on to Lily’s tiny arm.
The girl had yet to move since Bailey had picked her off of her grandmother’s bed and carried her back down to the living room. Both grandparents were distraught when they realized that what was going on wasn’t just normal kid stuff. When their son had dropped her off, he had sworn she was just tired and that she would wake up at any moment. Now they knew their son had done something much more sinister than leaving them with a sleeping toddler to care for.
The Malnutys arrived with Leo in tow. They gathered outside the ER’s entrance in the sterile-looking waiting room unsure of if they should break protocol and join Bailey as she waited for a doctor to arrive. The older couple whispered back and forth to themselves as Lily’s grandmother cried into the man’s shoulder. Leo watched as her husband took her hand to his lip and planted a small kiss and then wiped her tears away. The man continued to say, “It’s not our fault, Darla. It’s not our fault.”
Leo knew he couldn’t just sit there. Bailey needed him just as the woman needed her husband. He had come all this way, had done so much, to be out in the dark while the person who cared for most suffered alone. He took a deep breath and made his decision by walking past the security guard and into the bustling ER. Looking into the open windows of the rooms, he could see parents sobbing over their children’s broken bones or bleeding injuries. Another father scolded his child loudly for climbing on a tree.
It wasn’t until he reached the very end of the hallway did he hear a familiar cry coming from one of the doors with the blinds drawn. He took a chance and opened it slowly, peeking his head inside first. Bailey didn’t notice him. Her head was still hovering over her daughter’s frail body as if something would happen at any moment. She couldn’t spare a second to look away.
“Bailey.” He took a few steps in, not wanting to overstep his boundaries. “It’s me. Do you want me to sit with you? How about get you a cup of coffee? Whatever you need, I’m here.”
She snapped as she lost her patience, “I need her doctor to get in here! What’s taking so long? You would think they would understand that this is an emergency! My daughter could be dying here!”
Without a word, Leo turned and walked out of the room. He headed straight to the desk where a man in red scrubs searched through a magazine. Leo reached over and snatched the glossy pages from his hands and tossed it onto the ground, “Room 9 needs a doctor immediately! There’s an unconscious girl in there!”
The irritated worker rose to his feet, only meeting Leo at his chest. He looked up at him as he snidely said, “Sir, please return to your room. The girl’s doctor will be in as soon as he can.”
Leo wanted nothing more to reach over and grab the man by the collar. But instead, he roared as loud as he could, “THAT’S NOT GOOD ENOUGH!”
“Sir, I need you to lower your voice. I cannot help you unless you remain calm.” The man lifted his hands above his chest as he spoke. He then asked, “How are you related to the patient in Room 9?”
Leo shuffled his feet and charged at the desk once more. This time, he took the phone out of the man’s hand and held it up towards his ear, just barely missing hitting the man in the head. He thrust the phone once more as he yelled, “Does it fucking matter who I am or what I'm doing here? That girl needs help! This is a hospital! You’re supposed to help her and her mother in there!”
The worker sat back down and wheeled his desk chair out of arm’s length of Leo who panted from the energy expelled. He then picked up a phone against a wall and typed in a long set of numbers. Covering the headset, he spoke quickly without taking his eyes off of Leo. When he hung up, he turned his head to face the waiting room where Leo had come from.
Two large security officers appeared within seconds. Both of the middle-aged men looked Leo up and down as they asked the staff member what the problem was. As he began to spoke the smaller of the two men interrupted him and exclaimed, “Leo Lionheart! Is that you?”
The second guard spun towards the man and then took a step forward as if to study his partner’s claim. “Holy smokes! It’s him. It’s Leo Lionheart—in our hospital! We’re huge fans, man! That fight against Thompson was one of the greatest I ever seen. My son has a picture of you in that fight hanging on his wall. He’s gonna get a kick out of me telling him I met you.” The man outstretched his hand in a greeting.
Leo wasn’t sure how to respond. He wasn’t one to play up fans, but today, he could use it to his advantage. He plastered a tired smile on his face and outstretched his arm towards the excited officer in return, “Hey, man! Thanks for noticing. I’m glad to hear your son is still a fan. It’s been a couple years since I’ve been in the ring. Hopefully he keeps on rooting for me when I make my return.”
The second officer grinned widely and turned toward the man at the desk with an irritated look on his face, “There doesn’t seem to be a problem here, Ken. Why did you need us again?”
The man shook his head and returned to his work computer, too annoyed to argue with the security guards as they fawned over the celebrity. Leo chatted up the officers as he talked about his career and his thoughts about returning to the ring. All the while, he kept his eyes on the room where Bailey still waited with her daughter for help. He patted the men on their backs as he agreed to take a picture with their phones.
As they finished up, Leo exclaimed, “Hey listen, guys, I’m trying to get ahold of the doctor assigned to Room 9 there. I’ve got a friend whose daughter really needs medical help. I would appreciate you guys helping us out.”
The security guard jumped at offering a solution, “Sure, sure Lionheart! Let me go get Lois. She’s the nurse in charge of these sections.” The men strolled around the desk where a pack of female nurses stood chatting. They returned with a young woman with a massive clipboard in hand. The security guard excitedly introduced Leo to her and explained his request. She removed her cat eye glasses and then walked wordlessly to Bailey’s room, pulled the chart off the back of the door, and made a call with her nurse’s phone to the paging system.
In an instant, a doctor in a bowtie and black dress slacks walked towards Lois as she handed him the chart. “Unconscious four-year-old female. Unknown cause. Low heart rate and aspiration at 70%. We’re administering oxygen. Mom’s in the room with her right now. Would you like me to follow?” The doctor nodded at her as he continued to read the handwritten details on the silver binder.
Leo watched as he took a beat, walked into the room, and then announced himself to Bailey. Leo turned and thanked the two men for their efforts before following Lois back towards Lily’s room. He could hear the doctor asking Bailey a barrage questions, but Bailey could not provide him with any answers. Leo snuck beside her, placing his hand on her arm.
“Ms. Reed, can you tell me exactly what happened to her? We need to know so we can help her.” The doctor impatiently pulled out a click pen from his white coat and began to write in a fast scribble. He didn’t know what to make of the speechless woman or the mystery girl lying in the bed.
“I—I—I—” Bailey hesitated as she turned towards Leo for help. He massaged her arm, encouraging her to talk. She sucked in air from the room and then released it as she spoke rapidly, “My daughter was kidnapped by my ex-husband from her foster home in Chicago. The cops are looking for her, but we tracked her down here in Tucson. My ex must have done something to her before he flew because his driver told us that she was sleeping in his car and his grandparent’s thought she was just extremely tired, as well. Now, we can’t wake her. Could he have poisoned her?”
“How long do you think she’s been out for?” The doctor’s brow furrowed as he began texting away on his hospital phone.
“I don’t know for sure. He took her around noon yesterday and then flew out late at night. The driver picked him up around midnight, so I'm guessing he did this to her before she got on the plane. She would have been too afraid to fly without people noticing her, I think.” The picture of Lily’s ordeal had made Bailey shiver to the core. She could not believe that Joe, despite him being the abusive husband, could do something so evil to his own daughter.
The doctor interrupted her as he excused himself as he walked out of the room. Leo stood and peered out the small window. He could see the doctor chatting with the two security guards who were still hovering nearby. They immediately began talking into their intercoms as the doctor gestured to Lily’s room.
Leo gave Bailey the play by play as she began to cry again. “I can’t talk to the cops right now. Joe’s gone. Who knows where he went? That bastard poisoned our daughter and just left her with his parents to die. And now he’s gone for good.”
Leo pulled his chair by her side and took her hand into his. “You don’t know that. They're gonna find him and track him down. You did your job. You found her. Now you just have to be her mom and make sure she gets better. And the doctors are here for that.”
Doctor Richards returned and began silently examining Lily. Nurse Lois followed behind to take blood samples from Lily’s arm. When he was satisfied, he turned to Bailey, “Ms. Reed, we are going to take the blood samples down to the lab immediately. Until we know what your ex-husband gave her, we can’t give her anything. All we can do is keep her on oxygen and monitor her heart rate.” He put down the clipboard and opened the door. “In the meantime, I went ahead and called the police. They will need to speak with you, your husband, and Lily’s grandparents. Is that possible?”
Bailey looked at Leo, unsure of what to say. She was finally coming to realize he was present with her. She had been too focused on her daughter to notice all he had done. Still, she nodded at the doctor in affirmation as he motioned for the security officers to join the couple in the room. Leo stood, knowing he needed to do something. He held up his arms to prevent the guards from coming in farther. “Gentlemen, do you mind if I have a moment with the mom? I just want to make sure she settles down before the police get here.”
The two men looked at one another and then shrugged before shutting the door behind them. Leo ran to Bailey, “Are you sure you’re gonna be okay?”
She looked at him long and hard, unsure of what she wanted from him, “As long as Lily is okay, I'll be okay. But what about you, Leo? As soon as those cops come in here, you’re gonna be all over the news.”
“The news? Is that why you hesitated to talk to the doctor? Bailey, look, I don’t care who knows that I'm here with you or that I came down to Tucson to be here for you and your daughter. All I care about is you and that little girl. Nothing else. Screw the press. Screw Jonathan. Screw Joe for doing this to you! I’m not leaving here until you and Lily are healthy and ready.” He lifted his head at his own words. He had never dreamed of caring for someone so much that he would sacrifice his own reputation. He certainly had no idea that it wouldn’t just be a lover, but also her child.
She reached her hand out to his face, cupping his strong, arching jaw into her palm. Her other hand stroked the back of his neck. “Leo,” she said firmly, “I love you.” A small bit of light broke through her darkened mind. She had said something to a partner she never thought she would again. But she had meant every single word. Leo had sacrificed so much, had changed beyond her wildest imaginations. He had become the man she knew he could be and the man she needed him to be. And for those reasons, she kissed him with every bit of her being unsure if he would respond.
He pulled away as she sunk into the chair. She worried if she had moved too fast, had spoken too soon. He may have stopped drinking, but was he ready for someone to actually love him? But then, he suddenly grinned as his dark eyes lit up. “You love me?”
Bailey chuckled, “Yes, I love you. Is that so hard to believe?”
He nodded, “No one has ever said that to me before—including my parents.” His hand ran through his long brown hair as he searched for the right words to explain what he had felt for her, “And then you came along. When I first met you, I thought you were just one of those girls looking for a quick buck. I don’t know why I didn’t see it.”
Bailey continued to hold her ground, this time placing a hand to his knee. She had never known someone who was not taught to love another person. Leo’s coldness, the way he isolated those around him, suddenly made sense to her. The monsters in his past had made him the monster in the mansion. She gently said, “You didn’t see it because no one taught you how to see it.”
He wanted to argue against that, to tell her about his mother who knew how to care for him, but he stopped himself. A tiny hint of a motion caught the corner of his eye. He stood up and pointed towards Lily’s bed. “Bailey—look! She’s moving!”
Bailey turned as she screamed. Leo ran out the room and grabbed the doctor by the arm, leading him into the hospital room. Lily’s fingers twitched and her head began to move slowly from side to side. Bailey called out to her daughter as the doctor lifted her eyelids and shone a light on her pupils, “Lily! Sweetheart! It’s Mommy. I’m here. I’m here. Wake up for us, okay?”
The little girl stirred some more as the doctor continued to test her reflexes and watch the monitors. Her heart rate steadily improved and the loud, incessant beeping that had filled the tiny room came to a halt. The doctor looked up at Bailey and Leo and proclaimed, “It looks like she’s gonna be okay.”
Bailey lifted her hands to her chest as she looked to the ceiling. She continued to cry out thanks as the doctor rolled out Lily’s bed to the examination rooms for further testing. Her daughter wasn’t out of the woods fully, but she was going to be okay. She was going to recover. They were all going to recover.