Chapter 17 - Lily's Choice
Far above the underground corridors, sixteen-year-old Lily still stood inside Room 307.
Harold's breathing had become slower.
The mysterious guard remained beside the bed.
He watched every movement without blinking.
Lily quietly slipped the silver ring into her pocket.
She remembered Harold's words.
"If Richard comes back without me..."
The old man suddenly reached for her hand.
"Lily..."
"I'm here."
"There should be..."
He struggled to breathe.
"...a birthday card."
"What?"
"Look beneath..."
His voice faded.
"...the cake."
Lily looked around the room.
There wasn't any cake.
Then she remembered.
Earlier that afternoon, one of the pediatric nurses had brought a tiny cupcake with a single candle because Harold had no visitors.
It still sat untouched inside the small refrigerator.
The guard noticed her moving.
"Where are you going?"
"Water."
He nodded.
"Hurry."
Lily opened the refrigerator.
Behind the cupcake lay a folded birthday card.
It hadn't been there before.
She carefully slipped it beneath her clipboard.
The guard never noticed.
Outside the room another nurse approached.
"Can you help in Room 309?"
The guard answered before Lily could.
"She's busy."
The nurse looked surprised.
"Since when do security officers assign volunteers?"
The guard smiled politely.
"Hospital policy."
The nurse walked away, unconvinced.
Inside the room Lily slowly opened the birthday card beneath the clipboard.
Only one sentence had been written inside.
Ring the chapel bell exactly seven times.
No signature.
No explanation.
Only those words.
Lily looked toward Harold.
His eyes remained closed.
But the corner of his mouth lifted almost imperceptibly.
As though...
He already knew what she had just read.
Lily folded the card again.
She made her decision.
Without another word she quietly walked toward the hallway.
The guard stepped in front of her.
"I said you're staying."
Lily looked up.
"No."
For the first time all evening...
May you like
She wasn't afraid.
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