## CHAPTER 4
The next morning, Nathan pulled up at 7:30. Lily was already waiting on the stairs with a small backpack, nervous but excited. They drove to the hospital mostly in silence. Sarah lay in bed, paler and frailer than before. Lily approached, hugged her carefully, and stayed there without letting go. Nathan watched from the doorway. Diane, meanwhile, was on the phone with lawyers, gathering documents, refusing to accept losing. She had a judge’s signature on the eviction quietly, without telling Nathan, using contacts and a notification firm that specialized in exactly this kind of work.
That Friday at noon, two people in plain clothes showed up at the building with paperwork in hand. Nobody answered at 4B. Lily and Sarah were both at the hospital. Only Rosalind was there, and she came running down when she saw them. “What do you think you’re doing?” “Executing an eviction order.” They let themselves in with a key someone had handed over and started packing. Lily’s drawings peeled off the wall, her school notebook, a bag of colored thread, a one-eyed stuffed animal, all boxed up and labeled personal items. Rosalind called Nathan over and over. He didn’t pick up. He was in the waiting room at Lakeside, a private hospital he’d arranged for Sarah’s transfer to after a doctor confirmed an experimental treatment there gave her a real shot. Diane showed up in person later that day to supervise. “And if the girl comes back?” someone asked. “Not my problem,” Diane said, and left.
Hours later, with Sarah stable but not out of danger, Nathan and Lily headed back to rest and eat something. Rosalind met them at the entrance, face tight with worry. Lily ran ahead until she reached her door and froze. A white notice was taped across it. *Eviction executed. Do not force entry.* “What is this?” Lily’s voice shook. Nathan checked his phone. Twenty missed calls, all from Rosalind, and one message. *They took everything, Nathan. Diane sent people to clear it out.* “Was it her? The lady?” Nathan didn’t answer right away. “Yes, it was her.” Lily looked down, turned, and walked down the stairs without another word.
That night, he brought her home with him, gave her one of the guest rooms, warmed up soup and hot chocolate. She ate in silence. When she finished, she sat curled up on the couch, hugging her knees. “What if my mom dies while I’m here?” “That’s not going to happen. And if it does, then I promise you’ll have somebody by your side always.” She looked at him for the first time all day. “She told me she’d never leave me alone.” “And she’s not going to. Neither am I.” Later, once Lily had finally fallen asleep, Nathan stepped onto the balcony and called Diane. “Why would you do that without telling me?” “Because you didn’t have the guts to. And if you don’t like it, you know what to do.” “You crossed a line, Diane.” “I’m going to fix this,” Nathan said, and hung up.
Morning broke with a real storm, wind and thunder. Nathan woke before sunrise because Lily’s bed was empty. No note, no backpack, no sound. He called the hospital first — no visitors that morning, so Lily hadn’t gone there. He drove back to the old building. Rosalind hadn’t seen her, but heard footsteps on the stairs around 3 a.m. He pulled security footage — Lily walking out alone, an oversized jacket over her shoulders, backpack swinging. Then it hit him. The shelter. Rosalind had once mentioned Sarah and Lily had stayed a few nights at a women’s shelter near the old public hospital when Sarah was first hospitalized. Nathan drove there through the rain, rang the bell hard. Lily was inside, wrapped in a blanket, muddy shoes beside her. “Why did you leave like that?” “Because I don’t have a home anymore, and I didn’t want to be a bother to you.” He pulled her into a hug. “Lily, you are not alone. Not anymore.”
