SSA Scottley - A collection - S.R.

State 22

Lily whimpered when her phone rang. She had been having a few headaches those last few days and hadn't been sleeping well. Whether it was because of the pregnancy or because of the fact that every time she closed her eyes she remembered Spencer was now in prison, she wasn't sure. Even so, she picked up her phone and answered it.

"Hello?" She said, as she rubbed her forehead, leaning her elbow against her desk.

"Is this Lily?" A voice she didn't really recognize asked.

"Yeah. Who's this?"

"It's Jessica. Jessica Brooks. I'm Haley's sister."

"Oh, yeah, of course." She nodded. "Hey, Jessica. Is everything alright?"

"Yeah, I mean... As alright as it could be, I guess..." She nervously laughed.

"I'm sorry." Lily frowned realizing how much the whole situation must have been affecting her.

"It's alright." Jessica said. "It was the best for them both, I suppose."

"Yeah, it was." Lily shrugged. "But that probably doesn't make it any better for you."

"Or for you. It's okay for you to suffer too, Lily. I know how close you were."

Lily bit her lip. She didn't know what to say. And thankfully, she didn't need to say anything, because after a few seconds of awkward silence, Jessica spoke up again.

"Well, anyway... I've called you for a reason." She laughed. "So... I've just found a note from Aaron in my house and he asked me to ask you to help me pack all the things that they left in their apartment."

"Why?" Lily asked, surprised.

"I don't know." Jessica responded. "But there's one thing I know: Aaron wouldn't let just about anyone go through his stuff, so him asking you to do it... He should've had some great respect for you, Lily."

Lily wiped away a tear from her eye and nodded even though she knew Jessica couldn't see her.

"So... Can I expect you to go to Aaron's after work?"

"Sure." She said. "I'll be there around six."

"Okay, great." Jessica said. "See you, Lily."

"See you, Jessica. Thanks."

***

Lily knocked on the door. She gulped slightly remembering all the other times she had done that and remembering that maybe that would be one of the last times she'd ever do that.

"Hey." Jessica smiled as she opened the door.

"Hi." The red headed nodded with a gentle smile. "How are you?"

"Okay." She responded, giving Lily a hug before stepping aside to let her in. "You?"

"Good." She nodded.

"And can I ask... How far along you are?" She asked, a small smile on her lips as she looked at Lily's stomach.

"Almost seven month now." She responded, her own hand coming up to rub against her stomach as Jessica nodded.

"Congratulations." She said.

"Thank you."

Lily nodded gently as Jessica closed the door. She turned to face the profiler before sighing.

"I'm almost done with the kitchen. Maybe you can help me and then we move to another room." Jessica said as Lily agreed.

After a few minutes and some small talk, both women finally finished taking plates and glasses off the shelves and separating what would be donated, thrown away or kept.