HENRY quickly hangs up on Lillian while running his sweaty hand over his hair. The 15th of February was the day Brena found out about Victoria.
"What the hell did I just do?"
He mumbles through gritted teeth as the guilt washes over his body making him punch the steering wheel repeatedly with all his strength.
Now resting his head inside the palm of his hands, he contemplates the decision of going straight to the hospital to see Brena or to call Victoria to alert her on the situation at hand.
Henry slowly lifts his head and straightens his tie as he reaches for the iced coffee from Starbucks that sat in the cupholder. He presses the button that lowers the window.
Tossing it out the window with aggression, he pulls out of the spot he was parked in and zooms down the street as the noise of the screeching tires disrupted the silence in the area.
In less than 30 minutes, Henry is getting closer to the hospital. He drives inside the parking before taking his phone out of the pocket on the coat.
He dials Victoria's number and she picks up shortly.
"We have a problem."
He says honestly with regret clinging unto his words with sharp claws. Giving Victoria no room to respond, he continues to elucidate the situation to her.
"Brena was in car accident and has been in a coma since the day I left New York to meet you in Boston. I just spoke to Lillian and I'm at the hospital right now to see her." He tells her shamefully.
Victoria gasps loudly as her eyes become glassy in no time. Henry can hear her sniffling in the background so he waits. Giving her a moment to absorb the information.
"You need to tell Lillian everything. Even if Kevin is behind this or not, they are both in danger. Especially my baby." She instructs him.
Henry nods slowly and begins to march towards the revolving door at the entrance.
"Okay. Are you sure though? Is telling Lillian everything a smart move?" He asks inquisitively, pushing the door.
Victoria knew the truth would come out sooner or later. She didn't expect it to be this way but what had to be done must be done. Protecting Brena was her number priority.
"Yes. Don't question me Henry please just do it. When you do, get Lillian out of there and let her keep her distance from Brena. I can't have Kevin finding her."
After Victoria hangs up, Henry texts Lillian to find out what floor she was on. Once she responds, he enters the elevator and presses the fourth floor.
Stepping out of the elevator, his eyes examine the waiting room in search of Lillian. Right on cue, Lillian turns around and her eyes met his.
Relief is plastered on his face as he walks to where she's seated. Lillian gets up and gives him a courtesy hug.
"Hey. It's been years. How are you?"
Lillian keeps her head low as she questions him in a small voice. The last strength she had when she came in earlier has vanished. When she got off the phone with Brooklyn Dawns, her body became weak.
What kind of man is my father? That was the question ringing in her head.
She was scared of the wrong monster when she was younger. There was an even bigger monster with the face of a human, living with her the entire time. Everything that's hidden is going to come to light. If Lillian thought her world was a wreck, then she is in for the biggest surprise of her life. She has been living a lie. One she didn't know that was caused by her father.
"Good afternoon. It has been years. I'm doing well, how are you? You're looking beautiful as always." Henry replies in a flirtatious tone but Lillian catches on, making her laugh at him.
Henry was bolder than she remembered. The most he would do was to look at her every time she went over to Brena's house and he was there helping Victoria with work.
"I knew you always liked me and I'm not well until Brena recovers." The slight ray of hope surrounding her eyes starts to disappear as she remembers the reality of Brena's condition.
Trying to dissolve the awkward moment, Henry tries to liven things up. "I did like you but you were out of my league then. I'm probably too late anyway. Someone else must have swept you off your feet."
There was a small frown forming on his lips. Lillian sees it and notices he was sitting way too close. She moves a chair down and turns to face him.
"Yeah unexpectedly someone did." A smile spread across her face as her mind went to Damien.
Henry feels the warmth of her glowing heart from where she sat. He had to shake off the feeling and stay on course. What he was about to say, was going to be a mouth-full so he excuses himself as he gets up to the vending machine to buy a bottle of water.
Lillian looks at him as he walks away wondering why he came down to the hospital so fast but her phone pings noisily, intruding the moment. The notification contains a text from Damien. He wasn't going to be able to come and pick her up because of shipments that were running late and he needs to be there when they arrive.
As she types her reply, Henry comes back and takes a seat while unlocking the bottle as the seal that held the cap made a sound notifying Lillian of his presence.
"Oh, you're back." She shuts her phone off and puts it in between her thighs.
Taking a sip, Henry responds late. "Yes. Now I know you're wondering why I'm here." He can sense her uncertainty.
"No shit. Brena hasn't seen you in what? Two years and you sounded guilty on the phone when I told you what happened to her. What's the deal?" She explains with curiosity backing up her statement.
Henry raises his brow up in amazement at how fast she was able to pick that up quickly from the call. It impressed him.
"Actually, we met twice before this incident." He pauses, accessing her demeanor.
"The first time was to hand over the package that her mother told me to give to her and the second time was the day of her accident. I'm pretty sure what she saw in the package is the reason she's here."
As the words leaked out of Henry's mouth, Lillian was shocked. All she knew was that he contacted Brena about meeting up. Why didn't Brena inform her that they did see each other?
The realization hit her immediately. The night she found out about her father following her, was the same night the accident occurred. Brena texted her saying that they needed to talk.
Now it made sense why Brena sounded the way she did that night. Only if she stayed on the phone a little longer then Brena would have told her everything. She could have helped her to avoid the accident.
Lillian's face falls to the ground in sorrow. She shakes her head non-stop, sighing heavily. "What was in the package?" She tilts her head to the direction where Henry sat.
He gets up to his feet before answering her back. "We can't talk here. We have to go." He says in a low tone.
Lillian's eyes widened in shock, "Go where? I can't just leave her here."
Henry rolls his eyes at her dramatic reaction. "We're going to Boston. There's someone that's been waiting to tell you everything. I think it's better that it comes from them."
"You're taking me to see Victoria aren't you?" She says in an anxious tone.
Her statement alarmed Henry. "How the hell do you know about that?" He nearly shouts.
"I just found out today from my private investigator. I needed some answers about my father." She stops to search his eyes but she can see fear.
"If you're worried anyone else knowing then there's nothing to worry about." She says reassuringly trying to calm him down.
Henry's breathing is heavy but he starts to relax when Lillian mentions wanting answers concerning her father. This was going to be a win-win situation. His plan of taking her to Victoria was going better than expected.
Letting go of her arm, he steps back and adjusts his coat. "The answers you want will be found there. I'll stop you at your house to grab some clothes. We have to go now. The longer we're here, the more danger Brena is in."
Lillian glances to her right-hand side. Brena's room was the first door when a left turn was made at the end of the hallway.
The last thing she wanted to do was to endanger Brena. Her instincts were telling her to go with Henry but she needed to make sure that Brena wasn't left alone.
She unlocks her phone and sends Desmond a text.
Hey Boss. I have to go out of town for work. Can you please take care of her? I'm leaving right now. If you can get here later I'd appreciate it.
The grey dots pop up on the screen after she pressed send. Desmond was typing his response.
Sure. I'll be there in an hour. Be careful.
Lillian's mind was now at peace knowing Brena was in safe hands. 'Thank God for Desmond' she thought.
Looking up at an apprehensive Henry, she locks her phone and tucks it in her pocket.
"Lead the way."
Henry allows her to walk out first as they exit the hospital and head over to her house to pack up the things she would need for this short trip.
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06.17.2020