By the time we left the clinic, the sky had grown darker.
My aunt carried my little bag.
Grandma held my hand.
I walked slowly beside her.
The car was parked near the entrance.
Before we got inside, Grandma asked whether I was comfortable going to her house.
I nodded.
"Can Lily come?"
Grandma smiled.
"She's already coming."
I climbed into the back seat.
My aunt sat in front.
Grandma placed a small pillow beside me.
I leaned against it.
The car started moving.
A few minutes later, Dad called again.
Grandma looked at the screen.
She answered.
"Hello."
I couldn't hear his first words.
But I recognized his voice.
"Where is my daughter?"
"She's with me."
"You can't just keep her away from home."
"She's receiving care, and we're following the advice we've been given."
He became louder.
"You're making me look like some kind of monster."
Grandma looked out the window.
"I'm not discussing your reputation right now."
"Then what are you discussing?"
"Her safety."
There was a pause.
Dad said something else.
Grandma listened without interrupting.
Then she spoke.
"We'll communicate through the appropriate people about what happens next."
She ended the call.
I looked at her.
"Is Dad angry?"
She put the phone away.
"He may be."
"Will he stop loving me?"
Grandma turned toward me.
"Oh, sweetheart."
She took my hand.
"You are not responsible for making someone love you by hiding when you're hurt."
I looked out the window.
That sentence stayed with me.
I had always believed that being a good daughter meant being easy to look after.
I thought I had to be quiet.
I thought I had to smile.
I thought I had to avoid making Dad uncomfortable.
Now Grandma was telling me those things were not my responsibility.
I didn't know what to do with that information.
When we arrived at her house, she switched on the hallway light.
Everything looked familiar.
The little wooden table near the entrance.
The framed photographs on the wall.
The old clock that made a soft ticking sound.
I had spent many afternoons there.
But that night felt different.
Grandma helped me sit on the sofa.
My aunt brought a blanket.
Then Grandma went to the kitchen.
She returned with a glass of water and a small plate of toast.
"Would you like something?"
I nodded.
I hadn't realized how hungry I was.
I ate slowly.
Grandma sat nearby.
She didn't ask me to explain anything.
After a while, my aunt came into the living room.
She had been speaking with someone about the next steps.
She told Grandma that the medical information would be kept properly and that further arrangements would be made to address my safety.
Grandma thanked her.
Then she looked at me.
"Would you like to sleep here tonight?"
I nodded immediately.
Grandma smiled.
"Then we'll make your bed."
She went upstairs.
I stayed on the sofa with Lily.
My aunt sat beside me.
"Do you want to talk about the party?"
I shook my head.
"Not yet."
"That's okay."
I looked at the front door.
"Will Dad come here?"
My aunt didn't pretend to know.
"We'll make sure any contact happens in a way that keeps you safe."
I nodded.
A few minutes later, Grandma returned with clean pajamas.
She had also brought a small box.
Inside were old toys she had kept from my childhood.
There was a wooden horse.
A little fabric rabbit.
And a tiny plastic comb.
I smiled when I saw it.
"That's mine."
Grandma nodded.
"I kept it."
She helped me change into the pajamas.
Then she checked that my bandages weren't uncomfortable.
I climbed into the spare bed.
Lily rested beside my pillow.
Grandma pulled the blanket up.
"Do you need anything?"
I shook my head.
Then I asked the question that had been sitting in my mind.
"Can I come out of the bedroom tomorrow?"
She looked confused for a second.
Then she understood.
Her eyes softened.
"Of course you can."
I looked at the ceiling.
At my father's house, I had been hidden because my appearance might spoil a photograph.
At Grandma's house, nobody had asked me to cover my face.
Nobody had asked me to hide my hands.
Nobody had asked me to disappear.
Grandma turned off the light.
"Good night, sweetheart."
"Good night."
I closed my eyes.
I didn't sleep immediately.
But I wasn't listening for Dad's footsteps.
That was new.
Click here to continue reading: PART 7: The Morning After the Birthday, Grandma Put Lily on the Kitchen Table and Asked Me to Tell Her What I Had Been Afraid to Say
My Father Wanted a Perfect Birthday Photograph, but He Had Forgotten That One Person in the Room Always Noticed the Things Everyone Else Ignored
Part 6 of 20
