MARRY YOUR KILLER
Chapter One Hundred: The First Kick
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Two more months had passed.
The house in Manila had settled into a rhythm. The mornings were quiet. The afternoons were slow. The nights were long. Percy watered the roses every day. Red ones. Lyra's favorite. They had bloomed last week, bright and bold against the green leaves. He stood in front of them every morning, his hands in his pockets, his face turned toward the house.
"She'd like them," Honey said. She was beside him, her hand in his, her face calm.
Percy nodded. "She'd say they were too bright."
Honey almost smiled. "She'd say they were too much."
Percy's face was soft. "She'd love them."
---
Jay was five months pregnant now. Her stomach was round, full, heavy. The twins were growing. The twins were moving. The twins were waiting. She wore loose dresses now, soft fabrics, pale colors. She walked slowly, her hand on her belly, her face calm. Keifer was beside her everywhere. His hand was on her back. His eyes were on her. His heart was with her.
She went to the hospital every day. She sat beside Lyra's bed. She held her hand. She talked to her. She told her about the twins. About their kicks. About their flutters. About the lives she had saved.
Alex was always there. His face was thin. His eyes were hollow. His hand was in Lyra's. He hadn't left. He wouldn't leave. He was waiting. He would always wait.
---
The hospital room was white. The machines beeped. The tubes were in Lyra's arms. The scar was white on her chest. Her face was pale. Her eyes were closed. Her hand was in Alex's. Her other hand was empty.
Jay sat beside her. Keifer was behind her, his hand on her shoulder. Her stomach was round. The twins were quiet.
Alex looked up. His face was pale. His eyes were tired. "You're here."
Jay nodded. "I'm here."
He looked at her stomach. At the roundness. At the life growing inside her. "They're getting big."
Jay smiled. It was small. Tired. Real. "They're getting big."
Alex looked at Lyra. At her pale face. At her closed eyes. At the hand that was empty. "She'd want to feel them. She'd want to know they're growing. She'd want to know they're safe."
Jay's eyes were wet. "I know."
---
The room was quiet. The machines beeped. Jay sat beside Lyra's bed. She took her hand. Her fingers were cold. Her skin was pale. Her nails were bare. The mehendi was long gone. The patterns had faded. The stories had faded. But the scars remained. The scars from the warehouse. The scars from the bullet. The scars from the life she had lived.
"Lyra," Jay said. Her voice was low. Her voice was steady. "It's me. It's Jay. I'm here. I'm always here."
The machines beeped. Lyra didn't move.
Jay placed Lyra's hand on her stomach. Her fingers were cold. Her palm was flat. Her arm was heavy. Jay held it there, pressed against the roundness, against the lives growing inside her.
"The twins are moving," Jay said. "They've been moving for weeks. Small flutters at first. Then kicks. Real kicks. Strong kicks. They're getting ready. They're getting ready to meet you."
The machines beeped. Lyra didn't move.
Jay's voice cracked. "You have to feel them. You have to know they're real. You have to know they're alive. You have to know they're here because of you. Because you saved them. Because you saved me. Because you saved all of us."
The machines beeped. Lyra didn't move.
Jay pressed Lyra's hand harder against her stomach. "Feel them, Lyra. Please. Please feel them."
The twins were still. The room was silent. The machines beeped. Alex watched. Keifer watched. The world waited.
---
The kick came from nowhere.
A small foot. A small hand. A small life pressing against the inside of her stomach, pressing against Lyra's cold hand, pressing against the silence. Jay gasped. Her hand tightened on Lyra's. Her eyes went wide. Her breath caught.
"Did you feel that?" Jay whispered.
The machines beeped. Lyra didn't move.
Another kick. Stronger this time. A small life reaching out. A small life saying hello. A small life saying thank you. A small life saying we're here.
Jay's face was wet. "They're kicking. They're kicking you. They know you're here. They know you saved them. They know—"
She stopped. Her voice cracked. Her hands were shaking.
Alex was on his feet. His face was white. His hands were empty. His eyes were on Lyra. On her face. On her closed eyes. On the small tear that was falling from the corner of her eye.
"Lyra," Alex said. His voice was low. His voice was breaking. "Lyra, can you hear me? Can you feel them? Can you—"
The machines beeped. Lyra didn't move. But the tear fell. Silent. Slow. Down her pale cheek. Down her blank face. Down to the pillow beneath her head.
Jay saw it. Her hands were shaking. Her face was wet. "She felt them. She felt them. She knows. She knows they're here. She knows they're alive. She knows—"
Keifer pulled her close. His arms were around her. His face was in her hair. "She knows."
Alex took Lyra's hand. The one that was on Jay's stomach. He held it. His fingers were warm. Her fingers were cold. He pressed it to his lips. He kissed her knuckles. He kissed her palm. He kissed the scar on her wrist.
"I felt them too," Alex said. His voice was low. His voice was steady. "I felt them kick. I felt them move. I felt them live. They're here because of you. They're alive because of you. And they're waiting. They're waiting to meet you. They're waiting to know you. They're waiting to love you."
The machines beeped. Lyra didn't move. But her fingers twitched. Just once. Just a flicker. Just enough.
Alex felt it. His face went white. His hands were shaking. "Lyra."
The machines beeped. Lyra didn't move. Her fingers were still. Her face was pale. Her eyes were closed. But the tear was still on her cheek. And the twins were still kicking. And the world was still waiting.
---
Jay sat in the chair beside the bed. Keifer was behind her. His hand was on her shoulder. Her stomach was round. The twins were quiet now. Exhausted. Satisfied. Waiting.
Alex sat on the other side. His hand was in Lyra's. His face was calm. His eyes were steady.
"She felt them," Jay said.
Alex nodded. "She felt them."
Jay looked at Lyra's face. At the tear that was drying on her cheek. At the closed eyes. At the pale lips. "She's still in there. She's still fighting. She's still trying to come back."
Alex kissed Lyra's hand. "She's coming back. She's always come back. She'll come back again."
Jay touched her stomach. The twins moved. Two small flutters. Two small lives. Two small hearts. "They're waiting for her. They're waiting to meet her. They're waiting to thank her."
Alex smiled. It was small. Tired. Real. "She's going to be the best aunt."
Jay laughed. It was a surprised sound. "She's going to be the scariest aunt."
Alex laughed too. It was a broken sound. "She's going to be the best."
---
The days passed. The weeks passed. Jay came to the hospital every day. She placed Lyra's hand on her stomach. She waited for the kicks. The twins kicked every time. Strong kicks. Small feet. Small hands. Small lives reaching out to the woman who had saved them.
And every time, a small tear fell from Lyra's closed eyes. Just one. Silent. Slow. Down her pale cheek. Down her blank face. Down to the pillow beneath her head.
The nurses saw it. The doctors saw it. Care saw it. Alex saw it. Jay saw it. They knew she was in there. They knew she was fighting. They knew she was trying to come back.
But she didn't wake up.
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The roses were blooming in the garden. Red ones. Lyra's favorite. Percy stood in front of them every morning, his hands in his pockets, his face turned toward the house. Honey was beside him. Her hand was in his.
"She's going to wake up," Honey said.
Percy nodded. "She's going to wake up."
Honey squeezed his hand. "Then why do you come here every morning?"
Percy looked at the roses. At the red petals. At the green leaves. At the life growing in the soil. "Because when she wakes up, I want her to see them. I want her to know we were waiting. I want her to know we never stopped waiting."
Honey leaned against him. "She knows."
Percy's face was wet. "I hope so."
---
Aries was in the kitchen with Ella. The bread was rising on the counter. The flour was on their hands. The yeast was in the air.
"She's going to wake up," Ella said.
Aries nodded. "She's going to wake up."
Ella touched their face. "Then why do you keep baking bread?"
Aries looked at the dough. At the flour. At the life rising in the bowl. "Because when she wakes up, she's going to be hungry. She's going to need to eat. She's going to need to be strong."
Ella pulled them close. "She's going to be strong."
Aries held her. "I know."
---
Care was in the medical room. Her hands were on the supplies. Her face was calm. Her eyes were red. Cole stood in the doorway. His hands were in his pockets. His face was pale.
"She's going to wake up," Cole said.
Care didn't look at him. "I know."
Cole walked to her. He put his hands on her shoulders. "Then why are you reorganizing the medical supplies for the tenth time this week?"
Care looked at the shelves. At the bandages. At the medicines. At the machines that were waiting. "Because when she wakes up, she's going to need care. She's going to need help. She's going to need me."
Cole pulled her close. "She needs you to rest too."
Care held him. "I can't rest. Not until she wakes up."
Cole kissed her hair. "She will."
---
Rakki was in the living room with Ci N. Her hands were on the coffee table. Her face was hard. Her eyes were wet. Ci N was beside her. His hand was in hers.
"She's going to wake up," Ci N said.
Rakki didn't look at him. "I know."
Ci N squeezed her hand. "Then why are you sitting here? Why aren't you moving? Why aren't you—"
Rakki's voice cracked. "Because I can't. Because every time I move, I remember. I remember the gun. I remember the bullet. I remember her falling. I remember her white saree turning red. I remember—"
Ci N pulled her close. "I know. I know."
Rakki held him. "She saved them. She saved Jay. She saved the twins. She saved all of us."
Ci N held her. "She saved us."
---
The months passed. Jay was six months pregnant now. Seven months. Eight months. The twins were growing. The twins were kicking. The twins were waiting. She came to the hospital every day. She placed Lyra's hand on her stomach. The twins kicked. A small tear fell from Lyra's closed eyes.
But she didn't wake up.
Alex was always there. His face was thin. His eyes were hollow. His hand was in Lyra's. He hadn't left. He wouldn't leave. He was waiting. He would always wait.
Jay sat beside him. Keifer was behind her. Her stomach was huge now. The twins were ready. They were waiting. They were waiting to meet the woman who had saved them.
"She's going to wake up," Jay said.
Alex didn't look at her. "I know."
Jay took his hand. "She felt them. She knows they're here. She knows they're alive. She knows they're waiting."
Alex's face was wet. "She knows."
Jay squeezed his hand. "Then we wait. We wait together. We wait until she's ready. We wait until she comes back."
Alex looked at Lyra. At her pale face. At her closed eyes. At the small tear that was drying on her cheek. "I'll wait. I'll wait forever."
The machines beeped. Lyra didn't move. But her fingers twitched. Just once. Just a flicker. Just enough.
And Alex waited. And Jay waited. And the twins waited. And the family waited. And the world waited. For Lyra to come back. For Lyra to open her eyes. For Lyra to come home.
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END OF CHAPTER ONE HUNDRED