and talking to the nurses.
When the child caught sight of Ebby, she ran to her and threw her arms around her. “How’s Alessa?” she cried. “Can I see her?”
Ebby scooped her up in her arms. “She’s going to be fine. But she is very sick right now. It’s going to take a long time for her to feel better. You’ll be sleeping at my house with me until she does. Okay?”
Despite her relief that Alessa would be okay, Lucy’s small, thin body was still shaking as she clung tighter to Ebby. “This is all my fault, Ebby,” she mumbled.
“No,” Ebby stated firmly. “This isn’t your fault. It was those terrible men who did this to her. Besides, Alessa would be upset if she knew you thought that, Lucy.”
Lucy’s chest heaved with sobs. “Ebby, they wanted me,” she blurted out through her tears, “but Alessa talked them into letting me go. That’s why I was safe at the restaurant where you found me. I know I’m only nine, but I know what happened. If she had let them take me instead of her, she wouldn’t be in the hospital now.”
“Alessa protected you. That’s all there is to it. She’d do anything to keep you safe. You know that. There’s no blame here for you.”
Lucy pressed her head against Ebby’s chest. “It was so scary.”
“How did it all start?” Ebby inquired.
Lucy explained the events that led to Alessa being harmed, and how she talked the men into letting her leave and go to the restaurant.
“I didn’t know what to do, Ebby,” Lucy said tearfully. “I always listen to Alessa. She’s the one who takes care of me, and I let her get hurt!”
“You didn’t let anything happen. Listen,” she said, lifting her chin gently and looking into Lucy’s eyes, “you saved Alessa when you called me. That was the right thing to do.”
Ebby took the child home shortly afterward and introduced her to her husband, Ryan. She had called him during the night to tell him that Alessa was in big trouble.
“Ebby,” Ryan had said to her on the phone, making no effort to hide his disapproval, “this is the kind of stuff you’re going to have to deal with when you make these people your friends.”
“Listen, Ryan,” his wife had retorted, “don’t you ever say that again. ‘These people,’ as you put it, are as normal and vulnerable as we are. I am bringing Lucy home to stay with us for a while. She is only nine years old. So don’t start with your crap. I am Alessa’s friend, and I need to do this for her. What’s more, I expect you to help me. Do you understand?”
Ebby had rarely used a harsh word with Ryan since they were married. This time he had pushed her too far. While he neither liked what she told him nor agreed with any of it, he knew his wife was dead serious.
When they got to her house, Ebby showed Lucy her bedroom and went off to fix her lunch. The two, joined by Ryan, ate the meal together. Ryan seemed to make an effort with the child, which Ebby appreciated.
After lunch, Ebby left Lucy with her husband and went back to the hospital. Arriving at the SICU, she checked in at the nurse’s station to get an update on Alessa. The nurse gave her more information than she had received the night before. Alessa was being watched for an acute “subdural hematoma.”
Ebby’s mouth dropped open. “What’s a subdural hematoma?”
The nurse placed a comforting hand on her shoulder. “I’m sorry. It means that her brain was bruised. The good news is that the hematoma is small. When they’re small, the body usually heals itself. We’ll monitor her carefully until we see substantial progress.”
Ebby couldn’t hold back her tears. “Will she be okay? I mean, will this cause permanent damage?”
The nurse shook her head. “We won’t know if there is any damage until she’s fully awake. Right now, the doctor is keeping her heavily sedated and giving her fluids to allow her brain and body to recover.”
Ebby thanked her and went to the bay where Alessa had been kept, pulled over a chair, and sat next to her. She talked to her in a soft murmur and reassured her again that Lucy was fine, but there was neither response nor movement. Alessa lay there motionless.
***
Later that day, Ebby put on a happy face as she went home to Lucy, but the child sensed her tension.
“Is Alessa getting out of the hospital soon?” Lucy asked.
“No, she’s still asleep, but she’s getting better by the minute,” Ebby added.
This was not entirely untrue. Alessa’s vital signs were encouraging, and according to the doctors, the blood transfusion had helped her.
Lucy’s forehead wrinkled, and she watched Ebby through squinted eyes. “I want to see her,” she cried.
“Oh, Lucy, it’s too soon. Her doctor wants us to wait for a while before I take you to see her. She’s badly injured, and it’ll be better if you see her once she’s more herself,” Ebby explained honestly.
By the next morning, when Ebby arrived at the SICU, the nurses told her that Alessa had been moved to a regular room. She had done well over the last forty-eight hours, and her condition had stabilized, to the relief of the doctors on duty. A nurse gave Ebby Alessa’s new room number, and she hurried to find her.
When she walked into Alessa’s room, she felt immensely grateful to find the girl awake. Ebby knew she would be fine. She approached the bed and bent over to kiss her on the forehead.
“How are you feeling, sweetie?” she asked tenderly.
Though still confused, Alessa said, “I’m doing okay now. Where’s Lucy? Is she all right?”
Ebby moved closer and placed her face inches from Alessa’s. “Lucy is absolutely fine. She is staying with Ryan and me. I guess you don’t remember me telling you this earlier?” she whispered.
“No, I don’t remember much after I passed out.”
“Do you remember what happened to you?”
Alessa looked away. “I remember most of it,” she rasped. “How could I forget? What’s wrong with me anyway? How long do I have to stay here?”
Before Ebby could try to answer her questions, a nurse came into the room. “Well, good morning. How are you feeling, young lady? You take a licking and keep on ticking, I see. Your blood tests look good, and the swellings are continuing to subside, but don’t be in such a rush to leave us. You have a ways to go still. How’s your pain?”
“My leg is throbbing and I have a really bad headache, but I’m okay.”
The nurse observed Alessa for a few moments. “I’m going to give you something for the pain,” she said briskly. “You have some broken bones, but they will heal properly if you stick with me.”
Alessa smiled at her weakly and asked for a mirror. “I want to see my face,” she explained. “My lips feel like they’re huge, and I can’t open my eyelids all the way.”
To stall her, the nurse said quickly, “I’ll tell you what. Let’s get some pain medication in you and we’ll see if we can find you a mirror later.”
She had no intention of allowing Alessa to look at herself in a mirror. She knew from experience it would be the worst thing to do at that moment. The staff would keep stalling her for another two or three days until the swelling was dramatically reduced.
Ebby followed the nurse into the hallway. “How is she really?” she asked nervously.
“Honestly, she’s lucky to be alive,” the nurse stated grimly. “They worked her over. She’ll be fine, but we want to keep mirrors away from her for the next few days until the swelling goes down. Do you know if the cops managed to catch those men?”
“No, they haven’t found them yet,” Ebby said, disheartened. “Her younger sister got a look at their faces and described them to the cops, but nothing has turned up so far.”
The nurse gave Ebby a reassuring look. “The doctors were able to collect evidence from her body, including sperm,” she confided. “The poor girl was roughed up. If they find these guys, they can identify them through their DNA.”
Ebby thanked the nurse, well aware that Alessa would have no interest in pursuing these men. Her only concern was Lucy. She wouldn’t jeopardize her chances of losing the child to get even.
When Ebby went home that night, she told Lucy all about Alessa’s recovery. The child was delighted to hear she was awake and begged to see her.
“In a couple more days, Lucy,” Ebby told her. “Alessa needs time to get better. She has been asking about you, though. She says to send her love and tell you everything is fine.”
Disappointed that she couldn’t see Alessa right away, Lucy was, nonetheless, relieved to hear she was doing better now.
***
Two days later, Ebby drove Lucy to the hospital so they could visit Alessa together. To prepare her for the initial shock, Ebby had carefully explained her condition.
“I want you to be prepared, Lucy. Alessa is bruised and has a broken leg and arm. It looks a lot worse than it is,” she told her. “But once the bones are healed, she’ll be fine.”
When Lucy entered the room and saw Alessa, she burst into tears. Alessa looked over at her with a smile. “Lucy, the love of my life! Come over here and hug me!” she squealed.
The little girl rushed to her and hugged her gingerly. As glad as she was to finally see and touch Alessa, Lucy couldn’t stop her tears from flowing. Even at the tender age of nine, she knew how close she had come to losing the only person she loved.
“So, I hear you’ve been sleeping at Ebby’s,” Alessa said fondly. “I see how it is now. You’re having sleepover parties without me,” she teased.
This brought a grin to Lucy’s face. “It’s been fun, but I wish you were there with us,” she said.
The three of them talked for the next hour until Ebby noticed Alessa fighting pain and sleep and announced that it was time for them to go. Having been allowed a glimpse of the old Alessa that told her she would be okay, Lucy was content and promised her she would be back to visit again.
As they were riding home, the child asked, “How come if Alessa broke her leg, she doesn’t have a cast on it?”
Ebby smiled. “The doctors put a metal rod in her leg. That’s what they do when you break your thigh bone.”
Lucy grimaced at the thought, imagining a metal rod in her leg.
“Will she be able to walk with the rod?” she asked anxiously.
“Yes,” Ebby reassured her, “eventually, she will. It will take her several weeks to walk again and maybe two to three months before she’s back to normal.”
Lucy looked bewildered. “Wow, that’s a long time!” she exclaimed in awe. “How will Alessa work at the grocery store at night if she can’t walk?”
“She won’t be able to work until she is completely recovered.”
This reminded Ebby she needed to make phone calls the next day and see if she could get the girls housing and public assistance until Alessa was well enough to fend for herself and look after Lucy. She knew how greatly Alessa treasured her independence and wouldn’t relinquish it even while she healed.
The following morning, Ebby looked into housing options and pulled a few strings by getting in touch with a friend at the Philadelphia Housing Authority. She fed her a story about Alessa being a disabled and displaced nineteen-year-old solely responsible for her little sister. She explained that the girl would be released from the hospital within seven days and they needed a place to stay immediately.
Ebby was thrilled when her friend called back and confirmed that she had put them in a two-bedroom unit at the Courtyard Apartments that provided housing for seniors and families. Based on the information Ebby had provided her, her friend had decided the older residents would be supportive and good for the morale of the young girls. This would also be a safer place for the two of them until they got back on their feet.
