Finding a New Life Ch. 04

"Ty, what happened?" Grace asked as her brother stormed into the house.

"Lily's what happened."

"What happened to Lily?" Greg asked, coming out of his study.

"She's pregnant," Tyler snapped.

"That we knew," Greg said impatiently.

"It isn't mine," Tyler growled.

"Did she say that?" Grace wanted to know.

"No, but she didn't deny it," Tyler admitted.

"I have a hard time believing Lily would sleep around," Greg said, looking up as Caroline joined them in the hall.

"Mom said it herself, Lily's mother was a whore. It probably runs in the blood," Tyler said.

"Tyler Douglas Billings!" Caroline exclaimed.

"What?" Tyler snapped.

"That's enough!" Greg agreed.

"I'm so sick of doing everything everyone else wants for me!" Tyler shouted, before walking into the kitchen for a bottle of water.

"Like what?" Caroline wanted to know. She and Greg had followed Tyler into the kitchen.

"For starters, I don't want to go to Yale."

"Then where do you want to go?" Greg asked, crossing his arms over his chest.

"Stanford. And Grace doesn't want Yale either, she wants NYU," Tyler said before running up to his room.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

"What the hell did you do?" Lily looked up with a sigh when she saw Grace standing in the doorway of her office.

"I did Ty a favor," Lily answered, rubbing her eyes. Grace frowned; it was obvious to her that Lily hadn't slept well.

"By telling him you slept with another guy?" Grace demanded to know, putting her hands on her hips.

"I never said that I did. There wasn't anyone else," Lily said softly.

"Duh!" Grace rolled her eyes at her friend. "Why don't you want Ty's help?" Grace asked, her voice becoming more gentle.

"First of all, Ty and I haven't even really been out on a date. He doesn't love me," Lily murmured.

"Bull shit! Ty has been obsessed with you since you were fifteen!" Grace exclaimed.

"Then why were the only two times he's touched me right after I found out David died and right after his funeral?" Lily wanted to know.

"Because Ty doesn't realize he loves you," Grace said simply. It was Lily's turn to roll her eyes.

"Ty doesn't even know what he wants. He wants to go to Stanford, yet he gave in to your mom's desire for him to go to Yale. You did too!" Lily was tired of arguing. Grace grinned.

"Ty told mom and dad off last night. He left an hour ago for California," Grace said. Lily looked up sharply. "Ty and mom and dad talked for over three hours and when Ty showed them his acceptance into Stanford, dad and Ty flew out first thing to get him enrolled and find him an apartment," Grace added.

Lily smiled softly. "Good for him," she murmured. "What about you?" Lily asked.

"He spilled that I wanted NYU, but I think I'm going to hang around and help you out," Grace said.

"You don't have to do that," Lily protested.

"Lily Marie! I'm not leaving my best friend to have this baby on your own!" Grace exclaimed.

"I won't be here Grace," Lily admitted.

"What?" Grace looked surprised.

"We're opening another office in Chicago. I won't even be here," Lily told her friend.

"That's only a few hours away," Grace reminded her friend.

"Grace, I know you want to help, but Ty hates me now, or at least he should, and your parents won't be too happy with me either. I don't think your mom would want you helping me," Lily said.

"The hell with mom," Grace grumbled. Lily had to laugh at that.

"Grace, go home, please? You can come over tonight after I get out of work, but for right now, I really need to try to get some work done," Lily pleaded.

"You come over for dinner tonight. I'll work on Mom. Don't worry, Ty won't be there, he's staying in Cali," Grace said, leaving no room for argument. Grace sighed and nodded. "Six thirty Lil. Don't be late," Grace cautioned, standing up.

Lily grinned. "I'm already late," she joked. Grace laughed.

"Dork," she teased as she walked out the door.

Lily looked up as the door open to reveal a very unhappy Greg. "Lily," he said politely, stepping aside to let her in.

"Hi," she murmured.

"I'm not thrilled with you being here for dinner," Caroline said from the doorway to the living room.

"I can leave," Lily offered. Caroline looked ready to take Lily up on that offer but Greg shook his head. "We all need to talk," he said. Lily sighed but followed Greg and Caroline to the dining room where Grace already waited.

"Now, tell me why you cheated on my son," Caroline said after they were all seated.

"I can't cheat on someone that I'm not in a relationship with," Lily pointed out.

"You had sex with my son, what do you call that?" Caroline asked, raising her eye brows.

"Sex," Lily said simply. Caroline looked at Lily in disbelieve.

She was well aware that Lily had been in love with Tyler for years and had tried to keep the two apart for as long as she could have.

"But you love Ty," Grace blurted out. Lily glared at her friend.

"That's the last time I tell you something I want kept secret," Lily grumbled.

"It wasn't a secret to anyone except Tyler," Greg said.

"My brother is a moron," Grace said with a grin. Lily laughed a little.

"Not a moron, just clueless," Lily corrected. Caroline studied Lily carefully.

"There never was anyone else was there?" Caroline asked. Lily shook her head with a sigh. "Then why tell him there was?" she wanted to know.

"I didn't. Ty accused and I just stayed silent. Tyler has a lot of growing up to do, and he doesn't even know what he wants out of life. I don't want to tie him down with this," Lily said softly.

"It will change your life quite a bit," Greg warned.

"It already has," Lily said, picking at her salad.

"So the baby is Tyler's," Caroline murmured.

"Yes." Lily's voice was so quiet, Caroline had to strain to hear her.

"He needs to know," Greg said gently.

"Ty needs to live his own life," Lily argued.

"And he deserves the chance to decide if he wants to be a part of his child's life," Greg countered.

"That's enough," Caroline said softly. Lily looked up in surprise. "Whether Tyler knows the truth or not, you carry our grandchild and stressing you out will not do either you or the baby any good," Caroline added gently. "Eat," she encouraged. Lily and Grace glanced at each other before Lily shrugged and actually began to eat the food on her plate.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

"Hello?"

"Ty?" Lily asked hesitantly.

"No, this is his roommate Jeff. Hang on," Jeff said, tossing the phone to Tyler.

"This is Ty."

"It's Lily. Do you have a minute?" Lily asked softly.

"What do you want?" Tyler wanted to know.

"To apologize about the other night. I know I didn't contradict anything you said, but there never was anyone else. I'm sorry for letting you think there was," Lily told him.

"And how do I know you aren't lying?" Tyler asked.

"You just have to trust me, or call your parents or Grace. I had a long talk with them last night over dinner," Lily murmured.

"I don't know if I can trust you. I can't talk now Lily. Don't call me again, I'll try to call you in a few weeks," Tyler said before hanging up.

-2 and a half years later-

"Ty, you're back!" Grace exclaimed, giving her brother a big hug. She looked surprised to see a tall, thin red haired girl standing behind him. "Who's this?" Grace wanted to know, narrowing her eyes.

"This is Jenni. She's the girl I told you about," Tyler answered. Grace studied her brother's girlfriend carefully.

"I didn't know you were bringing her home with you," Grace said with a frown.

"Grace, where are your manners?" Tyler scolded teasingly. Grace stuck her tongue out at her brother.

"Sorry, I'm Grace, it's nice to meet you," Grace said hesitantly. Jenni smiled.

"It's nice to meet you. Ty talks about you all the time," Jenni cooed. Jenni's voice reminded Grace of the bubble gum cheerleaders that she had gone to school with and made Grace want to vomit.

Grace looked up when she heard her name being called and groaned silently.

"Who's that?" Jenni wanted to know.

"My friend Lily and her daughter," Grace answered, giving Tyler a look. Tyler swallowed hard as a little girl with blond hair came running up the sidewalk, her mother following close behind.

"Ty," Lily gasped, coming to a dead stop, not seeing her daughter push past Jenni and leap into Grace's outstretched arms.

"Hey," Tyler said, a forced smile on his face. "Lily, this is my wife Jenni, Jenni, this is Lily," Tyler introduced. Lily felt all color drain from her face and Grace's wide eyes met hers.

"You never said you guys were married!" Grace exclaimed, frowning at the look on Lily's face. "C'mon Lil, let's go get Mia some cookies so Ty can explain to my mother why she wasn't invited to the wedding," Grace added, grabbing Lily by the arm and dragging her into the house.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

"Lily, can we talk?" Tyler asked as she was getting ready to leave.

"No," Lily said, stuffing toys back into the bag.

"Two minutes Lily," Tyler insisted, grabbing Lily's arm.

"What do you want Ty? Don't you have a new bride to fuck?" Lily asked harshly.

"That wasn't necessary Lily," Tyler warned.

"What do you want Ty?" Lily repeated.

"Mia's beautiful," Tyler said softly. Lily smiled.

"Yes, she is," she agreed.

"Is she really mine?" Tyler wanted to know.

"Would you believe me if I said yes?" Lily countered.

"Maybe," Tyler admitted. Before Lily could say anything else, Grace, Jenni and Mia returned to the living room.

"Someone's ready for her nap," Grace said with a small smile.

"No nap!" Mia whined. Lily laughed as she put the last toy in the bag and zipped it shut.

"I'll tell you what kiddo, lets both go home and take a nap. We need to get home before Carter does," Lily murmured. Grace frowned.

"You're still with that loser?" Grace asked.

"Don't do this Grace," Lily pleaded.

"Who's Carter?" Tyler wanted to know.

"My boyfriend," Lily answered.

"He's a douche bag," Grace growled.

"Grace, not in front of Mia," Lily scolded, taking Mia from her friend. "I'll call you later. It was good seeing you again Ty," she added before hurrying out the door.

Tyler walked into the kitchen and watched Grace make herself a cup of hot cocoa. "Who's Carter?" Tyler asked.

Grace jumped. "Holy hell Ty!" she gasped.

"Who's Carter?" Tyler asked again.

"Lily started dating him six months ago. Lily's been different since. He ignores Mia, and even if Lily doesn't feel like having sex, he makes her; I've seen marks on her wrists; apparently Carter is into restraints," Grace answered.

"Has he hit her?" Tyler's voice was low and Grace could hear the anger just below the surface.

"Lily hasn't said anything about that; but Carter isn't right, there's something about him that scares me. Mom and Dad too. Dad's even got someone following Lily for her own protection," Grace murmured.

"Why hasn't she left him?" Tyler wanted to know.

"I don't know," Grace admitted.

"If he hurts her, I'll ..."

"You'll do what? You're married remember?" Grace taunted, taking her mug of cocoa and leaving the kitchen.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

"Lily!" Lily looked up to see Tyler walking over to her.

"What's up Ty?" Lily asked.

"We need to talk, about Mia," Tyler answered.

"Ty, please, I don't have time for this," Lily pleaded, her eyes darting down the street.

"Excuse me, who the hell are you?" a tall man with dark red hair and dark green eyes asked, coming to a stop next to Lily.

"Carter, this is Grace's brother Tyler," Lily introduced with a sigh. She could already feel the headache forming.

"Hello," Tyler said, reaching out his hand.

"What do you want with my girl?" Carter wanted to know.

"Just to say hello. I haven't seen her much since I went off to Stanford," Tyler answered.

"Well, you've said hello and now you can leave. C'mon Lily, we need to go get your little brat from day care," Carter said, pushing Lily towards his car. Tyler felt a wave of anger rush through him as he watched Lily be led away like a farmer leads his cattle.

-6 months later-

"This is Ty."

"Ty, it's Lily." Tyler frowned at the frantic tone of her voice.

"What's wrong Lil?" Tyler asked.

"Mia's sick, she's in the hospital," Lily began.

"And?" Tyler wanted to know.

"I need your help. Please come," Lily pleaded.

"I'll have to think about it," Tyler said before hanging up.

"Who was that?" Jenni asked.

"Lily. Mia's in the hospital," Tyler answered, glancing over at his wife and trying to hide his disappointment. After nearly two years of marriage, Jenni still wasn't pregnant. Tyler didn't know much about what he wanted, but he did know he wanted children. He had graduated college with honors several years early and was on his way to opening his own business, or maybe taking a job in his father's firm.

"So?" Jenni asked, looking over her nails carefully to make sure she hadn't smudged them.

"She's asking for my help," Tyler said. Jenni looked up, her eyes narrowing.

"Why?" Jenni asked sharply.

"There's a chance that Mia's my daughter," Tyler admitted.

"You slept with that little whore?" Jenni growled.

"What makes you think she's a whore?" Tyler wanted to know.

"You said there is a chance, that means that she slept with someone else," Jenni pointed out. Tyler opened his mouth to defend Lily but nothing came out. "Go to her, find out if Mia is yours. Do nothing else until then," Jenni said, waving her hand at him as if she were dismissing him.

-Hours later-

"Lil?" Tyler asked gently, knocking on the door. Lily looked up, her eyes red from crying.

"Thank God!" Lily gasped, standing up.

"Where's Carter?" Tyler wanted to know. Lily made a noise that sounded like a cross between laughing and crying.

"I threw him out a few months ago," Lily answered. Before Tyler could ask any more questions, Lily lifted the hem of her shirt to reveal a long jagged scar.

"What happened?" Tyler wanted to know.

"I got pregnant and he didn't want it," Lily said, looking away. Tyler tilted Lily's face so that her eyes would meet his.

"You deserve better," Tyler murmured, his eyes flashed with anger and Lily flinched and pulled away.

"What's wrong with Mia?" he wanted to know. Lily began to cry again and Tyler helped her back into her chair before she collapsed.

"She has Leukemia," Grace said from the doorway. "She needs a bone marrow transplant. Lily doesn't completely match, and neither do dad, mom or I," Grace added.

"Why would you match at all?" Tyler asked, playing stupid. Before Grace or Lily could say anything more, the doctor walked back into the room.

"Have you reached Mia's father yet Lily?" he asked gently.

"Yes," Lily murmured.

"How do I know she's mine?" Tyler wanted to know.

"Damn it Ty, do you think I would have called you away from your precious wife if there was any doubt in my mind?" Lily shouted.

"You're Tyler Billings?" the doctor asked and Tyler nodded. "Come with me and we'll get you tested so we can rush the results. Even with the rush, it could still take at least twenty four hours," the doctor told Lily gently. Lily nodded and watched in silence as Tyler was led from the waiting room and to a procedure room. Grace sat down next to her friend and gave Lily a gentle squeeze.

"Everything is going to be okay," Grace promised.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

"Lily?" Tyler asked, walking back into the room.

"How are you feeling?" Lily wanted to know.

"Sore," Tyler admitted, sitting in the chair across from Lily. "I was talking to my mom, and she mentioned something about you having twins," Tyler began. Lily's eyes filled with tears again but she nodded. "What happened?" he asked gently.

"I went into labor not too long after you left for Stanford. They managed to stop it, but only for a couple of weeks. Mia and Sam were taken to the PICU but Sam's lungs never finished developing and he only lived a few days. Mia was stronger and despite coding twice, she made it," Lily said, closing her eyes against the onslaught of memories. Finally, Lily opened her eyes long enough to dig something out of her bag. She reached out to hand them to Tyler and he realized they were pictures. "Your mom said he looked just like you," Lily whispered, silent tears streaming down her face.

"Why didn't you call me?" Tyler asked several minutes later. Before Lily could answer, the doctor walked into the room.

"Doctor Anderson?" Lily asked, her voice shaky.

"Mr. Billings, your bone marrow was a 100% match, both tissue and blood type. We'd like to get you prepped immediately," Doctor Anderson announced.

"What does that mean?" Tyler wanted to know.

"It's great news. It also concurs with the paternity test that you are Mia's father. We only have a short window for this," Doctor Anderson answered, holding out the consent form. Tyler glanced at Lily before reaching for the form and signing it quickly.

Lily waited for Tyler to be led from the room before dialing Grace's number.

"He matched," Lily said before hanging up the phone. She walked over and looked through the window at her daughter who was being prepped for the radiation treatment. Her once blond hair was now shorter then the hair on some new born babies. "Please God, don't take my baby," Lily whispered as she watched Mia crying in her bed, scared and alone.