Chapter 10
Lila came off the ventilator on a Tuesday.
Megan was sitting beside her incubator, grading papers for the military training course she was teaching online, when the nurse came over, smiling.
"She’s doing it on her own," the nurse said. "Her oxygen levels are perfect. Her brain bleed is gone. She’s gained almost a full pound. The doctors say she’s strong enough to breathe without help."
Megan jumped up, her heart racing.
The doctors wheeled Lila over to a smaller, open crib. They carefully removed the tube from her throat. For a second, Lila’s face turned red. She let out a small, wobbly cry—the first sound Megan had ever heard her make.
Then she took a deep breath.
And another.
And another.
The monitors beeped steadily, happily.
"She’s doing great," the doctor said, grinning. "She’s a fighter, this one. Just like her mom."
Megan cried, leaning over the crib, touching Lila’s soft cheek with her fingertip.
"Hi, baby," she whispered. "Hi, my sweet girl. You did it. You’re so brave. I’m so proud of you."
That afternoon, the nurses let Megan hold Lila for the first time.
They carefully lifted the tiny baby out of the crib, wrapping her in a soft pink blanket, and placed her in Megan’s arms. Lila was so light, so small, Megan was scared she would break her. She held her against her chest, feeling her tiny heartbeat against her own, breathing in her sweet baby smell.
Lila opened her eyes.
They were a bright, clear blue. Just like Megan’s.
She looked up at her mom, and for a second, everything was perfect.
All the pain. All the fear. All the anger. It all melted away. There was only Megan and Lila, together, safe.
"I love you," Megan whispered, kissing the top of her head. "I love you so much. And I’m never letting anything hurt you again. Ever."
The general stood in the doorway, watching them, his own eyes wet. He had spent so many years scared his daughter would never get the family she deserved. He had spent so many years hating Ryan for hurting her. But in that moment, none of it mattered. All that mattered was the two of them, alive, together, healing.
That night, Megan sat in the NICU, holding Lila, and thought about everything that had happened.
She thought about the night Ryan left.
She thought about the 911 call.
She thought about waking up alone, scared she had lost her daughter.
She thought about the recording, the press conferences, the lies, the embezzlement charges.
It had been the worst two months of her life.
But it had also been the best.
Because she had Lila.
Because she had stopped hiding who she was.
Because she had found her strength again.
The next morning, she called her lawyer.
"I want to offer Ryan a deal," she said.
The lawyer was shocked.
"Meg—are you sure? He’s facing twenty years. We can put him away until Lila is in college. Why would you offer him anything?"
"Because I don’t want Lila to grow up hating her father," she said softly. "I don’t want her to have this weight on her shoulders, knowing her mom put her dad in pri:son for most of her life. If he takes responsibility for what he did, if he testifies against Margaret for everything—the embezzlement, the lies, the press conference, everything—I’ll recommend the minimum sentence for the neglect charges. Three years. With good behavior, he’ll be out in two. He’ll be able to be in Lila’s life when she’s older. If he gets help. If he proves he’s changed."
She paused, looking down at Lila, sleeping in her arms.
"I’m not doing this for him," she said. "I’m doing it for her. She deserves to have the chance to know her dad, if he can be a good one. But if he refuses the deal? Then we throw the book at him. Maximum charges. No mercy."
The lawyer was quiet for a second.
"You’re a better person than I am, Meg," he said. "I’ll draw up the papers. We’ll present it to his lawyer tomorrow."
Megan hung up the phone.
She didn’t know if Ryan would take the deal.
She didn’t know if he was capable of change.
May you like
But she had to try.
For Lila.
