"Lucy. Thank God."
He moves to hug her, but I step between them without thinking. My hand settles against Lucy's back.
Frank stops short.
His eyes meet mine, and something passes between us. Fear maybe. Or respect. Hard to tell.
"Tiny," he says, his voice rough. "I..."
"Inside."
My voice comes out flat.
"Whatever you've got to say, say it inside."
He nods and steps back.
We follow him into the living room. Karen sits on the couch, twisting her hands together in her lap. The second she sees Lucy, she jumps to her feet and pulls her into a hug.
"Oh, sweetheart. I was so worried. Are you okay?"
Lucy hugs her back.
"I'm okay, Mom. I promise."
Karen pulls away and looks at me. Tears fill her eyes.
"Thank you. For bringing her home."
I nod once. The words stick in my throat.
We all sit down. Lucy stays close beside me on the loveseat. Frank settles into the same chair he'd been sitting in when he told Lucy she was throwing her life away. When he gave her that ultimatum.
The air feels thick with everything nobody's said.
Frank clears his throat. His hands shake where they rest on his knees.
"I don't know where to start."
"Start with the truth," Lucy says.
Her voice is steadier than I expected.
He flinches.
"The truth is... I messed up. Worse than messed up. I..." His voice breaks. He covers his face with his hands for a second. When he looks back up, his eyes are wet.
"I was at Murphy's Bar. Three nights before they took you. I was angry. Drinking more than I should've. This man sat down next to me. Ray, he said his name was. Friendly. Asked about my day."
My whole body goes tense.
Lucy finds my hand and squeezes it hard.
"I started talking," Frank says quietly. "About you. About how my daughter was throwing her life away for some biker. How she wouldn't listen to reason. How she was sneaking around with this man from a motorcycle club." He looks at me then. Shame fills his eyes. "I described you. Described the club. Said my daughter worked at a clinic, and I didn't know what to do anymore."
The room falls silent.
Karen lets out a small sound and covers her mouth.
