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A hundred things go through my head in that instant—something has happened in DC, an important client was lost, the company is being sued, the media made up some bullshit story about my move to Asheville being due to a terminal illness—who knows. But the one thing Idon’texpect, is what comes out of her mouth.
“It’s Lilly.”
I run to my car so fast that I don’t even remember getting there or getting to the school. As soon as I reach the school, I barge into the front office as if I am bringing down a fortified kingdom.
“What the hell happened?” I demand as soon as I see the principal waiting there to greet me.
I haveneverused my money or my influence to hold over these people, but when it comes to my daughter,I will.
“Let’s all try to stay calm,” the principal says as if she is going to make matters better by not coming directly out with an answer to my question.
“Principal Keller, either you tell me what the fuck happened in less than ten seconds, or I willdestroythis school.”
She visibly gulps and then walks me quickly to the clinic. I feel bad for acting like an asshole, but not bad enough to care about it in this moment.
“There was, apparently, an incident in gym class,” she explains as we walk quickly toward the school clinic.
“What kind of incident?”
“The kind that has resulted in an accident. Don’t worry, our school nurse iswonderful, and she says that Lilly likely won’t need surgery.”
I shoot her a glare that makes the school principal instantly blanch.
Fortunately for her, we reach the clinic before I have time to ask any further questions. I rush through the doors and see Lilly sitting on the clinic bed with her face buried in her hands.
“Lillybean,” I say, using my special term of endearment for her that I have called her since she was a toddler. I don’t say it much anymore because it embarrasses her, but this moment obviously warrants it.
“Dad,” she looks up as she starts to sob again. Her eyes are puffy, and her face is wet. She is almost as saddened now as she looked at her mother’s funeral.
I look down and see the wrapped ankle.
“Dad it’ssobad,” Lilly cries as I sit down to hold her. She buries her face against my chest and sobs. “I can’t walk on it, I can’t move or twist it, and when I fell, I heard it make this terriblecrackingsound. Oh Dad, I’m never going dance again.”
I am equal parts devastated for my daughter andfuriousat the gym teacher who was supposed to be in charge of keeping her safe here.
“It’s okay Lilly. It’s an injury that will heal. Come on, let’s get you to the doctor and see what’s happened.” I lift my daughter up into my arms as she wraps her hands behind my neck. I haven’t seen her this upset in a long time, and it absolutely guts me.
“Please let us know if there is anything that we can do to help,” the principal says as I make my way toward the door with Lilly in my arms. I can’t help myself. I turn around and glare at her with a vengeance.
“Dance is the one thing that my daughter has left,” I growl at her. “And you’ve taken it away from her, at least temporarily. I can assure you, Mrs. Keller, that if that gym teacher is still here when I return, I will sue this school for every penny that it stands on.”
I turn abruptly and leave before she can say anything else. I don’t even know what happened yet. I haven’t even been given the full story surrounding the accident that Lilly had in gym class. It could have been something as innocent as her tripping over her own feet—which is unlikely considering that she is as graceful as a dove—but I don’t care. She is injured, and of all things to be injured ithadto be a place on her body that she needed in order to be able to dance. Bella’s dreams were taken from her, and I will not stand by and watch Lilly’s be taken too.
Lilly is beside herself as I rush her to the emergency room and call both her doctor and dance instructor on speed dial. Dance is the only thing keeping her motivated after her mother’s death. It’s the only thing that she has to cling to. And even though I try to step in and make her feel better, I can’t.
Lilly and I have a great relationship, but it’s not the same as the relationship between a mother and daughter. And it’s not the same as the relationship that she has with dance. I can’t fill those voids. Shehasto be okay.
“Three months, maybe,” her doctor says after the emergency room tech fashioned Lilly a brace. “If we’re lucky. But you will have to stay off of itcompletely. Any weight you put on it will slow the healing process. You need to let the brace do its job.”
“Three months?” Lilly bursts into tears ago. “I can’t not dance for three months.”
“Lilly,” I say as I try to calm her down. “I know it’s a long time, but this could have been so much worse. You’re going to recover fully, just as long as you follow the doctor’s directions. You’ll be right back to dance before you know it.”
“You don’t knowanything,”she hisses at me. I know that she’s upset and angry, but it still hurts to be on the receiving end of being lashed out at. “Momwould know. She would understand. I will lose so much progress! All of that work and practice that I’ve been doing will be gone. My double pirouettes will be gone.”
“I understand this is upsetting to you,” the doctor says as I sit there with my mouth hanging open while trying to think of what to tell Lilly that she will actuallyhear. “But in three months you’ll be back to dancing.”
“You don’tget it!” she screams, drawing looks from the doctor and nurses around. “How am I supposed to keep going? Dancing is my dream. Ineedto be able to do it.”
