Sweet and Innocent (Demi Lovato)

Chapter 36

Demi's POV

The smell of breakfast cooking downstairs wakes me up and I realize that I slept in. Since I haven't been working lately, I haven't been setting my alarm unless it's necessary. I shower and get dressed quickly, then make my way downstairs.

"Good morning," Wilmer greets, standing at the stove.

"You're making pancakes?" I ask, wrapping my arms around his waist.

"Yeah, I hadn't for a while." He flips the pan onto a plate. "Do you want to get Lilly?"

"Of course." I head back upstairs to wake Lilly up. 

When I open her door, I see that Nevvy is in her bed with her, both of them sleeping soundly, Lilly hugging her sister. I wonder how she got here and what could have happened while I was asleep.

I walk over to the girls, and slightly shake Lilly; she opens her eyes.

"What's Nevvy doing here?" I ask, noticing that Nevvy is hurt once Lilly pulls away to sit up.

"I rescued her from her house," she says. "Is that okay?"

I nod, although all I can think about is what could happen if Nevvy's parents find out, and how Lilly could have gotten hurt out there by herself at night. I could have helped her if she'd told me. Not with taking her sister, of course, but trying to find a way to help.

Lilly wakes Nevvy up, and the girls come downstairs to eat breakfast.

Wilmer seems surprised to see Nevvy, but gives her some food too, and we all eat until we're full.

The girls go to play in Lilly's room. I think about the best way to deal with this situation and keep us out of trouble, since Nevvy is not our daughter.

My phone rings and I quickly answer it, hoping it's the adoption agency calling about our meeting with Lizzy.

"Hello?"

"Hi. Is this Demi?" a younger female voice asks.

"Yes..." I reply.

"This is Emma, Lizzy's friend. She told me to call you about an emergency. She's at... she's at the hospital and was wondering if you could come."

My mind immediately jumps to the worst scenario. "Of course. Which one?"

"Cedars-Sinai."

"Okay." I hang up and tell Wilmer to watch the girls, calling the situation a "work emergency."

I drive to Cedars-Sinai and get there soon later, rushing inside and asking at the front desk where Lizzy is.

"Are you family?" the nurse asks.

"No, but she'll want me there," I reply.

The nurse reluctantly agrees and leads me to the room where Lizzy is. When I see her, I immediately rush over to her. Lizzy has her knees drawn up to her chest and is crying.

"What's wrong? What happened?" I ask, my voice hurried.

"Everything started hurting. The doctors say the baby's stillborn."

Tears start to form in my eyes. I had thought that we were meant to have this baby. Now she's telling me it's dead. The baby may not have been ours yet, but I feel like I'm losing a part of myself.

"Are you okay?" I ask her.

"I guess. I didn't want to let you down, but I'm kind of relieved." She looks up tearfully. "Did Wilmer or Lilly come?"

"No, they stayed at home." I look at Lizzy. "So, how does this all work?"

"They want me to give birth to it," she says, "tomorrow."