Chapter 6 - The Road to Recovery
The next few days were a blur of medical tests and paperwork.
Maya’s infection was caught just in time,
but the trauma ran deep.
She would flinch whenever the door opened,
expecting Eleanor’s harsh voice.
I stayed by her side,
sleeping in the uncomfortable chair next to her bed.
I brought her real food—
homemade broth,
fresh fruit,
and the vitamins she actually needed.
Liam was doing better,
too.
The doctors said he was a fighter.
He started gaining weight,
his tiny cheeks filling out.
I spent hours just holding him,
marveling at how small he was.
I made a vow to him then.
He would never know the coldness I had grown up with.
He would never know a family that put money over blood.
Meanwhile,
my phone was inundated with messages.
Once Eleanor and Chloe were allowed their one phone call from the precinct,
they called my older brother,
Jim.
Jim called me,
furious.
"How could you do this to Mom?"
he yelled.
"She's an old woman,
David!
Putting her in jail on New Year's?"
"Did she tell you why she's in jail,
Jim?"
I asked calmly.
"She told me you had a disagreement about money."
"I’m sending you a link,"
I said.
"Watch the videos.
Look at the photos of my wife’s wound."
"Then call me back and tell me I'm the bad guy."
I hung up.
Ten minutes later,
Jim called back.
He was silent for a long time.
"I had no idea,"
he finally whispered.
"I'll help you with the legal fees,
David.
They...
they left her to die."
Finally,
the truth was out.
The family was split,
May you like
but for the first time,
I was on the side of the light.
