Chapter 7 - The Journey Home
The drive back to their house in Virginia was quiet, but it was a safe, comforting silence. The rain beat gently against the windshield of Sarah’s SUV, washing away the oppressive memory of the Sterling Behavioral Center.
Lily sat in the passenger seat, curled into a tight ball beneath her mother’s jacket. The bruised, traumatized girl from the hospital corridor was slowly beginning to relax.
"Mom?" Lily asked, her voice raspy from crying. "Are they really going to keep her in jail?"
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Sarah kept her eyes on the road, but her grip on the steering wheel softened. "She’s facing serious state and federal charges, Lily. Detective Thorne has everything he needs. She won't be able to hurt anyone else."
When they finally walked through their front door, the contrast to the sterile, terrifying clinic was immediate. The house was warm, smelling of cedar and the faint hint of vanilla. Sarah drew a hot bath for her daughter and made her a cup of chamomile tea. For the first time in three days, Lily slept soundly, and Sarah sat in a chair by her bed, keeping watch like the soldier she was.
