Chapter 6 - The Long Road to Healing
Three weeks later, the hospital room at St. Charles Medical Center was finally filled with actual sunlight instead of fluorescent glare.
The cartoon lions and giraffes on the walls didn't look eerie anymore; they just looked colorful, childish, and safe.
Marin sat propped up against a stack of fluffy pillows, her left arm now encased in a bright pink cast that all the nurses had signed with encouraging notes and cartoon flowers. Her hair was clean, her cheeks had regained their natural color, and she was busy coloring in a thick comic book with her good hand.
Andrew stood by the window, watching the afternoon traffic flow down the Bend streets.
The legal battle had been swift and brutal. With David’s hidden letter recovered, the financial audit of Tessa’s accounts revealing massive embezzlement from the family trust, and the physical evidence recovered from the hidden room under the stairs, the court had granted Andrew full emergency custody of Marin. Furthermore, federal investigators had reopened the missing person case regarding David Mercer, expanding their search across state lines.
The door opened softly, and Dr. Vance stepped in with a warm smile.
“Well, Marin,” Dr. Vance said, checking the charts at the end of the bed. “The orthopedic specialist reviewed your latest x-rays. The bone is healing perfectly. If you keep being a good patient, we’re going to discharge you tomorrow morning.”
Marin looked up from her coloring book, her big brown eyes shining with excitement. “Can I go home? To Uncle Andrew’s house?”
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“You bet,” Andrew said, walking over to the bed and resting a hand gently on her shoulder. “We’ve got a big yard, a spare bedroom we’re going to paint whatever color you want, and zero stairs to worry about.”
Marin smiled—a real, radiant smile that reached all the way to her eyes, the kind of smile she hadn't worn in years.
