Her aunt regained consciousness while in cuffs and started screaming when she saw Emily.
“Emily! Don’t let them take you! I’m sorry, baby, I’m sorry!”
Emily buried her face in my vest. I rested my hand on her head, gentle. “You’re safe now,” I said.
It took hours to untangle. Reports. Questions. Statements. The paperwork of tragedy.
When Jim and Martha arrived, everything shifted. Martha wrapped Emily in a clean blanket like she’d been waiting for her. Jim took Jamie with careful hands, murmuring to him like he already belonged.
“We’ll take care of them,” Martha promised. “Both of them. Together.Emily clung to my vest one last time. “Will I see you again?”
“Every week if you want,” I told her. “You’re not alone anymore.”
She looked up at me, confusion mixed with hope. “Why are you helping?”
Because I knew the answer, and it wasn’t pretty.
