COURTROOMS AND HEALING
Emergency custody was granted quickly.
Protective orders followed.
The explanations Brenda and her boyfriend tried to offer unraveled under scrutiny.
Michael attended every hearing.
Leo sat beside him, small hand wrapped tightly around his father’s fingers.
Healing wasn’t immediate.
Leo slept in Michael’s room for weeks. Nightmares came in waves. Therapy became routine. Michael stepped back from work without hesitation.
Business could wait.
His son could not.
ONE YEAR LATER
