Chapter 10: Maya's Question
Chapter 10: Maya's Question
Back at the hospital, Maya was finally cleared for discharge. The IV was removed, leaving a small bandage on her hand, and she was dressed in a pair of warm, comfortable, brand-new clothes I had my assistant buy for her that morning.
As I packed her small hospital bag, folding the generic hospital blankets, Maya sat on the edge of the bed, swinging her legs nervously. She was twisting her fingers together, a nervous habit she had developed recently.
"Daddy?" she asked quietly, her voice barely above a whisper.
"Yes, sweetheart?" I turned around, dropping the bag and giving her a warm, reassuring smile.
"Are we... are we going back to the house?" Her voice trembled slightly, and her eyes darted toward the hospital room door as if Eleanor might walk in at any second to punish her. The terror was deeply ingrained.
I knelt down on the linoleum floor in front of her, taking her small, shaking hands in mine. "No, baby. We aren't going back there right now. We're going to stay at a really nice, fancy hotel downtown for a little while. We can order room service whenever we want, watch movies in our pajamas, and eat ice cream in bed."
She hesitated, chewing on her lower lip. "Is Eleanor going to be there?"
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"Maya, look at me," I said, my voice firm but incredibly gentle, making sure she heard every word. "You will never, ever have to see that woman again. I promise you. She is gone, she is locked out, and she is never coming back. Nobody is going to hurt you anymore."
For the first time in what felt like years, a tiny, genuine, relieved smile broke through the veil of fear on my daughter's face.
