Chapter 5
I woke up on the couch.
The sun was streaming through the window.
I could smell coffee.
And pancakes.
I sat up.
My back ached.
The couch was too small.
But I didn't care.
I stood up and walked to the kitchen.
Sarah was at the stove.
Rosie was sitting at the table, coloring.
She looked up when she saw me.
"Daddy!"
She jumped out of her chair and ran to me.
I knelt down and hugged her.
She hugged me back tight.
"Good morning, baby," I said.
"Mommy made pancakes!" she said.
She seemed better.
Brighter.
The bruise was still there.
Dark and ugly.
But her eyes were smiling.
"That sounds wonderful," I said.
I stood up and looked at Sarah.
She smiled at me.
A real smile.
"How is she?" I asked quietly.
"Good," Sarah said. "She woke up asking for you. She didn't mention last night. I think... I think she's trying to forget."
I nodded.
That was probably for the best.
For now.
We ate breakfast together.
Rosie chattered about her coloring book.
About the park.
About everything except what had happened.
Sarah and I exchanged glances.
We both knew.
The child specialist was coming at ten.
The police would probably go to my parents' house today.
Things were about to get worse.
Much worse.
But for now, we let Rosie be happy.
We let her talk about rainbows and unicorns.
We let her be four years old.
At nine forty-five, there was a knock on the door.
My heart jumped.
Sarah looked through the peephole.
"It's Dr. Lopez," she said. "The child psychologist the police recommended."
She opened the door.
Dr. Lopez was a woman in her forties.
Warm eyes.
A gentle smile.
She carried a bag of toys.
"Good morning," she said. "I'm Dr. Lopez. You must be Sarah and Mark."
We nodded.
"And this must be Rosie," she said, looking past us.
Rosie was hiding behind my leg.
She peeked out.
"Hello," Dr. Lopez said. "I brought some toys. Would you like to play with me?"
Rosie looked up at me.
I nodded.
"Go ahead, baby," I said. "It's okay."
She took Dr. Lopez's hand.
Dr. Lopez looked at us.
"Give us about an hour?" she said.
"Of course," Sarah said.
We went to the bedroom and closed the door.
We sat on the bed.
Neither of us spoke.
We just waited.
An hour felt like a lifetime.
Finally, there was a knock on the door.
Dr. Lopez opened it.
Rosie was right behind her, holding a stuffed rabbit.
"Can I go watch cartoons?" Rosie asked.
"Of course, baby," Sarah said.
Rosie ran to the living room.
Dr. Lopez came in and closed the door.
Her face was serious.
"She told me everything," Dr. Lopez said.
My breath caught.
"She described what happened in detail," Dr. Lopez said. "She told me about her auntie grabbing her arms. About slapping her face. She said her auntie told her she was a bad girl and needed to be taught a lesson."
I felt tears burn my eyes.
Sarah took my hand.
"She's traumatized," Dr. Lopez said. "But she's also resilient. She knows she's safe with you two. That's the most important thing."
"Will she be okay?" I asked.
Dr. Lopez nodded.
"With therapy. With love. With stability. Yes, she will be okay. But it will take time. And you need to make sure she's never around that woman again."
"Never," I said. "I swear."
Dr. Lopez gave us a report.
Everything Rosie had told her.
Documented.
Signed.
"This will help with the police," she said. "And with any legal proceedings."
She gave us her card.
"I'd like to start seeing Rosie twice a week," she said. "For now. We can adjust as she heals."
"Thank you," Sarah said.
Dr. Lopez left.
Sarah and I sat on the bed.
We held each other's hands.
We had a long road ahead of us.
But we had proof.
We had truth.
And we had each other.
My phone rang.
May you like
I looked at the screen.
It was my mother.
