Chapter 8 - Healing in the Light
When I walked into the private conference room next to the judge's chambers, Owen was sitting on a low sofa, coloring a picture of a house with yellow crayons.
Barnaby the rabbit sat propped up against a cardboard juice box on the coffee table.
The moment the door opened, Owen dropped his crayon, jumped down from the sofa, and sprinted straight into my arms.
"Mommy!" he cried, burying his small face into my neck.
I sank down onto my knees despite the ache in my pregnant stomach, wrapping my arms around his little frame and holding him as tightly as I could.
"I'm here, Owen," I whispered through my tears, kissing his soft hair over and over again. "Mommy is right here. Nobody is ever going to hurt you again. Nobody is ever going to make you drink bad milk."
"Did Daddy get mad at me?" he asked in a small, terrified whisper, his hands clutching the collar of my coat.
"Daddy has to go away for a very long time because he broke the law," I explained gently, wiping his wet cheeks with my thumbs. "And you did the bravest thing in the whole world today, Owen. You saved all of us."
He looked at me, sniffing softly, his eyes searching my face. "Do we have to go back to the mean house?"
"No, baby," I smiled, holding his little hand. "We're going to pack up your toys, and we're going to move to the sunny cottage near the park that you love. Just you, me, and your baby sister."
Owen looked down at my round stomach, his small palm resting gently against the fabric of my dress.
Right at that exact second, the baby gave a strong, unmistakable kick against his palm.
Owen’s eyes widened with pure childhood wonder, a bright, beautiful grin breaking across his face for the first time all day.
"She kicked me, Mommy!" he giggled, his fear melting away like morning frost under the warm sun. "She knows Barnaby is here!"
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"She knows her big brother is the bravest boy in the world," I whispered, kissing his forehead.
For the first time in eight months, the suffocating terror that had lived in my chest was replaced by the clean, pure warmth of hope.
