Chapter 5 - The Reconstruction of Grace
Two months later. Late spring in Chicago.
The warm afternoon sun poured through the wide glass windows of a sunlit, two-story home in a quiet, tree-lined neighborhood near the lakefront.
The house was filled with the smell of fresh vanilla candles, warm cinnamon rolls, and soft piano music.
Sitting on a comfortable white sofa in the living room was eight-year-old Elise. Her casts had been removed two weeks earlier, replaced by light pink braces as her bones continued to heal under physical therapy. She was sitting with her colored pencils, drawing a bright, beautiful picture of a mother and daughter standing under a rainbow.
I walked into the living room carrying a tray of fresh fruit and juice, setting it down on the coffee table.
"How's the leg feeling today, bug?" I asked gently, sitting beside her, wrapping my arm around her shoulders.
"It only hurts a little bit when it rains, Mom," Elise smiled, looking up at me with her bright, clear brown eyes—eyes that were no longer wide with fear, but shining with unshakeable security.
The legal fallout from the trial had been absolute.
Ryan had pleaded guilty to lesser charges of custodial conspiracy and child endangerment in exchange for testifying against his sisters, receiving a three-year prison sentence in a federal minimum-security facility. His parental rights had been permanently and unconditionally terminated by the state family court.
Tessa and Morgan were currently being held in maximum-security detention awaiting their federal trial, facing up to forty years in state prison without parole.
The military had officially commended my unit for our swift asset extraction, and Colonel Vance had personally signed off on my promotion to Lieutenant Colonel, granting me a two-year domestic assignment in Chicago so I could remain by my daughter's side.
A soft knock echoed at our front door.
Elise jumped up from the sofa. "I'll get it!"
She ran to the front door, pulling it open.
Standing on the porch was Colonel Vance, wearing his civilian blazer, holding a large wrapped gift box decorated with a bright pink ribbon.
"Permission to come ashore, Sergeant—excuse me, Lieutenant Colonel Braddock," Colonel Vance smiled warmly, looking down at Elise.
"Permission granted, Colonel!" Elise giggled, stepping aside to let him in.
Vance set the box down on the entryway table. It was a brand-new professional artist easel and a massive set of oil paints—something Elise had talked about wanting during her hospital stay.
"Thank you, sir," I smiled, walking up to shake his hand.
May you like
"Just doing our job, Nia," Vance said, his eyes softening as he looked around our warm, peaceful home. "The intelligence unit is running smoothly without you, but the base isn't the same without its best tactical operator."
"Tell them I'll be back in two years," I said cleanly. "Right now, I have a much more important mission."
