The second I got home from work, I saw my seven-year-old daughter stumbling out of the woods behind our house with her baby brother in her arms.

While Joanne sat in a holding cell awaiting arraignment, back at the county hospital, Theo’s fever finally broke. By midnight, his vitals stabilized, and he was resting peacefully in his crib with his color fully restored.

Maisy woke up around 1:00 AM. Lena was sitting in the vinyl armchair beside her bed, holding a warm cup of broth. When Maisy opened her eyes, she immediately reached out her small, scratch-covered arms.

Lena climbed onto the edge of the hospital bed, pulling her daughter close against her chest.

"Is Grandma gone?" Maisy whispered into Lena's shoulder.

"She's gone, sweet girl," Lena whispered back, kissing the top of her head. "And she's never coming back near us again. You were so brave today, Maisy. You saved your brother. You are the strongest little girl in the whole world."

Maisy buried her face in Lena’s neck, letting out a long, shuddering sigh of relief. "I was so scared, Mommy. I thought the woods were going to swallow us."

"They didn't," Lena promised fiercely. "Because you fought through them."

Meanwhile, down in the county jail infirmary, Curtis Vance sat on a narrow cot staring blankly at the concrete floor. The medical evaluation confirmed he had suffered a mild transient ischemic attack (TIA)—a mini-stroke brought on by extreme stress and fury when he discovered what Joanne was doing to their family.

Detective Vance stood outside the cell bars, holding a legal notepad.

"Your daughter is willing to drop the obstruction charges against you, Curtis," the detective said quietly. "The medical logs prove your altered state was the result of a sudden neurological episode triggered by your wife's actions. But you need to sign over the property titles back to Lena immediately so she can secure her home."

Curtis looked up, tears brimming in his tired, aged eyes. He took the pen with a shaking hand and signed every document pushed through the slot.

"I couldn't stop her," Curtis choked out, his voice cracking with immense sorrow. "I tried to get to the car... I saw Maisy running into the trees... I wanted to help them, Detective. God help me, I just wanted to protect my grandbabies."