Chapter 7 - The Rebuilding of Ellis
True healing doesn't happen in a courtroom or a boardroom; it happens in the quiet, mundane moments of a Wednesday afternoon.
A month after the hearing, the Severn River house had been completely restored to its original warmth. The yellow nursery was full of new toys, low, accessible shelves, and a soft, oversized bed shaped like a pirate ship that Ellis had chosen himself during a brief, quiet trip to a local furniture store.
Ellis was sitting on the living room rug, his knees drawn to his chest, watching the old brown retriever, Barnaby—whom Blythe had retrieved from Reed’s property—chew on a rubber toy. The boy’s skin had regained its healthy pink color, and his neck had healed completely, the red marks replaced by soft, smooth skin.
Blythe sat several feet away on the floor, holding a box of wooden alphabet blocks. She didn't crowd him. She had learned from the trauma specialists that Ellis needed to dictate the boundaries of his space.
"E," Blythe said softly, placing a blue block with the letter E on the rug between them. "E is for Ellis."
The boy looked at the block, his gray eyes blinking slowly. He reached out a small, hesitant hand, his fingers touching the smooth painted wood. He didn't pull back.
"E," a tiny, raspy voice whispered from his lips.
It was the first word he had spoken since Blythe had brought him home.
Blythe’s breath caught in her throat, a wave of profound, overwhelming emotion rushing through her chest. She kept her voice steady, refusing to frighten him with her tears. "Yes, sweetheart. E is for Ellis. You're doing so good."
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Ellis looked up from the block, his eyes locking onto hers with a sudden, sharp clarity that made the five years of loneliness and foreign dirt completely disappear from her soul. He didn't run into her arms yet, but he moved his small seat six inches closer to her side, his shoulder lightly brushing against her knee.
Outside the window, the Severn River flowed calm and silver beneath the summer sun. The house was no longer a theater of wealth; it was a sanctuary once again.
